hand soap for eczema?

[Noreen Claire]

DS4 has worsening eczema on his hands. I think it's a combination of the soap we use (regular SoftSoap, not the antibacterial kind), the frequency that he washes his hands, not washing all the soap off, and not drying them completely. I am trying to treat it with Aquaphor twice a day, but it's not getting better. He has a physical in May (he'll be 5 by then), and I know that the pedi will recommend a prescription if we haven't gotten a handle on it by then. Can anyone recommend a gentle, non-irritating, easy-rinsing hand soap that might help? I'm thinking I should change to a foaming hand soap, at the least, so that it will rinse off easier.

 

[Selkie]

My dh is prone to eczema and has good luck with Seventh Generation fragrance free hand soap.

[prairiewindmomma]

We also use 7th Generation free and clear hand soap.

ETA; if that doesnt work, try Cetaphil.

Edited April 4, 2019 by prairiewindmomma

[Pen]

Dr bronners liquid baby soap in their foaming dispenser (dilute 50/50 with water).    Edible grade Coconut oil and bentonite clay salve.  

[Ausmumof3]

I have dove moisturising handwash and that’s not too bad.  Otherwise some people seem to have joy with just plain sorbolene. It doesn’t work so well for me though.

definitely avoid any of those foaming cleansers and make sure she’s not using the ones in public bathrooms.

[Pen]

https://www.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2017/06/dilutions-cheat-sheet-dr-bronners-pure-castile-soap/

since I put 50/50 dilution which works for us with a pump of the foam dispenser, but might be too strong for 5 yo so I link dilution chart above in case you use it  

 

(It is very concentrated— Don't let it get in eyes at full strength... very bad ...  my Ds got it in our dog’s eye, didn’t tell me , so it didn’t get flushed...  and we had to go to vet  ...) 

[edelweiss]

My BIL is a dermatologist.  He recommends Free and Clear products for my DD. It is available on Amazon. His second choice is Vanicream. It is available at CVS or on Amazon. 

[Pippen]

For soap: Ajax dish soap works best for me. 

Cream:  Aveeno 24 Hour Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion alternating with Vanicream after every hand wash. Vaseline with Cocoa butter at night. (Aquaphor does nothing for me!)

 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Sulfer soap with charcoal has really helped my brother's eczema.  There are lots of brands of sulfur soap on Amazon, and they all claim to be good for eczema, but I haven't tried them.

[Tap]

We used Dove bar soap or Cetaphil liquid,

[Petrichor]

honestly - avoiding soap and avoiding hand washing as much as possible. When it flares up and I need to do something that involves getting my hands wet, I wear disposable gloves.

I have found that the more "natural" brand soaps are better for me.

But putting lanolin on my hands frequently helps the most. It's super thick, but it works so well. I try to put it on before bed, during the day when it's acting up/on a bad day, but particularly when it can stay on my hands for a long amount of time.

I get this kind of lanolin (not a lotion that has a bit of lanolin in it) https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Solutions-Lanolin-Pure-7-Ounce/dp/B000I1OYNK

[Clemsondana]

We bought some Melaleuca products to help out a friend and found (to our surprise) that the Renew hand soap is really good.  My excema-prone kid's hands look normal now.  We aren't usually MLM people, but there are a couple of their skin products that work really well for us.  

[geodob]

He probably only needs to wash his hands with soap. 2 or 3 times a day.  The rest of the time, he could just use water.
You could put the soap away, so that he has to ask to use it?   Then when he asks for the soap, ask him if he really needs it or not?

[Noreen Claire]

26 minutes ago, geodob said:

He probably only needs to wash his hands with soap. 2 or 3 times a day.  The rest of the time, he could just use water.
You could put the soap away, so that he has to ask to use it?   Then when he asks for the soap, ask him if he really needs it or not?

He's washing his hands after using the bathroom and before dinner (if he's been playing outside). I can't say, "You don't need to use soap," after finally getting him to remember to wash after every time he used the bathroom! 

Now, if I could get him to remember to flush each time...

[Jaz]

I hope you find a soap that doesn't aggravate his skin! My dd's eczema went away when she stopped eating dairy.

[Pippen]

10 hours ago, Noreen Claire said:

He's washing his hands after using the bathroom and before dinner (if he's been playing outside). I can't say, "You don't need to use soap," after finally getting him to remember to wash after every time he used the bathroom! 

Now, if I could get him to remember to flush each time...

Is he taking frequent baths or showers? When my hands are flared up the best thing I can do for them is wear nitrile gloves with waterproof tape wrapped around the wrist so they stay dry. Yes, it's a pain but helps so much.

[Noreen Claire]

3 hours ago, Pippen said:

Is he taking frequent baths or showers? When my hands are flared up the best thing I can do for them is wear nitrile gloves with waterproof tape wrapped around the wrist so they stay dry. Yes, it's a pain but helps so much.

No, just once a week baths, for now. His only issue is his hands, and the frequent moisturizer is starting to work. I ordered some foaming hand soap and I'm hoping that helps, too.

[mmasc]

My DS doesn’t have eczema, but would get very dry and cracked hands (especially the tops by the knuckles) all the time. I switched to a foaming soap dispenser filled with 1 TBS Dr. Bronners unscented baby Castille soap, and 1-2 tsp of grape seed oil, rest with water. It works wonderfully! It’s plenty of foam to be soapy, gentle, and just enough oil to moisturize without feeling like you’ve got greasy hands. He hasn’t had cracked hands since we’ve started using this. Plus, it’s cheap and the bronner soap will make tons of homemade soap this way. 

[G5052]

We use Mrs. Meyers, and then I use Working Hands cream every night.

I know that combination doesn't necessarily work for everyone, but I developed horrible eczema and cracks from my retail job. That combination healed my cracks and got me through the winter. I still can't use hand sanitizer though. My hands are too sensitive.

[happypamama]

Any mild, generic non-antibacterial hand soap works fine for my eczema, personally, but for me, the main trick is that I need to make sure I get my hands completely dry, and I need to apply CeraVe cream often.  Mine tends to flare in the winter.  CeraVe is what my allergist recommended to me, and it does a great job.

[rjand6more]

I have severe hand eczema.  I use Method hand and dish soap. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

5 hours ago, happypamama said:

Any mild, generic non-antibacterial hand soap works fine for my eczema, personally, but for me, the main trick is that I need to make sure I get my hands completely dry, and I need to apply CeraVe cream often.  Mine tends to flare in the winter.  CeraVe is what my allergist recommended to me, and it does a great job.

CeraVe was also recommended by my dd's allergist.  She uses the jar of moisturizing cream for "lotion" and the hydrating body wash for showers, but I think it would work as hand soap too.