Today’s post is a bit different than usual, but I hope it will help someone in a similar situation.
Disclaimer: this is NOT medical advice and you should always consult a doctor (1) before drastically altering your personal care routines and (2) if you think that you have an allergy or sensitivity.
At the end of last summer, I suddenly developed what I thought was adult acne, albeit not quite the same as my occasional hormonal acne. It made sense: the weather was changing from hot and humid to cool and drier; I was cutting some nursing sessions for my newly 1-year-old; we had recently traveled to Colorado, which always seems to throw off my skin.
However, as time went on, it became quite clear that this was not related to hormonal changes, climate or travel. Instead of getting better as things in my life settled down, this acne got much worse. It hurt; it itched (probably a giveaway for the root of the problem, in retrospect); and it left bright red scarring and indentations.
One dermatologist put me on a new face wash that made my skin slough off, so that was off the table. Another told me I should wean my baby and get on spironolactone; she also prescribed oral steroids and antibiotics that were “nursing-friendly” (not sure about that). Needless to say, I did not see either of those doctors again.
I visited an esthetician for the first time ever for a facial peel to help with the scarring, and she told me she definitely did NOT think it was hormonal acne. First of all, it was entirely on my forehead; secondly, it seemed to have no correlation with my cycle at all. She told me I should read the ingredients on my body and hair care products and do a little research on them.
So, home I went to investigate the products in our bathroom. I had been using most of the products for quite a while without issue, and I usually pick more “natural” products anyways, so I wasn’t sure I’d find anything suspect.
Well, it turned out that my shampoo and face washes did share an ingredient that is a common sensitivity: SLS. I learned from the Internet that even when SLS is “naturally” derived from coconut, it’s still a highly processed surfactant (the ingredient that makes these products foam) that is also a skin irritant for many people. SLS allergy and sensitivity are both pretty common.
And what happened when I switched out those products? My “acne” (which was really an SLS allergy) cleared up within three weeks. Again, I tried using the shampoo to test my theory–and yep, new spots the following morning. The old products were binned, and I haven’t had a single forehead spot since. Plus, my hair became wayyy less oily and I stopped getting strange clogged pores on my scalp (which I assumed were due to nursing hormones).
A few weeks later, I started noticing spots around my mouth. And if you’re thinking, Claire, that’s because toothpaste also has SLS in it, you would be right. I didn’t realize this until I started having another reaction. After a scary swollen lip episode that landed me in the ER one morning, I figured it out and switched toothpastes, too.
As of now, the only two SLS-containing products I have yet to remove from our home are our laundry detergent and the rest of our gel hand soap, but I do plan to switch those over too and see if it helps my dry, cracking hands and itchy skin.
So, PSA to thirty-somethings who think they’re immune to developing new allergies and sensitivities: you’re definitely not. I kind of want to shout to the whole world that “natural” bodycare can also cause problems and you don’t need a bunch of medications, cleansers or serums to fix it. Just removing a single ingredient from my life “cured” my skin!
If you’re in the same boat and looking to try out SLS-free products, I’m now using Carina Organics shampoo and conditioner, Burt’s Bees soothing aloe makeup wipes to cleanse my face in the evening, and RiseWell toothpaste. These products have the stamp of approval from my SLS allergy 🙂
Tomorrow I’ll be back with something more on my usual blog topics 😛 have a wonderful day, friends!
xx Claire