The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
As early as I can remember I had this horrible eczema all over my body that would burn and itch.
All my emotions come out in my skin – if something goes wrong, I get itchy. I was an athlete too, and every time I would sweat it would create patches and be itchy and burn, which is embarrassing as a kid.
I went to so many dermatologists and they would just keep giving me steroids, and that is so not good for a kid to use for a lifetime, so my mother and I were always on the hunt for alternative solutions.
We lived on a farm (which probably didn’t help the eczema because there are so many allergens – hay and animals and grass and dust), and we always used to have loads of fresh goat’s milk in the fridge. One day my mum ended up putting some in my bath. I’m not sure what made her decide to try it, but I’m glad she did as it really helped me.
What I learned later is that goat’s milk has proteins which help with the skin barrier, but it also has natural lactose, which gently exfoliates. With eczema you’re over-producing and you get these dry flakes of skin, so goat’s milk would take the dry off, but then it would soothe the redness. It showed me early on that there are remedies out there that work, I didn’t need to reply on a super intense drug that would make me puffy, or thin my skin.
It was this that inspired me to look for different remedies to solve my skin issues. That’s how I got into skincare, because I knew what it was like to feel uncomfortable in your own skin. I trained as a medical aesthetician, then after that I was on a mission to marry really effective products with ingredients that don’t irritate the skin.
I knew what it was like to be embarrassed because it really does affect your self-esteem, it affects everything. If you’re uncomfortable, you can’t be yourself. That’s what gave me the compassion to do this career.
Here are my 10 top tips for those suffering with eczema:
1. Avoid natural products
This is going to sound crazy but avoid natural products. They typically have a lot of botanicals and ingredients that irritate. You would think it would make sense to gravitate towards that but actually it will make you worse. Going natural is the biggest mistake most people make when they have a skin condition. People think it’s going back to basics but they’re actually so hard on the skin.
2. Look at the labels
Look for products that say mild and say sensitive. The label hypoallergenic means it’s been tested to ensure it’s unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. These labels, while not failsafe, tend to mean something.
3. Don’t be afraid to exfoliate
You still need to exfoliate. I am a really big proponent of exfoliating and include it in my ‘five daily dos’: cleanser, exfoliation, hydration, moisturisation and protection. No matter what kind of skin type you have I still believe you need all five of these steps, you just have to tailor your products to suit your skin. In our line I would go for our Goat’s milk products: either our Goat’s Milk Cleanser (£32 at SpaceNK, shop it here) or a product we have called Gentle Daily Wash (£30.50 at SpaceNK, shop it here) which I love. For exfoliation I would do our Exfolikate Liquid (£50 at SpaceNK, shop it here) which is super gentle. It has enzymes and lactic acid, it’s not hard core salicylic or glycolic. Lactic acid is wonderful for sensitive skin.
4. Skip the shower gel
The other thing is to try not to shower and use soap. Soap has a lot of detergent in – I literally can’t wash dishes my husband has to do them. All shower gels are terrible. I use our cleanser on my underarms and other than that just use water.
5. Wear the right fabrics
Fabrics can be horrible, particularly if they don’t breathe. I have to touch everything that I buy, and I have to wash everything five times before I wear it because there are so many chemicals on our clothes. Cotton is fantastic. Look for soft fabrics that breathe and wash your clothes using a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free detergent. I use one called All-Free.
6. Bathe and bathe and bathe again
Taking baths is the greatest thing ever. A shower is harsh, it’s kind of washing away your oils. Whereas bathing is a godsend. I take a bath twice a day to put the moisture back in my skin. And as soon as I get out of the bath, I apply moisturisation while my skin is still damp, so I seal it in. I’m really particular, I can only use Curel moisturiser. I don’t know what makes it so good, it’s just a drug store product but I’ve tried every moisturiser under the sun and this one is good for my skin. It keeps me in remission.
7. Think about what you’re eating
Diet: I notice that personally anything acidic can really set me off. So coffee, which is very acidic, is a no for me. When I can I drink cold brew – you don’t get the acid that you do in a hot brew. Tomatoes, wheat, sugar and anything really acidic (even natural acids like those from fruit) can all set me off. Even handling vegetables and fruit is a no for me, I have to put gloves on.
8. Think twice about popping too many vitamin pills
I am not big on vitamins and supplements, I believe you can get everything you need from food. It concerns me that people are taking massive amounts of pills and supplements which are not well tested and just not proven. For centuries our bodies have adapted to get the nutrition we need from food and now all of a sudden people are popping all these pills and we don’t actually know what’s in them or if they help. We may think a vitamin company is above board and real but we don’t actually know. The companies that make these vitamins are not regulated at all.
9. Opt for mineral makeup
When it comes to cosmetics, I love Jane Iredale. It’s a mineral foundation and it’s fantastic (£40 at feelunique.com). If you can go mineral and go powder it’s so great. What I do is I take my hydration step of my skincare regime, my hyaluronic acid, and I mix it with my mineral makeup. So it almost becomes a foundation but without all the cr*p that most foundation has in it. I’m not sure what makes mineral makeup better but it just seems not to irritate people as much. We use mineral makeup on people after they have had really major peels, and their skin is almost raw, and it doesn’t seem to irritate it.
10. Trust your instincts
My biggest advice would be to get to know your own body and your own skin. When something works try to stick to it and don’t fall far from that. Keep your skincare regime as constant as possible. And if you can get those five daily dos in, you’re going to have great skin.
