[Marci]

Hi, From my earliest memories I can remember having red itchy blotchy skin after mum giving me a bath. Soap on my face meant that I was clean in her eyes and Lux and Palmolive soap would give me beautiful skin as I grew up. Is it any wonder I refuse to watch commercialised television now. I have been diagnosed allergic to cobalt, nickel, carba chemicals (rubber and latex) and dodecyl gallate (an anti oxidant they put in fat and oil products to stop them going rancid). I can't wear plastic and/or metal frames for glasses, watches etc. Wheat and soy products give me trouble too with irritable bowel syndrome. I have lost about a third of my hair (I do not have alopecia) which is just not good for a girl and my skin is in very poor condition. It seems like everything I use or put on myself ends up giving me rashes or respiratory complications. There has to be something I am missing in my diet. The doctors have given up and say there is nothing else they can test me for and I have never once! received a reply from a producer or manufacturer of any product. This includes makeup, bathroom products, food goods, cleaning agents etc etc etc. I have written to compound chemists/pharmacists to make me products and not a single reply either. As you see I am feeling a wee bit desperate as it is my daughter's wedding at the end of the year and I do so want to look good. If I can just get my hair to grow back and stop falling out and my skin to be smooth and not red and dry I would be happy. I want a miracle but to be realistic I want to be comfortable in my own skin and not get sunburnt on the top of my head. Is there anyone who can help me? I have exhausted products and have wasted so much money. My daughter (the one who is getting married) rang me the other night and told me that her scalp is red and inflamed. It appears that there may be some kind of link involved. Both my daughters have always had red and blotchy skin after using different things and I don't want them to go through what I have been through all my life. So now I am on a mission. I need answers. I do not have psoriasis but I ended up with dermititus under my eyelids from using mascara just once. Looking forward to your answers, Marci.

[AfterMyNap]

Hey, Marci, something else just occurred to me. My sister makes bar soaps from scratch for me, I wonder if you know anyone who understands the organic/vegetable only soap making technique. You might be able to learn to make one that works for you and your daughter.

Just a thought. The one that works for me is from natural oatmeal and some plant?? along with goat's milk, I think. She just brings them and I test them, the lemon based one is bad, very bad!

[Marci]

Greetings wise and thoughtful one,
(I am all out of Quotes at the moment so will that splendiferous greeting do for this time?)
I know of no one who makes soaps or products suitable for me. I have two retired pharmacologists who visit at work and they brought me in the information for compounding chemists but when I have been in touch with them they ignore or refuse to come to the party. Therefore, it is up to me, AGAIN!
I used to be able to eat oatmeal but now I get IBS from that as well. I haven't tried it on my skin since as I had tried it in the bath about 10 years ago with no success. I will hit the book stores to see what "recipes" I can find.
I have bought the oatmeal soap and goat milk soap from a health food shop before with disastrous results.
Any recipes would be much appreciated and I would seriously, no make that definitely try them.
In my research I found the main ingredient is shea butter and whether it is organic or purified I still break out.
I can only use a very basic toothpaste with fluoride added otherwise I end up with ulcers in my mouth and throat.
Yesterday I restarted my fish oil capsules and glucosamine after 5 months off them as the weather was so lovely and warm but now as winter is upon us my arthritis has been letting me know it is around. Within appproximately 8 hours I had massive stomach pains and running to the toilet. What I want to know is does fish oil capsules of any kind have dodecyl gallate in it as that has been the worse I have been for quite a while. Or, could it be the glucosamine? I have tried to find this out from the manufacturers before without any joy.
Oh dear, I have just read what I have written and thought what a whinger but really I am a very optimistic person who hasn't given in or up but just requests a helping hand from anyone who can help me from their own experiences. I feel bad about my daughters developing symptoms too and I want to help them.
Thank you for your response and look after yourself. Marci.

[Marci]

Greetings wise and thoughtful one,
(I am all out of Quotes at the moment so will that splendiferous greeting do for this time?)
I know of no one who makes soaps or products suitable for me. I have two retired pharmacologists who visit at work and they brought me in the information for compounding chemists but when I have been in touch with them they ignore or refuse to come to the party. Therefore, it is up to me, AGAIN!
I used to be able to eat oatmeal but now I get IBS from that as well. I haven't tried it on my skin since as I had tried it in the bath about 10 years ago with no success. I will hit the book stores to see what "recipes" I can find.
I have bought the oatmeal soap and goat milk soap from a health food shop before with disastrous results.
Any recipes would be much appreciated and I would seriously, no make that definitely try them.
In my research I found the main ingredient is shea butter and whether it is organic or purified I still break out.
I can only use a very basic toothpaste with fluoride added otherwise I end up with ulcers in my mouth and throat.
Yesterday I restarted my fish oil capsules and glucosamine after 5 months off them as the weather was so lovely and warm but now as winter is upon us my arthritis has been letting me know it is around. Within appproximately 8 hours I had massive stomach pains and running to the toilet. What I want to know is does fish oil capsules of any kind have dodecyl gallate in it as that has been the worse I have been for quite a while. Or, could it be the glucosamine? I have tried to find this out from the manufacturers before without any joy.
Oh dear, I have just read what I have written and thought what a whinger but really I am a very optimistic person who hasn't given in or up but just requests a helping hand from anyone who can help me from their own experiences. I feel bad about my daughters developing symptoms too and I want to help them.
Thank you for your response and look after yourself. Marci.

[AfterMyNap]

LOL, thank you for your most gracious salutation!

My sister wants you to read this article and the subsequent links, she thinks this might work for you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Incredible...Soap&id=274367

[Twinkletoes]

Hi Marci!

I happened upon some black soap made of mud from the dead sea (okay, I was accosted in the mall) and bought it for my little granddaughter. It was expensive ($10 bar), but she had rough patches of skin all over her cute little bod.

I'd like to think it helped, but I suspect my son used it as more than she did. And right about that time they bought a house with a water softener, so that really helped her skin.

I googled "black soap dead sea" and got lots of results. Good luck to you.

[Koala77]

I wish I could help but our countries are too far away, and the products they sell are way too different.

My own DH is allergic to most soaps and he comes out in all types of nasty dermatiits rashes from them.

There are just a couple of pure soaps on the market that he can handle, and one is a very old product named Velvet Soap. I don't even know if it's available to you guys but it's yellow in colour and was what my mother used to wash our clothes with, way back in the 1950's.

I think Dove is another that's close to pure, but please don't quote me on that.

I hope you find something soon, but I think AMN's suggestion of getting soap made for you, is probably the way to go. You'd probably have to do the trial and error thing until you found one that didn't upset you. You shouldn't have to bathe in each of them though, just try each out on a different bit of skin. The more sensitive the skin (like inner thigh, and on the under surface of the upper arm) the quicker any reaction should show.

As for your hair......with the wedding to attend, a cheeky hat would probably be the way to go if you have bald spots to hide.


BTW. That looks like an excellent article that AMN has suggested. I'm certainly thinking along those lines now for my DH.

[Marci]

It is 11.36pm here so I suppose that maybe I should be saying good morning to you.

Here is a quote for you that I have been dreaming about whilst recovering from the "flu", here goes.....
"I don't want to die knowing I missed out on a great piece of cheesecake!"

Well, will that do it for me this time until I come up with something better?

I have read the article your wonderful sister put me onto and my concern is that the doctor in Sydney told me that olive oil was definitely out of my diet now as they process the oil with dodecyl gallate to preserve the oil/fat.
I will attempt to get the details of ingredients from them to ascertain the facts but it is so disheartening when no one will give answers or even the literature and don't acknowledge your letter/email or phone call.

I have added it to my favourites for further perusal.

Apologies for my terrible attempts at trying to figure out what buttons to push etc to move around the site but I am not particularly brilliant with this particular talent so I hope I haven't offended anyone.

Well, let's see what I can come up with now with a little bit of help from friends. God Bless and take care. Marci.

[Marci]

Hello, lovely of you to suggest something else to help me. Unfortunately though my mother tried Velvet soap and the competition's equivalent of Sunlight soap way back in my childhood. I have tried it again through the years with no joy.

It sounds ridiculous to say but in my bathroom I have 10 different shampoos, hair conditioners, deodorants, etc etc etc, getting my drift now, that I alternate on a daily basis. Feminine products are problematic too.

Dove soap and their related products are not suitable for my skin as I react.

As I told my doctors for eg, "when I go on holidays I have to take a suitcase just for these products which also include 10 rolls of bleached toilet tissue as the green unbleached choice gives me a severe reaction. (bidets have never taken off here in Australia, I can't figure out why, not that I would know how to use one.). I love going camping but there is only so much tent room. I can't go out of Aussie!!!!! They wouldn't let me on the plane. Probably think I was a terrorist!

It wasn't until I stated the absurdity of my situation to any dr who would listen and after years of trying I made them see the practical side of things and that it wasn't just a rash to be treated and a cream to be used and nylon/synthetic clothing to avoid that they actually took me seriously and sent me to the top dr in Newcastle who then referred me to the top dr in Sydney.

AND....... I still am having trouble.

I cited one time I was in intensive care for 3 days and the nurses insisted on using soap. I was in a miserable state with rash caused from the soap not rinsed off carefully. I understand about bacteria and golden staph and procedure but when does the patient have a choice? At home I rinse off after a shower for at least 10 minutes. What a waste of water!!!!!! But I am unable to see a solution for that at this time.

Anyway, apologies for this not being a quick reply but I at least feel better and I hope you are ok. Bye for now, Marci.

[Marci]

Hi, I will google black soap dead sea and see what comes up. Also, what is a house with a water softener? Bye, Marci.