An Underwhelming Skincare Recommendation

I perhaps haven't sold this blog with the title but I do love simple yet powerful recommendations for skin health, especially when people have tried everything!

If you visit me and talk about struggling with Eczema I will encourage you to try just one simple change to your bathing routine, and ask you to report back after two weeks of doing so.

Hard water is a big trigger for our skin health to weaken. Why? Because whilst we see water as pure and healthy unfortunately if we bathe in tap water it houses residues that our skin doesn't like such as unhealthy bacteria (of course some bacteria is good for a balanced skin microbiome), rust, and limescale. These residues cause reddening erythema, itchiness, dryness, dehydration, and breakouts.

So, how can we provide a barrier to such destruction? Here's the simple yet soooooo good recommendation of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Whether you're having a bath or you prefer a shower to bathe in you can try this skincare idea. Place 10ml in a bath and soak as usual OR apply the oil directly to your skin (not the soles of your feet as you may slip! Then just shower as usual.

Protecting your skin like this allows space for the skin to heal. That is what an Eczema-prone skin requires - time to recover! If it is constantly aggravated it becomes more fragile, and it will seem like you can never get around it, and perhaps even settle for it being always with you.

Lubricating the skin with a barrier ingredient is not new news but what ingredient you do it with differs. Still today Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum/Petrolatum) is the go-to recommendation to wash in for the reasons i mention above however, in my experience has side effects such as suffocating skin breathing, which causes irritation, and can even congest the skin.

Turning to Olive Oil seems simple, but oh so result-driven.

We can all benefit from this approach during the autumn and winter months as it nourishes a Vata-type dosha where we need to include oils inside and out both in nutrition and skincare plus, nourishing your skin with oil is an incredible stress-reliever. We feel nurtured and at ease as a result. Stress causes inflammation and in turn triggers Eczema too!

Let me know how you get on!