ScratchSleeves recommends – the eczema products we use ourselves

We often get asked by our customers what we use as an eczema family. So at ScratchSleeves HQ we mulled it over and decided we should put all that information in one place for all our customers and readers. Welcome to ScratchSleeves recommends – our quick reference page for the eczema products that we actually use ourselves and find effective. Please note that we do not have any marketing agreements with these companies, this is purely our own experience written down for you.

To add to the bath:

Oatmeal is known for its moisturising properties, and it is believed to help reduce inflammation. We prefer natural oatmeal bath soak. For more ideas check out our Beneficial Bath Additives post.

When our kids were babies used a Tummy Tub to minimise scratching opportunities. Tummy Tubs are getting tricky to get hold of now, but we’re told that these are a great substitute.

For getting them clean we used Weleda Baby Wash or The Green People range (we swear by their sunscreen as well). For a bit of fun, we also love the Tinti range, especially the crackling bath crystals.

There are more ideas in our Eczema Triggers: Bath Time article. There is even more information on bath times in our post on making eczema bath time fun.

To keep the mosquitoes at bay:

While citronella products are not recommended by the NHS for use against mosquito bite protection, we took a batch of Avon Skin So Soft on holiday last year and it worked a treat.

For more information check out our post  on choosing an insect repellant for eczema kids here.

For chapped lips:

Why not try our homemade lip salve recipe? The youngest Scratchlet loves making this and more importantly actually uses it!!

Toothpaste:

It may surprise you to know we have a special recommendation for this one!! SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), the chemical used to create the foaming action, can dry the skin and is a known eczema trigger.  We use a toothpaste recommended by our dentist, is Oranurse which is both SLS free and unflavoured.

For more tips on coping with chapped lips and chins check out Winter Eczema: How to Managed Chapped Lips.

Natural Remedies:

We get asked a lot about natural remedies and their effectiveness on eczema skin. One thing that has really helped with Zoe’s dry skin is coconut oil.

We have also written about our own research on natural remedies for eczema here.

Laundry Detergents:

Eczema friendly clothes washing is a huge minefield. We get asked a lot about this so we did our own research here.

Our personal favourite laundry detergent which we use at the moment is Skin Salve Laundry Powder. They also do a brilliant Stain Remover Bar which we talk about in this further article on laundry.

For emollient stains, we use Ecover biological laundry liquid and to keep keep whites white we use Ecover Laundry Bleach. We’re also be big fan of colour catcher sheets.

Sunscreen:

Another popular question is which sunscreens are good for kids with eczema. We did our own tried and tested trial on various eczema friendly sunscreen lotions which you can read about here.

We also discovered Avene while skiing last year which was fantastic. It doesn’t feel claggy on the skin, a big grip of some kids. We are also big fans of the Green People Children’s range. This is a mineral based sunscreen and has the advantage of needing to be reapplied so much, great for school days.

Instant cold packs:

Easy to store and super quick to activate with a quick stamp…for emergency itch relief in the car journeys carrying a couple of instant ice packs are great. They are also very tactile so fun to play with. Just don’t stamp on them on gravel (take it from us!!)

Face paint:

This one can be tricky as supermarket face paints are so full of eczema triggers so why not follow our homemade face paint recipe and make your own!? 

Here at ScratchSleeves, we don’t just share our experiences of bringing up an eczema child and favourite allergy-friendly recipes, we also manufacture and sell our unique stay-on scratch mitts and PJs for itchy babies, toddlers and children. We now stock sizes from 0-adult years in a range of colours. Visit our webshop for more information.