Some of you have heard me rant and rave about avoiding trans-fatty-acids (partially hydrogenated fats) in your food... but here's something you should attempt to avoid in your soap, shampoo, and conditioner type products, especially if you have sensitive skin: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS); sodium laureth-3 sulphates; and DEA or TEA sodium lauryl sulphates. Technically, the chemical is in about 90% of most soap style products... and is a known skin irritant, and is also used in industrial cleaning (heavy chemical cleanup).
I've been having trouble during cold weather with itchy skin, but no flaking... and turned to researching new products to try and alleviate the mild irritation. I have tried natural soaps/organic products... and various moisturizers... trying different samples and options at my local Whole Food's grocery store. The switch to better soap (those without SLS's) met with success - concerning the whole skin irritation problem, plus my mild dandruff condition has improved!
Where do I find these safer soap options? Some Crabtree and Evelyn products are clear of this stuff, along with Thymes products, vegetable glycerin based products, and many other lines of organic or natural soap... If you play your cards right, you won't have to spend too much more on attempting an alternative from SLS based items. Many ebay sellers offer home-made options of quality product at a nice cheap bulk rate. Look for a seller with good feedback. One side effect of moisturizing/parfum based soaps (that guys might run into) is that they don't always get rid of body oder very well (i.e. underarm). Problem solved... buy some 'natural' antibacterial hand soap for those underarms... leave it on for 60 seconds, and case closed: this brand works for me - EO Liquid Hand Soap, Peppermint & Tea Tree (and it doesn't take much to do the job). 
I'm not saying to drop all your current SLS products at one time... But go out and experiment with a natural soap, instead of these detergent based SLS type products (Dial, Toni & Guy, etc) and see if you notice an improvement in skin/hair condition. One way to make the transition is to phase out the old soap with the new.
Most of what you might buy at Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Central Market, and health food stores will not contain this harsh chemical. If you dont' have sensitive skin, maybe you've never worried about this issue. If you'd like smoother, cleaner feeling skin... I urge you to try this out! If you want to know what other soaps and shampoos have worked for me, post your question in the comments section.
Also, if you're still reading... I pledge here and now to send an free SLS free bar of soap to the first 4 people who make a comment in this blog article, and email me their physical address: Banana Republic Classic 8.5+ ounce - NEW (I happened to get 14 bars of the great smelling discontinued stuff for under $3.00 each, lol).
Here are two mostly un-biased SLS info links.
http://www.greenpeople.co.uk/Organics_Features_SLS.htm
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~pvzalm/earthhaven/and%20-Laurel%20Sulphates
Dude, you just called me and told me you were sending me some of your damned soap. And I didn't even have to comment! I must be super special!
Posted by: Adam Donaghey | March 25, 2006 at 10:05 PM
Wow, I got the soap and tried it out this morning! I like it mostly because it doesn't stick to you during or after your shower. You know what I mean? It's far more refreshing than your average soap, in my opinion.
Posted by: Adam Donaghey | April 05, 2006 at 10:51 AM