Even though I’m not a parent, I love keeping an eye on personal care products that are formulated for babies. I’ve mentioned my fascination with baby products before—this whole category of products is typically formulated to be extra-gentle for sensitive, pure skin. As someone who has sensitive skin and eczema, I look to baby products as a safe haven for ingredients that won’t aggravate my skin. I also like the claims of what each baby product doesn’t contain. One thing…

A few years ago, I bought a tub of Aztec Clay, because I heard it was great for fighting acne. Every now and then, when I feel like going into detox mode, I pull it off the shelf and mix up a clay mask for myself. If you look at the jar, you’ll see that the marketing copy is reminiscent of Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap—it’s unapologetically wordy and boastful about itself. The long name for this product is: Aztec Secret: Indian Healing Clay. If you have acne, you’ve…

I never had the chicken pox as a kid. But I know what it’s like to feel intense itchiness, so much so that you want to rip off the top layer of your skin. Itchy, eczema-ridden hands are the worst. You try and try not to scratch, but it’s nearly impossible not to (especially when you’re sleeping). You wake up in the morning and you can tell that you scratched during the middle of the night. You apply steroid creams but they thin out the skin, so you’re told not to apply…