In defence of wool

As a former spinner and weaver I can tell you it is not the wool that people complain about. They don't know that, because for most people all the wool they handle has been processed. What people have problems with is the chemicals they use to process commercial wool.

If those people who have problems with wool clothing would feel a piece of wool that hadn't been processed with chemicals, I think they would be pleasantly surprised.

How do I know? Well, last year I found a beautiful cape. I fell in love with it, but the moment I felt it, I knew it would never work. It was wool and I was already itching, but spinning and weaving with wool has never bothered me.

You are lucky to be able to buy wool that can be worn so easily. Here in the U.S. few mothers would consider putting wool next to a baby's skin.

Victoria, I think you're exactly right, and that the chemicals have changed vastly since I was a child. I can remember having lovely wool blankets, and my brothers wearing wool sweaters of the softest wool fingering yarns when they were small. None of it bothered us. Nowadays, even merino wool itches a little after I've been wearing it awhile.

By the way, I've been washing my woolen sweaters in the washer, and have had great luck with them. Since I wear mostly wool in the winter (we keep our house at 66 degrees in cold months), this has saved me a small fortune.

Karen Maslowski >

I was UNpleasantly surprised, having been told this.

Raw wool (as opposed to processed), washed straight off the sheep and home spun brings me out in just as many lumps as commercially processed wool, even if all the lanolin has been removed.

Here in the UK wool used to be very common in baby thing, especially those made of knitted or woven Vyella (a patented wool/cotton mix, very soft and beautiful), but even as an infant in the 50's, I could never wear it. Nor could my brother or younger sister, so all the beautiful Vyella baby vests Mum got for Big Sis got passed to friends and replaces for us three younger ones! :(

lol! Another product improvement I suppose. Every time I find something I am not allergic to, the manufacturers "improve" it and I can't use it any more.

Raw carded wool can be brought as can spun wool without additives. Of course you still have to knit or crochet the sweater.

Ouch! You poor thing! I just get a real bad case of the itchies.

You know I am not sure you can ever get the lanolin out without chemicals.

Darn. Weird how wool affects one person and not the other. My husband can wear anything wool just fine.

It's just like poison ivy; my husband could roll in it (and probably has) without getting a rash. He comes home and while I'm throwing his clothing in the washer I get the rash. Sigh.

Karen Maslowski in Ohio

Victoria Hirt wrote: Weird how wool affects one person and not the other. My

I understand completely. My husband hardly ever gets a cold, but he brings them all home from work so I can get them ;-)

As for the poison ivy I have an unconventional treatment that does work - antiperspirant.

I am allergic to mosquitos bites and get huge welts that last for days or even longer. I had spray I put on every time one bit me. One day I ran in after being bitten and accidently sprayed the wrong thing one. It was antiperspirant. It stung, but I didn't have time to look for the right stuff and ran out. A few minutes later I looked down and all that was left of the bit was a tiny red dot! Later I found out that what had stung was the propellant in the spray.

Now I use a roll-on for bites, poison ivy, etc. I even used it when I get a spider bite. My arm swelled and then on top where the bite was it swelled even more. I kept the antiperspirant on the top and it would keep it from itching and hurting.

Sure looks better than calamine lotion and it doesn't hurt going on so kids don't mind it.

Lee - Indiana. We're neighbors!

Victoria, I'll have to run this by my oldest dd. Her dh is violently allergic to all the poison plants (oak, ivy and sumac), and gets so covered with rash that he ends up staying home from work. All he has to do is pet a dog (they have two) that has strayed into a patch, and bingo! He's down for the count. If this works, it will be a godsend to him, and to my daughter. Is there any particular brand that you use?

Karen Maslowski > I understand completely. My husband hardly ever gets a cold, but he

Coming out of lurk mode (thanks, ladies, for being such a sharing and informative group!) to ask if you'd mind identifying the brand of antiperspirant you think works best. I have an awful time with poison ivy/oak...we live in the woods, and although I can avoid the stuff myself, the dogs don't, and then I luv on them and you know what happens next. :(

TIA,

Doreen > I understand completely. My husband hardly ever gets a cold, but he

Now I see Karen has already asked my question. I shoulda read ahead!

Doreen

Karen Maslowski wrote:

Any kind will do. I finally mentioned this to both my allergist and pharmacists. They both knew why it worked and told me it had two chemicals in it that would do the job. I guess the drug companies can't make as much money off of it as they can other stuff.

Also, and I know you have probably heard this a million times, but if you wash the dog or the son off use COLD water. When you use warm water it just spreads the oil.

A new fun summer thing might be to spray both the dog and the kid off with the hose before they come inside.

BTW - friends call me Lee :-)

All I can tell you is don't use the spray because it will sting on bites. Don't know about for poison ivy. The big deal here is you can keep putting it on as much as you need to and nobody is the wiser.

It doesn't work as fast on poison ivy and such, but I suspect that is due to it being over a bigger area usually.

As far as brands, my >Coming out of lurk mode (thanks, ladies, for being such a sharing and

Lee, when you say "roll-on", are you talking about the liquid variety? Ever since solid deodorant/anti-perspirant was invented that's all we use here. But I'd cheerfully buy the liquid roll-on if that's what's called for!

Many, many thanks for this tip. My mother gets "poison" every time she goes out in the summertime. Now all I have to do is to convince her to try this, instead of the expensive stuff her doctor prescribes--and that never works. It will be like rolling the rock of Sisyphus, but I'll try!

Karen Maslowski > All I can tell you is don't use the spray because it will sting on

Thanks! It seems that roll-ons have been almost crowded out by the newer formulas, but I found some Ban, which I seem to recollect has been around a long time. Active ingredient is aluminum chlorhydrate...does that sound familiar? Some of the others had aluminum zirconium (maybe not that exactly but it was zir-something).

If I should have gotten another formula, the Ban still won't go to waste. We will be getting rather warm here in a couple of months!

Doreen > All I can tell you is don't use the spray because it will sting on

Karen, do they know about the Technu line of products? Quite useful for PI.

I used to buy liquid aluminum chlorhydrate in a pharmacy. Then I saw it on the shelf with the antiperspirants. It's often recommended for things like excessively sweaty feet or palms, and can be applied about twice a week. Check a large pharmacy, ask the clerks if you need to.

jumping in here late.....

My MIL is the Queen of "Granny Cures." She almost never goes to the doctor just whips up something in the kitchen or the bathroom. ;) She says it's the aluminum in there too that works. She says what it does is dry things out. It will also work on cold sores, especially if you get to them when they are just forming.

For those that like alternative, home remedies, there is a book out called "Salt in your Sock."

Sharon

But, I ask again, is it the liquid, roll-on kind, or the solid kind? Or will any kind work?

Puzzled, Karen Maslowski > jumping in here late.....

I'd expect that if it's aluminum chlorhydrate that makes it work, any antiperspirant would work. I'd probably go with the solid, but only because it's less messy.

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net