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For the past 14 years I have suffered from eczema. It tends to be discoid eczema on my forearms and lower legs but I’m also prone to getting it on my hands too.
It flares up from time to time and stress, the weather and my diet all seem to play a role. Sometimes using a steroid ointment from the Doctor is the only way to get some respite and allow it to clear.

Buy Ecover Zero Non Bio Laundry Detergent Online >>

One of the biggest triggers is if I change from my regular laundry detergent, or stay at a hotel when they seem to use quite strong detergents.

For many years I have been using the Ecover range and in particular I find the Ecover Zero Non Bio Laundry Liquid a great help with my skin.
It is totally unscented, which I like, but even the regular Ecover detergents don’t have the strong chemical scent of mainstream laundry detergents, which I find very overpowering.

A while back I also recommended Ecover Zero to a friend whose child had eczema all over his body. Although his eczema didn’t clear completely at that time, they certainly felt there was an improvement over other products they’d tried.
I have used Surcare from time to time too and my skin seems to get on OK with that, however, I try to go for Ecover wherever possible due to its excellent eco credentials.

I have always avoided biological detergents as I believed that the enzymes in them might prove irritating, however, most of the time biological detergents also contain synthetic fragrance as well, so if you do react to the product it can be hard to know whether its the enzymes or the fragrance that are causing the problem.

On balance for now my top recommendation for the best laundry detergent for sensitive skin is Ecover Zero Laundry Liquid, and our friends at Big Green Smile UK stock the entire range.

Do you agree? I’d love to hear about your experiences and recommendations for the Best Laundry Detergent for Eczema Prone skin, please comment below and share your advice.








Organic YOUR September

23 Sep 2016 12:00:38

Organic Beauty Week...
Good things happen when you go organic.

Get £5 off when you spend over £50 during organic beauty week. Enter code BEAUTY at checkout. Offer ends 27.09.16.

Check out our offers for organic september

Organic YOUR September...
Good things happen when you go organic.

Check out our offers for organic septemberIt’s here again already!
September the traditional harvest month, time for back to school and new routine resolutions, is also the time when we celebrate all things organic for #organicseptember.

All month long we'll be sharing our knowledge to help demystify organic products.

To help explain the benefits to you, your family and your environment for making the choice to go organic, and with loads of offers available too, there has never been a more affordable time to Go Organic.

Follow us on twitter and facebook and sign up for our weekly offer newsletters to ensure you always stay up to date.

Happy Organic September.

0 Comments | Posted in Beauty Eco Issues General By Sam

Now the sun is out we have been receiving lots of questions about why our organic sunscreens don't have the UVA star rating system widely found on conventional sunscreen brands. There's no need to worry, these products do still protect against UVA rays and UVB too, but it's a complex area. Read on and we'll try to help make things clearer.


Learn more about Organic Sun Protection >>

It is important that sunscreens protect against both UVB and UVA radiation to give protection from the burning (UVB) & the cancer causing / ageing (UVA) rays. The cosmetics industry considers that the UVA protection of a product should be in relation to its SPF.  This means that that the level of UVA protection provided by a product is at least 1/3 ratio of its SPF.


The star rating system was created by Boots and is only licensed to brands that are stocked by Boots in exchange for a license fee and is therefore not something that the organic brands can take part in. That is why you don't see the stars on their packaging. There is a very telling article about this here.


The industry wide symbol for UVA protection in a sunscreen product is a small circle with the word UVA inside it.


We have obtained statements from our 3 main sunscreens brands regarding their UVA rating and these are as follows:

Learn more about Organic Sun Protection >>

Lovea: “The Lovea sunscreens have the highest possible rating for UVA protection.  This is because the UV screening ingredients are made up entirely of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Both these ingredients offer the highest possible protection from UVA & UVB.”


Lavera: “Our UVA filter is a 1:3 ratio, so for every 3 UVB rays the sun product protects you from it will also protect you against 1 UVA ray.  There is also a UVA logo on the front of the sun product to show that it protects against UVA as well.”


Green People: “Our UVA protection is equivalent to 3 stars but unlike the conventional brands our products are packed with great ingredients and help sensitive skin. They are extremely well tolerated by eczema & allergy sufferers too.



  • Under testing our SPF30 sun lotions filtered out 81.6% of UVA rays and gave a UVA/UVB ratio in excess of 0.60 of the claimed SPF level which is the standard set in the EU Recommendations.

  • SPF15 filtered out 78.2% of UVA rays under testing. Because the SPF is lower, this still exceeded the 0.60 ratio and came in at 3-Star protection under the Boots system”


The advice in the media is to look for the highest SPF possible to protect ourselves and our families. But many people are surprised to find that an SPF50 does not in fact offer double the sun protection of an SPF25. The reality is that an SPF30 sunscreen already offers 97% protection against UVB rays, moving up to an SPF50 only offers 98% just 1% more. 


For some people wearing a high factor such as an SPF50 gives a false sense of security and tempts them to reapply less often and stay in the sun longer than is really sensible. Something they won’t do if they are wearing a lower SPF.


Staying out too long without reapplying seriously increases the risk of UVA sun damage because in order to achieve efficacy of the UVA protection the most important thing you can do is reapply frequently and liberally no matter how high the SPF factor.


We highly recommend the sunscreens we stock at So Organic and we use them on ourselves and our children. If you need any advice or help in choosing the right product please don’t hesitate to get in touch or call us on 020 8465 5600.


 


0 Comments | Posted in Beauty Eco Issues Eco Tourism Ingredients By So Organic Beauty Experts

Eco-Perfection in a Mooncup

13 Jun 2013 11:51:33

Menstrual CupThe first menstrual cup was created in the 1930s. As cynical as it may sound the business heads of the women's hygiene industry decided this waste-free, natural and convenient creation was not a sufficient money earner, so instead opted to promote the disposable alternatives of tampons and pads. But the menstrual cup is back by popular, eco-sensible demand.


Lots of So Organic customers use the Mooncup. This little cup is made from soft silicone, which is derived from silica, a naturally occurring compound from the earth. Some people worry of exposure to pesticides, chemicals or bleaches when using tampons or pads but the Mooncup menstrual cup contains none of these.


Non-organic cotton accounts for a quarter of the world's pesticide use. As one of the main ingredients in tampons this is a scary thought. Organic tampons are great though do still absorb (in addition to menstrual fluid) the natural moisture that maintains a healthy vaginal environment. The menstrual cup does not absorb; it only collects flowing blood.


By reusing the menstrual cup every month you contribute fewer tampons to the sewerage system and less pads to landfill. Plus think of the energy required to source, manufacture and transport the material used in what is estimated to be around 10,000 tampons and pads in one woman's lifetime. The menstrual cup is a perfect little sanitary device. You save your body from unnatural substances, you save money and you save the environment all at the same time!


Learn more about the Mooncup menstrual cup >>>

Autumn is on its way; time to snuggle up and get cosy, and what better way than with a gorgeous new set of silk bedding?Silk Duvets and Bamboo Bedding with FREE Shipping at So Organic


Silk Duvet Review: "I have slept under a long fibre mulberry silk filled duvet for the last 6-7 years. It is feather light and drapes beautifully keeping me wrapped in comfort all night long. It is warm in winter, cool in summer and is very breathable allowing me and my husband to both feel comfortable. Even though with regular duvets we prefer different weights, we both love our 9 tog silk filled duvet and use it all year round. When staying away from home no other duvet ever comes close, even when staying at good hotels we always can’t wait to get home to the comfort of our silk filled duvet! Unfortunately the company we used to get our Silk Duvets from is no longer around. I am so happy to have found Natalie and Snow Blossom to be able to once again offer our customers the joy and comfort of sleeping under silk. The quality of the Snow Blossom products is the best I’ve ever seen."
Sam (So Organic Founder)


Bamboo Bedding Review:
(Submitted to the letters page of The Lady magazine by a happy owner of Snow Blossom bamboo bedding.)
 

Balmy Bamboo:
"Having picked up so much useful information from The lady over the years I would like to share a fairly recent experience with bamboo fibre which may be of help to other ‘hot headed and unable to sleep’ individuals when a heat wave descends.

 I had never heard of bedding containing bamboo before coming across a luxurious bedding stall at one of the country shows. Just touching a sample pillowcase made of this fibre was very intriguing. It seemed to take away all heat from my hand. Sleeping all night in a heat wave does not diminish this curious phenomenon and both hubby and I awake not at all grumpy!


Panda lovers need not worry, as it is not the same genus of bamboo that the dear creatures like to eat – it is harvested especially for fibre production. I did ask that question as there has been so much fuss and worry about panda feeding habitats.


The company is called Snow Blossom and as far as I know their products are not available in stores."

Happily Snow Blossom bamboo bedding and silk filled duvets and pillows are now available here at So Organic. If you need some advice in choosing, please call our product specialists on 020 8465 5600, they'd love to help.