Allergic to bath "soap"?

You can always bring your own.

DH always packs a decent supply of anti bacterial soap for use at the sink.

I hate the hand sanitizer! I have eczema really bad at times and I will not put that stuff on my hands. One of the ship's crew almost would not let me board because I wouldn't use it.

I have allergic reactions to the hand sanitizer as well, and have had trouble with ship's crew at times. But the worst trouble I have had has been from one fellow passenger who called out to the DR Manager when I refused to have my hands squirted going in to dinner one night. It was insane, the passenger did not want me to enter the dining room without having been squirted -- because in her words "I was putting the room at risk." Finally the DR Manager allowed me to enter without squirting, but the other passenger took note of my table and shot me evil looks all through dinner.

Steiner spas own Elemis. There will be a contract in place for HAL to use their crappy products.

I bring my own shampoo, conditioner, soap and body creams. The Elemis products are so drying and smell awful.

If someone would recommend a good hand sanitizer that would kill germs but not dry too much or have perfume, I would bring that along too, and if someone commented I would pull it out of my pocket and use our own. We usually carry our own purell for the transportation to get to the ship but if something works better for those who have skin problems I would like to know.

HAL first started providing Elemis Bath Products on the ships when Noordam was Inaugurated.

I like the shampoo, the round bar of white soap and the glycerine orange soap they used to provide but never liked the bath gel/body wash. I now bring our own soap after having had trouble getting bars of bath soap on one or two cruises.

We actually loved the Elemis products offered in the staterooms. But I guess if you don't like them, it is very easy to bring your own bar of soap or body wash from home in your suitcase.

Steiner spas own Elemis. There will be a contract in place for HAL to use their crappy products.

At least until HAL rids itself of Steiner, which is hopefully in the not too distant future.

Steiner spas own Elemis. There will be a contract in place for HAL to use their crappy products.

 

I bring my own shampoo, conditioner, soap and body creams. The Elemis products are so drying and smell awful.

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is crappy. :rolleyes:

My SO and I have no issues with Elemis, and except for one friend we have not heard of anyone having issues with it. He did have an allergic reaction to it. We like it.

No matter where we travel to - DH and I avoid any possible problems by always each carrying a bar of unscented Dove and small bottles we've filled with our favorite shampoos.

We know we won't have any skin reactions and our hair will behave as it normally does (or does not ... depending on the day :) )

I am impressed with the large number of folks on this forum alone who react to the shower gel -- this makes me wonder why HAL doesn't find a friendlier product to provide.

Keep in mind this is a message board ,,,,. it's my guess that folks who don't have problems with the soaps and gels didn't bother replying so it sounds like a universal problem :):)

Yes, we discovered last year on the "O" that the Sharp Elemis Shower Gel is like bathing in Vick's Vapour Rub. Just horrible. My skin was on fire and my eyes were burning. :( We went to soap from there, but I missed my shower gel for the rest of the week.

This year on the "W" we packed our own items, so as to avoid repeating that experience. :eek:

I quite liked the products!

I did get a red raised rash about 5 days into our 14 day on the Maasdam. It never occured to me that it might be the shower gel. It was the first time I had shower gel and I know I'm not allergic to the bar soap that we always had before. I still have the rash and it's been 4 days since we got home. I also picked up a nasy cold, despite the constant use of the hand sanitizers.

My DW suffers from EXTREME CONTACT DERMATITIS - she is allergic to virtually all fragrances and fragrance enhancers, which means she cannot use most shampoos, hand soaps, deodorants, hand sanitizers, hair conditioners, perfumes, hair sprays, ETC. and must purchase fragrance-free alternatives to those products. So we have always carried our own toiletries for her to use on cruises and other vacations.

Additionally, her allergies are so severe that she cannot wear clothes or sleep in bedding that has been laundered in detergents containing fragrances or fragrance enhancers. One alternative that is available to her is to have all these items either washed in fragrance-free detergents or to have them washed 3 times in very hot water with NO detergent. When we first learned of her condition, we contacted HAL using the Special Requirements Request Form and requested that all bedding and towels be laundered in this manner. I expected HAL to object and reject our request for this accommodation but that was not the case - the HAL Rep indicated that there are many people who have this same (or similar) allergy and that HAL is happy to accommodate their needs whenever or however possible. (We have also made this same request of the hotels we stay at pre- and post-cruise and ALL have graciously accommodated our request.) Kudos to HAL and the hotels.

We have not requested HAL or any of the hotels to furnish fragrance-free toiletries, as carrying our own "safe" ones is not that big a deal, compared to having to carry our own "safe-laundered" bedding and towels. I would be interested in hearing if anyone has requested fragrance-free toiletries and what HAL's response was.

We are VERY LOYAL HAL cruisers, in part because of HAL's attentiveness to the needs of its customers - THANK YOU HAL!!!

Rod

P.S. My DW carries her own "safe" hand sanitizer - it is "Clean Well", an all-natural hand sanitizer distributed by the CleanWell Company of San Francisco, CA.

If someone would recommend a good hand sanitizer that would kill germs but not dry too much or have perfume, I would bring that along too, and if someone commented I would pull it out of my pocket and use our own. We usually carry our own purell for the transportation to get to the ship but if something works better for those who have skin problems I would like to know.

My DW carries her own "safe" hand sanitizer - it is "Clean Well", an all-natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizer distributed by the CleanWell Company of San Francisco, CA.

Steiner spas own Elemis. There will be a contract in place for HAL to use their crappy products.

 

I bring my own shampoo, conditioner, soap and body creams. The Elemis products are so drying and smell awful.

Please enlighten us, as wonder why you would call Elemis products crappy? Are you a professional in the skin care business & know of a harsh ingredient which is causing these allergies?

Elemis is the leading luxury skin care company in the British Isles & their products are quite expensive.. They are also sold on Amazon. & there are many who purchase these products & can use them safely..

IMO every skin product on the market have had people who are allergic to their products & just because some or you were allergic would you also call those products crappy?

We have Friends who are allergic to peanuts & DH is allergic to the skin of the Mango fruit, but I would not call peanuts & Mango's crappy.. I'm allergic to alcohol & even having one drink can give me a headache but we do serve alcohol to our guests & don't call it crappy.. Sometimes I even have a mudslide even though I know it will give me a headache..:)

BTW I do bring my own shampoo & a bar of Dove soap on cruises only because I like my own products, but have used the Elemis shower Gel without problems..

I didn't find the soap irritating, but if my skin were sensitive, I'd bring my own. Didn't use the shampoo or conditioner, I bring my own. I find the liquid soap inconvenient for showering though, and requested bar soap, which our cabin attendant delivered, no problem.

I have started bringing my own bar of bath soap. Not because I'm allergic or don't like the Elemis products, I just prefer a bar of soap over the liquid for bathing.

My DW suffers from EXTREME CONTACT DERMATITIS - she is allergic to virtually all fragrances and fragrance enhancers, which means she cannot use most shampoos, hand soaps, deodorants, hand sanitizers, hair conditioners, perfumes, hair sprays, ETC. and must purchase fragrance-free alternatives to those products. So we have always carried our own toiletries for her to use on cruises and other vacations.

 

Additionally, her allergies are so severe that she cannot wear clothes or sleep in bedding that has been laundered in detergents containing fragrances or fragrance enhancers. One alternative that is available to her is to have all these items either washed in fragrance-free detergents or to have them washed 3 times in very hot water with NO detergent. When we first learned of her condition, we contacted HAL using the Special Requirements Request Form and requested that all bedding and towels be laundered in this manner. I expected HAL to object and reject our request for this accommodation but that was not the case - the HAL Rep indicated that there are many people who have this same (or similar) allergy and that HAL is happy to accommodate their needs whenever or however possible. (We have also made this same request of the hotels we stay at pre- and post-cruise and ALL have graciously accommodated our request.) Kudos to HAL and the hotels.

 

We have not requested HAL or any of the hotels to furnish fragrance-free toiletries, as carrying our own "safe" ones is not that big a deal, compared to having to carry our own "safe-laundered" bedding and towels. I would be interested in hearing if anyone has requested fragrance-free toiletries and what HAL's response was.

 

We are VERY LOYAL HAL cruisers, in part because of HAL's attentiveness to the needs of its customers - THANK YOU HAL!!!

 

Rod

 

P.S. My DW carries her own "safe" hand sanitizer - it is "Clean Well", an all-natural hand sanitizer distributed by the CleanWell Company of San Francisco, CA.

Nice to hear that Hal is going to take care of your DW issues. My DH skin does not react well with the Elemis products so I always bring my own soap, shampoo, etc.

DW always brings her bar of Dove and her own shampoo because of skin issues - The HAL soaps are fine for me except I really don't like the gold translucent hand bar soap they give you - I like the white bar much better.

Please enlighten us, as wonder why you would call Elemis products crappy? Are you a professional in the skin care business & know of a harsh ingredient which is causing these allergies?

 

Elemis is the leading luxury skin care company in the British Isles & their products are quite expensive.. They are also sold on Amazon. & there are many who purchase these products & can use them safely..

 

IMO every skin product on the market have had people who are allergic to their products & just because some or you were allergic would you also call those products crappy?

 

We have Friends who are allergic to peanuts & DH is allergic to the skin of the Mango fruit, but I would not call peanuts & Mango's crappy.. I'm allergic to alcohol & even having one drink can give me a headache but we do serve alcohol to our guests & don't call it crappy.. Sometimes I even have a mudslide even though I know it will give me a headache..:)

 

BTW I do bring my own shampoo & a bar of Dove soap on cruises only because I like my own products, but have used the Elemis shower Gel without problems..

The ingredient is CAPB & in most all soaps. I would not call Elemis a crappy product but CAPB is cheap and that is why they use it. It is very toxic.

Am I the only one who has a reaction to the liquid body wash HAL now puts in the showers? I find it way too harsh on my skin, especially my (cover your eyes if easily offended) "lady parts". :(

 

I've always received a bar of soap when asked (no issue with that), and had it replaced when needed. After reading some other posts, I'm thinking I may pack my own, just to be safe.

 

I'm just wondering if others have the same issue with the provided products. The shampoo isn't a problem for me, though I'm not fond of it and usually carry my own.

I broke out in a terrible rash after 1 use of the liquid soap on the Noordam (11/3-11/13).

we immediately moved the "cake" soap from the sink into the bathtub, and used that for the rest of the trip with no issues at all.

(except for the room steward not bothering to supply another cake soap for 4 days, and then only after we commented on not having one for the sinks).

so, no. . you are not alone.

I do not have sensitive skin but the Elemis shower gel is way too harsh. By day three I had really itchy skin on our Norway cruise and had to shop for a bar of soap in one of the ports. I purchased a bar of L'Occitane's extra mild soap and liked it so much that is all I use now.

I don't have any issues with Elemis. I have reactions to Neutragena. I wouldn't call it crappy, I just avoid it.

I was on the MS Noordam last year and used the body wash. Had a bad reaction to it. So used my own after that. I'm hoping HAL has changed their brand before my next cruise on th Westerdam in August.