Eczema is a constant struggle of comfort. Comfort in your own skin, comfort in certain clothes or makeup, the uncomfortableness of the dry, cracking, itchiness, and even comfort of being out in public. I am one of the lucky 3% of adults living in the U.S. that struggle with eczema.
For me, my eczema is on my eyelids/ under my eyes, on my neck, around my lips, and recently near my elbows. Super strange places, I know. It’s been about a year since I’ve developed eczema and let me tell you, I’ve been through A LOT of products, dietary trials, and lifestyle changes. I am SO tired of hearing “reduce your stress”, “don’t eat dairy”, “drink more kombucha”, “drink 8 ounces of straight celery juice daily” BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
As we all know, there is no cure for eczema, and no one knows what causes it (go science) so I wanted to share some steroid-free products that have worked for me!
Mini Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist and this is not a sponsored post (because I’m not cool enough for brand deals).
First and foremost, I cannot live without this product: Gladskin.
Gladskin is a cream that targets only the bad bacteria on the skin while moisturizing and maintaining flare-ups. Since this cream doesn’t contain steroids, you can apply as many times a day as needed—I typically use this twice a day, once in the morning & before I go to bed.
I was extremely skeptical about this product because my roommate found it on Instagram (shout-out Georgia) and ya know, I just find it hard to trust influencers (shout-out SugarBearHair). BUT I will say, this product changed my life and I’m sure it will change yours too!
Next, another essential is Aquaphor.
Ok so this product is thiccc (yes with 3 c’s) but incredible for when you’re eczema decides to be drier than my phone messages. I like using this on my lips after using a sugar scrub or right before bed on my flare-ups for some extra moisture. I also use their lip repair on the daily as a lip balm! Even if you don’t have eczema, Aquaphor is great for healing tattoos, lip care, and overall intense moisture.
Another obsession of mine is Dr. Bronner’s soap.
I could rant forever about this brand and specifically their lavender soap. The liquid form of their Pure-Castile soap can be used in SO many different ways such as skincare, house cleaner, toothpaste, washing fruits/ veggies, mopping, washing pets, and so on and so forth. Personally, I’m a bar soap kinda gal, so I use their lavender soap in the shower for my face and body. It is super gentle on the skin yet doesn’t leave you oily just feeling squeaky clean!
If you don’t like the idea of using a versatile soap for a cleanser a good one to use is Cetaphil’s Gentle Foaming Cleanser. This is a daily cleanser that my dermatologist actually recommended for my facial eczema. I truly liked it for me but Dr. Bronner’s takes the top spot in my heart.
This product blew my mind when I first tried it. It isn’t even marketed to help eczema (probably because eczema on lips is rare) but it should be! Lo and behold the holy grail of lip skincare- LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask. It comes in 4 different flavors (I love the vanilla one), it claims to moisturize and plump lips overnight and it for sure holds its own!! I try to do this nightly but ya know, I’m bad with commitment…
Alrighty, so I am going to finish this product list off with two of my favorite face masks and smelly good lotion. So all three come from the holy land of Lush Cosmetics. Having facial eczema, you have to be extremely careful with the types of chemicals you’re putting on your face because literally anything can cause a flare-up. Lush is always the safest route to go. My top favorite face masks from there are the Mask of Magnaminty and Cup O’ Coffee. Both consistently make my skin feel brand new and leave me glowin’!
Their Dream Cream is absolutely incredible. It is actually marketed to help skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis & truly lives up to the hype. Three words to describe this heaven-sent product are rich, calming, and moisturizing. 10/10, you just gotta try it out yourself.
I hope this helped you discover new products to try & I hope they actually work for you too! I do suggest going to actually see a dermatologist because nothing beats hydrocortisone cream during an intense flare-up. Just know you are not in this alone and although you may be frustrated with your skin condition, it does not define you! You are beautiful with your red, scaly patches and we’ll learn how to control it together!