Last night I tried it on the least sensitive part of my leg and I rather like it. It stung for a second, but was nothing really compared to razor burn. It also didn’t take long to remove all the hair. My skin was just as scaly afterwards, but seemed to itch less, based on how little I scratched it in my sleep last night. The most sensitive areas, like ankles, didn’t hurt much either. The trick there was short, quick strokes. It’s also easy to hold, maneuver, and clean.

The only real problem with this method is that it takes awhile. It isn’t nearly as fast as shaving, so that still works in a pinch.

Also be forewarned that if anyone if within hearing range while you use it – it’s a little loud – you may get a very concerned ‘What are you doing in there?” And when you explain that it’s a contraption that using spinning gold discs to grab and rip out hair, they’ll most likely tell you you’re nuts.

I’ve always found it nearly impossible to do dishes because my hands would turn bright red and swell. I figured it was a combination of the orange soap and too much water. When Orion and I moved in together a friend gave us a bottle of the Good Stuff as a housewarming gift. And I love it.

After using the Good Stuff for 8 months I now know that the reactions were mostly to the aforementioned Nasty Orange Soap of Doom. I can do a few loads a day without my hands becoming red and the skin peeling off! Major improvement.

Now Orion has a hard time convincing me to let him do dishes.

Orion used the cream on his face, a frequently irritated spot, and didn’t notice a difference. I couldn’t touch his face after he used it because of the relatively high citric acid content. It makes my face sting a little just to smell it, so of course I didn’t try actually putting it on. Also, it contains hydrocortisone, which makes my skin tight, which causes it to crack easily.

Now the important thing to remember with this product is that it’s for mild eczema, and no one in our household is that lucky. Orion has moderate, and I have severe. So while it didn’t work for us, if you have mild eczema you may want to look into it. The National Eczema Association awarded the line of products their Seal of Acceptance, and a 5 out of 5 star rating.

I’d like to thank John Gardiner for sending us a sample, especially after his offer was trapped in the purgatory of Spam Filter for a few months. I appreciate it, and we’re always happy to investigate new treatment options.

I have no reaction to the soap, and since it only takes a dollop to get me clean all over a 16oz. bottle seems to last forever. It does a great job removing dirt, sweat, fragrance and body odor. I truly love this stuff and recommend it to anyone, but especially those with sensitive skin.

This might sound far fetched, and I know I’m gushing, but Puraderm has improved my quality of life. It’s awesome to bath without breaking out in hives!

They’re little tubes of super fine grade sandpaper that you use to gently rub off hair and dead skin. It was a little irritating but didn’t cause a giant rash like razors do. Since my local drugstore doesn’t carry them anymore I ordered some, hoping to provide you with a review and possibly a picture of the results. I received them in the mail and will not be trying them.

Although the front of the package says “No Chemicals” it also states “Cucumber Melon Scent”. Last I checked anything with a physical presence has a chemical composition; including fragrance.

If I were were willing to sacrifice my comfort for the sake of science I’d try them, and take pictures, but I’m being selfish and keeping my skin intact.

I’ve e-mailed the company, simply to let them know that I disappointed that I can no longer use the product, and thus keep them informed that a small portion of their customer base doesn’t want their limbs to smell like a produce aisle. In the meantime, I wish I knew what grade sandpaper the mittens are made of so that I could order some from the hardware store.

Next I’ll locate some dish washing liquid so I can share in that necessary household duty without losing all the skin on my hands.  Also, the Seventh Generation fabric softener – a whole new experience! I have my fingers crossed that it’ll work fabulously with no reaction.

Item: Natural All Purpose Cleaner
Experience: My bathtub is difficult to keep clean, everything sticks to it, and I can’t use Clorox or anything like it so I was excited about this product. I sprayed down the tub, let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed it down. I did that three times over 15 minutes and the tub was almost like new! A few days later I filled the tub to take a bath and realized that I hadn’t rinsed all of the cleaner out. So I didn’t take a bath, but the water didn’t hurt my skin any more than water usually does. On other surfaces this cleans great as well, with a little more patience than standard chemical cleaners, and leaves almost no smell whatsoever.

Item: Facial Tissues, 2 ply, 85 each
Experience: I chose these for O because he has allergies, but jumped for the ‘free-of-everything’ type so that I can use them as well. At first these were very difficult to remove from the box because they were so tightly packed. After a couple dozen were removed it was easy though. My nose loves them – no lotion, no fragrance. They aren’t super thick, or very soft, but they work great.

Item: Natural Laundry Detergent Liquid, Free & Clear – 50 fl oz
Experience: No allergic reaction! The clothes come out smelling like fabric and nothing else, very impressive. They’re softer than with my regular detergent, Synthrapol, and I’ll keep buying this product in the future. *EDIT* It appears that this original formula has been discontinued and now they only offer the concentrated version. I haven’t tried it yet but read several reviews that it removed a lot of dye from black clothes, so I’ll get some and test it.

Decision: I highly recommend these products and will buy them again in the future. Next time I have a chance I think I’ll be trying their New Fabric Softener as well. [I can't remember the last time I was able to use fabric softener...]

I tried something new for lunch today, the delicious Amy’s Organic Black Bean Vegetable soup. Their inspiration was a soup in Puerto Escondido, Mexico and this is probably the most Mexican black bean soup I’ve ever eaten from a US company. Astonishingly it has no tomatoes! Amy’s also makes excellent pizza by the way, I’m notoriously addicted to their Pesto.

P.S. A few hours after eating the soup I feel very sick in the way I do with an allergic reaction Maybe it was the corn, though I tried to avoid it, but I haven’t eaten anything else unusual today. I hate eating something that’s technically perfectly healthy and becoming ill afterwards. It’s very frustrating to never know what’s safe to eat or not. …this is why I eat certain french breads, ice creams and yogurts – I can rely on them to not make me sick.

Last week I tested the Hair and Body on my feet and they didn’t react at all! It was very impressive. Last night I tried it on my arms and no reaction there either. Soon I’ll try it on the ultimate spot; my scalp. I’m hoping that it’ll be equally painless and effective there as well

For the small size of the bottle the Hair and Body is going far, a tiny bit of it cleanses completely. I haven’t tried the Laundry yet, since I keep forgetting, and I won’t be using the Skin Sealer as three of it’s four ingredients will give me a contact reaction.