So far so good with the ZZ. I think I will also order the shampoo & soap, just in case, but I'm not sure they're in my hair and elsewhere. Still, it might be wise to use it as a precaution.
Still dry, but my skin seems to be adjusting. I have, however, taken a few "breaks" from it on some days where I don't use it in the morning, only at night. On those days, it was just because I had to go out and wanted to wear make-up, which doesn't look very good over the top of the zz cream, so I just used a little of my natural lotion and a little powdered mineral make-up.
I've had a few really whopper zits pop up, and they take awhile to resolve, but they do resolve. I never had a major skin problem, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I've also noticed is the bumps I've had under my skin in the same places (mostly around my chin) for years and years seem to be disappearing, if not completely gone! Yay! Also, the pimply, peeling, itchy, red rash around my nose got better within the first few days, and now it's pretty much gone.
One question about hygiene - for some reason I'm having trouble getting on board with doing all the laundry associated with changing towels and pillow cases every day, and I've been less than real careful about that. Marla, if you're reading this, thanks for your reply on this subject in the other post about my dog. It does make sense, and yet I'm having trouble stacking one more chore on top of my already over-scheduled life.
I wondered if this might be easier - someone mentioned putting the pillows in the dryer to kill mites - does that also kill the eggs? At what temperature and for how long? Could I put the pillows in the dryer with the pillow cases on them - would that do the same thing as washing the cases in hot water? Then maybe just wash the sheets and cases once a week?
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
One month update and question about hygiene
Moderators: Julia, Walter, Administrator
You betcha!
Hi, anja:
You could toast your linens -- as I did -- in the dryer. Only problem is, you have to keep that up for some time before the eggs are history.
So, here's what I suggest for you and people like you who are on the brink of self-destruction from the burdens of meeting today's demands:
Spray as many linens as you can with Lysol Original aerosol spray. Also, you might add some of that wonderful old-fashioned stinky Lysol concentrate to your laundry washing cycle. It comes in the brown bottle with the yellow cap. No need to do that for every cycle. Once in awhile is good.
Hard to find, so when you locate a retail store in your area that has it, make a mental note of it. It will be on the bottom shelf, or the top shelf -- not at the ideal marketing level shelves. (It's faster to look for it yourself than it is to ask a store associate or manager.)
No need to douse your home in Lysol. A little here and there helps. Actually, I occasionally take a damp towel treated lightly with Lysol spray, and wipe my dogs' fur and feet with it.
That should hold you tight for awhile until -- well, until your get a break of some kind. But if I get a break, I'm going to the beach, and probably won't be back. Heh. I can always hope -- like you hope -- for a break sometime.
Meanwhile, spray Lysol on the linens and upholstery. Take a quick pass at the hanging clothes in your closet once in awhile, and your clothing drawers.
If you keep your clothing in piles on the floor, then spray the piles once in awhile. When you take one layer off, spray the next layer. When you add a layer to the pile, spray the new layer.
Sooner or later, you will have success in reducing the household population of mites and their kin.
With deepest empathy,
-- Marla
You could toast your linens -- as I did -- in the dryer. Only problem is, you have to keep that up for some time before the eggs are history.
So, here's what I suggest for you and people like you who are on the brink of self-destruction from the burdens of meeting today's demands:
Spray as many linens as you can with Lysol Original aerosol spray. Also, you might add some of that wonderful old-fashioned stinky Lysol concentrate to your laundry washing cycle. It comes in the brown bottle with the yellow cap. No need to do that for every cycle. Once in awhile is good.
Hard to find, so when you locate a retail store in your area that has it, make a mental note of it. It will be on the bottom shelf, or the top shelf -- not at the ideal marketing level shelves. (It's faster to look for it yourself than it is to ask a store associate or manager.)
No need to douse your home in Lysol. A little here and there helps. Actually, I occasionally take a damp towel treated lightly with Lysol spray, and wipe my dogs' fur and feet with it.
That should hold you tight for awhile until -- well, until your get a break of some kind. But if I get a break, I'm going to the beach, and probably won't be back. Heh. I can always hope -- like you hope -- for a break sometime.
Meanwhile, spray Lysol on the linens and upholstery. Take a quick pass at the hanging clothes in your closet once in awhile, and your clothing drawers.
If you keep your clothing in piles on the floor, then spray the piles once in awhile. When you take one layer off, spray the next layer. When you add a layer to the pile, spray the new layer.
Sooner or later, you will have success in reducing the household population of mites and their kin.
With deepest empathy,
-- Marla
Lysol
Well..... thanks for your suggestion....I do appreciate your taking the time to reply, but I'm a health nut, and I don't spray chemicals of any kind in my home, especially not on my linens. I realize I'm a fringe dweller when it comes to this stuff, but there are many poisons in our environment, quite of few of which mimic hunan hormones - have you heard of xenoestrogens which take up estrogen receptor sites in the body and create an "estrogen dominent" situation in many women (plastics and solvents are a big culprit, and I'm pretty sure Lysol is a solvent). That leads to hormonal imbalance, cancers, etc.......
I don't get overly paranoid about it, you can't escape everything and would make yourself crazy trying, but I limit my chemical exposure where I reasonably can. I suspect that there are some natural essential oils I could mist on linens that would have a similar effect (i.e. lavendar, geranium, etc.... you would be surprised at what herbs and natural essential oils can accomplish), but in this case, I would rather do lots of laundry than start spraying everything. I wonder how long the pillow cases would hold up with throwing them in the dryer every day. What do you think, 5 or 10 minutes?
I don't get overly paranoid about it, you can't escape everything and would make yourself crazy trying, but I limit my chemical exposure where I reasonably can. I suspect that there are some natural essential oils I could mist on linens that would have a similar effect (i.e. lavendar, geranium, etc.... you would be surprised at what herbs and natural essential oils can accomplish), but in this case, I would rather do lots of laundry than start spraying everything. I wonder how long the pillow cases would hold up with throwing them in the dryer every day. What do you think, 5 or 10 minutes?
Oxidation
Dear anja:
Lysol works by oxidizing. I expected that you would hesitate to use it for that reason. However, given that you are diligent in providing the best for you and your family, I believe that you can overcome the effects of periodic oxidation going on in your home, for the benefit of eliminating the harmful micro-organisms that wreak havoc.
Five to ten minutes in the dryer is not enough. To be effective, the items should remain in the dryer on the "high" setting for an hour. One time is not enough. It should be done periodically -- say once every two weeks.
Remember, though, that when you treat one batch, and it contacts an untreated batch, it extends the time that it takes to reduce the population. Nevertheless, progress can be made in this manner.
Whether you use a gas or an electric dryer, this process translates into a large burden on the population through use of the power sources to accomplish your goals by using heat.
The tenacity of the impervious and prolific Demodex life forms cannot be under-estimated.
A solar oven would be a good alternate choice.
For now, though, keep your skin treated with ZZ ointment, and worry less about other factors.
Otherwise, I am out of suggestions -- including the use of essential oils, which I am familiar with. Lysol's effective ingredient comes from the creosote bush. Is that of any influence in your choices?
I hope that you can find relief for yourself, and that everything else works itself out somehow.
--Marla
Lysol works by oxidizing. I expected that you would hesitate to use it for that reason. However, given that you are diligent in providing the best for you and your family, I believe that you can overcome the effects of periodic oxidation going on in your home, for the benefit of eliminating the harmful micro-organisms that wreak havoc.
Five to ten minutes in the dryer is not enough. To be effective, the items should remain in the dryer on the "high" setting for an hour. One time is not enough. It should be done periodically -- say once every two weeks.
Remember, though, that when you treat one batch, and it contacts an untreated batch, it extends the time that it takes to reduce the population. Nevertheless, progress can be made in this manner.
Whether you use a gas or an electric dryer, this process translates into a large burden on the population through use of the power sources to accomplish your goals by using heat.
The tenacity of the impervious and prolific Demodex life forms cannot be under-estimated.
A solar oven would be a good alternate choice.
For now, though, keep your skin treated with ZZ ointment, and worry less about other factors.
Otherwise, I am out of suggestions -- including the use of essential oils, which I am familiar with. Lysol's effective ingredient comes from the creosote bush. Is that of any influence in your choices?
I hope that you can find relief for yourself, and that everything else works itself out somehow.
--Marlahi ladies just read the posts, and i must say I am very safe with the environment and dont ever use toxic chemicals in my house, usually buy my products for cleaning at the natural health store for various reasons. I also just put some tea tree oil in my laundry, to help eliminate mites and so on. I am a very health concious person too, and would never buy lysol too harsh and very strong! not suitable for environment either, i stay away from fragrance as much as possible. We must take care of our environment. keeping it clean and safe.non toxic chemicals to clean our house is just fine by me. tamara
Hi Maria,
I was wondering about what you mentioned about the eggs around the house. I thought that the mites laid thier eggs deep within the skin of the host? Also, now that you are clear, do you think that you have completely cleared your mites, or do you think that you have beaten them down to a 'normal' level?
I was wondering about what you mentioned about the eggs around the house. I thought that the mites laid thier eggs deep within the skin of the host? Also, now that you are clear, do you think that you have completely cleared your mites, or do you think that you have beaten them down to a 'normal' level?
Sadly.
Sandy, I have news for you. 
I spent almost two months in hotels recently. By the last two weeks of my stay, I had a stye, and was beginning to break out again.
I had a little bit of DS product to use, so I was able to keep from getting much worse before departure.
Now that I am in my own residence, I have much work to do to prevent the eggs and such from hatching in my skin. Eggs go everywhere. The mites are fragile, and although they die soon, the eggs they carry when they are on the surface of the skin can still hatch and the organism can mature in our pores.
First order of business regarding this battle is to do the laundry carefully and thoroughly. I gather laundry carefully, trying to disturb it as little as possible.
I soak and wash first in cold water. Then I wash in hot water and rinse in warm water. Then my fabrics go straight into the dryer.
It's not fool proof; it's merely a good start.
I also am re-united with my air purifier with the UV feature. It helps a bunch. I also have the option to change the heating and cooling filter as needed rather than wait for hotel maintenance to do it on their schedule.
Et cetera.
Marla
I spent almost two months in hotels recently. By the last two weeks of my stay, I had a stye, and was beginning to break out again.
I had a little bit of DS product to use, so I was able to keep from getting much worse before departure.
Now that I am in my own residence, I have much work to do to prevent the eggs and such from hatching in my skin. Eggs go everywhere. The mites are fragile, and although they die soon, the eggs they carry when they are on the surface of the skin can still hatch and the organism can mature in our pores.
First order of business regarding this battle is to do the laundry carefully and thoroughly. I gather laundry carefully, trying to disturb it as little as possible.
I soak and wash first in cold water. Then I wash in hot water and rinse in warm water. Then my fabrics go straight into the dryer.
It's not fool proof; it's merely a good start.
I also am re-united with my air purifier with the UV feature. It helps a bunch. I also have the option to change the heating and cooling filter as needed rather than wait for hotel maintenance to do it on their schedule.
Et cetera.
Marla