TOP 5 TIPS

1. If your child has eczema or you suspect it’s eczema, go and see your GP and get referred to a specialist straight away.

(I’d advise a dermatologist and allergy specialist).  It can be expensive to go privately, but we did 1 appointment with a private allergy specialist who then referred us to their practise in the NHS – and you can get a referral for a specialist via your GP on the NHS- keep on at them until you get referred!  It’s so important to do this, as the specialists can help you find the root cause of the eczema which is the first step to getting it under control (see below).  Sometimes GPs can be a roadblock, and to be honest I got some bad advice from my local GPs at first. Plus it took me dozens of GP appointments, late night trips to A&E, frantic calls to friends and family, and reaching out to mums on Facebook groups to finally get the specialist help we needed. I was desperate (my daughters had eczema from birth and my first baby has full body eczema at 8 weeks old).  Keep on at your GP until you get referred to a specialist (if it’s more serious than a few little spots of eczema).

It’s also REALLY important to follow the specialist’s skin care routine, what to do and how to do it.  Don’t be scared of steroid ointments, as they do have their place in a eczema skincare regimen and are very useful in calming down a flare up. These are fine to use as long as you follow your specialist’s advice on how to use them.  Once the flare up has calmed down, keep it under control my moisturising all the time!

2. Find the root cause of the flare ups 

You specialist will help you do that.  Skin prick tests and blood tests can diagnose any underlying allergies  – alongside keeping a good diary – so that when you/your kids get a flare up, you can work out what the triggers may be (is it food allergies, environmental – So dust, washing powder, cleaning products etc….?)  

It turned out my children were allergic to eggs and dairy from my breast milk (we found this out via blood and skin prick tests with a paediatric allergy specialist) plus airborne allergens, which we discovered through our own process of elimination.  

Dust is a bigger trigger for us – so we got rid of our carpets, curtains and soft furnishings, as they collect dust and can cause flare ups and breathing problems.  Instead, we sanded our wooden floorboards, and got wooden shutters, that we could clean with a damp cloth very easily to get rid of dust.  

Washing powder, fabric conditioner and limescale removers like Calgon, are other common triggers for eczema flare-ups – We switched washing powder (full of chemicals), to natural soap nuts instead, you can buy them here on Amazon). We stopped using fabric conditioner and water softeners.  These were a big cause of eczema in our girls and as soon as we did this, we noticed a really big difference in their skin.  We also only had cotton clothes (not synthetic fibres) and ideally cotton with non toxic dyes, safe for sensitive skin – this really helped. 

Avoiding bubble baths, soap, long bath times and hot baths – The other important factor for us was keeping bath times very short, and bathing twice a day, in lukewarm water.  Our skincare specialist advised us to do this, essentially it to very quickly clean off any potential allergens from the skin, that your child may have some into contact with during the day.  These were literally 30 second dips on and out of the bath. No bubble bath, or soap but a quick dip in and out in the morning and evening using an emollient prescribed by our dermatologist. The baths got rid of any allergens on their body, but was quick enough not to dry their skin out.

Drying quickly, and immediately moisturising (with our Organic Beeswax Balm). We dried them by patting dry quickly and not rubbing as it would pull the skin, and then immediately moisturising to create a barrier on the skin – locking in moisture and keeping allergens out,

Don’t dry clothes inside out or outside (as dust particles or airborne allergens can land on the inside of clothes, which then goes next to your child’s skin, and potentially cause a flare up)

Always wash new clothes before you put them onto your baby / child to get rid of any potential allergens that may be on the clothes from the manufacturing process.

Try and buy organic GOTS certified clothes, as these don’t have chemicals in them that can cause flare ups.

Cut out labels and tags from the inside of clothes, as these can irritate the skin, when it rubs.

Keep rooms cool with fresh air circulating, so windows open.  This helps prevent dust, and keeps air circulating, which helps avoid potential airborne allergens. However, be careful in the summer time, as pollen is another potential trigger.

We also kept a large muslin, washed in soap nuts, wherever we went.  This meant that we could place our baby onto this, knowing that they wouldn’t be playing on anything washed in regular washing powder that was bad for their skin.

3.  Keep moisturised

 This is a really important factor in an eczema skincare regime, as eczema skin is considered to be “leaky” – it has a compromised skin barrier function,  meaning allergens can get in – and moisture gets out.

Moisturising gives the skin a protective barrier, locking moisture in., and preventing the skin becoming very dry, and it locks allergens out.  It’s crucial to keep moisturised for eczema sufferers.  We moisturised our girls up to 8 times a day, as their skin was so dry and this was the only way to keep it eczema free.  When they were babies we would moisturise every nappy change and after bathing. Try our Organic Beeswax Balms to help with this. 

4. Keep hands clean

When using moisturisers / balms / lotions / creams, always be mindful of contamination.  This means don’t dip your fingers in to get the moisturisers out.  This contaminates the moisturiser and provides a breeding ground for bacteria which can infect sensitive eczema skin.  Instead, use a pump or if the balm is in a pot, like our Organic Beeswax Balms, then sterilise a teaspoon, by dipping it in boiling water, and use that to get the balm out.  Put the lid back on tightly as soon as you’ve got the amount you need.  And no double dipping!

5.   Keep ingredients lists short

in moisturisers so you can keep track of what is coming into contact with skin. For children with eczema, you can get moisturisers free on the NHS so you don’t need to spend anything, however, sometimes these can be petroleum based, with lots of preservatives that can “sting” children with super sensitive skin.  If you are looking for a natural alternative, our balms are amazing and the only thing I use on mine and my children’s skin now.  Packed with skin nourishing butters and oils and with hero ingredient, Organic Beeswax – naturally antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti fungal, it locks moisture IN and allergens out.