A Guide to Eczema-Friendly Gifts

Christmas is just around the corner and If you’re anything like me, you know that Christmas shopping is tough, especially when your friend and/or family member has eczema. What if you buy them a scarf that irritates their skin? What if you buy them moisturizer and it burns their skin instead of soothing it? Well, fear no more! I’m here to share my tips on buying gifts for your loved ones with eczema.

Avoid generic topicals and soaps

Have you ever been to Walmart, found a well-priced soap that smelled wonderful and thought “Hey, maybe I’ll get this for x!” Well, that may not be the best idea. Everyone’s eczema is different, some people can use generic topical products and soaps on their skin and don't have any problems at all. However, there are some, like myself, who must be careful with what they use. For instance, I can’t have anything with red dye touch my skin or I will break out in a flare, hives, and I start feeling sick. Obviously, everyone’s different, but if you’re going to buy something of that caliber, I suggest making sure you know what brand they like. Nothing is more embarrassing than having to decline a gift.

Avoid scratchy fabrics

I love sweaters probably more than your average person, however, buying them and finding ones that aren’t itchy or weird is hard! That leads me into my next tip, avoid scratchy fabrics as much as possible! Although it’s sweet to give your loved one a goofy Christmas sweater or a poofy scarf, you might be giving them something that will bother their eczema! I’ve had this happen before, a dear friend gave me a scarf for my birthday one year, it was adorable, but once I put it on, I had to immediately take it off due to the fabric. It was bothering my recent flare-up near my neck and felt terrible on my skin. If you want to buy them something like a sweater, scarf, gloves, etc. I’d suggest talking to their other close friends and family, they’ll probably have a good idea of what bothers the person's skin the most and maybe will even know what type of fabric they do like!

Limit food-type gifts

Now, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good batch of cookies for Christmas? I know I’m always happy when a family member brings over cookies, however, sometimes getting food can be dangerous. Sometimes gluten can cause flares in certain people, same goes for food dye, and you might even get a treat that has high fructose corn syrup, which also can cause a flare-up. If you’re going to buy or bake goodies, make sure you know what they are able to eat. A loved one probably knows what treats bother them and what doesn’t.

Conclusion

The best tip I can give I can give you is to always listen to what bothers your loved one’s eczema, whether it be a certain brand of soap or a brand of cupcakes that make them flare, showing that you listened and actively avoided those things will make that loved one feel even more special.