My Top 5 Moisturizers
What moisturizers do I use for my incredibly sensitive eczema and through the shedding of topical steroid withdrawal (TSW)? After over a year of healing and the wiiide range of torture my skin has endured (from raw, red inflammation, to being covered in cuts and gashes, to my old eczema literally drying up and shedding off my body) here are the 5 final products that have made up my topical regimen at one time or another while healing (in order of thin to thick viscosity), that I feel confident to put on my skin and share with others, and that I would trust enough to put on my own child.
Balancing Facial Serum (Earth Soap Company)
Ingredients: Argan oil, hazelnut oil, jojoba, pomegranate, rosehip seed oil
Texture: Oil (liquid at room temperature)
Good for: Small patches that quickly become visibly dry/flaky shortly after moisturizing; facial serum
Why I like it: I’ve only used this as more of a spot treatment for extremely dry, flaky areas of my face versus an actual overall moisturizer. I used this product specifically when my face would dry out into visible flakes within 10-20 minutes of applying moisturizer and if I had an event or occasion during which I absolutely did not want my face to break out into dry skin flakes (like a job interview, for example). I found that it worked very well for this purpose. It can also be applied to the entire face regularly, although I’ve always used the moisturizers below for this purpose, as that has been a more cost-effective option for me. Another plus of this product is its small size - easy to carry in a pants pocket or small bag in case you’re in need of some emergency concealer of those surprise dry skin flakes.
Link to purchase: here.
Conqueror Soothing Dry Skin Balm (Eczema Conquerors, formerly Prime Physique Nutrition)
Ingredients: Cocoa seed butter, coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, candlilla wax, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, borage seed oil, neem oil, tea tree leaf oil, rosehip seed extract, seabuckthorn seed extract, aloe vera, vitamin E, green tea extract, calendula oil, olive oil, lavender oil
Texture: Oil (solid at room temperature)
Good for: Dry, tight, taught, or flaky areas of skin (+ smells good)
Why I like it: This is the product I’ve used for the longest amount of time. When my skin was most sensitive and dry, this product was one of the very few that gave me no further irritation because of its incredibly mild, calming ingredients. During the time I was heavily shedding, and my skin was more dry than oozing, I would gently exfoliate the loose skin flakes off, then apply this as my moisturizer. It is quite thin in consistency, which I liked for everyday use, as I live in California. (I would probably go with something a little thicker, like the products below, if I needed my moisturizer to hold up against an east coast winter, for example.) Also during my heavy shedding and extra dry months of TSW, a single 2-oz tub would only last me about 1 week. But even though the frequency of my product-use resulted in an overall increase in money spent on this product, I continued repurchasing because it was that good. As my skin gradually healed, I required less and less frequent reapplications, and now a single tub can last me well over 1 month. This is currently my everyday moisturizer.
Link to purchase: here.
YoRo Naturals Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream (The Eczema Company)
Ingredients: Organic olive oil, organic beeswax, filtered water, grape seed oil, organic active 16+ New Zealand manuka honey, manuka oil extract
Texture: Thin cream
Good for: Cracks, cuts, or oozing areas of skin + raw, red, inflammation — Think “repair” vs. purely “moisturize”
Why I like it: This was my favorite product to use on areas of my skin with cracks, cuts, gashes, and open wounds. Where my skin was oozing and exuding fluid, I would use this product on those areas as well (after first soaking up the excess fluid with a clean piece of gauze). This is the most soothing product I’ve used and is amazing for areas that need more repair vs. moisture. Also during the times that my skin was at its most inflamed, angry, and raw, this became my everyday moisturizer.
Link to purchase: here.
Calendula Salve (Earth Soap Company)
Ingredients: Calendula and chamomile infused olive oil, shea butter, beeswax, lavender essential oil, chamomile essential oil, helichrysum essential oil, vitamin E
Texture: Salve/balm
Good for: Dry, tight, taught, or flaky areas of skin (+ smells good)
Why I like it: This product was good for moisturizing (vs. repairing) and if you want a little thicker coverage than the Conqueror Balm. When I needed longer-lasting coverage because I wasn’t able to reapply the Conqueror Balm as frequently as I needed (like during my 12-hour work shifts, for example), I used this product. I also liked the flatter packaging of this product, as it is easier to fit in your pocket or a small bag when you need something easier to bring on-the-go (vs. a tub-shaped container). Also when my skin was more dry than raw, I would alternate between this and Conqueror Balm whenever I felt like just switching it up.
Link to purchase: here.
Organic All-Purpose Balm (The Honest Company)
Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil*, beeswax*, olive fruit oil*, coconut oil*, shea butter*, tamanu oil*, calendula officinalis flower extract*, chamomile oil*, tocopherol (non-GMO) (*Certified organic ingredient)
Texture: Oil-based ointment
Good for: Dry, tight, taught, or flaky areas of skin + when you’re exposed to the elements and need more protection (outdoors, camping, dry wind, etc.)
Why I like it: This product was great for when my dry skin needed thick, longer-lasting coverage, especially if I was going to be outdoors (active or not). I used this product more during the winter time when the weather was drier, and whenever I would travel to colder areas (like in the Midwest or on the east coast). I completely replaced my *Aquaphor-use with this product, as the consistency and thickness is similar. It may leave your skin looking a little shiny because of its ointment-like consistency, but it’s a tiny price to pay for the moisture your skin needs. (There’s also a small ~1oz size of this product, which is great if you need something more compact to fit in a pocket or small bag.)
Link to purchase: here.
*I no longer use or endorse the use of Aquaphor.
Bonus Product!
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm
Ingredients: Avocado oil*, beeswax*, jojoba seed oil*, hemp see oil*, tocopherol (*Certified organic ingredient)
Texture: Chapstick
Good for: Chapped, dry, tight, taught, flaky, peeling, raw, or inflamed skin/lips
Why I like it: When I was going through the rough of TSW, my lips weren’t just chapped… They peeled and shed flakes of skin just like the rest of my body for months and months and months. They felt so different even to the touch. I love this product because it offered soothing relief for all the different phases my lips went through - from the red, raw, inflammation to the dry, tight, cracks. I also always kept it in my pocket for times that I desperately needed moisturizer (usually on my face, and usually when I was at work) but didn’t have any on hand. I knew that the ingredients in this product were safe enough to use not only on my lips, but on the rest of my body as well, so I’d use it as a spot moisturizer when it was all I had on hand. I currently use this product daily.
Link to purchase: here.
I hope you found this list helpful :) I would love to hear if you decide to try any of the products I mentioned above, or if you have any products you completely love that have helped you heal in the comments below! Happy healing!
FTC: Some of these links are affiliate links which I make a small commission percentage through. You do not have to use these links, but if you would like to support me in that way, you're welcome to! I do not endorse brands that I do not wholly support and believe in the quality of.