Oatmeal Soap?

[ruthla]

I've been using Trader Joe's soaps for a long time, because they're free of synthetic additives my family reacts to, and they're inexpensive. I mostly use the tea tree oil soap for myself, but I also buy the honey oatmeal soap for my kids, as the TTO soap is too harsh for little ones, plus I love the way that soap smells.

Sometimes my 6yo needs help in the bath, so I do handle the oatmeal soap, plus I may use it if I've used up my bar of soap but theirs is still intact.

Is there a problem with me touching oatmeal soap? I know my 11yo definitely reacts to synthetic colors in topical products, so I'm wondering if this applies to gluten as well. Is there gluten in oatmeal soap?

[Juliebove]

I wouldn't use it. I do not have a problem with gluten, but I used a product with oatmeal in the bath. My daughter took a bath after me and that slight amount of gluten left in the tub gave her a rash.

[blueeyedmanda]

I don't think I would use it. I don't have DH, but when I used oatmeal lotions and soaps I always got a rash/itchy skin from it.

[ruthla]

Thanks for all your responses. I'm having a tough enough time making sure I stay gluten-free without having to worry about the bathtub, so I threw out the sliver of oatmeal soap that was left a couple of weeks ago and didn't open up a new one.

Today I took the unopened package of oatmeal soap and added it to the pile of stuff we're donating to the women's shelter. It's not worth the hassle of returning for $1.29!!

[blueeyedmanda]

Ruth- that is great you are donating things to the shelter. They will appreciate it.

[ruthla]

Ruth- that is great you are donating things to the shelter. They will appreciate it.

Yup, they get our outgrown toys, outgrown kids' clothes, "outshrunk" adult clothes, etc. A few months ago I offered a box of kids' videos on Freecycle, and a woman responded that she could bring these items to the DV shelter where she worked. Since then, if I have anything to donate, I email her directly and don't even post offers on Freecyle anymore.

My parents are in the middle of cleaning out the basement so they can finish it and put a playroom for the kids down there (I live in my parents' home- we have the upstairs apt and my parents have the main level.) Any furniture down there that nobody wants or needs is going to be offered on Freecycle directly (where would the shelter store furniture?) but lots of little stuff (that we probably shouldn't have moved with in the first place) is going to the shelter.