At Fighting Eczema, we provide guidance and useful tips to help you become eczema-free. After battling eczema for 20 years and undergoing numerous treatments, I discovered that the source of my problem was Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) in soaps. I aim to share my journey and results to help others struggling with similar issues. Through research and personal experience, I hope to raise awareness and provide effective solutions for those affected by eczema.
Yes I was 17 when I first noticed something wrong with the skin on my hands. For over 20 years, I lived with eczema that made my everyday life incredibly difficult. From the very start, I went through countless doctors—both in Poland and the UK—hoping someone could help me find a cure.
My hands were the worst affected. The itching was unbearable, and the constant scratching led to bleeding that lasted for years. Daily tasks became painful challenges, and honestly, it felt like living in a never‑ending nightmare.
Instead of solutions, I was repeatedly told how to manage my symptoms rather than uncover what was truly causing them. I kept asking myself: What am I doing wrong? Why won’t this go away?
There was one pattern I started to notice. During holidays, my skin always got better. It puzzled me: what was different during those breaks? At first, I suspected food and tried diet changes, but that path brought me nowhere.
Eventually, I began paying attention to something else: soaps and personal care products. The hotels I was staying in usually had old school soap bars, which got me thinking since I never used those at home. I started testing, excluding every single ingredient one by one until I finally discovered the culprit—Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS).
I've started checking ingredients on every soap bar that I could find and guess what? Not a single one had SLS! Looks like that ingredient was only used in the liquid hand soaps that I liked and used so much at home.
Back then, avoiding SLS was a real struggle since almost everything on the shelves seemed to contain it. Today, thankfully, there’s a much wider range of SLS-free products available.
Once I eliminated SLS from my daily routine, my hands healed completely. No more itching. No more bleeding. For the first time in decades, I felt free.
Of course, if I accidentally use a product with SLS—say in a hotel for a couple of days—the itching slowly begins to creep back. That’s when I know for sure how strongly my body reacts to it.
This isn’t just my story either. My friend, who also struggled with eczema for many years, tried avoiding SLS—and it worked wonders for them too.
That’s why I’m sharing this here. If you or someone you know is battling eczema, I encourage you to check product labels and try eliminating SLS. I truly hope it brings you the same relief it brought me.
To stay eczema free, the most important thing is protecting and caring for sensitive skin, identifying personal triggers, and maintaining healthy daily habits.
These practical steps can help keep skin healthy and minimise eczema flare-ups for most people.
Notice that I'm not providing any links here or pictures, that is because I am not affiliated with any brands/products I recommend and I am not sponsored in any way to mention them. I though it may be handy for anyone looking to swap their existing shampoo/hand soap to have some ready names of products to start with.
250ml - Aloe Very is a great ingredient plus most ingredients are organic. No SLS. You can get it at Holland and Barett or Amazon in the UK.
300ml - no SLS and good for anything including intimate hygiene. You can get it from Amazon in the UK and in many stores in Poland.
400ml - good size bottle and no scent which helps for some. No SLS or Parabens, for All Hair Types. You can find hand-wash of the same series. Available in most supermarkets in UK and Amazon.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) is a common detergent and surfactant used in many personal care products, known to irritate sensitive skin.
Eczema triggers can vary but often include certain soaps, detergents, environmental factors, and stress. In my case it was soaps and shampoo.
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Opt for products labeled 'SLS-free' and 'sensitive skin tested' to minimise irritation. Sometimes manufacturers will use similar to SLS ingredients, it will be a trial and error, I've noticed that same causes problems, whereas some don't.
Some people find that certain foods can trigger their eczema, but triggers can vary widely from person to person. I had a problem with one ingredient in my diet which caused severe Gastric Reflux, causing troubles in swallowing food (I even managed to get Schatzki Ring - Google it), I've isolated the trigger ingredient once again, and I don't have to take any more medications I was prescribed such as Omeprazole. Thankfully I was battling this only for couple of years, but still it wasn't a nice experience. I'm now building a website to help others with serious Acid Reflux issues, hopefully this will help many people too. The link is: https://fightingreflux.org. I know this starts to sound like a series of websites but unfortunately I managed to get couple of ailments that I had to deal with. There is one more health issue that I mysteriously got after Covid vaccine (no I'm not saying I'm anti vaxer), and I'm not fully recovered from that one yet but I'll be creating a page on that one too. Details to follow soon. How do I manage to figure out what was the problem? Long, painful detective work, eliminating slowly other possibilities. A lot of applied logic and nothing more. Anybody could figure it out, I just happen to do it too and I'm sharing that with the world.
Feel free to reach out via the contact form below.
I created this website and wrote all the information on it as I believe the information it contains may help people get better by using the same approach I took. However, I am not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist and I have no medical training or qualifications.