Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about making the switch to a solid bar of soap for washing my hands. The packaging is more eco-friendly and the product itself is potentially more suitable for my hand eczema. Liquid hand soaps generally contain more preservatives (because they contain water), whereas it’s typically easier to find a gentle, non-irritating solid bar soap like Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar.

Fragrance-free hand soaps are hard to spot. For some reason, companies don’t think people will accept hand soaps unless they smell nice. I wish we had more options. A while ago, I accidentally bought Target Up & Up Classic Clean Clear Hand Soap without realizing that it contained fragrance. When it arrived, I didn’t want to waste it so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it aggravated my eczema and reinforced the idea that I should look for better hand soap options,…

When my skin is flipping out, I pare down my routine to just the basics: face wash, sunscreen (during the daytime), and moisturizer. Absolutely no fragrances or acids—just the plainest possible versions of everything I can find. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser was my face wash of choice last time I overdid it on a clay mask and my skin protested with dry, red, blotchy patches.