Why does liquid soap make my hands itchy but NOT washing up liquid? Liquid soap handwash is NOT soap

It is a blend of powerful synthetic chemicals that are very good at cleaning and rinsing out oils, they remove your natural body oils as well as anything else that is on your hands.

Old fashioned soap, particularly handmade or artisan soap is made with plant oils but the modern liquid cleansers are made with synthetic chemicals some of which, the detergents, are very good at removing oils from the skin.

Many chemicals are shared between washing up liquids, household cleaning products and modern skincare but they are blended according to their use, whether for skin care or household cleaning.

Some of these shared chemicals are detergents; some are preservatives, some of them fragrances. For example, the detergent sodium lauryl sulphate is just one example of an ingredient which can be found in both classes of products to remove oils, cleanse and provide foam.

The most plentiful ingredient in all of them is water.

Because they both use these synthetic detergents it is easy to see why liquid personal cleansers such as hand washes or shower gels or household products like dishwashing liquid might dry your skin out and leave it cracked and itchy. In spite of this many people with healthy skin have no problems that cannot be relieved by using a moisturiser.

To lessen the drying impact the skincare industry has turned to more “gentle” ingredients which do not remove natural oils as readily as the stronger chemicals and so are less irritant and drying.

These include cocamidopropyl betaine and the glucosides which are described as “natural” since, although they are made by complex chemical processes, they use corn or oils including coconut and palm oils as raw materials.

These newer, gentle cleansers are exactly what I am looking for; they are “natural” and effective – why am I so itchy?

These products have many advantages: like natural soaps they are biodegradable, they are inexpensive, they are easy to fragrance and they lend themselves to a liquid format.

Because most people cope well with them they are deservedly very popular.

(In spite of being very wasteful in terms of packaging and, owing to the weight of the water they contain, very expensive to transport, a liquid format is very popular with the public, perceived to be extra hygienic following intense marketing.)

However, cocamidopropyl betaine and the glucosides are popular skincare ingredients which are also former winners of the “Allergen of the Year Awards” which are presented every year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society, cocamidopropyl betainein 2004, glucosides in 2017.

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) and the various glucosides are very common in “sensitive” skincare.

Both ingredients can cause allergic contact dermatitis and since they are very commonly found in “gentle” or “sensitive “ baby and child skincare ranges it is worth making yourself aware of the different ingredients listed on the packaging.

This means that while you may be able to use regular washing up liquid without problems, if your gentle hand wash contains either CAPB or glucosides, they may actually be more likely to give you an itchy rash if you are prone to allergic contact dermatitis.

The Allergen of the Year list is available on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergen_of_the_Year

Takeaway:

1. Be aware of what has made your skin dry and/or itchy in the past and avoid it in future.
2. “Gentle” or “Sensitive” on the label is no guarantee it does not contain Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) or Glucosides such as decyl glucoside, lauryl glucoside etc.
3. Natural handmade soaps are made with pure plant oils which may include olive oil, avocado oil or nourishing plant butters like Shea butter. They retain the properties of the original organic ingredients and may be blended with essential oils and natural botanicals such as seaweed or calendula. They also contain glycerin which is a humectant and is produced during the soap making process.
4. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SKINCARE INGREDIENTS
5. DO A PATCH TEST IF YOU ARE UNSURE
6. For more information on hand dermatitis visit : https://marblehillonline.com/deal-hand-dermatitis-case-study/
7. For more information on the effects of detergents on your skin visit : https://marblehillonline.com/what-is-detergentitis/