Donegal Woman writer Elaine Mc Callig lists her top three tried and tested creams for hydrating eczema.
Every eczema and psoriasis sufferer will have an arsenal of lotions and potions that they have tried and tested in a bid to soothe their sore skin, with a few becoming staples.
Everyone develops their own routine and ways of coping when dealing with problematic skin, with finding your holy grail moisturisers the cornerstone of relief for eczema and psoriasis sufferers.
I generally use a combination of these creams depending on how my skin is feeling. Since some of these products come in cumbersome pots, you can pick up some little travel bottles (which you can pick up for a couple of euro at most shops) and pop one in your handbag or schoolbag to ensure you always have some cream at hand.
Here are my three holy grail creams that I cannot do without; which may be worth checking out if you suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or just plain ol’ dry skin.
(3) Lush Dream Cream
Lush Dream Cream was suggested to me by a friend, and after trying a free sample I was hooked. Dream Cream contains chamomile, extra virgin olive oil, fair trade cocoa butter, camomile oil, and tea tree oil. It’s lightly fragranced from the natural oils and has quite a comforting, natural scent.
Dry skin will drink this up straight away, and will leave the surface of your skin a little bit oily (which is great, because it means you’re not constantly re-applying every 30 seconds). It’s very soothing during an breakouts, particularly if you apply it on cracked areas. If I have eczema or just regular dry skin on my face, I’ll use the Dream Cream to moisturise before putting on makeup, as the oil prevents the foundation from clumping around flaky areas.
At a little over €15 for 240g of product, it is only the slightly steeper side but in my opinion it is worth it. Using it quite a bit and throughout several breaksouts, a tub lasted me around 3 months. If you visit the Lush Shop on Grafton Street or Henry Street in Dublin, or Castle Lane in Belfast, the staff will be more than happy to give you a little sample before committing to the full tub.
(2) Epaderm
Epaderm emollient is an absolute lifesaver, and will make your skin nice and happy during both breakouts and good days alike. The formula is non-greasy and sinks in almost immediately.
A 500g tub costs €14.99 but lasted me a solid 6 months of continuous use since a little bit of this product goes a long way. It can also be used as a soap substitute.
Although I’ll use Dream Cream under my makeup if I have some unwelcome patches of eczema, I use Epaderm when my skin is behaving itself and I don’t require that little bit of extra oiliness that the Dream Cream provides to blend my foundation.
(1) Silcock’s Base
My number one pick is always going to be Silcock’s Base. It’s cheap as chips at only €4.35 for a huge 500g tub. Paraben and fragrance free, this doubles up as a fantastic soap substitute too.
Although it takes slightly longer to sink in than Epaderm and Dream Cream, it keeps your skin hydrated long after application – and for that price, it’s almost too good to be true.
There are so many other fantastic creams on the market, with Emulsifying Ointment, E45, and Aqueous Cream being some of the other popular choices.
What works for me may not work for another eczema sufferer, but it’s always good to share what works and what doesn’t as it may help someone else.
Do you have any tips on dealing with eczema/psoriasis? What are your favourite creams? You can share them with us at news@donegalwoman.ie or drop us a line on our Facebook page.
*None of the products mentioned in this post are sponsored. They are recommended purely from my experience having tried countless products.
To learn a little bit more about my eczema, the challenges I have faced due to it, and how I cope with it, you can check out my story on my blog Logicat.wordpress.com.
If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line on Twitter or email news@donegalwoman.ie.
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July 1, 2017
Totally agreee. I use Lush dream cream and epaderm for my psoriasis and I would be lost without them. I used to get a prescribed steroid cream but hated using it as my breakout was normally on my face and using steroid creams just aren’t a great long term solution. I then read loads of good things about the dream cream and decided to try it and saw epaderm randomly in town and decided to give it a go. I cant express how thankful I am to have them now.