A few weeks ago Jimmy came out with a rash on his back and I had no idea what it was or why it had come. It didn’t look too bad and I suspected it was a reaction to something but what?

We had recently started using a nappy that we’d not used before so I stopped using them but the rash persisted. It spread to his legs and I took him to the Doctor who advised it was dermatitis.He was prescribed quite a strong steroid cream which honestly I’m not very happy about using. If you didn’t know, the more you use a steroid cream, the stronger you need them to be, Some people also then suffer from topical steroid withdrawal and need products and advice to fix this! His skin is so new and it seems such a harsh thing to do but the rash just kept getting worse so we did use it.

Luckily I was seeing a private consultant dermatologist myself and he took a look at Jimmy and advised the same. He said I shouldn’t use the cream for more than two days though and then have a week or so break using something much gentler in between. He told me it would definitely be a reaction to something but the only other thing I had changed was my washing liquid. Ordinarily I would have assumed this as the first culprit but the thing is, the washing liquid I had changed to was a non bio one. Before that I’d been using biological so I naturally assumed that it couldn’t possibly be a reaction non bio?!

But… I changed and the rash seems to be getting much better so I think I have found that non bio doesn’t always mean gentler for the skin! Still, even though it’s getting better now the rash is still there and I didn’t want to just go back to my old washing liquid in case it would exacerbate it. My private Doctor said that once children get this sort of rash it is very prone to coming out again.

I started using washing powder from Skin Salveation instead as they make products especially for people with eczema, psoriasis and all types of dry itchy skin. The products have a 20 year history which is very interesting! A group of miners in a small County Durham Town discovered a natural combination of ingredients helped them with their inflamed skin caused by the nature of their work. Word spread and when it came to the attention of two Doctors, they conducted trials which showed positive results with even the most extreme cases of eczema. Read about the history here.

Skin Salveation produce a range of products for their shop which include creams and washing materials for clothes. I tried the Laundry Powder and stain removing soap as well as the Dermasalve Body Cream and have had some very good results.

Firstly, I think the washing powder has made a tremendous difference and the rash isn’t nearly as bad as it was but, it is still there and does flair up every so often. It is now mainly on his legs and has pretty much gone from everywhere else. The washing powder has no discerning smell and it seems to get the clothes clean so you can’t ask for more than that. Knowing it is all natural and kind for Jimmy’s skin is fab. Obviously with children we do have lots of spillages and stains and the stain soap bar, which you rub on pre-wash helps get rid of most things. I’ve got out chocolate, tomato based sauces and other marks. It did struggle a tiny bit with beetroot, leaving a faint yellow mark, but I would say that’s a very difficult stain and it did as well as I would expect any other stain remover I’ve used in the past. My Mother has introduced me to bleaching by sunlight, something I previously dismissed as a bit of a faff but it actually works so the rest can be got at by the sun I’m sure! The stain bar is fab and easy to use, it doesn’t lather but more feels waxy as you rub it on, obviously works though!

As for the cream, I’m sure it’s helping and is definitely soothing. Avery small amount goes a long way and it distributes on the skin very easily. It doesn’t feel greasy in the slightest and after application, any red areas immediately become less so.

Dermasalve make irritant free moisturisers and work with leading dermatologists from around the world to ensure that their products soothe rather than irritate.

Very impressed! Skin Salveation have some very interesting and helpful information on eczema and general itchy skin care, it’s worth a read, they certainly know their stuff. I’ve not, in the past, found products like this which actually get clothes as clean as these ones do and at the end of the day, things can be as gentle as you like but they have to work don’t they – these ones do!

I have not been paid to write this post but I was sent the laundry powder, stain removal bar and body cream for the purpose of review.

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