As I am sure you are aware, babies, on the whole, have very sensitive skin. That’s why there are whole product lines of creams, detergents, and clothing to help keep their skin feeling fresh, soft, and clean.
And that is just on a normal basis for kids who don’t have any sort of allergies or skin issues. If your baby has eczema, for instance, you’ll have an even tougher time finding products that keep them from experiencing a flare-up. Which is, of course why we are going to be looking to find the best laundry detergent for eczema babies in this article.
Now, as I said, it can be very tricky to find the right laundry detergent for an infant with eczema, but don’t you worry! That is precisely what I am here for!
I have done all of the legwork for you and found out everything there is to know to find the right detergent so that you can be well informed before you purchase. I’ll also guide you through the best detergents on the market today so that you can rest assured that you are making a wise decision.
The Best Laundry Detergent For Eczema Babies (Updated)
Laundry Detergent For Eczema Babies |
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Rockin' Green *Best Choice* |
(*) Below, you'll find my detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see prices and read customer reviews.
Buyer’s Guide
What is Eczema?
Eczema is, aside from being a huge pain, a skin condition that occasionally will flare up. This condition causes the skin to become red, patchy, and itchy.
If left unattended or in the case of a bad flare, blisters may form, which can be extremely painful. In short, nothing that you want an itty bitty little kiddy to have to deal with all the time!
What triggers eczema flare-ups?
There are several schools of thought on what causes an individual’s eczema to flare up. Some medical professionals claim that there is no attributable external cause to these flare-ups and that they happen at random.
There is also other research that suggests that an excess or lack of the proper amount of oil in the skin can lead to these itchy patches forming, which is why finding the proper detergent is so important.
The last thing you want to do is use a detergent that adds a bunch of oils to your child’s skin or removes too many of them. It is, to put it mildly, a delicate balancing act, especially since every child’s body composition is unique.
Types of Detergents
Basically, you can either choose your detergent in either liquid or powder form. I personally use a tag team approach with my detergents, using powders for certain types of clothes and liquids for others. I do this because each type of detergent has its distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Powder – Powder detergents are generally more powerful than their liquid counterparts, making them perfect for heavy or tough stains.
They can also be measured really precisely, which will you to make sure that you don’t end up wasting any. Also, this precise measuring helps to keep the detergent from being overpowering for someone with sensitive skin. This allows you to clean your kids’ clothes, without causing as much irritation.
Liquid – Liquid detergents are easier to store and quicker to use, and will work great for general use. These types of detergents also allow you to pre-treat stains, which helps on tough stains.
Liquid detergents, on the whole, are usually too concentrated to be used as is for the clothes of a baby with eczema.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t use them. You just have to make sure that you water them down first. This might take a bit of trial and error before you get it right, but once you find the right balance, these detergents should be just fine.
What To Keep In Mind When Looking For The Best Laundry Detergent For Eczema Babies
Of course, there is a lot more that you need to take into account when you are buying any detergent, but especially when you are looking for the best laundry detergent for eczema babies.
In this section, I’ll go over everything that you need to know to make sure you are getting the right detergent for your baby.
Washer Compatibility – Like most parents nowadays, I have a high-efficiency washer in my home. These washers utilize less water to get the same amount of clothes clean as an old water guzzling machine. They also require specially formulated detergents.
If you have a washer that is labeled with an HE, you need to make sure that your detergent of choice has it on its packaging as well. That way, you can rest assured that it will work properly on your machine.
Fragrance-Free – One of the biggest factors in a detergent that can cause an allergic reaction is if the soap has extra smells or perfumes added into the mix to make the clothing smell a certain way.
While these perfumes do freshen up the clothes, they can irritate someone who has sensitive skin. Since eczema is the very definition of overly sensitive skin, it only makes sense to avoid these scents at all costs.
Hypoallergenic – Another factor that you should keep in mind when choosing a detergent is if it is labeled as hypoallergenic. These types of detergents utilize fewer chemicals and more natural ingredients, in the hope that they will work better for someone with sensitive skin.
Number of Loads – Each type of detergent is designed to go a certain number of loads. The higher the number of loads, the more cost-effective the product is.
Since you will probably be diluting your detergent to help reduce the amount of irritation your little one experiences, you should get even more out of each package of detergent than it describes.
pH Level – Now, this can be a bit tricky to find out, but if you look closely at the labels of most detergents, you can learn the pH level, which describes how acidic or basic a detergent is.
Most detergents tend to be a bit more basic than acidic, but no matter which way the scale is tipped could cause some more irritation than a detergent that is more towards the middle of the scale.
More simply put, you want to look for a detergent that has a pH of 0 if possible since this will help to reduce how irritating it is to your little one’s skin.
Customizable – Finally, the last thing that you need to take into account when you are looking for detergent is how easy it is to customize it to your liking. Since you are trying to make sure that it is powerful enough to clean your kid’s clothes without causing their eczema to flare up, this can be a bit tricky.
Powders are by far the easier type of cleaner to mix up to your liking but don’t be afraid to try liquids either, since you can dilute them with plenty of precision as well.
Top Five Laundry Detergents For Babies With Eczema
The Good: Rockin’ Green is one of the most popular brands of detergent for cloth diapers. If you are unfamiliar with the cleaning process for this type of diaper, believe me, it can be quite tricky to do it correctly without damaging the diapers or causing skin irritation.
This natural detergent, which is in a powdered, form is easily customizable, which will give you the amount of control you need to make sure your little one’s skin doesn’t have a reaction.
The Bad: As good as this detergent is, it is not a huge surprise that it is a bit pricey. Thankfully, each package should last you a good long time, especially if you are using a smaller amount. Still, this product will cost you more in the long run than other detergents.
The Long and Short of It: Rockin’ Green is a great product, which will allow you to experiment with the proper mix to keep your baby’s eczema from flaring up. While it is a bit more expensive when compared to other detergents, it just might be worth the cost.
2. Charlie’s Soap
The Good: This soap mix is another great option if you are looking for powdered detergent. It is made of all natural ingredients and is unscented, which will help keep your baby from experiencing a flare-up.
It is also super easy to mix into any strength that you wish, which will allow you to find the perfect balance of cleaning power and gentleness that your baby needs to feel good in their clothes.
The Bad: While this product is not as expensive as Rockin’ Green, it is also not quite as powerful. What this means for you, of course, is that you will need to use more of it to get similar cleaning results, which might then, in turn, cause some skin irritation for you kid.
The Long and Short of It: This is an all-natural powdered cleaner that can be easily mixed up to get a good clean without causing your little one to have a flare-up. It will, however, take more detergent per mix than others to achieve a high level of clean.
3. Dreft Hypoallergenic
The Good: The first thing that you’ll notice for this product is that it is designed with newborns in mind. Now, you might think that this means that it cannot be used on a baby that has outgrown this stage of development, which is a fair, yet inaccurate, assumption.
This is a perfect detergent for a baby with eczema, simply because if it is gentle enough for a newborn, it will be gentle enough for their extremely sensitive skin as well.
The Bad: While this product is a good starting point for attempting to get some relief for your child’s eczema, it isn’t perfect. Since it only comes in liquid form, mixing isn’t quite as exact as with a powdered detergent, so you might spend a lot more time trying to get it right before you find success.
The Long and Short of It: This detergent from Dreft is a great product to use for a baby with eczema, simply because it has been designed to work well with a newborn and their extremely sensitive skin. While it might be difficult to find the perfect mix initially, once you have it, you should be good to go.
4. All Mighty Pacs Laundry Detergent
The Good: This product from all is one of the easiest to use on this list. This is because they come in measured out little packs that you simply pop into your washing machine. There is not measuring time here! They then dissolve during the wash cycle, leaving your baby’s clothes feeling fresh and neat.
This product, like most of all’s detergents, is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free.
The Bad: While the pods do make for an easier time, they might be a bit too powerful when whole for your baby’s sensitive skin. Thankfully, as long as you don’t get them wet, all you have to do is chop them into sections and only use a bit for each load of wash.
This is a very inexact science course, which might make it tough to get it just right the first few times you try.
The Long and Short of It: This detergent is one of the easiest to use if you don’t have to change the mix. If you do, you can cut the pods to a smaller size, though that will take some experimentation to get right.
5. Seventh Generation
The Good: Seventh Generation is one of the leading all-natural cleaning brands on the market today. That is why it should come as no real surprise that their detergent, which only comes in a liquid form, is a good choice for someone with eczema.
The Bad: As with other liquid detergents, this one might have to be diluted to get the right mix for your little one’s sensitive skin. This is, to put it mildly, a tricky proposition since you have to be extremely precise in your measurements to find the just right mix.
The Long and Short of It: This detergent is made up of natural ingredients and is perfume free. This makes it a solid starting point to try and combat your baby’s eczema, though it might be tricky to find the right mix.
And The Winner Is...
After looking carefully at all of the different detergents out there, I have concluded that the very best laundry detergent for eczema babies is Rockin' Green. While it is a bit more of an investment than other detergents, it is super simple to mix, powerful for even the toughest stains, but still gentle enough for super sensitive skin. I highly recommend that you check it out and give it a try!
What a Relief!
So there you have it! Hopefully, I have started you on the path to solving or at least soothing your baby’s eczema flare-ups. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article, and I truly hope it helps you out! Have a great day!