What’s happening here is your skin’s barrier is not as robust, genetically, as someone without eczema. This means things like fragrance, air pollution, pollen and dust will absorb more deeply than they should. From here, your immune system tries to kill them leading to angry, flared up skin. We try to prevent it by protecting and supplementing that skin barrier with lots of moisture, by calming and by avoiding potential irritants.
Routine Steps
Body Wash
Your body wash needs to be gentle, moisturising and ideally fragrance free. Your skin’s barrier is naturally a little flimsy, so it’s easier for irritants to get in and for moisture to escape.
Oil Wash / Shower Oil
This is a moisturising body wash that you use as extra insurance to be super clean, but also to put some moisture back into your skin.
- Dermaveen Bath & Shower Oil: Fragrance free with calming oat.
- Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Shower Oil: This one has a touch of fragrance so use as tolerated.
- La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Cleansing Oil: This fragrance is hypoallergenic and refills are available
Body Oil
Put this on straight after turning off the shower taps, while you’re dripping wet. This way it spreads better and you need less, plus it sinks in better and you won’t be slimy.
Body Serum
This step can help you get more active ingredients into the routine. It also makes your moisturiser work better, or you can use instead of moisturiser if you don’t like a thick lotion. Apply on damp skin just after you towel off.
- Epzen Thirst Aid Hydrating Body Serum: Fragrance free, very affordable.
- Paula’s Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum: Fragrance free, skin-strengthening, helps with redness.
- Necessaire The Body Serum: Fragrance free, easily absorbed silky texture for any sensory issues.
Moisturiser
You need to apply this after towelling off when your skin is still damp, and you need to do it daily, every single time you shower or bath.
Ointment
If you’re having a flare-up, this acts in place of your skin’s barrier to help it restore itself.
SOS Treatment
Things you can put on your skin to help calm/relieve it during a flare. These are separate to ointment and moisturiser, they don’t necessarily moisturise.
Sunscreen
A must for any exposed skin.
Foot Cream
Foot creams slowly eat away at the hard and dead skin on your heels, so your feet stay soft! Apply when the skin is damp, massage it in, then put on your socks.
- DU’IT Roll On Heel Balm: 10% Urea, eczema safe, dries very quickly so you don’t need to marinate in a sock.
- Ameliorate Intensive Foot Therapy: Minimal fragrance.
- Soap & Glory Heel Genius: Fruity scent.
While you’re here
Watch this video on 5 things I’d never do when managing eczema.