There’s something so soothing about browsing through the soap selection at Whole Foods. But even at a place like Whole Foods, you’ll find plenty of soaps that seem harmless (because they’re made with “natural extracts” rather than synthetic fragrances), but are not necessarily the best choice for those of us with sensitive skin. Nature, aka the inventor of poison ivy, can produce ingredients that are just as irritating as any manmade concoction. Essential oils are…

I haven’t been able to visit any friends or family for the past few months, but the lemonade of the matter is that I have been writing more emails and making more FaceTime calls, at least. One of my oldest, dearest friends works as a nurse in Los Angeles, so she’s been on my mind a lot lately. She also happens to have eczema, so we both understand the pain of having to deal with dry, itchy patches of skin. She has to wash her hands quite often, so I was trying to think of how I could…

Has anyone else been singing “Happy Birthday” multiple times a day, every day, as a way to ensure that you’re washing your hands long enough? I probably need to switch to a new song soon. There’s something rather therapeutic about lathering up with soap and rinsing away the suds. If there’s any bright side to the crazy times we live in, it’s that maybe we’ve come to respect—and even enjoy—the simple but necessary act of washing our hands to protect…