For people with acne-prone or sensitive skin, skincare experts and dermatologists say laundry detergents and dryer sheets could be a sneaky cause of acne.
Dryer sheets are coated with grease and wax - when you put them into the dryer with your clothing, the wax and grease rub off on to everything you wash. Dryer sheets are sticky before the wash and dry once the laundry is finished. The sticky residue transfers onto the clothing and the clothing then touches your body and face, causing breakouts.
“We know that dryer sheets can be linked to eczema, largely because of the fragrance,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a Danbury, Connecticut-based dermatologist. “So it isn’t too much of a stretch that it would cause other inflammation in the skin.”
You can easily replace them with wool dryer balls to keep things soft or follow the instructions below from Wellness Mama to make your own:
You'll need:
- Cloth wipes or strip of cloth
- White vinegar
- Glass jar
- Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 25+ drops of essential oils of choice. I like Geranium, Citrus, Lavender and Mint.
- Fold the wipes or cloth scraps and place in your jar or storage container.
- Moisten but don’t saturate the cloth with the vinegar mixture (store extra in a bottle if you don’t need the entire mixture).
- Use one wipe/cloth per dryer load to freshen laundry. The vinegar smell will evaporate during drying and the essential oil scent will remain.