The Best Non-Toxic Laundry and Bath Routine for Sensitive & Eczema Prone Baby Skin
Sensitive skin and eczema can feel like a never-ending puzzle for parents, but understanding the root causes and making simple, intentional changes can transform your child’s skin health. Let’s break down the science behind skin sensitivities, why certain factors make eczema worse, and how to create a nurturing routine for your little one’s delicate skin.
The Problem with Hard Water and Sensitive Skin
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water contains high levels of minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, which come from underground rock and soil. While safe to drink, these minerals can wreak havoc on sensitive skin.
Want to know what’s in your local water? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database HERE!
How Does Hard Water Affect Skin?
Mineral Residue on Clothes:
When you wash your child’s clothes in hard water, the minerals bind to the fabric. This leaves a residue that’s rough on sensitive skin, much like tiny, invisible irritants.
This residue can trap dirt, soap, and bacteria against the skin, creating a breeding ground for irritation.
Interferes with Soap:
The minerals in hard water react with soap and detergents, forming a sticky substance called soap scum. This clings to clothes and skin, making it harder to rinse away irritants.
Strips Skin Oils:
Bathing in hard water strips the skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry and prone to cracking—an open invitation for bacteria and allergens to trigger eczema.
EWG-Certified Attitude Laundry Detergent: A Skin-Safe Choice
What Does EWG Certification Mean?
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) evaluates products for safety, ensuring they are free from harmful chemicals and allergens. A product with EWG certification is:
Free from synthetic fragrances and dyes.
Non-toxic, with no harsh chemicals like phosphates or phthalates.
Safe for sensitive skin and environmentally friendly.
Why I Choose Attitude Laundry Detergent
Hypoallergenic Formula: Designed for delicate skin, this detergent cleans effectively without irritating additives.
Plant-Based Ingredients: Attitude uses natural, biodegradable ingredients that are gentle on skin and clothing.
EWG Verified™: This means the product has met strict safety standards, ensuring it’s free from harmful toxins.
Enhancing Laundry Care with Borax and Washing Soda
What Does Borax Do?
Softens Hard Water: Borax (sodium borate) neutralizes calcium and magnesium ions, making water softer. Softer water helps detergent clean clothes more effectively and prevents residue buildup.
Kills Bacteria: Borax has natural antibacterial properties, reducing the chances of bacteria irritating the skin.
Removes Mineral Residue: It breaks down existing residue in fabrics, leaving them cleaner and less likely to cause irritation.
What Does Washing Soda Do?
Deep Cleans: Washing soda (sodium carbonate) binds to minerals in hard water, preventing them from interfering with detergent. This ensures clothes are thoroughly cleaned.
Softens Fabrics: It helps break down grime and residue, leaving clothes softer and gentler on sensitive skin.
Odor Neutralization: Washing soda eliminates trapped odors, which can sometimes irritate eczema-prone skin.
Why This Helps Sensitive Skin
By addressing hard water at the laundry level, you’re reducing the chances of mineral buildup and trapped irritants coming into contact with your child’s skin. Clean, soft clothes = happier skin.
Bath Time: The Hidden Irritants in Water
The Role of Chlorine and Hard Water in Skin Irritation
Municipal water supplies are often treated with chlorine and sometimes chloramine to kill bacteria. While this makes water “safer” to drink, it’s harsh on the skin:
Chlorine Strips Oils: Like hard water, chlorine removes the skin’s natural protective barrier, causing dryness and irritation.
Chemical Byproducts: Chlorine and chloramine create byproducts that can penetrate the skin and exacerbate eczema or sensitivities.
Why I Use a Bath Water Filter
The Crystal Quest Bath Ball Water Filter removes chlorine, chloramine, and harmful byproducts like trihalomethanes (THMs). This makes bath water gentler on sensitive skin by:
Reducing exposure to drying chemicals.
Balancing pH, which soothes and hydrates the skin.
Removing rust and sediment, which can irritate or damage the skin’s barrier.
Boosting Bath Time with Skin-Nourishing Additions
To take bath time a step further, I add:
Raw Milk:
High in lactic acid, raw milk gently exfoliates dead skin cells, leaving skin soft and smooth.
Rich in vitamins A, D, and E, it nourishes the skin and promotes healing.
The fat in raw milk locks in moisture, preventing post-bath dryness.
Magnesium:
Magnesium flakes relax muscles and reduce inflammation.
It supports skin repair by calming irritation and promoting cellular renewal.
Colloidal Oatmeal:
Finely ground oatmeal forms a protective barrier on the skin, locking in moisture and soothing itchiness.
Why These Ingredients Help
These additions work synergistically to restore the skin’s barrier, soothe inflammation, and keep your child’s skin hydrated and healthy.
Post-Bath Skincare: Sealing in Moisture
After bathing, I gently pat my child’s skin dry to avoid friction. Then, I seal in moisture with a blend of:
Beef Tallow: Packed with vitamins A, D, E, and K, tallow deeply nourishes and repairs the skin. Its composition is similar to the skin’s natural oils, making it highly compatible.
Coconut Oil: Adds antibacterial properties and locks in hydration.
I used a brand called Flying Cow Tallows.
This simple routine prevents dryness and protects the skin from environmental irritants.
Key Benefits of This Routine
Reduces Irritation: By softening water and removing harsh chemicals, this routine minimizes common triggers for sensitive skin.
Nourishes Skin: Bath additives like raw milk and magnesium provide hydration and nutrients to support skin health.
Creates a Barrier: Sealing with tallow and coconut oil locks in moisture and keeps irritants out.
Prevents Flare-Ups: Clean, residue-free clothes and gentle water reduce the risk of eczema flare-ups.
Extra Tips for Parents
Short Baths: Limit bath time to 10–15 minutes to prevent over-drying.
Cooler Water: Lukewarm water is less likely to strip natural oils. We use cute thermometer to keep in the tub to make sure it is at ideal temp which is 100-101 degrees F.
Natural Detergents: Always opt for hypoallergenic, fragrance-free detergents and body wash.
Soft Fabrics: Use cotton or other breathable fabrics for clothing and bedding.
Humidifier: Maintain indoor humidity levels to prevent skin from drying out during colder months.
Keeping Sensitive Skin and Eczema at Bay: Healing from the Inside Out with Food
Sensitive skin and eczema aren’t just surface-level issues—they’re often linked to imbalances in the gut. The connection between gut health and skin health, often called the gut-skin axis, emphasizes that healing sensitive skin requires both topical care and dietary changes. Incorporating nutrient-dense, gut-healing foods inspired by GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), and ancestral food traditions can help seal and heal the gut, reducing inflammation and improving skin health over time.
The Gut-Skin Axis and Why It Matters
Eczema and sensitive skin are often linked to:
Leaky Gut: When the gut lining becomes permeable, it allows toxins, allergens, and undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream, triggering an immune response that can manifest as skin issues.
Gut Dysbiosis: An imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut can lead to systemic inflammation, worsening skin conditions like eczema.
Immune System Imbalance: A healthy gut is key to a balanced immune system, which helps prevent overreactions to environmental triggers like allergens.
By focusing on gut-healing foods, you can help repair the gut lining, balance the microbiome, and reduce systemic inflammation—all of which contribute to healthier skin.
Gut-Healing Foods for Eczema and Sensitive Skin
1️⃣ Meat Stock (Not Bone Broth)
Why It Helps: Meat stock is rich in gelatin, collagen, and amino acids like glycine and proline, which help repair the gut lining. Its shorter cooking time compared to bone broth keeps it gentler on the digestive system, making it ideal for individuals with sensitive guts.
How to Use: Serve meat stock as a warm drink, use it as a base for soups, or incorporate it into purees for babies.
2️⃣ Fermented Foods
Why It Helps: Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt provide probiotics that balance gut bacteria and support digestion. This is critical for reducing systemic inflammation and calming skin issues.
Best Options for Kids: Start with sauerkraut brine or 24-hour fermented yogurt to introduce probiotics gently. For babies, mix a drop of brine or yogurt into purees or breast milk.
3️⃣ Raw Milk Yogurt (When Safe and Appropriate)
Why It Helps: Raw milk yogurt is rich in probiotics, enzymes, and vitamins that support gut health and immunity. Its natural state makes nutrients more bioavailable, helping to heal the gut lining and reduce inflammation.
How to Use: Incorporate raw milk into smoothies, oatmeal, or as a drink. Add it to baths for external skin support as well.
You can learn more about this helped my baby’s eczema in my free guide!
4️⃣ Healthy Fats
Why It Helps: Fats like grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, and animal fats provide fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) crucial for gut lining repair and skin regeneration.
How to Use: Use these fats in cooking or drizzle them over veggies and soups. For babies, mix ghee or butter into purees for extra nourishment.
Check out my guide on all healthy fats and how to rotate them into the diet for the entire family!
5️⃣ Egg Yolks
Why It Helps: Egg yolks are nutrient-dense, providing choline, healthy fats, and vitamin A, all of which support gut health and skin healing.
How to Use: Incorporate lightly cooked egg yolks into meals or puree them with vegetables for babies.
6️⃣ Gelatin-Rich Foods
Why It Helps: Foods high in gelatin, like homemade jellies or panna cotta made from grass-fed gelatin, soothe the gut lining and reduce inflammation.
How to Use: Make fruit-based gelatin snacks using grass-fed gelatin and honey (for kids over 1 year old).
7️⃣ Organ Meats
Why It Helps: Organ meats like liver and heart are rich in bioavailable iron, zinc, and vitamins A and B12, which are essential for reducing inflammation and supporting healthy skin.
How to Use: Blend organ meats into meatballs, add them to ground meat dishes, or puree them for babies.
Tips for Incorporating Gut-Healing Foods
Start Slowly: If introducing fermented foods or meat stock for the first time, go slow to avoid overwhelming the gut.
Make It Appealing: Use seasonings like garlic, thyme, or a splash of lemon to enhance flavor.
Involve the Kids: Let your kids help make gelatin snacks or stir meat stock into soups to encourage excitement about new foods.
Sensitive skin and eczema require thoughtful care, but small changes can have a big impact. By tackling hard water, choosing skin-friendly laundry products, and creating a nourishing bath routine, you can protect your child’s delicate skin and keep irritation at bay. Of course, add in those gut-healing foods!
If you’re facing similar challenges, try incorporating these steps into your routine—your little one’s skin (and your peace of mind) will thank you! 💕