Dealing with eczema can be extremely frustrating. Just when you have it under control, you could try a new soap and end up an itchy, red mess; or the seasons change and your skin reacts drastically. Luckily there are a number of treatments out there that do a great job. The question is, how to separate them from the duds?

It’s best to take a multi-pronged approach when it comes to treating skin conditions like eczema. One cream applied once a day ain’t gonna do it. From soap to body lotion to hand cream and even laundry detergent, these are the best treatments for eczema out there.

Eczema Treatments Review

Cleansers

We’ve all had to use a weird, smelly hand soap at a friend’s house and paid the price afterward when our skin totally freaks out. Bar soap especially can be drying, which is why it’s worth it to shell out a few extra bucks for an ultra-gentle liquid body wash like Cetaphil Pro Restoraderm Gentle Body Wash. Cetaphil’s Pro line has really come through for those of us with skin conditions, and this is no exception. Among its ingredients are emollients, important for maintaining the skin’s natural moisture barrier, and anti-inflammatories, which will stop redness in its tracks.

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Body Lotions

As much as a gentle body wash helps, it’s really body lotions and ointments that do the heavy lifting when it comes to eczema. For an everyday body lotion, try La Roche-Posay Lipikar Soothing Relief Eczema Cream With Colloidal Oatmeal. Some days you’ve just gotta get up and go. With this fast-absorbing cream, there’s no rubbing the bejeezus out of your arms to get it to soak in. Plus, we can’t extoll the calming properties of colloidal oatmeal enough.

For flare-ups, a thicker and more powerful ointment might be necessary as a compliment. Dermatologists love CeraVe Healing Ointment for this purpose. It’s unscented, so no ancillary irritation from that, and is just the best at restoring the skin’s natural barrier and locking in moisture. It darn-near feels like you’re getting a new skin. Plus, unlike many other ointments, it doesn’t feel greasy or leave a gross residue.

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Extras

We’re more than just our scaly arms and legs, and it's important to treat ourselves to a lil’ something extra. With all the hand-washing going on nowadays, my paws were getting progressively scalier until I picked up a tube of Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream. It’s ultra-soothing and stops red scalies in their tracks. I buy multiple tubes and keep one by my computer, one by the kitchen sink, and another by the bathroom sink—that way, every time I wash, I’m ready to lube up after.

As much as I’d love to swoon myself into a coma over the scent of Apple Mango Tango when I take my laundry out of the dryer, my skin cries when my clothing, sheets, and towels have scented detergent residue on them. Of all the new detergents on the market made for sensitive skin, my favorite is All Mighty Pacs Laundry Detergent, Free Clear for Sensitive Skin. Why? Well, they’re all great, but I also want a detergent that actually cleans my clothes really well, and the added Oxi power of this one gets out all my clumsy self’s stains.

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Last But Not Least

There’s one thing that we often forget about when we concentrate only on what we put on our bodies to treat eczema. And no, I’m not about to tell you to drink eight glasses of water a day (okay, you should though). The space around us is pretty dang important when it comes to skin health, which is why I have I keep my Honeywell HCM-350 Germ-Free Cool Mist Humidifier close whenever I’m having a flare-up. Dry air and electric heating are two triggers, and keeping my humidifier on at night as I sleep has definitely improved my skin health exponentially since I started.

Taking on eczema can be a battle, but when you’re armed with the right weapons, it’s a cinch!

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