The Best Soap For Allergies and Eczema

Choosing the right soap for those who struggle with allergies and eczema can be difficult. Every person is so unique and responds differently to each brand of soap. When looking for a good quality soap it is important to understand ingredients and what may be irritating to sensitive skin. In today’s post we’ll go over what to look for when purchasing the best soap for those with allergies and eczema. 

I remember as a child suffering from eczema and allergies. It was truly such a difficult time trying to figure out what I could use on dry skin that would not cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation. Most of the things I used growing up had harsh chemicals that are less than ideal for those who struggle with skin sensitives. Now that I’m older and understand the effects of harmful ingredients, I’m able to choose the best skincare products for myself and my family! 

When looking for any skincare product you must be aware that the FDA does not regulate the beauty industry. In fact the word “fragrance” is a trade secret meaning, it can literally be anything the company wants it to be. We must also be aware of the term “green washing”. Green washing is used by a lot of popular companies because they are trying to attract a certain audience. It means they are marketing their product as clean, safe, natural, and/or fragrance free for the sake of sales. Just because a product is marketed this way does not automatically make it safe or clean. Please beware and make sure you are reading every ingredient before purchasing a product. Especially if you struggle with skin allergies and/or eczema-prone skin. 

What To Stay Away From When Soap Shopping

When shopping for any product for your skin it’s best to know what to stay away from. Every product should have an ingredient label, and if it doesn’t that is a sure sign to put it back on the shelf. A companies transparency helps to build trust and comforts you in knowing your buying from a good company that actually cares. There are so many companies out there who are just about sales and how much money they can profit off of a product. Please let this be your reminder, those companies could care less about the harsh ingredients in their products. If you’re going to use soap every single day (which we all do), you want non-toxic & safe ingredients.

Here are things to stay away from when shopping for soap to use on your sensitive skin:

• Fragrance (even if it says natural fragrance beware, it could literally mean anything)
• Colorants (red 40, red 3, yellow 6, blue 2, and green 3)
• Formaldehyde 
• Propylene Glycol
• Dioxane
• Sulfates
• Sodium laureate sulfate 
• Triclosan 
• Seed oil (canola oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, soy oil)
• Alcohol 
• Parabens

Which Ingredients Are Safe For Sensitive Skin?

This can truly be hard when you are first learning about ingredients. There are so many soaps out there that claim to be “fragrance free” but really that can mean the company added a toxic ingredient to hide a specific fragrance. So while it may say fragrance free, make sure you always check the ingredient list. I find it super helpful to use EWG’s skin deep data base. You can type in any ingredient in there and it will give you an ewg rating on the ingredient you’re searching for. It’s a scale from 1-10 1 being the cleanest and 10 being the most harmful. It’s a great tool to have when you are first learning about how to read ingredients. You really want a gentle cleansing bar of soap that will contain gentle ingredients. Sometimes the fewer ingredients the better (not always of course). 

In soap you want natural, whole, and clean ingredients. Here are a few active ingredients to look for when shopping for an ideal soap:

• Organic ingredients 
• Scented with essential oils ( be careful with the “natural fragrances” or added fragrance)
• Organic butters (shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, etc.)
• Natural Oils (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, 
• Goat Milk (incredibly soothing for irritated skin and itchy skin)
• Fragrance-Free formula (if you cannot handle essential oils) 
• Colloidal oatmeal 
• Aloe Vera
• Herbal Infused Oils and/or herbs (an added bonus for sure)

Of course with all new things, make sure you do a patch test before trying anything out. Unfortunately, people can still be sensitive to natural ingredients. I know someone who was allergic to mango butter, while it’s safe and natural she could not handle it. 

​What Are True Soaps

Many of these ingredients will be in what’s called a “true soap” True soaps are old school soaps and are a combination of fats (oils) with an alkali such as lye. Lye is sodium hydroxide and when combined with oils and fats it starts a reaction known as saponification. It breaks down the oil or fat into fatty acids chains and the lye mixture is then neutralized. If the right amount of oils and fats are used, the lye is used up in the saponification process to turn oil into soap. So the end product does not contain lye any longer. You will see in most ingredient lists “sodium hydroxide” that is simply just letting you know lye was used to make soap but it doesn’t mean lye is in the end product.

Where To Buy Soap For Sensitive Skin?

There are so many soap brands out there that claim to be natural but simply did not work for me. Since having eczema as a baby and starting up our farm. It has always been a desire of mine to make a product that would not only help me, but those who struggle with sensitive skin. When we moved to our farm 3 years ago we purchased goats to have raw milk for our family and to my surprise, to make goat milk soap. It has helped my skin and has been the ONLY soap I can actually put on my problematic areas. 

Faithful Family Farmer is a small family owned business that offers many natural & organic body products. Goat milk soap being one of them. Our natural soap is ideal for those with the most sensitive skin. We created our Eczema- no itch bar for those who struggle with itchy, inflamed skin. It’s great for eczema, psoriasis, poison ivy, bug bites, and so much more. It contains goat milk from our farm, organic herbal infused olive oil, organic castor oil, shea butter, and organic coconut oil. We have chosen the herbs plantain, chickweed, and calendula to be infused in organic olive oil. These 3 are a power house for itchy, dry, and inflamed skin. I can truly attest that it works and has kept my skin moisturized. It’s a very moisturizing formula. Small batches ensure a more consistent bar so that you don’t have to worry about the consistency or formula changing. 

Faithful Family Farmer Soaps

Another great option if you prefer a smell good soap is our lavender calendula infused goat milk soap. We use the same exact ingredients except we infuse herbs such as lavender and calendula in organic olive oil. This bar of soap does contain lavender essential oil so it will not be fragrance free but is scented only with essential oils. A very hypoallergenic formula that has helped so many of our customers who suffer with sensitive skin. Our soaps can even be used for young children such as babies and make an excellent choice if you’re looking for a natural formula. This is one of the few different scents we offer and is by far a customer favorite. 

Our goat milk soap will not strip your skin of its natural oils but will leave your skin feel clean & moisturized. This is all thanks to the star ingredient,  goat’s milk and the high fat content of our soap. We chose to use a high fat content for this reason. We wanted to make sure our soap was as gentle as it could be. It is a great choice for those with severely dry skin and cannot tolerate many skin care products. Our goat milk soap can be used as a body soap, hand soap, shampoo, and even as a face wash. It’s a gentle cleanser but gives your skin a perfect balance. We even offer an ozonated deodorant for those with sensitive skin as well! You can read more about that here.

As a reader we welcome your to visit our store and enjoy 15% off your purchase with the discount code BLOGFAM at checkout. We always pray that our products bless those who use them and most importantly they work. We have received such great feedback from our customers and we could not be more thankful for it. When you purchase with us, you are supporting a small family owned business that truly cares about you and your family. Faithful Family Farmer’s products are faithfully formulated from our family to yours!