Okay, I’m finally convinced, regular bar soaps are really bad for eczema-ravaged skin. Even if the name sounds all soft and moisturizer-y (i.e. Irish Spring w/Aloe)
What are the best bar soaps for eczema? Preferably something that’s easy to find in the supermarket or drug store, instead of specialty stores. Hand soaps too, though I’m no fan of body washes.
Your best best for a suitable find would be something from Cetaphil or CeraVe. Technically, they’re not soap but “cleansing bars” but they look like soap and you use them like soap. There are other brands, including generic/housebrands, of this sort of thing. They tend to NOT be in the “soap aisle” with the heavily perfumed, heavily marketed soaps and bodywashes but more in the skin care aisle. CeraVe has products targeted specifically at eczema sufferers, and Cetaphil was recommended to me by a dermatologist for my extremely sensitive skin (including eczema, although mine is relatively mild).
Broomstick beat me to it.
Yeah, soaps are too alkalinic. It has been shown that those with atopic dermatitis (the most common form of eczema) can benefit from not breaking down the natural acid mantle of the skin with soap, as well as those with no skin conditions. I started a thread last year about switching to a syndet:
Compared to soap:
Since then no more dry skin in the winters. The difference for me was huge. Syndets are also recommended for those with eczema:
It’s important to avoid breaking down the acid-mantle of he skin, which is what alkaline soaps do.
The syndet I use is Vanicream. In the OP there are more quotes from studies and dermatologist recommendations regarding the disadvantages of soap and the advantages of syndets.
Thanks for the recommend. I found some Cetaphil soap at CVS and it seems to work pretty well.
Another question for eczema sufferers – I see a lot of recommendations against using extremely hot/cold water and that one should only take lukewarm baths & showers. However, in my experience, I find that taking a really hot shower (as in, hot as you can stand it) actually helps reduce the itching by a lot. It does kinda make me feel like Karen Silkwood for some time afterwards (though less so with the Cetaphil soap) but overall I think it feels better. Or am I potentially causing myself harm by continuing to do this?
My personal experience (which is only my personal experience) is that if my skin is intact that a hot shower or bath is fine, but NOT daily. I cut back to no more than 1 hot soak bath a week (*>sigh< * - I love a good hot soak…). The problem seems to be more with drying my skin out than anything else, as dry skin worsens eczema.
When my skin is inflamed, though, lukewarm or slightly warmer than lukewarm seems to work best at not causing further irritation.
You mileage may vary, of course. Listen to your body. If hot showers aren’t causing a problem I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If cutting back on them improves your skin, well, only take them occasionally.
It’s mid-winter so I take one or two hot baths a week, and the rest of the time it’s lukewarm showers to avoid exacerbating dry skin. I’ve had very good luck with J.R. Watkins body wash. My local pharmacy has it in stock. Prior to that was Eucerin Skin Calming body wash and that’s good too. I’m itch-free after showers now, and didn’t think such a thing was possible.
The last time I ran out of body wash, I thought the Dove soap bar would be okay if I just used a little bit of it. Hah, no.
Ivory soap, luke warm water. Good moisturizer.
If you take baths at all, I highly recommend an oatmeal bath additive, like Aveeno, it really soothes the itch. It’s not a substitute for soap but it can make you feel a lot better.
I was always told that hot water might feel good in the short term but it dries your skin out and thereby makes the eczema worse. I had a hard time with that, I hated the feel of just warm water in a shower, so I just made sure to use lots of Aveeno lotion afterwards. However, mostly nowadays I control my dermatitis by tanning. Most of the year, 10 minutes once a week is enough to keep it well under control. Yes, I know the risks of tanning but all things considered it seems the least problematic and most effective solution, at least for me.
I’ve had eczema all my life. A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly when), I started to take it more seriously, and rather than just asking the doctor for – ugh, I can’t think of the name of it! The cream they prescribe for eczema, I started being more proactive in eliminating potential sources of irritation.
My best piece of advice is to pay attention to fabrics. If I know I’ll be staying in a hotel room I bring my own towel so I don’t have to use their heavily starched ones. Pay attention to how your skin reacts to the threads in sheets, comforters, and blankets. I once eradicated a flare-up that lasted for months by buying a new comforter. And pay attention to the detergents you use – when I was a child I had to do my own laundry separate from the rest of my families, since my skin was reacting poorly to fabric softener.
To directly answer your question about soap, the best thing I’ve found to do is to look for unscented stuff. Seriously, unscented soap is going to be better than anything scented, even if the scented stuff is labeled “for sensitive skin”! I can’t really recommend specific brands because as long as it’s unscented, my skin has been okay with it. Though beware, I once bought a soap that was labeled “argan oil,” and I presumed it was unscented because it didn’t list any scent on the label and argan oil is unscented. Turns out it was scented and I had to give it to my husband. Things specifically labeled “unscented” are your best bet.
And to directly answer your other question, about showering with hot water: I shower with hot water twice a day (not lukewarm, hot). I haven’t had a flare-up in a long time. Now of course, just because I can do it doesn’t mean you can, but if you’re diligent about controlling your environment otherwise, reducing the temperature on your shower water may not be necessary. (I mean, I’m sure it’s BETTER for your skin to use cooler water. But the thought of showering with anything other than hot water makes me shudder, so at least for me, I would be willing to try a lot of other things before resorting to that!!!)
ETA: I’ve stopped taking whatever-the-name-of-that-cream-is, too. Just controlling my environment has completely stopped the flare-ups.
ETA#2: Hydrocortisone cream
Here’s a post I made a couple of years ago. Look for syndet creams or bars: