Mar 27 2015

Dermatique Recuperating Cream review

Posted on March 27, 2015 by admin

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Heidi is winning in her war against eczema. Fact. It’s been a hard slog for both of us, with me reviewing cream after cream that promises to alleviate her symptoms. Some work, some don’t, so it’s been in many ways, like playing Russian roulette with my daughter’s skin.

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She’s been plagued with dry skin from birth. She outstayed her welcome in my tummy and had to be ejected “through the sunroof” which is fairly common for babies with post-birth skin complaints. Sure enough, after a few weeks, the dry red flaky patches grew bigger and angrier-looking. Although I appreciate it’s a blessing in disguise she doesn’t know how to scratch an itch, it denied her of even the most temporary relief from a bout of eczema.

We were offered steroid treatment for Heidi, but I refused. I suffered from eczema as a child (although not quite to the same degree as Heidi) and was prescribed steroid-based ointment. My skin reacted badly. If I showed a propensity to the nastier side-effects of steroids, what might happen to Heidi?

Thankfully, I’m here with yet another winner that’s been incredibly kind to Heidi’s sensitive skin - Dermatique.

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So who are Dermatique?

Dermatique was born out of another parent’s quest to find a 100% safe alternative to steroids when their daughter Patricia became exhausted and restless due to the effects of eczema. After a fruitless search for healthy alternatives, they decided to develop their own products for Patricia’s sensitive skin with no damaging side effects. They carried out all the research themselves, visited dermatologists and chatted to businesses to get their hands on the best raw materials and ingredients.

They claim their Recuperating Cream worked within hours after application on Patricia, and have now bottled the elixir for others to try - babies, teenagers and adults alike.

The Recuperating Cream

Let’s cut to the chase. It’s free from steroids (obviously), mineral oils, peanut, perfume, colour and parabens. You might think there’s nothing new here, but that’s not quite true. This really smells unscented. Far from being unpleasant, this is bloody welcome.

Works with the skin´s natural repair process
Gives you immediate hydration, helps heal even the driest skin
Proven to work on healing dry skin conditions such as Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis
Absorbs quickly, leaves skin optimally hydrated, calmed, soothed & protected

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It’s not completely without synthetic ingredients, with a few cetyl esters, polyethylene glycol ethers, but all are lox toxicity and perfectly safe in low doses (virtually all body creams will have them). Most of the ingredients are vegetable & plant derivatives and there’s no dreaded sodium laureth sulfate in sight.

Since its launch in 1996 users have reported a 99% success rate. In fact, so confident are they that they can alleviate the symptoms of eczema and psorasis, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

Our thoughts

Love it. It’s noticeably different to other creams we’ve tried in that is a little greasy upon application, and does remain sticky on the skin for approx 3 minutes. This might sound critical but it isn’t. All I’m interested in are the results.

After two weeks use, I’m pleased to report that Heidi’s skin (and my legs) are beautifully soft. In fact, I tested this after getting a horrid shaving rash on my left shin that cleared up completely after two applications.

At £29 per tub, it isn’t cheap, but Heidi’s comfort is paramount and I’ve paid double this for creams that haven’t worked. I’m happy to add this to what is turning out to be a long list of safe products for Heidi-bum, and eczema treatments that really deliver.

To buy, head to Dermatique.co.uk, or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Mar 16 2015

Baby Eczema Diaries: 5 Stars for La Roche-Posay LIPIKAR Range

Posted on March 16, 2015 by admin

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So Heidi has blissfully glided through the last few months with the baby soft skin we always hoped for. Whilst bathing her last week, Craig turned to me and said “I guess that’s her eczema cured”, and we high-fived over the top of the bath tub.

As Craig has been delivering her post-bath massage for the last few weeks, I dragged him over to her skin care cabinet for him to point out his weapon of choice. It turns out he’d been using a cream I’d completely overlooked whilst using up the dregs of her other lotions. It was a cream I’d forgotten I had even consented to review!

Lipikar

La Roche-Posay LIPIKAR Baume AP+

Laboratoires La Roche-Posay created LIPIKAR 20 years ago. This range of body products for dry skin among adults and children has proved effective in a number of clinical trials, establishing it as a market-leader in the UK in emollient products.

La Roche-Posay will be familiar to many given it’s formidable reputation in the treatment of sensitive and atopy-prone skin. Despite this, I didn’t realise it was suitable for babies. Quite why, I’m unsure. Given La Roche-Posay is recommended by some 25,000 dermatologists worldwide and contains no potentially irritating fragrances or ingredients, it should have been an obvious choice for Heidi from the beginning.

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The LIPIKAR Baume AP + is designed to not only hydrate skin, but also to reinforce the moisture barrier. A Niacinamide & Shea butter (20%) formula is enriched with Aqua Posae Filiformis, to respect the microbiome (the population of micro-organisms found at the skin’s surface), and therefore ‘space out’ occurrences of extreme dryness.

100% hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic
Contains no alcohol, no parabens and no alcohol -
Formulated with soothing, antioxidant La Roche-Posay thermal spring water

At the heart of the brand, a unique thermal spring water used in each and every skincare product produced by the brand. The efficacy and tolerance properties of the water are what differentiates the brand and give it its credibility with 25,000 dermatologists who recommend it worldwide to millions of women, men and children who use it every day.

How does it perform?

It’s a miracle cream.

Completely non-sticky, it glides onto the skin with ease, yet is so lightweight and non-greasy you can dress immediately after application. With no visible sheen it hydrates the skin perfectly. Every time I strip Heidi I’m amazed at just how soft she feels, yet there’s no sweaty patches under her rolls of baby fat, as though it sinks below the surface and soothes and protects from under the top layer of skin. This is exactly what we’ve been looking for since she was born so I can’t sing its praises highly enough.

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It’s a mild and subtle fragrance, barely there at all. Her red, sore and tight skin is now soothed and reinvigorated and looks like her big brothers. We never sought advice from a doctor for Heidi as her skin complaints are clearly environmental and not a result of allergies, I simply knew that a pro-active and sensible approach to her diet and skincare regime would help her. La Rouch-Posay LIPIKAR is positively invaluable for us as it delivers where few creams have before - providing long-lasting hydration whilst soothing inflammation and leaving her finally comfortable in her own skin.

The LIPIKAR range also features a body wash which is on the to-buy list here. Given our hard work is so often undone by long baths and unsympathetic cleansing products, I can’t wait to see how this works on Heidi. I understand their KERIUM extra gentle gel shampoos are also suitable for children, so on the face of it, this appears to complete my line-up of MUST-HAVE products in the fight against baby eczema. Having spent literally £100s caring for Heidi’s problem, I’m so chuffed to have the ideal solution to steroids.

Any reservations?

I have a 200ml tube here and it’s a nightmare to squeeze. I appreciate La Roche-Posay like to strike a balance between optimal protection for their formulas, whilst making packaging as sustainable as possible, but this is pet hate of mine. With a third of the tube left, I’m already biting the tube to get an adequate amount of product for Heidi’s massage. Given 400ml is available in a pump action dispenser, it would be great to see this rolled out for 200ml sizes too (especially given these the latter is the most widely stocked by high-street retailers).

To find out more, head to LaRoche-Posay.co.uk, or discover more skin solutions from the brand by following them on Twitter or Facebook. You can purchase LIPIKAR Baume AP + for yourself, a 200ml TUBE is available at Boots for £12.50

Dec 2 2014

Botanic Health Care NESSkin Therapy Support Review

Posted on December 2, 2014 by admin

I’m desperately passionate about children’s skincare (and my own). It’s a love passed down to me from my mum, and a genuine fascination with skincare ingredients. Being so in tune with my children’s skin means I notice the slightest change to the smallest patch of skin and whip out any one of a number of products to correct it. Yet when Dexter came down with bronchitis recently and came out in an epic rash, I took to Twitter in a panic. Here’s the hastily-taken iPhone pic I sent live on social media:

Following the advice of many, we rushed him down the GP in a bid to get some answers. Yet in all-too-familiar fashion, we were casually dismissed with “He’s just a bit run down“. I could rant about my doctor’s surgery all day but I won’t. Needless to say, it was a small UK based skin care business that came through for us; Botanic Health Care. Emails were exchanged and a lovely lady called Phyllis bundled some goodies in the post to try and calm his irritated skin.

Who are Botanic Health Care?

It was founded in 2010, by Ghanian born Phyllis Nsiah. She was brought up in a culture where maintaining the skin’s equilibrium through the use of herbs was the norm, and skin care was made with 100% natural ingredients.

Growing up as a teenager in London, Phyllis’s career path started with a degree in Applied Biology and human skin cell research. This scientific knowledge combined with the natural health wisdom laid the foundation for the future creation for Botanic Health Care.

Moving into motherhood and out of the laboratory, Phyllis went back to nature’s basics to tackle the varied skin health needs of her family; a mixed bag of eczema, sensitive and normal skin types, all in need of nourishment and hydration. In her kitchen, Phyllis created body washes, moisturising skin lotions and healing balms using pure botanicals that replenished thirsty skin throughout the day.

We need to maintain our body and skin health in the same way we use food for energy. With the process refined, every drop of herbal extract and precious oil has a tried and tested purpose in the Botanic Health Care range Phyllis Nsiah

So what were we sent?

The NESSkin Support Therapy range is made primarily people with medical skin issues including eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. Although Dex usually doesn’t usually suffer from skin conditions, Heidi certainly does. I’m very used to people commenting on her baby eczema and the various scratches where she’s clawed at her itchy skin.

We were very kindly sent the samples above - all of which contain a raft of active ingredients to calm and protect delicate skin.

And what did we think?

The NESSkin Therapy Support Skin Wash is so mild it froths up lightly and rinses away in seconds. If you’re bathing a baby it’s therefore ideal if you worry about residue left on hypersensitive skin.

The scent of tea, geranium rose, lavender, nettle, chamomile and tea tree hits you immediately and is wonderfully calming. Yet this is a departure from the usual heavy lavender-based skin washes you find for babies. It’s a nod to all the old wives tales you hear about oats at socks & teabags. The scent doesn’t linger, it’s there to relax and cleanse baby, then its job is done.

The foaming action is 100% natural using soapwort, and there’s regenerating panthenol and pure essential oils of yarrow and chamomile for soothing itchy skin. Tea tree and nettle are fab for their naturally occurring antimicrobial properties, whilst geranium rose and orange flower boast astringent, tonic and antiseptic effects (as well as providing relief from common colds). There are no mineral oils, genetically engineered ingredients, or preservatives, and this (and all skincare products) are cruelty-free.

Weighing in at a reasonable £14.00 for 200mls, there are also 30ml samples also available for trialing the wash on your family’s skin.

The NESSkin Therapy Support Nourishing Dry Skin Balm is also a little bit special. A shea butter and cocoa butter blend deliver intensive moisture to dry chapped skin, whilst beeswax and carnauba wax give the balm a greasy sugary texture that needs warming in your hands before applying to the skin. It’s also packed with evening primrose oil and horsetail acting as hero ingredients to soothe and heal irritated skin, and also restore its elasticity.

Heidi’s dry patches and rough skin on her face have really improved, and it delivers continual hydration that lasts until morning. I’ve also been using this on my elbow and knees which take a real battering crawling after the kids after day - they’re now softer than they’ve been since my teenage years. It smells of herbs, lemon and chamomile and that sugary gritty mixture dissolves to a greasy balm when rubbed into the skin.

Finally the NESSkin Therapy Support Skin Cream reminds me a little of Hope’s Relief’s offering. Grey brown in colour and unattractive to look at, it’s an ultra mild light cream that dries quickly to a matt finish. Normally I hate quick-drying creams (other than those I use on my face) as I like to feel constantly hydrated throughout the day, but this is leaves skin impossibly soft and healthy-looking.

Made with soothing chamomile, natural vitamin E and avocado oil, it sinks in with ease leaving an inoffensive tea tree scent on the skin. Heidi’s eczema is now far less red and raw-looking, and this really helped Dexter’s skin when antibiotics and industrial central heating were drying it out in hospital. I love how Phyllis has balanced moisturisation and hydration with antiseptic and astringent properties to really correct skin ailments long-term, as well as delivering instant relief from the symptoms of problem skin.

This is £19 for 200mls which edges it up into premium territory. I’m not suggesting this isn’t worth the money, but recommend investing in a sample bottle for patch testing before buying a full-sized one. The bottle could also benefit from being a little prettier given the price tag (but this is such a minor point, I feel a little silly even typing it!).