There’s nothing worse than dry, itchy skin—other than having a condition that means you suffer from it on a regular basis.
In the winter, many of us have dry skin. But clinically diagnosed skin irritations like eczema and psoriasis are more common than we think.
Consider this:
- approximately 15-20% percent of Canadians suffer from eczema
- about 17% of Canadians are diagnosed with the most common type of eczema, known as atopic dermatitis
- psoriasis affects 1 million Canadians
If you’ve been diagnosed with one of these, or suspect your dry skin needs more than some lotion, then read on to find out what you can do for your skin.
Your Skin Is An Organ
We typically take our skin for granted, not realizing that it’s our body’s largest organ. The skin is an “intricate network” that serves as the body’s initial barrier against pathogens and chemicals; and, it regulates temperature and the amount of water released into the environment.
There are other important features too, like growing new skin and hair, providing colour and offering us the sense of touch. However, since the skin is also porous, what we put on it gets into our bodies. And what we apply to our skin can often cause irritation.
Dealing With Skin Conditions
There are several different disorders that can cause dry, itchy skin—besides winter’s cold, dry air.
Eczema has two different varieties: atopic dermatitis, a hereditary condition often linked to asthma or hay fever; and contact dermatitis. Irritant contact dermatitis or eczema is often caused by repeated exposure to substances that damage the skin, like strong soaps and other substances.
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory condition, which is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and immune factors.
Many skin conditions flare up when faced with strong, unnatural soaps and lotions, cleaning products and laundry detergents. Check your labels: if you see “fragrance,” for instance, that can be a mix of more than 3,500 chemicals; some ingredients are toxic chemicals that can cause a range of health concerns; and manufacturers aren’t required to list fragrance ingredients on labels.
Nature to the Rescue
Rather than choose a skincare or cleaning product with unknown ingredients, our natural skincare products are made from plants, including herbs and flowers. They are better for your skin and the environment, too.
Essential oils are one such ingredient: they can help fight dry skin, but essential oils also provide different biological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties.
Here are some of our best products for dealing with eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and other skin problems:
- Skin Repair Soap Bar and Skin Repair Oil can be used alone or together. They’re both formulated with dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis in mind, but good for any kind of skin irritation. The soap features ingredients like neem extract and tea tree essential oil to deliver anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, skin-repairing properties. The plant-based, therapeutic oil blend is anti-inflammatory, soothing and moisturizing.
- Psorganic Ointment offers deep repair with the healing powers of tamanu, borage, rosehip, chamomile and lavender essential oils, all of which work wonders on dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema. We recommend applying it to the affected area at least twice daily.
- All-over healing is offered by Neem Ointment. It has natural anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties, making it ideal for skin conditions like dermatitis, or for fungal infections like athletes' foot or nail fungus. The Neem tree is known as India’s “sacred tree.”
- Soaking in some Epsom & Dead Sea Bath Salts can help soothe and revitalize your skin and reduce inflammation like that caused by psoriasis.
- Kids are not immune to skin conditions—most cases of atopic dermatitis or eczema occur before the age of 5, so we have something for the little ones too. Our Whipped Lavender Shea Butter features lavender to soothe the skin and calm the mind and nervous system, Shea Nut Butter to hydrate dry, cracked skin.
