Hi guys,

Today I’m sharing with you favourite body moisturisers for when your skin is beyond dehydrated from treatment, and it becomes patchy, flakey, and looks like scales.  It’s depressingly unsexy.

I won’t preach about hydration from the inside; we hear it from the doctors all the time….snooze…..we know, we know, ‘drink water’.  Drinking water helps with most treatment side-affects but it’s not enough.  I say blast hydration from all angles, inside and outside.  And with the outside, layer it up, smother yourself with as much moisturiser as you can, head to toe, for as long as your skin needs to feel healthy again.

Thank you to The Cancer Style Guide Panel and Instagramers for helping compile this list, here are some of our favourite creams, oils and lotions:

Weleda – Sea Buckthorn Body Oil / Cowshed – Grumpy Cow / Burt’s Bees – Fragrance Free Shea Butter and Vitamin E Body Lotion / bamford – Botanic Body Oil / bamford – Botanic Nature Balm / Korres – Santorini Vine Body Milk

sukin – Hydrating Body Lotion/ Aesop – Geranium Leaf Body Balm / Aesop – Rind Aromatique Body Balm / Green People – Fragrance Free Hand and Body Lotion  (Vegan) / Fushi – Coconut Oil (Vegan) / Green People – Nurture Body Lotion (Vegan)

E45 Intense Recovery (For Eczema) / Fushi – Avocado Oil / Ren – Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra Moisture Body Oil / Ren – Grapeseed Jojoba and Shea Butter Body Cream / Kiehl’s Creme de Corps / Salcura – Bioskin (For Eczema & Psoriasis) / Jason – Age Renewal Vitamin E

Please note, Neil’s Yard and Aromatherapy Associates are trusted natural brands offering wonderful moisturising oils and creams, however didn’t make the cut this time due to the smell potency of their products.  They’re great for later stage of recovery but not for the early stages, when you tend to be smell sensitive.

Moisturising tips:

• No hot baths and showers, hot water dehydrates the skin even more.

• Exfoliate when you have the strength and energy (see post below on dry brushing), to help sweep away the barrier of dry skin and allow the moisturiser to penetrate better.

• Layer up the moisture, start with moisturising soaps and bath soaks.

• Pat dry with a towel, and apply the moisturiser to your skin when damp (not completely dry), to help lock the water into the skin.

• If you are smell sensitive or have rashes, opt for fragrance free products which won’t aggravate your nose or skin.

• After application, give yourself several minutes before dressing.  Let the skin absorb as much of the moisturiser as possible, undisturbed. This is especially important if you’re using a body oil.

Lastly, if you’ve developed eczema or psoriasis during treatment or due to stress, E45 and Bioskin (shown above), are recommended by sufferers.  If your condition is bad or continues for a period of time, don’t suffer in silence, speak to your GP and ask for a referral to a dermatologist.  You may need a short course of medicated treatment before switching to shop bought products.

Happy health,

Lulu x