Saturday, 16 November 2013

Ariel 3 in 1 and Eczema - An Honest Review

I have always used Ariel Liquitabs and love them, but at £11 a pop, they're a little pricey, but worth it for the fresh aroma on laundry day and I am always a person to go with what I perceive to be the market leader.  I am a snob like that! 


Anyhow at the end of the Summer I was asked if I wanted to review my favourite product's new brother - the 3-in-1 version!




Now, I write the following with trepidation, but here goes.

I got through 2 boxes of it - one sent for review and one that I bought, when it was on a promotional *new* item offer.

A long time ago, probably well over a year ago, I was advised on Twitter to stop using softener, so as to help Aaron's eczema.  His eczema disappeared within a week.  The only thing that would make it come back, was if he got yoghurt on his wrist and didn't wipe it off, or if he wiped his mouth with the back of his palm and it wasn't cleaned immediately.  But waking to scratch in the middle of the night, red patches, red inner elbows, all gone!

So imagine my surprise, when I'd more or less forgotten about the eczema, and assumed he'd perhaps grown out of it, when as a direct result of using the Ariel 3-in-1s it is back, kicking and screaming.  His inside arm, inner arm by his elbow is on fire red, and he wakes up at night to scratch (like the old days) and (which he did not have before) there are lots of patches of what feels like sandpaper areas of skin on his chest, tummy, back and lower back.

Now the PR is probaby wondering why I haven't reviewed the item, as it was probably sent to me September time, but I was waiting to see if it was definitely this! It is.

Anyway I did 4 loads of washing today, and the 4th load used the final one.

So I will update this post in a few weeks, to see if it clears again, like it cleared before, when I gave up softener.

For any of you, who LOVE your washing to smell GREAT, if you have children who do not have eczema, then I can't recommend the product enough.  It takes the chore out of laundry when you get a spring in your step from it all smelling great.

BUT that is not a price worth paying, for my poor boy's skin being on fire, and it is getting worse not better, so we won't be buying it again.  Sorry Ariel!

EDIT: 18th July 2014
Since I wrote the above, we now only use Fairy, and Aaron's eczema completely cleared up. He only gets dry inner elbows occasionally now. I now swear by Fairy and use it everyday. So gentle on his skin, and no more flare ups. We've used it for 8 months now, and I am happy with it in every way:

Absolutely no compromises. I get my fresh laundry day smell and he gets a product that is:

"huggably soft for sensitive skin" 

as they say themselves.

I have not received anything from Fairy, so this post is neither paid for, nor compensated nor is it biased.

Liska x

#SaidItSaturday - An Audience with Aaron



It's that time of the week again!

Normally when I say "I love you" to Aaron he says "I love you too" but he seems to be going through a phase where he quite likes to say "as well" instead.

The other day, well Saturday 9th November, I left him home with Daddy whilst I trotted off to Mumsnet Blogfest.  Their only task was to get Lidl Pull-Ups (it's what I always get, as they are £2.99 instead of the £6 you'll pay for Huggies) and Aaron still wears these (as a kind of nappy) to bed despite being fully toilet trained.

When I got home (yes he was still up) I said "what did you and Daddy buy when you went to get the nappies?"

His answer "a huge (he said huge 8 times) Spiderman".  They didn't even buy a Spiderman, but Aaron is going through that "story-telling" phase!

The other day I said to him "you're my best boy!" only to be replied to by him "yes in the world".

The other night he was watching Superman on TV sitting on Daddy's knee.  He exclaimed: "Superman's a boy who never gets dead!"  bless him!

This week I said to him "Aaron you're Mummy's boy" and he said "no I'm Daddy's boy" - seeing I was disappointed he stressed "Mummy, it's okay, we're all boys!" I knew what he meant bless him.

Tuesday, we took our usual short cut home from school and upon coming across some mud, he shouted to my back, as I walked ahead "I hate mud".   I turned round and said "okay shall I carry you?"  He was on his balance bike and wearing wellies, so he replied "No, I love mud.  Mud is my favourite".  Nothing like the contradictions of a 3 year old!

A couple of times this week Aaron has caught me and Daddy kissing and literally comes up to us and says "what's going on here then!" - very very funny and very cute!

We have a lot going on at the moment so I have been clearing and decluttering.  He came back to a tidy flat the other day and said "you've cleaned the place.  I like tidy!" - he didn't even say it to anyone in particular, but rather casually said it over his shoulder as he entered the sitting room!

The other day I had lost my house keys AND my phone charger.  He very assertively told me that they were in the kitchen.  Normally I feel like there are 2 adults and a child in the house (actually that is a lie, I often feel like a Mum of 2 boys) but when he was so wise to assist in that way, it really felt like there was suddenly 3 brains in the house.

The other day he and Daddy were out, and Daddy didn't want to come home just yet, so whilst they had me on the phone Daddy asked Aaron if he wanted to go to Grandma's.  All I could hear in the background was Aaron say "no!" but it was really said from the navel and he didn't feel the need to add a reason or whinge or cry.  He wanted to come home to his Mummy and he felt strong enough to just assertively say NO and nothing else.  I was on the other end of the phone miles away and yet I could hear the power in it.  I love the secure, confident, independent little man I have made.

Today Daddy and I were having a laugh with Aaron in the corridor.  Aaron was dressed but we still needed to be.  I can't remember what was being said but we were joking with Aaron about something and we were laughing but Aaron said to his Daddy "don't be happy at me.  You go away and dress yourself".  We laughed so hard at this, but then we looked at each other as if to say could this bossy wee lad get out of control or take it too far one day!?!?!  Nah he is far too cute to do that!