My reason why...

It’s been forever that I’ve suffered with very dry and what may be called ‘problem skin’.

When I was a tiny tot, I was covered in eczema. Back then (a long, long time ago) in a bid to help, I would be smothered in an unpleasant concoction of white petroleum and liquid paraffin, to supposedly moisturise and protect the skin. This never helped me at all, but seemed to seal the heat and inflammation in, leading to even more burning, itching and rawness.

The eczema thankfully faded as I got older, appearing only at the turn of a season, especially at the close of Summer and when Autumn began to show its colours. Then, I would dutifully apply hydrocortisone cream which, unfortunately for me at least, also failed abysmally. And so over the years, I learned to just put up with it.

Into adulthood, dermatitis reared its rather ugly looking head. Mostly covering my hands, it was a debilitating and quite miserable condition as the skin would itch, bubble, eventually crack and then peel away, leaving the area raw and sore - and me attempting to hide them away whenever possible.

Eventually, a friend recommended a company which used gentler and more natural ingredients in its skincare products, and I’m so glad she did. Because, although I was reluctant to try something different at first (a fear I often see with clients who have historically had problems with their skin – and I completely understand why), it was only then that I was able to finally to get the dermatitis under control.

From that moment I never looked back.

Quite simply, my skin doesn’t respond well to hefty preservative systems, synthetic fragrances and cheap, chemical laden ingredients, and so it rebelled, by screaming and letting me know in the only way it could.

However, it turns out that it absolutely love plant oils, natural butters, floral waters and other gentle botanicals. The effect on my hands was almost immediate and over time my eczema pretty much disappeared aswell.

Nowadays my hands remain clear and my eczema has pretty much disappeared, although at the turn of the Autumn season I do tend to get the smallest patch, strangely underneath one eye only, to remind me that I have to stay vigilant as it is still lurking in the background.

I firmly believe that years of applying steroid cream and petroleum based products have left my skin barrier weakened (a completely personal observation of course, but based on my own experience) and my hands easily and quickly become dry, so I do need to constantly take care of them.

Luckily, I’m in the position to be able to do that now.