Source: N/A / Unilever
One of the biggest misconceptions about baby’s skin is that it’s soft. The truth is, it can be, until it’s not. That’s the case with my daughter. When she was a newborn, her skin started out soft and dewy, but then she got eczema. Babies and toddlers are actually prone to eczema and dryness in part because their skin loses moisture faster than adults. Hence, my now almost 3-year-old daughter was diagnosed with eczema last year. I also happen to have impossibly dry skin, especially in the winter time, and it’s usually a struggle for me to find moisturizing products, outside of prescriptions, that actually work.
A lot of products on the over-the-counter market are hit or miss so I’m always looking for something new to try even though I’m skeptical. That’s where Vaseline’s Clinical Care line comes in. It launched last October but I only recently learned of its existence. It’s described as a breakthrough range of dermatologist-tested, hypoallergenic body care product delivering clinical strength treatment and relief from a variety of skin conditions. The range consists of Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Healing Moisture Lotion, Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Overnight Cream, Dark Spot Rescue Moisturizing Hand Cream, Cracked Heel Rescue Foot Cream, Eczema Calming Therapy Cream, and Aging Skin Rescue Healing Moisture Lotion.
I reached out to the brand and got products from the entire line to try out. For the past month, I’ve been testing the Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Healing Moisture Lotion, Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Overnight Cream, and the Eczema Calming Therapy Cream on me and my daughter’s skin and I have good news to report: they work.
Prescriptions run out quickly because you don’t get that much, and they don’t always work in general. Over-the-counter things that kind of work are expensive (like in the $15-20 a bottle range) and give you very little product to work with. This product line, however, ranges from $3.49 to $5.99 and is actually effective. Each item is formulated with what Vaseline calls the Barrier Repair Complex, a three-ingredient blend of glycerin which delivers moisture directly to the skin, pro-lipids which creates a moisture barrier, and Vaseline jelly to help lock in moisture.
Let’s start with the Eczema Calming Therapy Cream because that was the most important one to me since it was for my daughter. It’s heartbreaking to see her scratching her skin like a maniac and complaining of itchiness even after she has already been lathered in whatever remedy that was supposed to work. I have been using the cream, which is hypoallergenic and contains colloidal oatmeal. on my daughter every day and it works by itself. Sometimes I have to layer in lotion and shea butter but I haven’t had to mix the cream with other items, and I don’t feel like I have to keep reapplying every few minutes. I put the product on her at night, after her bath, and then again in the morning and that seems to do the trick.
Speaking of bedtime, the overnight cream is a miracle. Point blank: it smooths my crusty hands and feet. Yes, my hands and feet are crusty because I’m a dancer. I dance as much as possible, and usually barefoot so I have to sacrifice my feet. I’m also into aerial hoop, which is very rough on your hands—callouses abound but it is what it is. With this cream, you put it on your hands and feet and leave it overnight., no fuss For best results, you can cover your feet and hands with socks and gloves but you don’t have to. I sure don’t because I hate that feeling, but I still wake up with supple, soft skin. The cream isn’t going to make any callouses magically disappear but it helps.
The Rescue Healing Moisture Lotion is good for basic everyday use. I put it on twice a day and find that I stay moisturized until I wash it off in some way and need to reapply.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with these, especially the eczema cream. They’re not intended to replace prescriptions but they do a great job preserving your melanin. The only thing I don’t like is that they’re not paraben free, phthalate free, etc but that obviously isn’t a deal breaker when you’re tired of being itchy.
