OH. MY. GOD.
That’s what I said out loud, in the shower, the first time I used this bar.
I will get super honest with you. Although I’ve learned how to manage the skin on my face, the rest of my body borderlines on a nightmare. My skin is I-T-C-H-Y. To the point where I scratch. I scratch until I’ve actually caused bodily harm to myself, looking down long enough to realize I’ve drawn blood. Which is why I don’t really talk about any products that work for the body on this blog. I haven’t really found any.
But when I used this, the oatmeal in the soap immediately soothed my skin. It was INSTANT satisfaction. The rumors you hear about oatmeal being fantabulous for sensitive skin are one hundred percent true.
On top of that, there’s some mild exfoliation in this bar, which is also a bonus for my wickedly dry skin that no lotion can seem to cure. (Seriously, I have to mix steroids INTO my body creams to provide SOME relief. WT actual F.)
Unfortunately, the oatmeal effects only last as long as the shower, but the relief it gives me? TOTALLY WORTH IT.
You can find this bar at Seneca Naturals for $12
Babes, I get you.
I used to have this too. Until I was 32 or so. My skin was itchy and covered in dry, scaly patches. I would scratch all the time. I used to scratch in my sleep. I’d wake up with blood under my nails, and I scratched until my skin got infected. At work, I used to go to the bathroom once or twice every hour – just to scratch!
My skin is much better now because I stick to my routine – shower morning and night at a cooler temperature (the cold helps), no matter what. Use exfoliating mitts in the shower 2 times per week. Moisturise with a rich body butter after every shower, no matter what. Use hand cream 5-10 times a day (!). Use steroid cream when you notice an itch. You have to catch it early. You HAVE to. Always carry steroid cream. I’ve noticed that I was way more likely to break out in an itchy rash when I had no steroid cream on me. So by carrying steroid cream with me no matter where I go, I feel like I’ve already beaten the eczema demon.
I’m glad I didn’t listen to the dermatologists. If I had listened to them, I’d be showering with water only, and I’d continue to scratch like a maniac.
What did they diagnose you with? Did they ever diagnose your skin condition? The derms I’ve been to were quacks. I actually doubt the qualifications some of them have. “Have”.
It’s my understanding that, when you have an eczema flare-up, you skin produces more new cells in shorter intervals, but the “old” skin isn’t dead yet, so it has nowhere to go, and that’s how and why you end up with itchy rashes. It’s skin cells competing for space and nutrition. I have actual eczema, so for me showering and exfoliating helps me stay on top of the patches.
I think you might want to check out food allergies again. Have you tried going off gluten for a month and see how it goes? Eating out will be challenging, but hey, it saves a lot of money if you can’t eat out. This means you could buy that stormtrooper mask. 😉
Have you tried a food diary? I know food stuff might not be the reason, but what if it actually is?
I hope you will find a reason for your itchy skin. So you can avoid whatever’s causing it.
Oh, and good to hear the soap helps you, even if only temporarily. xo
You do know my pain! Especially the part where I rush to the bathroom just to madly scratch!
I’ve been using a body buffing brush which has helped somewhat. The past 2-3 weeks I’ve also been pairing it with a body lotion that uses 10% AHA and that has boosted the effectiveness of the body brushing a LOT. I’ve found that moisturizing with oil in the shower takes the itch away for a longer period as well (though I now have to worry about falling on the slippery floor!)
I DO carry steroid cream, my boyfriend actually bought me a Costco sized case of cream! He can’t take my bloody nails. Heh. However, I was concerned about the usage of applying it to over half my body at a time, multiple times a week which is why the dermatologist advised me to go the prescription route to make sure I’m not absorbing too many steroids. It’s… workable.
I do not have an official diagnosis. It’s believed to be a combo of side effects from injections I receive and a suspected allergic reaction to lavender. The itchiness *did* start within weeks of the injections and are listed as a possible side effect. However, I’ve also noticed that lavender will give me a bad reaction of varying degrees. If it gets around my eyes, they’ll puff up like crazy and turn red! On the rest of my skin — ITCH, ITCH, ITCH. I think one of the culprits is my shaving cream, but it’s so hard to find decent stuff without lavender because they don’t have to list it as an ingredient. It can fall under the realm of “fragrance” so I don’t know until I buy. Urgh!
I haven’t used a food diary but that is a BRILLIANT IDEA! I will definitely have to give that a go. 🙂
Hello,
I am glad that you found a soap that works for you, it looks like some good but expensive soap, and like something that my mom would like.
My current favorite soap is the cheapest and largest (a 10 bar pack for about $3.97 at Walmart or $4.25 at Dollar General) family pack soap that I have seen in my area which is Ivory Original Scent bar soap (https://ivory.com/bar-soap). 😀
Thank you for sharing this,
-John Jr
It is excellent soap and it sounds like your mom is a soap maker! (I am too! Which is why I love buying hand made soap straight from the makers. It people like them that share their tips and tricks and help people like me learn! What better way to repay them then to purchase their products?!)
I’ve never tried Ivory specifically — but I have tried a fair few “Body/Beauty Bars” from the mass marketing companies. Did you know that they are legally not allowed to call them soap? Apparently, if it doesn’t use lye, its not soap!
Anyways, getting back on track, many of the bars and body washes caused my skin to get verrrrry itchy. It’s because they use a detergent instead of oils. I know a lot of people manage to have success with those bars, but my skin just cannot handle it! Trust me, I wish it could. 10 bars of soap for 4 dollars sounds amazing!
I would like to thank you for the recommendation! I might just have to try Ivory soap, because I have heard that its formula is different from the other big brand names out there that sell to markets. And once again… The four dollars is tempting!
Hello Kristen Grace,
My mom does like to try various unique soaps, she seems a bit particular with her choices, I remember there was a specific goat’s milk soap and a few other soaps that she used to like to buy until the stores that she goes to stopped selling them unfortunately; maybe she should get into soap making too. 😉
I have heard that before, which is interesting.
Ivory is also sold is two and/or four packs if you are curious to try it one day, it is supposed to be okay for sensitive skin and it does not use heavy scents et cetera, and so I am curious if it will work for you or not; and it would be interesting to hear your opinion of it since you have way more experience with soaps than someone like me. 😉
That is unfortunate that so many soaps et cetera cause those reactions for you.
You are welcome, I wish that my parents would have used Ivory soap when I was growing up, this soap has been around for a very long time.
I did not expect to like Ivory soap at all, I was hating on it the entire time even as I was using it, but during that first bath (we never had a shower at our house unfortunately, just a tub 😀 ) I started to notice some things and was amazed by the time that I finished my bath; and it has been my favorite soap since then (last year or the end of the year before that). 😀
Thank you for replying,
-John Jr
I will definitely have to give it a go because I am now curious too! Anything to help my poor skin out!
You’re mom should do soapmaking, I love it as a hobby and there’s something magical about saponification 🙂
Hello Kristen Grace,
Cool, I hope that it works out for you.
I mentioned it to my mom like you suggested, and she said that she would like to make some lye soap; I plan on find an easy lye soap recipe on YouTube and sending it to her and/or getting a soapmaking book from our library for her, and if she decides to give it a try I will probably help her. 🙂
Thank you,
-John Jr
I’d recommend SoapQueenTV on YouTube. She has a four part series on how to make cold process soap including a super basic recipe to get started with. I’d also recommend finding some bowls and things from the thrift stores 🙂
Thank you Kristen Grace.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAADF6209996265D2
-John Jr
Anytime!