With this year’s Mum & Baby Awards closing this week, the awards always remind me that “babies are the ultimate sensitive skin generation”. Of all the beauty questions I get asked, “is there anything that really works for eczema?” is one and rosacea solutions are high up there, too!
Why is it that eczema flare-ups – like the much dreaded pre-wedding day breakout – magically appear when you least want them? The day before you start a new job, right before an important photo shoot, the first morning of your long lusted-after beach holiday…(add yours here!)
Eczema is the Murphy’s Law of the beauty world. #veryAnnoying
The “original Manuka honey brand”, Comvita launched their Medihoney range last year. In fact Comvita was the first brand to introduced Manuka into the UK from its homeland, one of the world’s last “clean countries”, New Zealand. I first discovered Manuka while staying at a friend’s flat in London. Every time she felt run down or about to get a cold, she’d make a big mug of lemon juice, ginger and a dollop of Manuka honey – the King of Honeys.
I kept asking her why normal honey wasn’t just as good but then I saw her Manuka collection and realised there must be something in it – top row of larder full of Manuka jars, as in “hoarding”, as if every health food store in London was in danger of closing the following week.
Comvita’s Medihoney range also includes Natural Derma Cream with Aloe Vera and Chamomile
(Side note here: Manuka honey is difficult to extract, and only at certain times of year, and it’s potent – hence it’s more expensive, and rather like a good wine it darkens in colour and becomes richer in flavour the more it matures).
But back to the eczema…
Comvita has developed a really interesting capsule collection of Manuka-based skincare, called Medihoney
Singling out one product, their SKINTENSIVE CREAM is pretty “earmarkable” for a number of reasons:
1. You can use it on babies age 3 months onwards.
2. The ultra-nourishing coconut and Manuka formula includes rich plant butters (shea, olive, cupuau, Acacia decurrens (an evergreen tree native to New South Wales), aloe and sunflower among them)
3. It’s PH balanced
4. Free from harsh fragrances or parabens
5. It soothes and calms itching or very dry skin
INGREDIENTS Skintensive cream
Intensely hydrating, Skinsensitive was especially formulated for dry skin, very sensitive and eczema-prone skin and it’s ideal for babies age 3 month or over, too
I spent the summer of 2012 studying beauty ingredients (which led to The Beauty Shortlist’s mantra…READ THE LABEL!) and this summer I’m studying plants and herbology, inspired by Juliette de Baraclai Levy, who lived a nomadic life, in nature (Afghanistan, Spain, Tunisia and Greece were among her stops) and healed herself and others by using plant power.
She even saved a visiting German woman’s gangrene-ridden leg – the woman came to her, as a last resort – by wrapping it repeatedly in plant leaves. Juliette became the talk of that woman’s German home town!
Comvita has been around since 1974. One of the most trusted brands I’ve come across, the founders Claude Stratford and Alan Borgen were both big believers in healing through Nature’s intelligence. Bees were their inspiration, honey their medicine.
So as the Baby Awards get closer (Friday 15 July is not far off now!), if you’re a mum reading this with a toddler who’s got eczema, have a look at SKINTENSIVE and the Comvita range. There are some great tips on how to deal with flare-ups on their website – here are a few I thought were particularly useful:
Eczema Therapy, 5 Things That Can Help
1. What did you eat about 24 hours before a flare-up? Known irritants include dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy and wheat. It’s not always diet but dietary restrictions have been shown to help.
2. Look at your bath/shower/body products – could one of them be a culprit? Try a soap-free body wash like Medihoney’s Soap Free Wash which you can even use on really little people who are 3 months or older!
3. If you love a good long bath, add a natural bath oil//emollient bath product.
4. Apply an eczema solution product – like Skintensive – at least 3 times a day.
5. Drink enough water! Eczema-prone skin is fundamentally dehydrated.
So if you’re a mum and still searching for something to deal with your, or your toddler’s eczema for once and for all, Skintensive is well worth a try.
I’ve also been looking at Comvita’s Medihoney Wound Gel (exactly the sort of product I’d pack in a travel bag or for outdoor music festival weekends) and if you need to wean the kids off sweets this summer (NOT a bad idea!?) check out Medihoney’s Lemon, Honey and Propolis Lollipops (suitable for children 2 years and older).
Sensitive skin needs gentle handling, and this is an area where greenwashing does not help! Ditch the products that claim to be natural on the main label and “read those labels”.
SKINTENSIVE CREAM can help calm angry red flare-ups, heal irritated skin – it basically acts like a nutritious plant butter quencher for frustratingly, chronically dry skin. Keep hydrated and sea water and sunshine can help, too – keep a tube in the kitchen (great for gardener’s hands, too!) and take it with you on your next Mediterranean escape.
Discover the Medihoney range at Comvita.co.uk
Skintensive cream
is £8.99 (it comes in a generous 95g tube which should last you a while!)
Find out more about eczema prevention tips and therapies on the Comvita website.
Have you tried Skintensive cream?
Share your eczema tips and tag us!
Comvita: @ComvitaUK Twitter and @Comvita_UK on Instagram
A special collaboration with Comvita