I recently started reading the National Eczema Association’s blog, which is a great resource for people who deal with eczema in their everyday lives. Many of the contributors are medical professionals who really know their stuff. Today I’m going to share something I learned from this article: “…olive oil can disrupt the skin’s natural barrier when used as a moisturizer. This is likely because it contains irritating fatty acids such as oleic acids.”

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had chronic hand eczema. I don’t know every single trigger that could cause a flareup, but I have come to recognize some of them over the years. I wanted to share six products that help me manage my hand eczema flareups by reducing contact with these particular triggers. These products worked for me, and I hope they’ll work for you, too (but no promises).

My stomach emits loud, rumbly noises if I don’t eat breakfast. So to avoid embarrassment, I always make sure to I eat a big bowl of oatmeal every morning if I have time. But recently, I’ve been thinking about another type of oatmeal: colloidal oatmeal, which is the active functional ingredient in many eczema relief lotions and creams. (Note to self: Investigate the difference between lotions and creams.)