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The Surprising Reason Your Skin Might Be Itchy — And What Product To Use That Can Help
If you have sensitive skin, allergies, or simply get red and irritated from time to time, your clothes could be exacerbating the situation. A great number of laundry detergents are filled with sensitizing ingredients and even harsh chemicals. But the best hypoallergenic laundry detergents are free and clear of any and all irritants — and there is more diversity in this growing detergent category than you might suspect.
The National Eczema Association provides a lengthy list of the most common ingredients to avoid when choosing products that are safe for sensitive skin — benzoyl peroxide, ethanol, and lactic acid, to name a few — and there are quite a few that you'll (unfortunately) find lurking in many laundry detergents.
A quality hypoallergenic laundry detergent will, ideally, be free of masking fragrances and perfumes, dyes, and sulfates. The good news (I promise there's a bright side here) is that many laundry detergent brands are hip to the dangers found in detergents and have created the best detergents that are both hypoallergenic and effective at removing stains and odors.
In this roundup of the best hypoallergenic laundry detergents you'll find the best liquid, powder, and pod detergents that are all free and clear of toxins and common irritants so you can breathe easier the next time you do a load of laundry.
1A Laundry Detergent Recommended By The National Eczema Association And Pediatricians
This liquid laundry detergent has a few impressive accolades behind it: it's recommended by the National Eczema Association and is the number one recommended detergent by pediatricians, dermatologists, and allergists. And here's why: it's completely free of all dyes and fragrances and won't irritate sensitive skin.
And that's not all — this detergent actually removes 99.9 percent of household and seasonal allergens from clothing and towels. The simple act of washing your laundry with this detergent helps everyone breathe a little better. Like all of the detergents on this list, this one is safe for both standard and high-efficiency washing machines. And while this is the most affordable detergent in this roundup, it also caters to the smallest amount of laundry: you'll need to replace it after just 31 loads.
2A Nut-Free Liquid Detergent With A Powerful 10x Concentrated Formula
If you or someone you love has a nut allergy, you want reassurance that everything you and they come into contact with is completely free of nut-based ingredients — count this hypoallergenic liquid laundry detergent as one product that is safe. Made with mineral-based enzymes like zinc ricinoleate to eliminate odors and lift stains from fabric, this detergent is free of sulfates, bleach, gluten, petrochemicals, and other toxic chemicals. Best of all? Its unique pump package means less risk of messy spills and its 10x concentrated formula is powerful — you'll clean more clothing with less detergent.
3The Best Fragrance-Free Powder Detergent That's Environmentally-Friendly
Some detergents are free and clear of perfumes and masking scents, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are 100 percent free of fragrance. For many, getting rid of chemicals that create scents is enough to keep sensitivities at bay, but for others, even the hint of a fragrance like natural lavender can be irritating. This fragrance-free laundry detergent doesn't smell like anything — it doesn't smell "sweet" or even "fresh." And that's one of the big reasons why it has more than 3,000 five-star reviews.
And, when tested by a third party, this detergent was found to have a low environmental impact, making it better for your skin and health, as well as water systems and the environment.
4A Vegan Powder Detergent Made With Just Five Ingredients
The ingredients list on the label of this vegan laundry detergent is short and sweet: it consists of just five ingredients like sodium carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming and organic peppermint oil. Everything in this detergent is found in nature, with no dyes, fillers, optical brighteners, or known carcinogens, which helped it earn an A rating by the Environmental Working Group. This is a safe choice for anyone with eczema, fragrance sensitivities, or allergies, and each bag will get you through 70 loads of laundry, meaning this purchase will last you a long time without you needing to restock.
5The Best Hypoallergenic Detergent Pods That Are Mess-Free
If measuring liquid detergent and scooping out powder is not your idea of a good time, make laundry day easier with these non-toxic laundry detergent pods, which you simply pop into your machine. You'll get two bags with 50 pods in each bag, which is a great value. The pods themselves are free of dyes, phosphates, chlorine, parabens, artificial fragrances, and masking agents. More than 94 percent of the ingredients used to make these pods is derived from natural sources and they aren't tested on animals. But do take note that these detergent pods contain essential oils like rose petal and olive leaf and are not completely free of scent.
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