Eczema affects millions in Canada and many more around the world.

October was eczema awareness month in the USA and November is eczema awareness month in Canada. The goal of these campaigns is to raise awareness and educate the community about the impact the skin condition can have. Eczema Awareness Canada has released a video called A Day with Eczema. Follow the link to find out more.

Those red patches are itchy, painful, and make you want to hide. You want to be noticed for who you are as a person, not for the red patches on the outside.

Eczema often comes up in discussions with our customers at events or online who are looking for natural products that can help alleviate the signs and symptoms of eczema. It's one of the reasons I developed an eczema balm many years ago. I wanted to help others with this skin issue, because in many ways what they struggled with reminded me of my own worries and challenges with my skin issues caused by lymphedema.

You see, eczema, like lymphedema, is very visual leaving people feeling vulnerable and exposed.  They may try to cover it up, and they feel like people are starring at them noticing their red patches and all they want to do is live their lives without the stares and be noticed for who they are on the inside and not for their red patches on the outside. It affects many areas of your life from work, relationships, your view/acceptance of your body, self-esteem, and your mental health can be affected too. It affects children, teens, adults, and people of all different races and ethnicities. It's painful, itchy, and can flare up or get better with change with the seasons, stress, and foods, environmental factors. Finding out what your triggers are can be hard but will be helpful in managing the condition.

What products do we make that can help Eczema?

Balms 

• Moisturizing and targetting the dry, red, itchy skin patches. Your best when you have a flare-up is Red Skin Bee Gone Balm  Effective, natural, zin-oxide, soothing and helps takes the itch away. Our Ah-mazing Balm (for in between flare-ups to keep you moisturized or for areas you don't want the zinc oxide whiteness to show. Made with Spruce Resin, Calendula, and Poplar buds). 

Body + Bath Oils 

• Detoxifying Body + Bath Oil and Pain Relief Oil (Oils help restore your sebum production and acid mantle. Detox oil helps moisturize & support the body's detoxifying pathways which can help clear your skin. The Pain oil helps moisturize and offers pain relief from Arnica, Poplar Buds, Pine, and helps cool the skin with Japanese peppermint oil). 

Soaps

Our Soap Bars are a modern version of a French Marseille Soap made in Canada. The ultimate gentle soap bars that have many uses in your home and life from washing hands, body, take it travelling on trips or to the gym, use it in the kitchen for dishes, spot treatment on clothing, etc.). For someone with eczema, having a couple of products that can be used for many things can take can be beneficial in miimzing hte number of ingredients touching the skin which helps take some of the stress out of wondering what might make your eczema flare-up.

• Cool Mint & Honey Soap (made with turmeric, honey, and oatmeal. Soothing, gentle on the skin).
• Bare Facts (100% castille olive oil soap - unscented. 
• French Soap Block - NEW! (Glacial Clay + Cedarwood + Sage) (Shampoo + Bar)
• Rosemary + Peppermint Shampoo Bar (our original shampoo bar).
• Lavender + Lilac Soap (made with lavender, oatmeal, and lilac. Soothing, exfoliating and calming to the skin). 

For Eczema awareness month, take 20% off these products at checkout. Use Code: ECZEMAMONTH

Additional Resources

• Instagram accounts of some experts to check out @nationaleczema (US non-profit), @medicalmedium, (whose books, podcasts, etc. have helped many heal from eczema), @joyoushealth (Canadian holistic nutritionist and she has an ebook on eczema I recommend.  She started her business to heal her own eczema!).                       
• Another Canadian company tackling a different angle is @theeczemacompany (Canadian company that curates products and helps raise awareness about skincare challenges people face with eczema.)
• Non profits: Eczema Society of Canada, National Eczema Association (USA)
• hashtags for social media: #eczemaawarenessmonth, #eczemarelief #eczemasucks, #unHIDEeczema, #therealeczema #therealcostofeczema, etc. All these folks have websites with lots of resources as well, so check them out. The new Canadian one going around is #daywitheczema. I hope they bring you some meaningful connections!

 I could talk on and on about eczema! If you have made it this far in my blog post, you are amazing! Thank you for reading. :) If you have a question about eczema feel free to post below in the comments!