Best OTC moisturizer for eczema??

[Moxie]

I have a steroid cream but I'm not comfortable using that on as many spots as I now have. Coconut oil hasn't helped. Suggestions?? I'm looking like a dried up prune!!!

[Seasider]

Aquaphor

[Snickerdoodle]

Eucerin

[MicheleinMN]

Bleach baths.  Seriously, the best thing to help my son's eczema.

 

[lexi]

Vanicream

[Tap]

Aquaphor is excellent. It is an ointment that moisturizes, but also stays on top of the skin to provide a protective barrier.  It can be a bit greasy so some people don't care for it.  I think it has been out for 20+ years so it is a tried and true product.

 

Eucerin cream (not lotion) is in a jar (not a squeeze bottle).  It is a thick cream.  It is an excellent moisturizer and provides a minimal protective barrier.  ie if you use it on your hands, and then wash your hands, you will still feel the cream on your hands after you wash them once.  You will need to reapply after the hand washing more that once, but your hands are protected during the hand washing.  (I hope that makes sense)

 

CeraVE is a lot like Eucerin.  It is an entire product line and the products are excellent.  I recommend the cream and lotion a lot to the pharmacy patients who ask for eczema recommendations. 

 

For washing, Cetaphil is a non-soap based cleaner that can be used on the entire body.  It helps to loosen dirt, sweat, etc from your skin but leaves the natural oils more intact that soap does.  

 

For body soap, Dove unscented is always a top pick.

 

 

 

Lotions (just for touching up my hands/body throughout the day)

 

For just a basic lotion, I like Aveno  Daily Moisturizing lotion.  I find that it absorbs in quickly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling.  It is fragrance free and pretty cheap.  You can buy it in many stores, even Costco.

 

For a sulfate free/paraben free etc lotion I like Alba Very Emolient Body Lotions.  There are some scented and unscented versions.  I really like the original that is scented.  It has a light floral scent that does't bother my allergies. This is my main all over lotion.  I buy it in the 32ounce bottles and keep them around the house. I buy it in stores like Whole Foods, but I think Target may have it now too.

[G5052]

I had to try a variety of things, but Cerave wash and creams work for me.  

[kroe1]

Honey

[songsparrow]

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, applied twice a day.  It says cuticle cream but it works remarkably well on any dry skin areas.  It comes in a little tin, but you only need to apply a little at a time so it goes a long way.  You can also apply other moisturizers over top of it, if you wish.  

[solascriptura]

My friend swears by Triple Cream. She says it is cheaper on Amazon.

[melbotoast]

We use Eucerin. I've liked the samples of CeraVe that I've tried as well.

[Splash]

We like Cetaphil skin restoring moisturizer for eczema. Works great

[fairfarmhand]

My dd has had great success using Nivea, pasted on the spots thickly.

[milovany]

I had an elderly lady tell me once to use sulfur on our toddler daughter's bothersome eczema (crusty ears, spots, crusty neck, etc.).  I bought a powder, mixed it with a little bit of water, and applied over several days.  It went away within a week and had never come back to the same degree.  (She'll get a small spot here and there occasionally). 

[clementine]

Aveeno eczema therapy.  My teenage daughter has eczema and this is the only moisturizer that has helped.  

[Jane Elliot]

Weleda Baby Cream was the only thing that worked for my kids. I use it sometimes, too.

[zimom]

Cetaphil Restoderm is a wash/moisturizer specifically for eczema.  I have had more then one friend rave about it.  

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Cetaphil-Restoraderm-Calming-Moisturizer-10-Fluid/dp/B003TQU1Q0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416325502&sr=8-1&keywords=cetaphil+eczema

 

 

[Ali in OR]

I like Eucerin cream in the big jar. Many other products kind of sting my skin (even Aquaphor), but Eucerin feels wonderful.

 

[wapiti]

Aquaphor or Bag Balm

 

If you want something more natural, shea butter is the thickest natural moisturizer I have come across ( I love coconut oil but it is too thin)

 

There are also products with shea butter mixed in; I recently got one by Shea Moisture that has Manuka honey in it (which is thought to help kill staph, which coincidentally can be at the root of some eczema)

 

I would also try bleach baths to kill staph.

Edited November 18, 2014 by wapiti

[Pippen]

For overnight I like Vaseline with cocoa butter. It's cheap too--under $4 for a big tub at Walmart.

[amsunshine]

100% shea butter!  

 

We also like Vanicream, but shea butter has worked the best for my dd's eczema.

[ksr5377]

We've successfully used the CeraVe wash and lotion.  CVS has a generic one that we usually get for some savings.  Our allergist recommended it and it's worked well for us.

[Seasider]

I know you asked about a topical, but if you aren't already, fight it from the inside out with vitamin D and essential fatty acids (fish oil or flax seed oil).

[Guest]

I used Eucerin all my life and liked it.  But I became very sensitive to petrochemicals, so had to go with something that is not petroleum-based.

 

I ADORE California Baby Calendula Cream.  It's pricey, but if you aren't using it all over your body, it's manageable.  The lotion is good but the cream is so much better.  

 

Target.  

Whole Foods.

Drug Emporium online.  

 

There's no place that gets a deep discount.  :0/  

 

I buy their shampoo and stuff by the half gallon directly from the company.  THAT saves some cash.

 

[gingersmom]

Nothing worked for me short of covering myself in steroid cream. I've dealt with eczema for 18 years unfortunately.

[HollyDay]

Was just at the dermatologist today!!!  Dd does light therapy treatments for her eczema.  It works wonders but she still needs a good moisturizer.  Here is the list we were given today:

for the face:

jojoba oil

CereVe AM and PM

 

for the body:

Shea Butter

Sesame oil

aquaphor

CereVe

VaniCream

Cetaphil

 

 

The tech said everybody reacts differently so we might need to experiment until we find the right combo.  She has some clients that use Shea butter on the face and some that can't due to breakouts.  Dd has had eczema for years so this is not new to us.  Unfortunately, what works great will suddenly stop working and we need to switch things up a bit. 

 

We have used and liked Un-pretroleum jelly too.  Bed and Body Works has an unscented spa line of creams that lotions that work well too.  But, again, everyone is different.  I buy smaller sample tubes/tubs when I can so we can see if the product will work for her.  I tend to use the "leftovers" so it all gets used up in the end. 

 

I bought shea oil today from the health food store.  We have not tried it yet so I'm sure what that will do.

 

The Light Therapy has been amazing!  Dd was taking 2 oral medications daily  and had 9 prescriptions for topicals, most of which she used regularly.  When we started the LT treatments, the doc was seriously considering another round of oral steroids.  Now, dd takes 1 oral (Allegra), and only uses the steroid topicals as needed to hit the hot spots. Our weather has turned abruptly cold, so she is having to moisturize much more.  We also have a humidfier in her room now. 

[weddell]

Bleach baths can be amazing for eczema. It seems counter-intuitive but people with eczema usually have an excess of staph bacteria on their skin. Putting 1/4 to 1/3 cup in a full bath 1-3 times a week can really help. Google it, it is a relatively new therapy.

 

If dd's skin is bad, we follow the bleach bath with prescription steroid cream (applied within 1 minute of drying) (and we are talking most of her body). This is a child that previously it would take a week of strong steroids creams to bring her eczema down. But if we do it following a bleach bath, just the ONE application is enough to where the next day we can just treat with Aquafor everywhere. It has brought her steroid use way down.

 

For OTC creams we like aquafor, vanicream, and cocoabutter. Anything thick enough to be in a tub instead of a pump or squeeze tube is probably the best choice. Vanicream is thinner but absorbs really well and doesn't leave you slimy! 

[Guest]

Bleach baths can be amazing for eczema. It seems counter-intuitive but people with eczema usually have an excess of staph bacteria on their skin. Putting 1/4 to 1/3 cup in a full bath 1-3 times a week can really help. Google it, it is a relatively new therapy.

 

If dd's skin is bad, we follow the bleach bath with prescription steroid cream (applied within 1 minute of drying) (and we are talking most of her body). This is a child that previously it would take a week of strong steroids creams to bring her eczema down. But if we do it following a bleach bath, just the ONE application is enough to where the next day we can just treat with Aquafor everywhere. It has brought her steroid use way down.

 

For OTC creams we like aquafor, vanicream, and cocoabutter. Anything thick enough to be in a tub instead of a pump or squeeze tube is probably the best choice. Vanicream is thinner but absorbs really well and doesn't leave you slimy! 

 

I'll be honest, this scares the stuffing out of me.  I have eczema on my scalp; will it bleach my hair?  Is it okay to get bleach on your..um..delicate areas??

[Farrar]

I'll be honest, this scares the stuffing out of me.  I have eczema on my scalp; will it bleach my hair?  Is it okay to get bleach on your..um..delicate areas??

 

It's so diluted and you're only supposed to stay in for a brief time. I've done it a few times when it got bad and it really does help.

[MicheleinMN]

I'll be honest, this scares the stuffing out of me.  I have eczema on my scalp; will it bleach my hair?  Is it okay to get bleach on your..um..delicate areas?

We found out that chlorine bleach worked wonders on my son's skin when he was little and we were using a hotel swimming pool.  I would say that bleach in his bath water was probably a little less than that particular pool.  I can see that it might eventually dry and lighten your hair (the same as pool water will), but I wouldn't be any more concerned about using bleach in bath water than I would be about going to a pool a couple of times a week.

 

(And when I say "bleach bath,"  I mean adding a small (1/4 to 1/3 cup to a half full bath tub) amount to a regular bath tub full of water.)  :)