Woman swears by natural ointment which cleared up painful eczema - and it costs just £8

A woman who has suffered with painful eczema all her life says an all-natural ointment was the key to regaining control of her skin condition.

Lowri Hawkins, 21, has been suffering with dry, itchy and inflamed skin since she was a baby.

Flare-ups caused by the allergic-type condition can become so severe that they cover her entire body and face, leaving “flakes” of skin on her sheets the next morning.

The postgraduate from Shropshire has been trying different products for years with only short-term relief from her symptoms.

Lowri says: “I was diagnosed as a baby, I apparently came up all dry and flaked off not long after I was born and from then on I’ve suffered with the condition."

“As a child I was hospitalised for it and tried every cream under the sun but nothing seems to agree with me for very long.

Lowri says she has tried "every cream under the sun" but nothing seems to work on her skin (Jam Press)

“Doctors are pretty clueless when it comes to eczema in my experience, as there is no cure. They work really hard in helping the symptoms, but finding the cause is another story.

“They have always been unsure on why I have it and even allergy testing has been inconclusive to this day. No one in my family has had it before me.”

Lowri’s flare-ups also prevent her from being able to sleep at night, and have affected her confidence.

Lowri's condition means showering is painful and she's even been forced to vacuum her bedsheets to remove flakes of skin (Jam Press)

She said: “When I have a flare-up it can either be an all-over body rash that makes wearing clothes sore and sleeping a nightmare, or it’ll just be localised to my face and joint creases.

"When it’s bad on my face it makes me feel very self-conscious.

“I’ve had flare-ups so bad that I’ve needed to hoover my bed every morning and showering has been so painful,” she added.

“But I have always been very confident in myself and I’m very good at getting on with life. It only stops me when the eczema is really angry and hurts"

Lowri says her itchy and inflamed skin makes her extremely self-conscious about her appearance (Jam Press)

Lowri has also been on the receiving end of unwanted comments from others about her appearance.

She said: “Most of the time when someone commented on my skin it was meant in the nicest way, but once before someone asked me if I’d had my eyebrows done and it was just a bad flare-up on my face.

“Sometimes it can be really hurtful even when there is intention to be mean. Also staring is just the worst thing anyone can do when your skin is red and flaky!”

Lowri has been trying to regain control of her skin for years (Jam Press)

In January 2020, after years of suffering and trying every product possible to reduce the symptoms of her eczema, Lowri gave a new all-natural, unscented ointment a go - and it ended up being a life-changing switch.

She said: “I discovered Skin Salvation by Balmonds in January of this year after wanting to opt for more natural moisturisers for my face.

“I’ve tried so many different products on my face which have only worked in short bursts, whereas this is now my go-to and still continues to work really well.

The postgraduate says she has finally found a salve that works effectively (Jam Press)

“So I use this every morning and evening as my chosen facial moisturiser.

"And if I need it on localised parts of my body I will use it and it seems to work really well in calming the skin down if it’s inflamed. I honestly think the ingredients are just right for me and the consistency leaves a lovely layer of hydration that lasts.”

On Balmond's website, a 30ml tub of the moisturiser costs £7.99 plus delivery.

Many eczema creams contain steroids, which can present side effects, but Lowri is now happily “steriod-free”, although she still uses Protopic - and immunosuppressant drug - to manage flare-ups, in addition to Skin Salvation.