OH WRAPTURE, IT'S LAUNDRY DAY!

When the lovely and talented Kristin Omdahl asked if I’d be interested in writing a review of her new no-rinse delicate wash, Wrapture by Eucalan, I jumped at the chance.  Seriously, what person who has ever wielded a crochet hook wouldn’t be thrilled to have a chance to associate herself (or himself) in even the smallest, most tenuous way, with Kristin?  I mean, beeyotch, puh-leeze!  Am I right?  Of course I’m right!  She’s among the most talented of designers; she’s beautiful; she’s the nicest person ever; and she lives within a short drive of my favorite vacation spot on the planet!  Naturally, I wanted to be a part of this project.

Kristin Omdahl

Never having used Eucalan before, I didn’t really understand what I was promising.  You see, there’s the slightest teensy-weensy little problem.  I’m allergic to wool.  That is, I can work with wool, but only for limited time periods, and I definitely can’t wear it next to my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin.  Let’s say for example that you meet me somewhere for coffee, and you happen to be wearing something particularly itchy.  I will break out in hives the moment I see you.  The mere fact of you sitting near me experiencing the slightest discomfort will cause my immune system to generate a huge histamine reaction.   So, lanolin is an absolute no-no for me, and as if that weren’t annoying enough, I’m also allergic to most floral scents and additives. 

What to do – what to do.  The last thing I wanted to do was let Kristin down.  Here, one of my top crochet idols had asked humble little me for a favor.  I had to come through.  So what did I do?  Did I confess the truth?  Did I ask someone else to try the product?  Did I test it on a gift I was making for someone else?  No!  Of course not.  I did what I always do.  I procrastinated until I felt terribly awkward about the whole thing, and then, eureka!  I had an idea.

The first thing I did was to ask Mandy, owner of Chicago's finest yarn store, Windy Knitty (located at 5653 N. Clark St., Chicago), to try the product.  Mandy informed me that she’s used Eucalan delicate wash often, and she really likes it.  It’s very gentle, and because it has lanolin, it sort of re-invigorates wool garments and fibers.  She also uses it to block pieces.  Instead of dipping them in plain water and then pinning them out, she adds a little Eucalan to the mix.  Since I never make anything wool for myself, I hadn’t done a whole lot of research on best blocking methods for wool.  Mandy also said she’d opened the bottle of Wrapture I’d given her, and liked the scent a lot.

Armed with the information Mandy provided, I decided to do a little more research.  What exactly are the ingredients of Eucalan delicates wash?

  They are:  essential oil (pure, natural oil from lavender, eucalyptus, and night bloom jasmine.  So far, so good, though florals could be a little dangerous);  ammonium lauryl sulfate (vegetable based soap); ammonium chloride (a pinch of salt never hurt anyone, right?),  cocamide MEA; purified water (probably obtained from the office water cooler, wouldn’t you think?); hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (I’m not a chemist, but I’m thinking some kind of water-soluble plant fiber?); methylchloroisothiazolinone (preservative and anti-bacterial); and PEG 75 lanolin (ah – there’s the rub).

Okay, I now knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to use this product to wash anything I’d be wearing close to my skin. 

The next step was the sniff test.  I would open the bottle and smell the contents.  If it made me sneeze, I’d have to give the whole project up. 

I opened the bottle and sniffed.  I can’t remember exactly what happened next but it seemed I was transported to a magical fairy-land of fragrance from which I never wanted to return.  I swear, there was harp music in the background and little mythical creatures frolicking around.  Birds were standing on the window sill, chirping and whistling.  Squirrels were making the bed.   I found I was wearing a ball gown and glass slippers.  Bibbity bobbity boo!  I wanted everything I owned to smell like Wrapture.  I wanted to shampoo my hair and wash my dogs in it.  I wanted to paint my walls with it.  I wanted to build a swimming pool in the backyard and fill it with Wrapture. 

And then I sneezed.  The harsh sting of reality.

It was only a small sneeze, so I decided to try the product anyway.  I read the instructions, and washed a small load of lingerie using Wrapture.   Then, to be extra careful with my oh-so-delicate skin, I did put the load through the delicate rinse cycle...twice.  Then I hung everything up to dry and forgot about it. 

The next day, I walked past the room containing my drying unmentionables, and a diluted version of that wonderful fragrance wafted toward me.  This time, the results weren’t quite as dramatic as when I first opened the bottle.  After all, it was only a small amount and it had been through two rinse cycles.   No mythical creatures appeared, but I’m pretty sure that for a second there, my refrigerator did turn into a golden carriage.  I know what you’re thinking.  “Impossible!  For a plain white refrigerator to become a golden carriage!”  Well, all I can say is, you’ve never smelled Wrapture before!   “Impossible – things are happ’ning every daaaaaaay!”

So, after all this, what’s my review of Wrapture?  Well, if you like Eucalan, then you already know all the good things about it.  What makes Wrapture special is its scent – night bloom jasmine.   The press release describes it as romantic and intoxicating.  And honestly, as silly as it sounds, if ever there was a scent that was romantic and intoxicating; this is it.  I will definitely be keeping a supply of Wrapture in my home, and using it to launder all of my hand-crocheted pieces, for blocking, and for all my delicate washables.   I say this as a person with a pretty serious lanolin and floral allergy.  And that’s probably a good thing because if I didn’t have those allergies, I’d probably buy Wrapture by the gallon and use it to wash everything I own.

Try Wrapture!  You’ll love it!  And your wool and delicate washables will live happily ever after.

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Comment on this blog post about your experience, either with Eucalan or with Wrapture for a chance to win a free bottle of this great new scent by Eucalan.  One name will be chosen at random on 12/15/12.