Fragrance Free/Dye Free Detergents and Fabric Softeners

As I mentioned in my introduction to this blog, I love fragrances but they don't all love me. Two products that seem to cause an allergic skin reaction is detergent and fabric softener. I have bought all kinds of detergents. I have even given detergents away to family and friends because they caused me allergic reactions. I also had to give away my detergents and fabric softeners when I switched from using a regular washer and dryer to using high efficiency (HE) appliances. So I've had to research which fragrance free/dye free detergents and fabric softeners work in HE washers and dryers as well. So here's my opinion on which ones have worked for me and which do not.

1. Ultra Plus Detergent - (HE, liquid detergent) - the packaging says that it's free of dyes and perfumes and its good for HE appliances. I've just started using this detergent. You can't find this product at Walmart (yet) or regular grocery stores. I bought mine at Sears. The cost is a little higher than normal HE products but the allergic reaction I had from using other detergents is clearing up now and I haven't had any new reactions. It also gets my clothes really clean. So this may be the detergent I continue to use.

2. Ultra Downy Free & Sensitive Fabric Softener - I used this fabric softener when I had a regular washer and dryer - I liked this product. I used this product in place of the Downy Fabric Softener (Ultra concentrated, Clean Breeze scent).

3. Tide - my dermatologist recommended that I not use any Tide products even the ones that say dye free and perfume free. So I have steered clear of all Tide products.

4. Ultra Cheer - (HE, Color guard) - has in my opinion caused an allergic reaction on my skin - bumps, itchy patches. I discontinued using that and am now using number #1.

5. Woolite (HE) - this does not appear to be fragrance free or dye free. I am still using this but I've opted to mainly use dryer sheets to soften my clothes since I haven't found a liquid fabric softener for HE washers that is fragrance free and dye free. When I do, I'll update this post.

4. Bounce Free Dryer sheets- free of dyes and perfumes and it seems to help with static build up. I like this product.

5. Eco Select - Biodegradable Dryer Sheets - free of dyes and perfumes per packaging. I was amped about this product because it was not only fragrance and dye free but also environmentally safe. However, it turned out to be disappointing - it did not deal with static build up from the dryer and my clothes had a lot of static in them. I switched back to using Bounce Free.

I've included in this blog other recommended fragrance free items from Amazon.com that other users have tried and recommended. That list of fragrance free items is located in the sidebar of this blog. If you've used any of these products and would like to comment, please feel free to do so.

Thedy B

I love fragrances but they don't all love me!

I love fragrances. I love the smell of cologne. I love the smell of perfumes. I love candles. I love incense and scented oils. I love the smell of good food cooking on the stove. I love for my clothes to have that clean, fresh smell when I first take them out the dryer. Ahhh, fragrances! Fragrances are the "taste buds" for our noses. I enjoy perfumes and fragrances a lot.

So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I first discovered that certain fragrances and perfumes caused an allergic reaction! Sometimes the fragrances affect my sinuses and cause me to sneeze a lot. Sometimes the fragrances cause me to experience headaches. Sometimes the fragrances caused acne-looking pimples on my skin and resulting dark marks. So I've been on a journey to find some fragrance free products.

Now, unlike some people, I'm not allergic to all fragrances. So I will be doing some blogs on fragrances that I like and use that have not proven to cause any reactions. But I'll also do more blogs on fragrance free products and what I, or others, think about them.

Thedy B