Colder seasons can be stressful for those fearing the dreaded eczema flare up (as if being cold all the time wasn’t enough to deal with!). If you’re like me and refuse to take on a steroid cream prescribed by the doc, you’re constantly looking into natural products and home remedies that soothe your skin and provide any sort of relief.

In this blog we’ll talk about what can cause eczema, suggest our natural AND zero waste products, and tips to help soothe eczema flare ups! 💖.

Let’s start here…

What ingredients are in your Personal Care & Cleaning Products?

Analyse all products that come into contact with your skin that could potentially inflame it further.

Hot tip: the change in temperature can mean that products that didn't irritate your skin before are now the problem.

Try to stay away from products that have ingredients which include an artificial fragrance or harsh chemicals (usually ingredients that are difficult to read or pronounce). We recommend checking the suspect baddies on our toxin-free bible (The EWG) to find out what the possible side effects are. 

Or.... you can save yourself the hours of research and shop with us!

At Go For Zero, we guarantee that all of our products contain 100% toxin-free ingredients according the the EWG criteria.

Eliminating these baddies (toxic ingredients) from your life will do wonders for your skin, overall health and eczema/rash flare ups.

Here are some tips to help you avoid and manage eczema flare ups:

1. Switch up your personal care products

Find facial and body cleansers that are rich in hydrating oils and free from synthetic fragrance to soothe sensitive skin. This Calamine (Zinc Cleanser) by the Australian Natural Soap Company has Castor and Olive Oil to repair + nourish combined with Zinc Oxide which is specifically known for its healing properties for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne. Did we mention it can be used for your face AND body.

Hot tip:Don’t over strip your skin either with excessive washing, we have a natural protective oil layer on our skin that helps protect against dryness.

2. Avoid harsh laundry and cleaning products

This is a biggie as people don't always make the link between laundry detergent and skin irritation because we don't directly apply it to our bodies. However our clothing, pillows and sheets do make directly contact with our skin for hours on end!

What laundry wash are you using on your clothes, towels and bedsheets?! I found this was a game changer when I was having breakouts on the side of my face because my pillow case was irritating it.

The Go For Zero Dish & Laundry Block is vegan, gentle on skin and zero waste. It can be used for multiple purposes. Made using Lemon Myrtle, Bicarb Soda and Coconut Oil, which are gentle on skin and tough on germs! This one block helps you transition your dish wash, clothes wash, hand wash, surface spray, bathroom cleaner and cleaning paste to 100% toxin free alternatives, all with 1 product! Did we mention it is 100% plastic free? Soooo much better for you and the planet. 🐠🌏

Check out our other skin loving laundry & cleaning options here.

Hot tip: In regards to clothing, wearing softer clothes made of cotton compared to scratchy material like wool can also help lessen the irritation of your skin.

3. Exfoliate (gently)

Some people think that exfoliating aggravates eczema and makes it worse.However light exfoliation is actually super beneficial. Why? Well it removes accumulated dried and dead skin cells that can make the eczema worse. It can also help prime your skin so that your soothing moisturisers can penetrate deeper and have a better effect on healing.

Of course it's important to remember that people with eczema have fragile skin so avoid using harsh products, over exfoliating or applying too much pressure. We want to sooth and hydrate our skin, not damage it further! Check out our gentle exfoliators here.

4. Double Moisturise!

Now that we have covered how to avoid eczema irritants – let’s move onto soothing, and treating, your skin when you have flare ups. What feels like the most obvious answer is to moisturise, however the ingredients in the moisturiser are super important in making sure your skin can hold moisture and heal.

Using a combination of both an oil based moisturiser to hydrate and a butter to seal in the hydration is ideal.

• Oil based creams like the Clemence Organics Ultimate SOS Balm, which combines Lavender Oil (Anti-inflammatory),Rosehip Oil (Skin repair + renewal), Coconut Oil (Hydration) and Shea butter (Nourishing). All of this in a reusable metal tin that is perfect size for your handbag for those SOS itchy moments! *Woot woot*

• The Da Itchy Cream is another oil based moisturiser, made up of Vitamin E (Skin elasticity + renewal), Yarrow and Ferrum Phosporicum (Fighting inflammation + healing) and Chickweed (Soothing relief), providing eczema relief through homeopathic ingredients and reusable packaging.

• MagicMuk is a butter moisturiser, great for locking in hydration with ingredients to sooth sensitive and inflamed skin. Apply onto pre-dampened skin, the ingredients of Coconut Oil (Hydration), Shea Butter (Nourishing), Hemp Seed Oil (Treating irritated skin), Mango Butter (Repair + Nourish) and Chamomile (Soothing) are concentrated to repair and seal in moisture. We've had incredible feedback on this one!

These creams and butters are all natural with no artificial and irritating ingredients (of course 😉). Liberally apply your moisturiser of choice throughout the day to help soothe inflamed skin 🙌.

Extra tips for soothing irritated skin:

• Using a humidifier can help with your dry skin as it is adding moisture to the air. Just make sure you regularly clean it and change the water.
• It may be hard, but also minimising your hot shower time will also help with the dry skin. The rapid change of temperature between going in the shower and getting out can be an irritant that worsens your eczema.

You can’t change the weather, but you can change how your skin reacts to it.

Soothe your flare ups in a way that works for both you and the planet 🌱.

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Information Sources:

1. Healthline
2. MedicalNewsToday
3. Self