Why Pool Days Trigger Eczema Flares

Summer Eczema Challenges 0:00

Most eczema families lose ground every single summer. And not because you stopped trying or nose, because nobody told them that the chlorine and the sunscreen and heat are this just combination that quietly undoes everything that you have worked so hard for the rest of the year. The fixes are actually really, really simple once you know about them. Swim team started in our house this week. It's like my favorite time of year. Such a party. So fun. There's actually snow on the ground today. I wanted to talk about this now because, oh my goodness, friends, it's summer now.

Mid-May and we're still in school and everyone's still at school dealing with it, but summer team's started at our new house. This week, such a blast. It's such a party. I love every minute of it. This is my favorite time of year. But I remember six years ago, it most definitely wasn't. And if you're in that same season right now with the pool days and the hot skin and sunscreen questions and tired kids that won't stop scratching at bedtime and that makes it so you don't get a bedtime, this episode is absolutely for you.

Let's get into it! Is your child struggling with itchy nights and endless flare-ups? I'm Andra McHugh, mom of four and host of Eczema Kids. Here, you'll find natural solutions that actually work so you can heal your children's eczemat without steroids, without the overwhelm, and finally see calm, healthy skin again. Let's get into it. Okay, summer is so worth it. Are you guys so excited? It's so weird. They had in the pool and the beach are worth. It it's such a good time and swim team and beach days and popsicles and all of it so great so fun.

I am definitely not here to say keep your ex my kid out of the sun or inside and bubble wrap.

Sunscreen Basics for Eczema Skin 1:51

That is the absolute opposite of what I talk about and what i believe to be nourishing for your kids. So my goal here today is just to give you a clear plan about how to tackle these everyday scenarios so you can maximize the fun, minimize the suffering, and continue down your healing journey while still having a really good time and being social and be out in the sun. Because without a plan, summer can undo a lot of the progress that you've worked really, really hard for and you made it through spring.

My goodness, that's a hard season with allergies and all the rest. And with a plane, your kid can be in the pool every single day, twice a day and come out on the other side with calmer, healthier skin than when summer started. I want to talk about sunscreen because that really common question that I get all the time and it's the most overwhelming product category for eczema parents. And you're like, well, I know. So I want to start with sunscreen because it is honestly one of those common questions that i get and one the more overwhelming products categories for us parents if you have a child with exema prone skin.

And I know you go to the store, you to go the natural store and you pick up a bottle and the ingredients list still is really, really long. And there's still a lot of things that you cannot pronounce. You know from experience that just one wrong ingredient could set your child into a total flare. you're learning so much and working so hard on their endocrine system and you don't want to mess that up and, you know, don t want them to get skin cancer, right? You're like, You re doing your absolute best and You don' t wanna set your child back for weeks.

So you can either grab for something and hope for the best or stand in the aisle for 20 minutes and leave empty handed. I've absolutely done that. And here is what I want you to know is that there are two types of sunscreens. There's chemical sun screens and there's mineral sun screets. Chemical sun screen work by absorbing the UV rays and they soak into the skin and trigger a chemical reaction. So for eczema skin, which already has a compromised skin barrier, right? That's a big problem is the skincare barrier isn't there or just significantly too thin.

If you're there and you have a tendency toward inflammation, that's And many chemical sunscreens are just absolute endocrine disruptors, which means hormone disruptor. And anything that ends in benzone, that's what you really want to avoid. Then you hear about mineral sun screens, and those work differently. They sit on top of the skin. which is significantly better, but we do know that everything that you put on top of the skin, you absorb, right? So it sits on the top skin but you're also absorbing some.

But the active ingredient in natural sunscreens, the non-nano zinc oxide, that sits ontop of skin and it physically reflects the sun's rays. So it's not absorbing, it not affecting the hormones negatively, and it is the gold standard mineral ingredient for mineral sunscreens. So this is not always, but you want to look for non-nano zinc oxide. This is very, very important. Non-Nano means that the particles are large enough that they cannot penetrate the skin. And they stay on the surface and they do their job and wash off eventually.

Zinc is also naturally anti-inflammatory. If you're experiencing eczema, you undoubtedly have a zinc deficiency, and it's an essential nutrient for skin healing and immune function. So if they aren't taking a quality zinc supplement in a child-size dosage, highly, high recommend. Zinc is also just naturally anti-inflammatory. It's literally one of those things that calms irritated skin. So for an eczema kid, a non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen is not just the safest option. It's actually supportive for them.

Then you go looking for a mineral sunscreen, and you feel really good about that decision, you know you're looking non nano zinc oxides, then you hit your next wall. Because here's what a lot of people don't realize, is that even when you find a sunscreen with the right active ingredient, then the base that it is suspended in can still be a problem, or multiple ingredients in the case can be still a problems. Because most mineral sunscreens, even the ones marketed as clean or natural, use carrier oils.

You have to have a carrier oil. And to give the product its texture and spreadability, so you can actually spread it on the skin and the oils that they reach for are usually sunflower or safflower or rosehip or olive oil. So the most common oils these natural brands use, and this is again fine, this great, but for eczema kids these pose a problem. Those are sunflower oil, safflower oil olive oil or grape seed oil. All these oils are high in linoleic or oleic acid and they feel light and easy to work with and you can find them really cheap and photograph really beautifully on the label next to a daisy but for eczema kids this can be a real, real issue because sunflower sensitivity is more common.

than a lot of people realize, and it's not just a dietary sensitivity. Topical exposure to sunflower oil can trigger a skin response in kids who have this underlying sensitivity to see or certain plant compounds. And the same with safflower. If your child ever reacted to a really clean sunscreen, olive oil is wonderful, oleic acid is required, but none of our products have olive in it because when you put it on topically, consistently, it thins the skin barrier even.

Pool and Sun Protection Routine 7:49

further unless we're going or doing everything we can to rebuild the skin barrier. So that's why olive oil just ubiquitously are not in any of the eczema kids products. But then it's not just the oils. The inactive ingredient list on these natural sunscreens can include synthetic fragrance, hidden under the word perfume, or vitamin E derived from soy or wheat. That's another really big one. Vitamin E and olive oil and sunflower oil, these all sound really, really great, but these are oftentimes GMO products that just can send an eczema-prone child off the ledge, you know?

And botanical extracts that sound beautiful can be really high histamine or in the ragweed family or cross-reactive for kids with food sensitivities and preservatives that are also technically natural but still disruptive for sensitive skin. Those have to be in there as well. And that's why it's so important you're not just reading the active ingredient, you are reading a full ingredient list. You know, I caught myself the other week. It was a food product and I just trusted what it said in the front.

I can't believe it. And I let my guard down. My kids have been doing really well for a really long time and... I thought it would meet our requirements that I still maintain just to keep healthy, happy kids. It absolutely did not. They sneak in so much stuff. So don't fall for the marketing on the front. Look at the full ingredient list. The active ingredient is just the starting point. And I want to be honest with you, if your child has a sunflower sensitivity, your choices in the sunscreen world are pretty bleak, unfortunately.

I do like the Badger brand a lot if you don't have a sunflower sensitivity, but the number of mineral sunscreens that use a truly clean base with no seed oils or soy derivatives or synthetic fragrance is very, very small. And I know this because I looked and I even bought other Talo sunscreens. And, I got to be honest with you, it was hard to use because it smelled so terribly. You know, like I was like sitting next to a skirt steak and it just really, really hard manage. So for a long time I really searched for something that I could use and that i could recommend to families in this community with full confidence.

Something that was really effective and genuinely non-toxic and pleasurable to use. And I wanted to make sure that every single ingredient, including the inactive ones, actually made sense for eczema-prone skin. I made a sunscreen, and that's the exema safe mineral sunscreen that you can find inside the Eczemashop. It's a non-nano zinc oxide. With the tallow base, there's no seed oils, no synthetic fragrance, No soy,no hidden triggers. Its the sunscreen I wish. that existed when we were in the thick of it, but I'm glad it exists now, and it's the one that I recommend without hesitation to every family in this community.

Just take with you if you are reading any sunscreen label, you're looking for non-nano zinc oxide. I mean, we're also doing this for the environment, right? For the fish. This is really, really important stuff. And tallow, coconut oil, shea, beeswax, If none of those things are triggers, those are 100% fine for you. Simple things. No synthetic fragrance, no fragrance at all. Obviously no citrus-based oils or anything like that. Those attract the sun even further. no parabens, No seed oils if your child has any history of sensitivity.

And if you're listening now, they absolutely do. So the label should look legible and boring. Boring is what we're going for. And you have to know, guys, I am a sun worshiper. I want my kids to be out as much as possible. We minimize our sunscreen use as many as we can, but sometimes those two goals don't jive. So our first rule for being out in the sun all day is full coverage. Modesty is the thing. My oldest is 11, so I get pushback all the time because this isn't a goal for everyone that is out and about, but it's something that I value for my little girls.

And then also for the son and their health. So the girls wear swim shirts and, you know, not a full bodysuit that covers their whole legs, even though that's it is what they wore when they were babies. They wore long sleeve, long pant, swimsuits with a hat and then with them. that worked for them. But now, the cute little rash guard suits, they're adorable. George hats is my personal favorite brand right now. They have the cutest things and they wear a hat when they are not in the pool. So we really only sunscreen the girls' faces and the tops of their thighs.

That's it. And then the little guy really only needs, he's wearing trunks and a shirt, so he only need sunscreen on his face. So that's what we do there. It's faster, cheaper, way easier. And just start there, cover as much as you can before the child ever gets into the water in the first place. Then sunscreen just the exposed areas, but clothing should absolutely be your first line of defense and that does not wash off or miss. and then I want to talk about the pool because I get this question a lot too like can my kids still swim and I say a resounding yes absolutely chlorine is problematic it's a bummer it is essentially a bleach bath so good news silver lining it works really well for some people for SOME people it really helps dry out their eczema and combat staff and fantastic for you.

That's because chlorine is essentially a bleach bath and I say that not to scare you, but it's just true. It's the most accurate way. I did spend a lot of years being a lifeguard and doing the pool chemicals. Before that, when I was a young child, my family had a pool and we did the pull chemicals with my dad and had them all in the garage. It is what it is and that's okay. And I just sincerely don't want to scare anyone, but I do want you to understand what is does to the skin because it strips the skincare barrier and it dries everything out immediately.

It removes the natural oils that eczema skin is really, really struggling to hold on to. Even my skin, is struggling the hold onto. For kids with exema, that barrier disruption is exactly what opens the doors to more flares. Also, the pool is pure joy. So swim team, and the community pool, in the beach, all of it is just, you know, it gives your kids confidence. It gets out their energy, gets them vitamin D, get them sleeping really well at night from just physical exhaustion. And that is fantastic.

We are absolutely not skipping it. But what we are doing is we're just building a protocol around that fund so it doesn't come at the cost of their skin. So before the pool, full coverage swimwear, sunscreen on exposed areas, and that's it. That's your pre-pool routine. You get in, you have the best time, then you come out with a plan. So this is the step that I see most families skip or rush. You take your kids out in full, and then you just put on dry clothes, right? And, ah, if only it were so easy.

But I still, I never do this for right kids, even though their skin is beautiful. All four of them, thank goodness, knock on wood. Because that's not good for you, right? We just talked about what chlorine is doing to your skin, eczema or not. So this is the most important part. The moment that your child gets out of the pool, then the clock starts. Then the chlorine still on their skin and it's stripping the barrier and the longer it sits. the more damage it does. So the first thing you do is rinse off.

You just rinse it off in the shower. Fresh water right away, get the chlorine off, pat dry, you don't rub if there's active eczema anywhere, because you know rubbing actively aggravates exema prone skin, so you just pat gently. And then, and this is the window that really, really matters, You apply cream while the skin is still slightly damp. not soaking wet, but not fully dry either. And that slight dampness helps the cream absorb and lock the moisture in. This is what we recommend every night, right after our detox baths.

If you wait until the skin is completely dry, you've missed that window. It's just an extra nudge in the right direction to help the skincare maintain moisture, which these kids so desperately need. So that's where the soothing cream comes in, it's tele-based, deeply moisturizing, and it is safe for the face and scalp. any active eczema patches, so you apply that generously. Cover the whole body. Do not spot treat. This is a whole skin barrier and the skin needs support after chlorine exposure. and then you put them in cotton clothes, let the skin breathe.

Nothing synthetic, nothing tight, just cotton. And at the end of the day, after the sun and the pool and heat and bug bites, this is where the comfort spray earns its place. When you have hot, irritated patches and bugs bites and general end-of-day itchiness, a few sprays of comforts spray and you will see your child visibly relax and It's infused with aloe vera and Chinese herbs that cools the skin on contact. So all the ingredients in every single one of the products, and this one included, are there for a very specific reason, a skin-supportive eczema-safe reason.

And this is what we reach for every summer evening after a bike ride or anything like that. But if you're in an active layer, this is helping the skin microbiome maintain balance and not move too far in the direction of staph overgrowth.

After-Swim Care and Evening Recovery 17:20

Because if are experiencing eczema, you do have an increased staf count on the scan, and it also helps with that immediate itch. So it's a medicine and also a true skin support, especially in this time of year. And as we've talked about, summer is a lot for exima prone skin. You have All the chlorine and the sun exposure and heat and sweat and air conditioning and your child's skin is really working hard every single day. And then the night time is when it repairs. So the herbal healing oil is what we use at night or after sun-exposure for this exact reason.

The herbal oil is anti-inflammatory botanicals that are infused into organic oils. It soothes dry patches and it reduces redness and supports the skin's natural regeneration process while your child sleeps. So you can use the herbal oils any time of day. You can also use it during diaper changes if they're looking extra dry and in need of nourishment. before a detox bath is when we traditionally use it. You put on the herbal oil, let that soak in, take a nice epsom salt bath, and then follow up with the comfort spray and lock it all in with a soothing cream.

That's how we traditional use, but you can use just before bed, in the middle of the night, after sun exposure, or just any areas that got a little more heat than you planned for. And if your child is one of those that just cannot settle at bedtime in summer, it's just too hot and too itchy and to light and, too wired from a full day, then we have the Dream Spray. And it is a ragweed-free essential oil blend that supports the nervous system and promotes deep, restful sleep. No synthetic fragrance, no lavender, which can be high histamine for some kids, just Pure Calm Aromatherapy is a real thing and I just love this product so much we still use this.

It's on everyone's nightstand every single night just before bed. And we've been talking about outside in support on this podcast because it absolutely matters when you are experiencing eczema. That symptom management piece is so necessary just to get through this time. The skin is the largest organ and what we put on it even without exima matters enormously. but summer is also a really, really good time. It opens up extra space to put in extra things in your routine that actually help build your child up from the inside out.

And that's why I made the prebiotic herbal tea. it's got marshmallow root and licorice root, and slippery elm bark. Its designed to nourish the gut lining and reduce that systemic inflammation that is just feeding this eczema condition day in and day out for months or maybe even years at this point. And when your child's gut is supported in this gentle food first way, their skin really does respond. It is gentle enough for everyday use and you can serve it warm or cold. Cold is honestly perfect for summer.

I put it inside of smoothies, which we only do in the summer because nobody wants to wake up to an ice cold smoothie on a blizzardy day in January, so I brew it the night before. You just put the boiling water over the herbs, let it sit overnight in a mug, and then I put room temperature tea into the smoothie the next morning for them and they don't even know it's there. And honestly, this supplement really matters. I mean, it sincerely does its due diligence. One client that I talked to the other week and she said, my kids, I love it so much.

They get up in the morning and Where's my tea?" You can really bake this in however you want to. And just hearing that story warmed my heart because she's doing such a good job and now her kids are better and they're doing great. You'll hear from her later, but it's an important step. I know a lot of us in the West, we don't think about tea and our kids. We had South African neighbors for a little while and their kids had tea every single morning. They had the best tea, every morning, so no matter what age they are, it really is something that you could bake in.

If it is new to your routine, summer is a really good time to try it. So that's it, friends. That is your summer plan. You're wearing full coverage swimwear before the pool. Clean mineral sunscreen with a clean base, not just a clear active ingredient on exposed skin. Rinse immediately after any water activity or soccer camp or whatever it is. Soothing cream while the skin is still damp to just seal in that moisture.

Summer Support Products and Wrap-Up 21:38

cotton clothes, comfort spray at the end of the day, herbal oil at night, dream spray for sleep, and prebiotic tea daily. And I mentioned it earlier. I'm so thankful. My kids don't struggle with eczema anymore. It used to be a really significant thing for us. it affected not just our everyday lives, every minute of our every day lives. That's why I started this whole brand and podcast because I know what that suffering really looks like. and I know how significant it is and i also know, how unnecessary it, is that you can just in doing the things that we talked about today you, can completely change your day-to-day experience of how comfortable your kids are and then ultimately how quickly they recover.

Everything I make and recommend now is just how we live because clean and effective stopped being optional for me a really long time ago. And everything I just walked you through, the soothing cream and the herbal oil and comfort spray and dream spray, and prebiotic tea and mineral sunscreen is all in the healing box. All six products designed to work together. It's 197. and best value way to support your child through the summer without piecing these things together or second guessing yourself.

And the link is in the show notes or you can go ahead and get your box at eczemakids.com inside the eXma shop. I want to say one more thing before I go. If you have been listening to this podcast for a while and you had the products, And if you're doing the right things and you are eating healthy and doing your practices day in and day out and still experiencing a flare, this is a root cause problem, ultimately. Eczema is an inside job and that is what the eczemat elimination method is for. It's an Inside Out Healing Plan that gets you to what is actually driving exema for your child and so that your family is not managing it forever.

So I've also linked that in the show notes if that's something you want to learn more about. Okay, go enjoy your summer friends. Have fun with all the last-minute school concerts and the celebration that is made. It's a really beautiful time. I hope you had a gorgeous Mother's Day and that you're ready for some fun in the sun with your kids because you deserve it, they deserve. And I wish you well. Thank you for helping with my eczema. Love you. Thank you for listening today, friend. I know healing your child's skin isn't easy, but you're doing it one smart step at a time.

If this episode gave you a little hope or a better night's sleep, leave a quick review so more exhausted parents can find eczema kids and finally rest easy too. Follow, share, and let's help more kids heal. Take care.