Shower gels and shampoos often contain many preservatives and fragrances. These can irritate the skin and trigger allergies. Our author has been washing herself with apple cider vinegar for a few months now. An experience report.
After all, there is this piece of advice that one takes note of with amazement. This one had a history. I had an allergy test done, now the evaluation was due. I was tested for preservatives and fragrances, which are often found in ointments, creams, shower gels and shampoos. Because in the weeks before that, my skin had turned into a single battlefield. She was suddenly red, itchy and wet.
Yes, I have always had sensitive skin and suffer from neurodermatitis, but it has never been that bad. Some days my hands and arms were covered in thick pustules filled with water. It looked like I was lying in nettles. I’ve done a lot of allergy tests in my life, mostly nothing came of it. That’s why I was very skeptical this time too. But suddenly everything was different. Suddenly almost everything was red where the test substances had been applied to my back. My doctor said, “It’s easier, I’ll tell you what you’re not allergic to.” It wasn’t a joke, she was serious.
Then she dictated to her assistant: Lyral, sorbitan sequioleate, N-isoprophyl-N-phenyl4-phenylenediamine. One unpronounceable name followed the next. The substances had one thing in common: they are all used as ingredients in creams, ointments, shower gels and shampoos. For example in the one very expensive ointment that I bought at the pharmacy some time ago. “Allergy-tested” was written on the package. The substance is also in the shower gel, which should be specially designed for dry skin – and advertises that it is ideally suited for atopic dermatitis. So every time I wanted to do something good for my skin, I soaped myself with the irritating substance. That was just as useful as if a pollen allergy sufferer lay down in a flower meadow. And because my skin was getting drier and drier, I put more and more cream on it. Which then only made her drier and more irritable. A vicious circle.
What can I wash with if I am allergic?
And now? What did that mean for me? What should I shower with in the future? I began to read labels and had to hope that the substances contained were actually listed on them. Sometimes they aren’t, as I quickly learned. For example, they can be part of a finished mixture, which is then labeled as such.
We now live in a world that is full of artificial fragrances and preservatives. Sure, a shower gel is on the shelf for weeks, it has to be durable. Besides, it should smell good too. Fresh like apples, tart like sandalwood or whatever is currently trendy. And we wash and care for our skin more than probably no generation before us. I do a lot of sport, so of course I shower a lot too.
When I was very desperate about the question of how I wouldn’t smell of sweat in the future, but at the same time not ruin my skin for good, I met the dermatologist and bestselling author Yael Adler for an interview. In an interview, she said: “20 percent of skin diseases are self-made. Irritated facial skin, dry hands or itching on the buttocks. This is where people think they need to wash more thoroughly. But they damage the skin because soap irritates over the long term . “
Who soap stinks!
Yael Adler had a radical proposal for me. “You have to know that there are bacteria on our skin that live from decomposing the components of our skin and sweat particles. This is what gives rise to body odor. I therefore advise you to restore a skin barrier that is as old as possible from the Stone Age.” And how that works, she then explained to me: “You could also use vinegar water for washing. So add one or two spoons of apple cider vinegar to one liter of water and then rub off the relevant areas. You don’t need more.” The theory behind it: The pH value of the vinegar is good for our skin and, above all, allows the important bacteria to survive. The so-called microbiome can thrive and the skin stays healthy.
It was really difficult for me to think about giving up soap and the like. But I was desperate enough to try it out. My objection: You stink after two days, Adler countered: “No, that is a mistake. We humans naturally have a subtle, almost imperceptible odor. At least if the bacterial colonization is correct.”
So I went to the health food store and bought naturally cloudy organic apple cider vinegar. Made from whole apples, as it said on the brown bottle. Mixing water and vinegar together at home and showering me with it. I’ve been doing this for almost three months. I also wash my hair this way, I no longer have shower gel or shampoo.
When I started the experiment, of all places, it was really warm in Hamburg. So soon I feared that I would stink badly. But it didn’t happen. Over time, I was even able to do without deodorant. And even after a lap of running, I didn’t smell any more than usual. There was, however, a relapse. Suddenly everything itched again, especially in the face. I couldn’t explain it to myself. Then I took a closer look at the bottle of the newly purchased apple cider vinegar. At the bottom of the label it was printed in small letters: Contains preservatives. Because I wanted to save myself the additional trip to the health food store, I had just reached for the shelf in the supermarket the last time I went shopping. Now I know that conventionally made apple cider vinegar can have additives – and that my skin doesn’t like them at all.
Solid shampoos are also very skin-friendly
In the meantime, she is doing so well again that I can take a shower from time to time with solid shampoo and soap from the health food store. Because they are also very mild and contain few preservatives and additives. Yael Adler was now also a guest on our podcast “She runs. He runs”. You can find the link to the episode at the beginning of the article. She explains once again how healthy skin care also works for runners.
