All my life I’ve had to deal with dry skin. I’ve tried products after products to try and fix it. Later on in my life I developed eczema. I was so embarrassed by the red scaly patches all over my body, but I found a few tips and tricks along the way to help calm down my eczema flare ups.
1. Use Vegan Products:
Many products contain harsh chemicals that can strip your skin of its natural oils causing it to become dryer. Beware though, just because a product says “vegan” does not mean it is any safer to use. A website I like to use to help figure out if a product is safe or not is https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ .Even if the product is vegan or not, Skin Deep will tell you how hazardous the ingredients are based on a scale of 1-10. Also, beware of lotions and soaps with strong fragrances. Those can be an irritant as well.
2. Use Lukewarm Water:
For me, this was the hardest part because I love to shower in steaming hot water. Sadly, hot water is super drying and can cause your eczema to flare up even more. If you’re someone like me, I always have eczema patches on my hand, so use lukewarm water when washing your hands too.
3. Allergy Medication:
Allergens like dust, pet dander, and pollen can also cause your eczema to flare up. This is why I like to take Claritin everyday or you can take whatever allergy medication works best for you.
4. Develop A Skincare Routine:
I also like to start off my routine by showering with a hydrating body wash. After you shower make sure to pat dry your skin. Once my skin is dry I’ll apply a moisturizer that is specifically meant to hydrate. I’ll also apply an eczema cream to my irritated eczema patches.
5. Know Your Triggers:
It’s always good to know what causes your eczema to flare up. I know for me, the winter season really aggravates my skin. Since the winter months are so dry, I try to apply a moisturizer multiples times throughout the day just to rehydrate my skin. Other triggers may include allergens (that’s where the allergy medicine comes into play,) certain scents, detergents, lotions, and soaps.