What I Use On My Skin For Eczema (creams, make up, medicine)

Hi everyone! As promised, posting below all the make up/medicine/creams I have used to treat my eczema. This is only what worked for me over the last year. I currently am not using any medicine/steroid creams and haven’t done since early 2018. I had a LOT of make up artists message me and so I figured maybe people are putting products on their skin that is causing eczema to flare! I hope the below is helpful!

Moisturising

I have tried every moisturiser that is out there! It is expensive to keep up but definitely worth it. I moisturise 3 times a day – when I wake up, after the gym at lunch time, and before bed. I have an office job but I try to go to the gym at lunchtime when I can and shower there – if I spend the whole day in tight clothes without a break I start to get really uncomfortable and my skin gets super dry. Even if you can’t break your day up, I’d still recommend putting on moisturiser in the bathroom half way through the day – you’ll notice a difference!

My go to daily moisturiser is Aveeno – by far the best I’ve tried. It dries super quick and does slightly sit on top of your skin which I like because it is a barrier – the problem with eczema suffers is that our skin doesn’t soak in the moisture – so Aveeno acts as a nice barrier and protector. I also use Childs Farm because I’ve heard great things but it doesn’t feel as good as Aveeno does for me. If I am super dry I will buy double base gel (you can get it in Boots behind the counter where the Pharmacy is) or I use this liquid paffarin that my dermatologist gave me during that terrible flare up. I coat myself in it (you could also do it with coconut oil), put 100% cotton pjs on (more about what to wear in another post) and sleep in it. It does feel weird being that greasy but it is worth it.

Showering

Boiling hot showers are the absolute best feeling for eczema, but honestly they are so bad for you. In my old house the shower could go REALLY hot, so I was burning myself everyday. To put in perspective how hot I would put it, my boyfriend couldn’t stand the temperature I showered at for even one second – he would go bright red and be in pain. The relief is amazing but it is so drying and irritating. In my new house my boyfriend capped the hot temperature so I can no longer have boiling hot showers – I am actually thankful for this haha! I also added a water softener – maybe it worked?! Technically we should be having lukewarm showers. If you can do it – your skin will be thankful.

I love taking baths – whilst they aren’t great for eczema because they can strip the moisture, there can we benefits as it’s less harsh compared to a powerful shower. Have you ever fantasised about jumping into a bath of pure oil/moisturiser and just sitting there until your skin soaks it in? Well, you can kind of do it! I was recommended to bathe with olive oil, and it is great. Literally, put the olive oil you use in your salads into your bath and soak for 10 minutes! It sticks to your skin, you will come out quite slippy but it is a great moisturiser and definitely helped me lock in moisture.

For daily soap/shower gel I use Simple on my face (my favourite is the gel) and I just use my hands. I use Dermol 500 on my face and body (you can get it from Boots behind counter in the Pharmacy bit). It is anti-bacterial which is amazing for cut/broken skin (eczema/acne). Countless times I have scratched and my skin has got infected/scabby which would normally take 7 days to recover. Dermol stops any spreading of germs, treats cuts and removes any pimples that have formed because of dirt. It is a really creamy texture and feels amazing when you put it on. On the topic of anti-bacterial, I also use Germolene cream on any cuts/scabs. It works so quickly and shortens the normal week-long scab recovery to just a couple of days.

Twice a week I exfoliate with Grounded Body Scrub (you can get it in Boots or use ‘LYDSLIFE’ for 30% off their website). This scrub was on Dragon’s Den – a guy made this to treat his girlfriends eczema and it worked! I use the grapefruit one – it is the least harsh texture and smells amazing. It is full of vitamins and moisturising ingredients. The coffee/salt exfoliates any dry skin if I leave it on 5+ minutes, I notice instantly smoother skin. The Aveeno moisturiser I use can sometimes build up on your skin after multiple applications rather than fully soaking in (which I like for eczema because it acts as a good barrier), so exfoliating every few days is a great way to get rid of any excess dirt/skin/products on your body and then you can start again. Be super gentle when you put it on though. It feels GREAT to itch with, so you can irritate your skin by over-doing it (which I have done MANY times because my self-control is ZERO when it comes to itching haha).

For Shampoo and Conditioner I use either: Child’s Farm, Maui Moisture Coconut Milk, and when it was really bad I used Polytar Scalp coal shampoo which helped. My favourite though was a Christmas present from my Mum: Maria Nila Head and Hair Heal Shampoo. Love it and I have had no dandruff or a scabby scalp since.

  

When you’re out the shower (you should only shower for a few minutes but I know that is hard), dab yourself dry with your towel and immediately put moisturiser on to lock in any moisture. Also – don’t panic! So many times I’ve gotten out the shower and had a huge panic looking at my skin – especially in the gym showers where people stare.  Put on your creams, get on with your day, and it will most likely have gone down by bed time. This happens to me after exfoliating, I can go so red, but I have learned to trust it will go down once my skin has settled and it always does. Getting upset is the worst you can do! I have learned that a happy mind = happy skin.

Make Up

If you wear make up and you have eczema on your face then you’ll know there is NOTHING worse than products that irritate your skin, make your skin more dry and blotchy and in general feel uncomfortable. By far the best make up brand I have used for eczema is Nars. A lot of their make up is for normal-dry skin and their products have turmeric in which is an anti-inflammatory. Putting Nars Sheer Glow foundation on actually helps my eczema. I was in Boots last year and the lady at another make up counter told me she suffered from eczema too and to go to Nars and get everything from there! I am so thankful to her. MAC is also good for my skin (which is surprising because it can be very heavy). I don’t react to it though – so if it works it works! I wear the same make up daily – I’d love to experiment more but there is nothing more disappointing than waking up to a blotchy red face after trying something new – so what’s the point?

Foundation: for the daytime I use Nars Sheer Glow (Barcelona). For evening, I like MAC studio fix. But for eczema, I recommend Nars. I put it on with a beauty blender

Bronzer: Nars Laguna Liquid Bronzer is great for dry skin – very dewy. MAC Dark Deep Mineralize Bronzer doesn’t irritate my skin and makes me look tanned – bonus!

Highlighter: I use MAC Soft & Gentle (left) and Gold Deposit (right) – works for me! And it looks amazing. I don’t wear these during the day, just if I’m going out.

Mascara: Lancome Hypnose makes your eyelashes look amazing! I also find most mascaras you can buy in Boots work with eczema, but Lancome makes your lashes super thick!

Eyeliner: Maybelline New York Master Precise – dirt cheap and amazing. So many cheap products irritate my skin but this one is amazing!

Eyebrows: Nars Brow Defining Cream – doesn’t make me react. I recently bought a Make Up Revolution eyebrow pencil which looked amazing on but made me react the same day. I often re-gift make up haha so this one is going to my sister!

Lips: MAC Spice Lip Liner and any MAC lipstick/lipgloss is my go to (expensive though). Nars lip gloss is also great. For cheaper options, I also like L’oreal Paris liquid lipstick – they are matte but not too drying. My sister recently bought me Tarte Cosmetics lip paint and all the NYX lip range – I was hesitant to try it but I love it. Looks like MAC lipstick but way cheaper.

I have yet to find eyeshadow that 100% doesn’t irritate my eyelids and concealer that 100% doesn’t irritate the area around my eyes. I put Nars foundation on my eyelids and as a concealer and I don’t react – so you could cover your eczema without using eyeshadow/concealer that irritates you. Just DON’T wear it if you know it makes you more irritated – you will go round in circles and there IS make up that works. It is trial and error though – even Nars concealer irritates my skin. MAC concealer or Maybelline is probably the best for me – I don’t react to that. Nars eyeshadow is the best for me but if I use it too often my eyelids can react, so there’s no point. Unfortunately, cheap brands mostly don’t work for sensitive skin and it is worth investing in products that actually work! There are some great cheap options though (recommendations welcome). I know everyone is going crazy over the new Make Up Revolution make up (so did I). It made me react.  Back to the expensive stuff!

In terms of application, if my face is super dry I put Coconut Oil on an hour before applying my make up, the make up goes on dewy and lasts way longer than if I use moisturiser. Normally I use Aveeno before though.

Any other questions let me know!

Fake tan

I have only started using fake tan this year, last year I didn’t use it once and I don’t think you should if your eczema is really bad. I have tried lots of fake tan though and the one I use is St.Tropez mousse. It is expensive but it is for sensitive skin and is not patchy/drying on the skin. I could be wrong but I feel like it adds a protective layer to my skin and actually helps my eczema. It also makes you look better, and in turn feel better, and that helps with eczema because you are confident/happy rather than constantly upset with the way you look!

Perfume – basically, I don’t put perfume directly on my skin (I put it on my (long) hair/clothes)!

Itching  

Finally, it doesn’t matter how many products you put on your skin, if you’re itchy and uncomfortable, it is often unbearable. Itching is the absolute worst! Also, nothing is more annoying that someone telling you to stop itching. I have countless times run to another room to carry on itching if someone in my family tells me off – anyone else?

The best thing I have found for itching is Fexofenadine tablets. This is what people with hay fever use throughout the summer and I have been told it is safe to use continuously. If you take one every morning it totally helps the itching. For me, the itching stops within 30 minutes of taking this tablet, I was told I could take 2 or 3 on a bad day if I wanted as well. LIFE SAVER. It comes in 120mg strength and 180mg strength, I use the stronger one (180mg). Also, any creams with Urea help with itching and they really do work! Now I no longer itch (unless I have had bad food/alcohol), so I don’t need the tablets but I take them with me everywhere for peace of mind (I am sure most of this stuff is in our head)!

Steroids 

The best steroids for me are definitely ointment steroids over creams. They stay on your skin and are mixed with emollient cream so also moisturising. Eumovate is a moderate steroid and Betnovate is a potent steroid. I don’t use these currently but when I had flare ups these made the eczema go overnight which I was always grateful for – whilst they are not advisable for long term use, short term they can be really helpful to reduce a flare. An alternative to steroids for the face is Protopic Ointment. It does not contain steroids and also makes eczema go down overnight for me. Only downside is that it burns/itches after about an hour of being on the skin. Similarly, it is not advised for long term use. I would put it on just before going to sleep, so the burning starts hopefully when I am already asleep. Many times I woke myself up scratching my face off though, so it is not for everyone!

I think I’ll stop there for now. I’d love to know in the comments what has worked for you and if you have any other questions! Also, what is up and coming in my next few posts:

-How to go vegan, what to eat for food, supplements and drinks

-Washing clothes/what clothes to wear/cleaning the house – what worked for me

-Yoga/meditation – how important it is!

Thanks for reading!

Love, Lydia x