Your skin is in fact the largest organ that you have, and it accounts for approximately 15 percent of your total body weight. Because of its sheer size, it doesn’t really come as a big surprise why there are so many skin problems that you may encounter in your lifetime.

Some of the issues concerning your skin are brought about by irritants — substances that can cause aggravation and inflammation of your skin. If you think that you can steer clear of those irritants by locking yourself up inside your home, better think again — according to dermatologists, much of those irritants can be found inside your home!

Keep on reading if you like to keep your skin out of harm’s way. Below are some very common personal and household products that are known to contain irritants.

Soap

Yes, the very product you use to wash irritants off your skin is actually introducing you to some irritants. This is the reason why using soap excessively can leave your skin dry, flaky and itchy. If you fail to address excessive skin dryness, it’s not unlikely for affected areas to one day become cracked, bleeding and painful.

Needless to say, you should keep the use of soap to a minimum. When shopping, it’s a good idea for you to look for something that contains all-natural ingredients only.

Fragrances

Do you really love a newly discovered personal care product because it smells so nice? Don’t be surprised if sooner or later you wake up with skin that’s dry and irritated.

According to dermatologists, it can be tricky to identify which fragrances your skin is irritated to — manufacturers these days choose from around 5,000 fragrances that they tend to mix and match with one another. To be safe, switch to fragrance-free goods — they may not smell as nice as the rest, but they won’t harm your skin.

Beauty Creams

Just like what their name suggests, beauty creams are meant to make you look beautiful. Unfortunately, a lot of these products can cause the complete opposite — they can mar your natural beauty. Such can be blamed on the fact some of their ingredients are irritating, as evidenced by side effects like burning or stinging sensation.

It’s especially important for you to be wary of apply beauty creams with harsh ingredients before bedtime — you may wake up the following day to a nightmare that everyone can see.

Sunscreen

There is a beauty product highly suggested by dermatologists for all to use each time they step foot outside their homes during the day, and that’s none other than sunscreen.

While it’s true that it can shield the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, the fact is it can irritate the skin of some people. The good news is it’s easy to tell which common sunscreen ingredient is the culprit — para-aminobenzoic acid or PABA. However, there’s better news: these days there are PABA-free sunscreens available on the market.

Household Cleaners

While it’s quite obvious that they are not meant for personal use, household cleaners can still come into contact with one’s skin. This is the reason why their harsh and irritating ingredients can cause skin problems.

There are a couple of ways to fend off skin irritation due to household cleaners. First, before you put a product in your shopping cart check the list of ingredients — if it’s not all-natural, immediately put it back on the shelf. Second, always put on a pair of gloves each time you use a household cleaning product.

Latex

There is a naturally-existing type of rubber called latex, and these days it is found in so many different things that range anywhere from shoe soles, bandages, gloves, balloons, rubber bands, condoms to diaphragms.

Unfortunately, some people are hypersensitive to latex — coming into contact with a product that contains it can cause skin issues such as hives and itching. It’s not unlikely for some people who are allergic to latex to also experience asthma-like symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest tightness and wheezing.