Fragrance-allergy peeps: Your favorite fragrance-free products? (skin care, hair, swollen, doctor)

[Never2L8]

I know how challenging it can be to find completely fragrance-free products that also do what they're supposed to do, so I thought it might be useful for us to share info on our favorites:

Laundry:
Seventh Generation Free & Clear (regular and delicate care)
I don't use fabric softener, but maybe other posters can recommend.

Dishes:
For the dishwasher, I've found that the 7th Generation Free & Clear "packets" work really well. They have a slight musky odor to them when you first take them out of the package but it's not a fragrance and they are fragrance free in use. I have the powder also but have not used that as yet; I assume it's the same ingredients.
I rarely use rinse aid (don't need it with my water) but 7th Gen makes a Free & Clear one of that as well.
For hand washing of dishes, I like Berkeley Green Ultra Dish Soap when my local store carries it (not all do). As a backup I use the 7th Generation Free & Clear Dishwashing Liquid. I think the Berkeley does a better job though.

Cleaning:
I tend to alternate between the 7th Gen Free & Clear and the Berkeley Green All Purpose Cleaner. That said, I don't think they clean as efficiently as the typical products (Windex MultiSurface etc). So I'm open to suggestions for other effective fragrance-free ones.
I also use things like vinegar/water mixture, and Borax/vinegar/washing soda sprays.

Moisturizer:
I think I've tried every one on the market (I have sensitive skin and rosacea as well) but finally found DML Moisturizing Lotion (for the face) and Cerave for the body. I would use the DML for everything if it wasn't so expensive. I don't particularly like the fact that the Cerave has parabens (DML doesn't).

Makeup: Don't use it anymore (couldn't find any that were smell free AND didn't irritate my skin) so I can't recommend anything here. IMHO there is no such thing as a TRULY 100% fragrance/smell-free makeup, at least not in my experience.

Hair care:
I think this is the most difficult category in which to find good fragrance free products. Every fragrance free shampoo on the market (not that there are many) ended up making my hair look and feel like straw. A couple of them didn't have a "fragrance" but did have a chemical smell. Ugh. For me the Holy Grail of fragrance free shampoo and conditioner is made by a company in Australia called Purist. In addition to their various botanicals they also make an Unscented Very Gentle Shampoo and a matching conditioner. The brand name in Australia is "Alchemy" but for the USA market it was called "Akin" (same product, different branding). I used to be able to buy it online from their USA distributor but about a year ago they stopped selling it here and now it's only sold in Australia -- probably due to high postage costs. But luckily I have a friend in Australia who can send it to me. The postage costs as much as the product itself but the product is definitely worth it -- totally free of fragrance as well as from every single "nasty" that you'd rather not put on your body (parabens, sulfates, and a host of others). Best of all it doesn't dry out my hair. :-)
FYI link for shampoo: http://www.purist.com/alchemy-hairca...-shampoo-225ml

Body Wash:
I used to use the Unscented Body Wash made by Purist (Akin/Alchemy) while it was still available in the USA but now I've switched to Aquanil (can also be used as a facial cleanser) which is made by Person & Covey who also make the DML lotion.

Sunscreen:
Another frustrating category! I burn like crazy and so need something minimum SPF40 or higher. Can't stand the white mask effect of zinc oxide. I used to use Neutrogena's product until they tweaked the formula and then it no longer worked as well for me. Aveeno Pure Baby 40 is okay as long as I'm not in the sun for more than an hour. Tried the pricey Anthelios line (by LaRochePosay) and was really disappointed: my skin reacted to their "melt-in 60" and the Anthelios 40 (although no zinc oxide) is a very heavy cream that goes on white and stays that way. I've just begun using the Person & Covey products and so far am very happy with them. Their Solbar 50 says it's a "cream" but it really goes on just like a lotion. Doesn't make your face white-masky either.

[dizzybint]

I can only find one shampoo in the shops although a doctor will give you one... but I stick with the Simple range.. however the Simple eye cream affects my eyes badly,so I stopped using it... I only use Doublebase cream on my skin now.. I gave up with all the fancy expensive makes as tehy sometimes carry more dangers in the chemicals used... Cleaning the house comes into it too as these will affect your body also so they have to be discarded.. most you dont need anyway around the home.. its a marketing ploy to have women Thinking they need ten squirty bottles under the sink.. its not required...there are many Eco products online for dishes, clothes, floors, so no one needs to risk their skin or health being compromised by the junk in all these cleaners and toiletries.. they should all have warning on them..

[Never2L8]

An update on the Person-Covey "Solbar 50" sunblock: It is working really well and is 100% fragrance free. Now I just hope they never discontinue making it, LOL

[in_newengland]

Never2L8, what a great post. Those of us with chemical sensitivities do have trouble finding things that we can use---things that actually work.

I will look for some of those products, especially the sunscreen. Currently I've been using the zinc oxide and hubby says I look like a geisha!

I found a tinted moisturizer called Lavera but I have to mail order it and it's pricey so I only use it if I'm going somewhere special. It's the only foundation makeup I have found that is odorless (to me anyway) and it's made in Germany. There is a slight odor but it's not that chemical smell that always bothers me.

For lipstick I use Burt's Bees although there is peppermint or something in it that burns for a little while. Other lipsticks are impossible, even the non allergenic ones.

For face lotion I use olive oil and when I get ambitious I make up a homemade batch of moisturizer with olive oil and a few other things. I cook it up on the stove and put it into old makeup containers. It has lanolin, beeswax, glycerin, I don't remember what else. It works for me but some of the ingredients might be allergenic or irritating to other people. We're all different.

Laundry was a big problem and it got expensive buying unscented products so I use grated Fels Naptha soap with old fashioned washing soda and borax. Gets things cleaner than the commercial products with no odor and no fake brightening.

I have never used fabric softener and my clothing comes out nice and soft anyway. I wear only natural fibers so that may be why. Polyester makes my skin itch and feel crawly.

I am investigating making perfume this winter when I have more time. Of course I stay away from perfumey products but it would be fun to be able to wear a pretty scent again. I found some recipes using essential oils so maybe it's possible.

Hair--I have just about given up. Everything reeks but I do the best I can.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by Never2L8

An update on the Person-Covey "Solbar 50" sunblock: It is working really well and is 100% fragrance free. Now I just hope they never discontinue making it, LOL

I'm going to check that out. Besides the plain zinc (which is good enough for working in the yard--who cares if I look like a Geisha in my own yard!) I have Avalon Organics. It's only SPF 15 though but it is also a moisturizer. I carry a small bottle of it in my purse.

[eastcoastguyz]

Vanicream cleansing bar. In liquid form it's called Free & Clear. They also make a shampoo.

Sensitive Skin Care Products - Vanicream, Vaniply, Free & Clear, RoBathol

[dizzybint]

I tried a non perfumed Clinique cream, a new one but no... cant use it either back to Doublebase Im afraid..

[Never2L8]

Update on dishwashing liquids: Berkeley Green products have become next to impossible to find in stores in my area and their website's "shop' function no longer works. Tried to contact them via the messaging function on their website but never got a reply. I have a feeling that if the company hasn't gone *poof* yet, it's probably in the process of doing so.

I switched back to Seventh Generation Free & Clear liquid but IMHO it does not rinse easily; takes a lot of water to avoid spots if you let your dishes air dry which I do. However, I noticed that ECover makes a fragrance free dishwashing liquid and have started to use that; so far so good. But it is more expensive than the 7th Gen or the Berkeley.

There's a handy website here that lists all the current laundry detergents in a chart that shows whether the product is fragrance-free or has optical brighteners, among other things. There is one chart for "regular" laundry products and a separate one for HE ones only. The purpose is to find the best for diaper laundering but the information in it is great for allergy people too!

Overall detergents chart (disregard the page title, it is actually a chart of detergents): Pinstripes and Polkadots Education on the positives of cloth diapering

HE detergents only (disregard this page title too): Pinstripes and Polkadots Education on the positives of cloth diapering

[reprot]

Originally Posted by eastcoastguyz

Vanicream cleansing bar. In liquid form it's called Free & Clear. They also make a shampoo.

Sensitive Skin Care Products - Vanicream, Vaniply, Free & Clear, RoBathol

I too am a fan of Vanicream. I slather it on my body and face especially on the eyelids as I have chronic atopic dermatitis. Been off eye makeup for months trying to get the eyelids under control. Just when I thought things were going well I gave in and Monday and Tuesday I gave in to mascara and a soft eyeliner. As I type I'm sitting here with swollen itchy eyelids.

[in_newengland]

Simple Soap which I could only find in the UK after they stopped selling it here. Now it's on ebay.

It's so hard finding a soap that doesn't have some irritating deodorant in it or a nasty fragrance.