Patser, if your skin is like mine, you might just save yourself lots of money and grief, and stop using eye make-up. I too started getting allergic reactions after using eye make-up for many years. I could not see myself without eye make-up and so had allergy tests done and they said it was the black (charcoal) that I was allergic to. I switch to brown, same problem. I tried Clinique, Physician's Formula and others that all claimed to be hypo-allergenic, same problem. One honest person told me that there was no such thing as hypo-allergenic stuff because there would always be someone who would be allergic to an ingredient, whether it was natural (like fruit) or chemical. I went into work one day with no eye make-up feeling so self-conscious and told whomever I encountered, "o.k., what do you think"? They didn't know what I was talking about. I really wish you good luck and hope you either find that one make-up that will be right for you or you just give it up.

I am like laundryman's sister. Had a whole lot of probs with detergents with my old washer. I have a Frigidaire FL too. I also used the A&H Free liquid and powder in my old top loader, but I was also able to use All F&C and the Tide Free. You would be better off to establish what you are actually allergic to. Is it the surfactants, the enzymes, the optical brighteners, the perfume, or the dyes? What other Hypoallergenic detergents have you tried? I might me able to recommend a few. You can also do a search of cloth diapering websites. I have found that usually anything safe for a baby (usually natural stuff like Charlies Soap or Country Save) is usually safe for the chemically challanged, as I like to phrase it. I still have to be careful. I still have a reaction from time to time, but it is usally that I have used too much of something or it is usually something I hadn't used before. Like Purex HE, I can not use that stuff no matter what. Also, all my undergarments still have to be washed in totally unscented, dye free detergents.

OklaMoni - I suspect that you won't like cheaper products after using EL (depending on the EL that you use) and of course your skin type. I can't use EL except, surprisingly, for the Verite cleanser that I can just use to wash my face. I wish I could use any of the products mentioned - I can't. I have very thin, fair, naturally extremely dry skin, and am allergic to just about everything - especially botanicals (and antihistamine) and of course can't use any form of acid/retinol/C - or fillers. Skin is right colour for laser, but skin is too thin. So I have always used the most hydrating toner I could find along with a hydrating serum/cream, followed by a night cream during the day (this was post the period when SPF started being added to day creams - can't use a combo product). Finding a sunscreen that doesn't cause a rash is the devil - and I need one that is moisturizing and doesn't eat my makeup. I am 63 and agree with those who posted that they can see aging basically all of a sudden. It happens - and often in 5 year bumps. My face is thin - always has been, even when I weighed 200 lbs. during my teen years. At 63 it is still thin which does not help. I am not overweight now but my weight is all on the bottom. I have a long waist and short legs - so always wear long skirts (and at 5'7" hard to find) - of course I use to be taller. Cost is definitely becoming a problem - not developing a burning rash from a product is of course a primary concern - but absorption of a product is key. Products that I have tried that cost less and resulted in a rash also did not absorb. My foundation contains oil - has to - and since I am yellow based with a ph of 3.5 everything changes on me - so not easy either. I guess it is a good thing that I have only one lipstick, blush etc. since I have only been able to find one shade in everything that I use - and they have now been d/c. I hate reformulation - everything these days is about actives and botanicals - deadly for my skin. So I need high end products - but fortunately I am at the low end of the high end due to my botanicals/actives issues. I will try just about anything provided there is a chance it will work - I will not rule out say one botanical or 2 if they are at the bottom of the list - but when the listing starts off with Linden Blossom, Lily, Lavender, Rose etc. - forget it. Forget anything "natural". I can't even make a cheap masque using honey and egg due to the honey. I can't use yogourt on my face because of the lactic acid - this will guarantee a rosacea attack. Soy is also a major problem. And forget perfume/fragrance. I can't even use Clinique - there is something in the products - I know it was Aloe Vera at one time - maybe still is. I have been trying to find cheaper products that work especially with the high cost of living and my husband's retirement looming. I worked for a company that did not provide a pension. Then there is hair. My natural hair colour is auburn. I greyed in my 20s - and it is ugly iron grey that does not look nice with a yellow-toned skin. How I wish I had that gorgeous silver or white hair with a pink-toned complexion. But I don't. I tried on wigs in other colours - horrible. Natural auburn (nothing with a purple tone) is perfect for me but now that I can't get the colour shade at the drugstore - not to mention the full grey that I would now have - it would be tough doing it myself as I did until 15 years ago because I would have that awful line of demarcation - and I do need to pull the colour through. Red fades, no doubt about it. I always wear a hat. I have extremely thick, very dry, naturally wavy hair that grows like a weed. Last time I went for my colour the growth was twice that of the normal person. And living in Toronto going to the hairdresser is not cheap. I need to have my hair cut by someone who knows how to cut curly hair and I need to have layers so that it will curl properly. I do not suit it really short - and I would look (I know because I wore it short until I was 30) like a brillo pad. There are people that I know (my husband is one) who can use anything. And yet, I could look worse - well I am about to. I have been on HRT for 6 years - so am about to be taken off it. There were no health reasons for me not to take it so I did - my reason being my very dry skin.

I have this machine too. Normal is the cycle that uses the least water. The "hot " temperature for the water is warm by the standards of your old machine. Depending on the hardness of your water, the amount of detergent recommended by the detergent manufacturers is way too much for a front load HE machine. I have soft water and use no more than 1 TBL of powder or 2 tsp of liquid detergent for a "normal" soil level. If you have lots of suds in the drum during the wash cycle, you're using too much detergent. This might account for the scratchy sheets. Amazingly, the cycles I use most often are bulky and comforter (or your equivalent) because they use the most water and have more built in rinses (2 IIRC). If I want a hot wash, I use the steam function. I don't find either the soak function or the prewash particularly helpful. I do like the express wash where you can get a hot/warm wash and rinse before running a regular cycle. I also use the turbo wash cycle for an extra warm rinse or as a prewash. Given the lack of water, I also run extra like 2 rinses for delicates to make sure all the soap is out. I have laundry in our house for people with allergies and very delicate skin. My favorite detergent is the All free and clear liquid (with no enzymes) in small amounts. It does a great job with no reactions. The powder All is all right too for those with less fussy skin. I like Woolite Extra delicate for special lingerie and other super delicate washables. Yes, I wash almost everything including silk and wool and handmade knits. One more question: Have you checked the temperature in your gas dryer? I don't have a gas dryer, but I understand a gas dryer can run extremely hot. Since the clothes come out of the washer well wrung out, even a modest time in a hot dryer could add a crisping effect. If you look through some of the older threads, rpsinfoman has worked up some wonderful information or workarounds for this machine. The large LG WM8000HWA is the same machine as the Kenmore Elite 41072 (also built by LG for Sears). Take a look, there's much better information than the useless machine manual. Good Luck