Wool allergy and eczema

As I've mentioned before on this blog, my skin took a turn for the worse a few years ago, and now I find that fabrics my skin used to be fine with leave me itchy, in particular, wool.

The story of a hat and scarf

A while back I bought a thick grey wool bobbly hat and scarf from H&M to keep me cosy and warm. I used to wear the scarf wrapped quite close around my face, but soon noticed that the skin all around my lower face started to get red, rough and sore. Sadly the lovely scarf had to go - I hope whoever bought it on Ebay likes it!

I've worn woolly jumpers and stuff as a kid and never had any trouble, but your skin does change, and mine has definitely got more fussy!

As well as my eczema getting worse, I have also suffered with an itchy scalp and seborrhoeic dermatitis/ cradle cap, for which I have tried all kinds of shampoos until settling on the Jason shampoo I know use all the time. However, maybe the wool hat was a partial cause too. I always found the hat ok to wear for short periods, as I have lots of hair as a barrier between my hat and my scalp. But I've been wearing the hat again recently in this cold weather and as well as eczema patches around my hair line/ sides of my face I have had a really itchy scalp.

But... this has also coincided with my trying out a new shampoo and conditioner! Ah, one of the most frustrating things about having atopic eczema is trying to determine what the triggers are when there are so many possible influencing factors.

So for now I have gone back to my regular shampoo and stopped wearing the hat until my skin calms down again.

Me and the hat in question

Why can wool trigger eczema?

It may seem strange that wool can irritate sensitive skin as it is a natural fibre; indeed cotton and silk are often recommended for sensitive skin in favour of less breathable synthetic fabrics.

However wool contains lanolin, a natural wax derived from sheep hair, which can cause an allergic reaction. I do also wonder whether the scratchiness of wool plays a part,  just like with dreadlocks.

It is a shame because when the weather is freezing, nothing keeps you warm quite as well as wool. But for me it's not worth it any more. I have bought myself a 100% acrylic bobble hat and I got some lovely leather gloves for Christmas. Now whenever I shop I check the fabric label to make sure there is no wool in there.

Do you find that wool triggers your eczema?

How to make the best foundation for sensitive skin

Struggling to find a good foundation for dry, sensitive skin that doesn't make your flaky bits look even more noticeable?  Why not make your own with a skin-loving coconut oil base! Your skin will thank you for it.

Skin-friendly foundation from all-good ingredients

I was given a batch of Bare Minerals mineral foundation a while back by mum, who didn't get on with it at all. While the idea of a natural mineral foundation appealed to me, applying dry powder make up to dry, flaky eczema-prone skin only highlights the scaly bits more. So I have come up with a way to make your own foundation make up that's perfect for dry sensitive skin like mine. Here's how to do it...

You'll need:

• Small empty lidded pot
• Virgin coconut oil
• Loose powder foundation 
• A teaspoon
• Cotton bud or similar for stirring

How to make your own foundation make up

Find yourself the perfect pot. I bought a pack of travel bottles from Primark for one or two pounds - but it's the little pots I was after. You could re-use any kind of lidded plastic pot, as long as it's microwave safe. I prefer to use quite a small pot as it's better to make small regular batches so it stays fresh. Also it's more handbag friendly :)

You will also need some kind of loose powder make up, like the below from Bare Minerals. Mineral make up is great because it has no nasties in it - but it's just so dry.

When you've got together what you need, put some of the virgin coconut oil into your pot using a teaspoon:

Then zap it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds until it goes liquid. Pure coconut oil is a white solid at room temperature but it turns into a completely clear liquid at temperatures not much higher than this. Believe it or not, there is actually oil in the pot in this picture!

With the end of a teaspoon, put a few scoops of your powder make up into your little pot of melted oil. How much you add depends on how heavy/thick you want your foundation to be. I probably added about 3 or 4 little heaps. If you have a few shades of powder at your disposal you can combine them to make your ideal shade.

Mix together with the end of a cotton bud - pull or snip off the cotton bit from the mixing end first or you'll soak up a chunk of your precious mixture and waste it!

You should end up with a nice smooth, creamy consistency. Don't worry if it looks darker than you would like as it spreads quite thinly when you apply it.

You can use it straight away in its liquid state if you like, or pop it in the fridge/ just leave it to set. I'd recommend trying a little bit before it solidifies to see if you have the level of coverage you are aiming for. Then you can easily add a little more mineral powder if you want to make it thicker, or add a touch more melted coconut oil if you want it lighter.

The finished article!

How to apply
To use simply press your finger to it to melt a little, then apply directly to your face. Alternatively you can dig out a small piece and smooth it across the surface of your face, then blend in with your fingertips.

You will find that the foundation will get more intense over time as you deplete more of the oil in it, particularly if it ever remelts, as the make up part will rise to the top leaving a thicker foundation tier and a tier of purer oil underneath. If you find that it ever gets too thick for you, simply melt it again and let it down with a little more oil.

This foundation may not give coverage as total as shop-bought foundations, but if you have eczema prone skin like I do then you probably won't get on well with thick cream or solid foundations anyway as they can make dry skin look worse. The fact that it's an oil means that it glides onto your skin really easily, without the need to rub at it. If you find the finish to be too shiny, simply add a little powder over the top; the beauty of this foundation though is that there is a moisturising layer between your skin and any powder you apply; perfect for dry, sensitive skin.

Coconut oil is so good for eczema and dry skin, so it's the ideal base for a foundation. You could also try making a blusher in the same way using mineral powder blusher.

Nivea Sun Moisturising Sun Spray Review

If you have eczema or just sensitive skin I would highly recommend this sun cream...

Nivea Sun Moisturising Sun Spray

If, like me, you care about your skin (and your health) you'll know how important it is to use a good sunscreen. I've been lucky enough to go on a couple of lovely sunny holidays recently and wanted to find a sun cream that would not only not irritate my eczema, but keep both my boyfriend and me well protected. We both have very fair skin. My skin's not bad in the sun but I have no desire for a deep tan and Arron has red hair and burns very easily.

I chose Nivea Sun Moisturising Sun Spray for a few reasons. Firstly, although I don't normally use the range myself, Nivea are known for their skin care products. Secondly, the sun cream is moisturising - essential for my dry skin! And last but not least, the fact that it's a spray. I guess it's more like a milk than a sun cream. Throughout all of my eczema product reviews I have come to the conclusion that a loose, light lotion is much better than a thick cream because it's much easier to cover a large amount of skin with a more fluid consistency, and it takes much less rubbing in (the more you rub the more you can irritate your skin). The fact that it's a spray makes it even quicker and easier.

What was the sun cream like?

As hoped, the sun spray was very light and easy to apply. I was pleased to discover that it did not irritate my skin in the slightest (although I did not have any eczema outbreaks at the time) and it left me feeling moisturised.

You can see from this picture how light a sun tan lotion it is (although my arm looks weird!).

Was it an effective sunscreen?

I can safely say that this is a definitive yes!

Look how pale and pasty we are>

We used factor 30 for me and factor 50 for my sexy red headed fella and it kept us both well protected on our 2011 holiday in Perpignan, France and our 2012 holiday in Alicante in Spain. Although the sunscreen says it is water resistant we were careful to reapply it regularly. The fact that it's a liquid spray sunscreen has meant that it has lasted really well so it's really good value as well.

One day in France on the beach Arron missed a bit on his ankle/ lower leg - which just goes to show how effective it is. You can clearly see on this picture the bits that had the sun cream and the bits that didn't - ouch!

Remember kids - always wear sun cream!

The verdict

I would definitely recommend Nivea Moisturising Sun Spray - both for those with sensitive skin and/or very fair skin. It is easy to use, very effective as sun protection and seemingly kind to sensitive skin (from my experience). The product does contain perfume but it didn't irritate my skin. I must confess I do love the smell of sun cream as it reminds me of sunny holidays! It's really good value too and readily available in supermarkets
and chemists.


We carried the bottles around with us on holiday in this zip lock bag - really handy, and helps keep the sand out!