Happy better eczema management 2011 !

2010 was a havoc year for me with managing my eczema. Haven't kept up with my updates on product discoveries but trust me I'm still searching.

I'm not sure if it was stress this time as my 2010 was pretty good in terms of stress. The usual work related and personal stresses but nothing major that I would attribute to my eczema break outs. In fact, the problem I had were not really break outs but constant annoying spots of eczema that doesn't go away, coupled with the occasional break outs from food or stress.

Dare I say those spots are starting to heal up? I finally found a combination of products to help with the healing. One of them I didn't think I would've bought if I had been careful and read the label. I have always thought I was allergic to Almond oil because I'm allergic to Almonds but maybe there isn't enough of it to affect me in the new product I am using right now. It's Weleda Baby Calendula Oil. I got mine at the local health store but if you click on the link you can also get is at Well.ca.

I read that Calendula is good for healing purposes and since my i

ssue with my annoying eczema spots is really healing, I thought I would try it. I remembered using a calendula cream when I was younger but I didn't like the smell nor the yellow stain it left on my skin. That was many years ago and I can't remember how I got that cream, I think it was a friend who recommended me to it but I really didn't like it. However, this oil smells really pleasant, something like a massage oil from the spa. :)

I figured out a way to use it that would make it less oily on my skin. After shower, I would put some on all over my body (extra bonus, it doesn't sting) and then before I pad off the excess water I would first rinse off with very cool water. I swear that right after my skin feels so moist and I feel refreshed. At first I didn't do that but remembered going to the spa for a massage and the lady asked me to rinse off with cool water instead of hot water for a reason...don't remember what but I think it's to tighten your skin and lock in the moisture. It works better with the oil. When I didn't rinse off with the cool water, my skin felt a bit too oily but after the quick cool rinse, it feels more refresh. Can't explain that but it works well. :)

Another natural product I got was Califlora Calendula Gel from the pharmacy around the corner from my office. I went there to get my usual prescription of steriod cream but wanted to get something natural to help my trouble spots heal. The pharmacist recommended this gel. Again, the great thing about it is that it did not sting my broken skin. The trouble areas doesn't seem like ezcema anymore and more like a cut trying to heal, so I needed help in that department. As you get older, the healing process takes forever. :( I tried looking for a Canadian website with this product in case you want to try this, but was only able to find U.S. website. Try this one just in case you want to order online but you can also visit your local pharmacy or health store to see if they have it as well. Good thing about this is that it's all natural. :) Califlora Calendula Gel

Near the end of the year I also made some orders for natural products from Kiss My Face but the ordering process was a pain in the neck. Never doing that again, will just go to the local health store instead. I haven't tried the shampoo and conditioner I ordered yet but the mousse smells great.

I also ordered this lotion that my dermatologist recommended to me 2 years ago but I couldn't find it in Toronto. Not sure if I had mentioned this but Curel changed something in their ingredients I think and it doesn't work so well on my skin anymore. They say it's good for eczema but truly the lotion does not work for me anymore. :( So I ordered Cetraben cream online. Was only able to find it from a UK site, I'm sure I didn't search enough but I just didn't want to search anymore. Still waiting for it to reach me though. I hope nothing went wrong with the order. Will let you know how well it works once I finally receive the order. ;)

Okay that's it for now. I hope you will try using the Calendula oil or gel to help with your eczema, the most important benefit for me for these two products is that they DO NOT STING. :)

Till next week.

Found An Eczema Website

I was just surfing around again for eczema information and found one that seems very helpful.

Thought I would share with you here and you can check it out too. I've also added it to my favourite links. The website gives information on what you can do internally and externally for eczema relief.

Check it out, maybe something in there may help you.

http://www.eczema.net

Curel - Fragrant Free Lotion Reins Supreme!!!

This is the ONLY lotion that does the job for my dry skin.

As I've mentioned in my previous entries, I have tried to look for other lotions as back ups and guess what? They don't work as effectively as Curel. The Tortuga Super Emollient Lotion was good and natural but it was 100ml and in no time it was almost gone! And it was expensive compared to the price for Curel, plus I had to order it online from the U.S.

One of my close friends know that I use Curel and that i had issues getting the Fragrant Free version. So whenever she knows the lotion is on sale or when she see it available at Walmart near her place; she would contact me. Well last week the lotion was on sale at Walmart for $5.77 for 600ml bottle. Needless to say, with all the problems I had looking for the lotion near my place, she helped me stock up! I just realized that I must have this lotion in stock at all times.

I only have to put on the lotion once when I get up and then again after I take a shower before bed. It's just amazing for me. My skin looks 100% better on the first day I put it on.

I know that Curel has other versions as well and I bought the Post Menopause version for my mom and my aunt. My aunt told me that it was really good and not sticky and she loves it. I'm sure you've heard of Keri Lotion right? I mean, my dermy recommended that lotion to me when I was a little girl, and I hate it now as I hate it then. It went on so greasy and it never gets absorbed, especially when my skin was so dry. My aunt didn't like Keri either and when I recommended Curel, she hesitated thinking it would be the same texture. Well, Curel is her choice for a body lotion now. :)

So this is just an update to remember to stick to what works for you and don't be tempted to try anything new without having it near by.

I wish I could still find a product that is:
1. Natural
2. Easy to get
3. Moisturizes without reapplying
4. Reasonably priced

So for now my Curel meets three out of my four criteria for a good product.

Kiss My Face - Olive Oil Soap

I was running out of the La Roche-Posay bar soap and wanted to get something that is cheaper and natural.

Found out from Skin Deep and Good Guide website that this soap is really good. You know olive oil is good for your skin. The only ingredients listed for this soap is Saponified Olive Oil, Water, Sodium Chloride.

Simple.

It's a big fat bar, so I cut it into manageable pieces. :) It's great. It's moisturizing and the best part is that it does not sting. So even if you have a rash you won't have to worry about being uncomfortable using this soap.

I love it and I found it at Walmart for $3.97. If you want to try it and you can't find it at the drugstore then you can also go to Well.ca. The website is selling it for $4.69 but it's online and you can order it with free shipping if you are in Canada.

Olive Oil and Vitamin E

I was desperate last night for some face moisturizer. I had some Vitamin E oil that I bought awhile back but it's so thick, it was just so hard to apply on my face. So I went online to see if I could mix it with olive oil. I knew I had olive oil at home and I've already been told it's good for your skin. I've used olive oil in the past but didn't find that it worked at keeping my skin moisturized.

Well, guess what? I poured some olive oil into the glass jar containing what's left of my vitamin E oil and mixed them together. The mixture went on so smoothly and it kept me moisturized even after I went out to walk my dog for 15 minutes. I usually come back and my face is dry. I think the olive oil helped with the absorption of the vitamin E and the vitamin E kept my skin soft. I didn't put any make up on my face today and it looks like i did. Weird. But I like it. :)

So I think I stumbled upon something that works for my dry skin in the winter baby! And it's cheap and natural. I'll run out later to get more vitamin E, but I might get the capsules so I could break them when I need them. I read that when exposed to air vitamin E doesn't really have any benefits. I'll have a look when I get to the drugstore. So happy. :)

By the way, my Tortuga Super Emollient Lotion came by post today! Yipee. Can't comment on this product yet, but so far so good. I put the lotion on my hands and it smells so good! All Natural so it's the fragrance from the different oils. I'll give my feedback on how it works for me after a few days.

Magnesium Sulfate Epsom Bath Salt - I Got It !!!

Okay just a very quick update to let you know that I got the Magnesium Sulfate Epsom Bath Salt today. So excited. For $5.49, I got myself a 2kg bag. I'll take a picture of the bag tomorrow.

I didn't take a bath today because I wasn't sure if I wanted to plunge right in so fast. It is salt afterall...it's going to sting isn't it?! I got a rash on my upper arms and thighs. It's due to the dry and cold air..for sure. I haven't been using Curel because I still couldn't find any and Lubriderm as I said earlier is not really working. It actually stings when I put it on, so I haven't been really moisturizing enough for the past 2 weeks. Not to mention my panic attack about the "white petrolatum" and the "parbens" in both Curel and Lubriderm. I'm still waiting for my new lotion to arrive via the mail.

So I put 5 teaspoons of the bath salt in a container and fill it up with water. Just when I was about to finish my shower, I soaked a sponge into the mixture and just applied it over my body. I must tell you that when I sponged over my skin where I had my rash, it didn't sting at first but it did sting after a bit. And by the way, if you want to try what I did with the sponging first, DO NOT have your shower turn to HOT. It has to be lukewarm. If it's hot you are going to feel the sting from the salt for sure!! I learned by trail and error. Ouch.

After applying the mixture I used my towel to pat myself dry. I did feel the sting in my skin where I had my rash but after 1 minute it subsided and it actually felt really good. I feel really relaxed and the sting/burning sensation didn't really hurt at all. I actually liked the feeling.

I had to use Lubriderm because that is the only lotion I have right now and after half an hour I'm not itchy or anything. I'm just feeling really relaxed. So, for now I'm going to stop and continue tomorrow. I'm sleepy. :)

I'm going to continue using this method until Friday, when I'm going to take the bath. And I hope by tomorrow I get my new natural lotion.

See you.