SUMMER: Skincare recs

Author contact details: Katie Mackie 📩 mackies.moments@gmail.com

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This blog has been written using our 4,000 Instagram follower’s recommendations. The best advice is from people who understand what you are going through.

𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: 𝐄𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐦𝐚 (& SKIN CONDITIONS) 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬, Eczema is simply a blanket term used for a cluster of skin conditions/rashes. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑾𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔.

SUNCREAM: If you’re allergic, or think you could be, we highly recommend finding out exactly what it is you’re allergic to so that you can save yourself the pain and hassle of trial and error. And always test patch sun creams beforehand by putting a small amount in the crease of your arm 24 hours in advance.

It took me YEARS to realize that it wasn’t the heat/sweat of summer that was reacting my skin – in fact it was my sun cream (NIVEA at the time)… I hope this blog makes your summer skincare decisions a little easier and less daunting.

SUMMER IS A TRIGGER

not in the way you might think. It’s a trigger for skin anxiety. In winter it’s easy to layer up & hide our skin when we’re feeling a lil self continuous but when summer hits we can’t do this without added discomfort.

This can lead to us either going out and constantly worrying about someone saying something or even not going out at all. It’s taken me a few years to get to the point where I am freely walking around bearing all without giving a damn but there are still those days where I change like 50x before going out and my skin catches me off guard.

I genuinely believe the more we show our skin conditions the more people will know what they are and then gradually less questions will be asked as they’ll already know what they are. Sixty percent of people in the UK currently have a skin condition or have previously had a skin condition – so hey guess what SKIN CONDITIONS ARE NORMAL! More people have them than don’t have them! #unhideeczema

REMINDER: It’s okay if sometimes you don’t feel like ‘𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬’ 👌🏻 you do what you need to do in order to look after your mental health 🧠

Now thats out the way… LET’S HIT IT ⬇️

If you have eczema, you don’t have to stay inside when the sun is shining. Our Follower’s top Eczema summer skincare tips⬇️

Clear winner is La Roche–Posay – their Anthelios range is specifically formulated for sensitive skin. LINK (THERES A SALE ON ATM).

BEST FULL BODY SPF’s

When reading up for this blog I noticed that a lot of articles noted that mineral-based reflectors may be more suited to eczema-prone skin, so this can be a helpful thing to look for on the product label. To avoid itchy prickly heat and flare ups, I’d definitely recommend choosing a mineral sunscreen, as it reflects the heat, unlike chemical sunscreens, which absorb heat.

Interestingly La Roche-Posay Anthelios is a mineral-based range and is also one of the most recommended brands among our followers.

I personally love the Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced range – the whole range is designed for fair, sensitive and sun-intolerant skin to offer protection against UVA, UVB and long UVA rays.

GOOD VALUE / PROTECTS / DOESN’T IRRITATE ME / WIDELY AVAILABLE

I do also massively stan the La Roche-Posay range but due to having very fair skin I have to reapply ALOT, so price point would make La Roche-Posay a no for me.

Interestingly a lot of our followers recommended baby sun care ranges – these ranges do tend to be more natural / kinder to sensitive skin all round winners so maybe next time your in boots head to the baby aisle!

See more recommendations below:

BEST FACE SPS’s

Before you think of swiping your summer body sunscreen across your face, stop. Total-body SPFs tend to be thicker and can lead to breakouts when used on our faces. You’re better off using a delicate and lightweight formula that has been specifically designed with your complexion in mind.

See recommendations below:

If you really struggle to find a sun lotion that doesn’t irritate your skin, it’s a good idea to invest in some protective summer clothing with built-in SPF.

Just bear in mind that you’ll still need to apply sunscreen to exposed areas of skin.

EXTRAS ⬇️

BEST SUMMER SLEEP TIPS

Without enough sleep, not only can your health and mental well-being suffer, but your eczema can get worse too. See recommendations to help you catch those zzs’s during summer below:

Another preventative flare measure this summer ☀️

Help further protect your skin barrier with ceramides. Ceramides are lipids that help build your skin barrier and help your skin to retain moisture. As we know, compromised skin barriers are something us itchy people suffer from.

Cerave Moisturizing Cream for normal to dry skin and Aveeno Skin Relief Moisture Repair Cream are some of our faves.