Imported seaweed baths--only the best for my babies! Well--yes and no. Anyone with eczema knows that you get to a point where you try ANYTHING. Aalgo Extra Fine Seaweed Powder comes well recommended. I felt it was worth a shot, even for the price (a whopping $79 with shipping!).
FYI-Coming from England, the product took 2 weeks to arrive from the time that I ordered it.
For the price, I was glad to see that it is a BIG container and you only need to use a little bit. The bath water turns a swamp green and there is a definite odor of seaweed. It's seemingly sticky at first, but does completely dissolve in the water (so the water is a clear green). Kids didn't think anything of it--I think they like the bath-time variations (baking soda, epsom salt, vinegar and now seaweed). I did just read that for the little ones, you're to add it to the bath through a sieve. We did not do that. It gave the kids a chance to try to catch the undissolved seaweed balls which eventually dissolved anyway. So far, we've only used it once. There are no obvious changes as of yet. The website content and unaffiliated reviews of eczema-relief sound promising. I'll definitely update as time goes on.December 6, 2009
Okay--time for an update. So we've been using Aalgo for about 5 months. Here are some positives and negatives of using Aalgo as seen from our household:
Positives
- The kids love it in the bath time routine. They think it's fun to catch the undissolved balls of powder.
- A bath with Aalgo seems to soothe eczema--but it is NOT a miracle worker. It does as much as an oatmeal bath as far as soothing inflamed skin. However, if you look at the other purposes of using Aalgo which are for detoxifying and nourishing with seaweed and minerals--it's a multitasker of a product.
Negatives
- Cost, of course.
- This one might sound superficial--but when you have NO time, anything that makes more work becomes a negative. Using Aalgo in our white cast iron tub with white tiled walls leaves a greenish-brown haze. This product *must* be rinsed from surfaces after using or else it takes much time and effort to remove the non-permanent stains. Also, stepping out of an Aalgo bath onto a white bath mat causes staining. I found stains on white bath towels as well. The fabric stains come out with an OxyClean soak and the tile/tub stains come off with a little elbow grease.
Wish I had read some of the reviews. It did not do anything for my eczema. It actually got worse during the treatment. Now I am itching badly and also mad with them because they will not honour their promise of refund.
ReplyDeleteJudgment: Did not work for me. May work for some. Nice clear website but they should take down the money back promise.
Your eczema getting worse could be a sign of detoxifying, which is also what Aalgo is supposed to help with. Thanks for your comment! Use of Aalgo seems to help some eczema sufferers and do nothing (obvious, at least) for others.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of soap and shampoo do you use? I have had more trouble finding a minimal ingredient soap and shampoo.
ReplyDeleteSoap use is SO overdone in North America! :)
ReplyDeleteWith the GAPS detox baths, we hardly use soap. I find the Epsom salt, baking soda, and vinegar all clean the skin. Baking soda and vinegar soften skin. Vinegar softens hair and leaves a great shine.
When we do use soap, it's either Dr. Bronner's or from Vermont Organics Soap company. Sometimes we use Burt's Bees tear free baby shampoo.
I am *very* interested in the no-poo movement, though. It's only a (formal) step away from what we're already doing. . .
I agree about the overdone part. Once we realized we were allergic to corn and soy, I threw out bins and bins of personal hygeine and cleaning products. I was shocked. Now I have an empty medicine cabinet and one tiny bar of coconut soap in the shower (we use it for washing body and hair) and only baking soda for teeth. We used Dr. Bronner's at first, but we seemed to be reacting to it (maybe because of the vitamin E-soy). We can't use vinegar because it is derived from corn - same with Burt's Bees (they were sold to a big company and have all kinds of nasties in there now). I am going to write an email right away to Vermont Organics right now to see if their bar would work for us. We love the plain coconut bar, but it can be kind of drying. I am considering seeing if I can find a local soapmaker to make custom soap for us.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, with your daughters' eczema, have you considered corn/soy allergies? It might be worth a try to discontinue the vinegar and any other products with corn or soy derivatives. We had to change to Soap Nuts for washing clothes and coconut oil/baking soda mix for deodorant. Doing GAPS, you probably don't have many possible sources of corn contamination in your diet (except maybe the BioKult - we use a blend from custom probiotics instead), but there is definitely corn all around us.
Really missed your blog lately,
Kristy
I find Dr. Bronner's to be drying too, so I only use that as part of 'the mix.'
ReplyDeleteWe also use soap nuts for laundry. I was using Vermont Organics Liquid Sunshine, but with shipping costs, soap nuts is less expensive and works better for laundry. We use their bar soap for babies (I think it's aloe) and I love their foaming hand soaps--especially since my daughter's eczema is on her wrists. ANY other soap causes intense itching.
The only vineger we use is apple cider vinegar--derived from apples, right???
And thanks for missing me! I've been pulled in many directions lately. I'll be posting more here soon . . .