A Real Life Guide To Effectively Dealing With Dermatitis & Eczema
For most of my life I've been a flaky mess, leaving a trail behind me as I go. I get itchy red patches of eczema on my temples and eyelids and most recently had a perioral dermatitis rash around my mouth, nose and chin. To top it off, I also have seborrheic dermatitis and am constantly battling with dandruff and an itchy scalp. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
I'd love to launch into an educational spiel about why people get eczema and dermatitis, but sometimes it's just sh*t luck, and I can tell you it is in fact not a fun time - something I'm sure you can relate to if you've suffered from eczema and/or dermatitis too.
After a shower, I can't put my hair in a towel to dry. I can't lay or sleep on my hair wet. If I so much as lean on my wet hair for a second, I will get a bad reaction. I can't use any kind of oil on my skin, and react to most products - something that's proven to be problematic since I started working in beauty.
There's a silver lining to every story though - until I told my colleagues about my eczema, they thought I'd been wearing a nice peachy-toned eyeshadow to work every day. Small win.
After a particularly bad patch with my skin recently, I consulted our Beauty Editor for some advice on gentle, yet effective products I could use on my highly irritated and inflamed skin to calm it down and help it recover. She prescribed me with a routine that I've stuck to and can happily report, it actually worked.
My Tried & Tested Routine For Eczema & Dermatitis:
Kiehl's Centella Sensitive Facial Cleanser
This cleanser is super hydrating and gentle. Usually when I try new products, my skin flares up in some way, but that wasn't the case with this cleanser! It feels rich and creamy but is lightweight and suits my sensitivity. It supports the skin's barrier, while still removing impurities, and it can even be used without water.
Putting this on your face is like applying aloe vera gel to your sunburn. It's soothing, refreshing and calmed down any irritations on my skin. I've also noticed some acne scarring and pigmentation reduce since I added this to my routine. It contains natural thyme and cooling cucumber which offer soothing relief to inflamed skin, as well as hyaluronic acid which provides essential hydration.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Soothing Repairing Balm
This should be in everyone's skin first-aid kit. This shit works. Alongside the SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel, this cured my perioral dermatitis after 4 days. I use it regularly on my eczema patches and it keeps them hydrated while also calming down the redness. Bonus points for never giving me a single pimple.
Instantly soothes my sore and flaky scalp. I massage it in and leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing out. A blend of rosemary oil, menthol, salicylic acid, ginger extract and oat oil all work together to maintain a healthy scalp. Normally I would never apply a conditioner to my scalp as my hair is quite thin, however this doesn't leave my hair feeling oily or weighed down. My flakiness has reduced substantially.
