CHOC BUBBLE SLICE!

Hey Everyone!

So I know its only Friday, but I am working tomorrow so I thought I would give you all a recipe today!

I decided to do a bit of an experiment the other day, and it turned out quite well, so when  I tried it again, I thought I should share it with you all!

With Christmas next week, we are all looking for quick and easy allergy friendly treats for the big day or for parties beforehand. So here is my Choc Bubble Slice!

What you will need:

1 bag Marshmallows (regular size)
2 Cups Rice Bubbles
1/2 bag Sweet William Chocolate Chips
1 small spoon of dairy free butter

1 Slice Tray
Baking Paper to cover tray
Saucepan

What you will need to do!

1. Place the saucepan on a very low heat and place butter in to melt
2. Once the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted
3. Add Rice Bubbles and mix with a wooden spoon until combined
4. Pour into slice tray that has been lined with baking paper
5. Even out the mixture
6. Melt 1/2 a bag of the choc chips (you can add more if you like)
7. Once melted, pour into an even layer over the rice bubble mix
8. Place in the fridge until cooled and set
9. Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Summer Sun, Eczema and Swimming!

Summer in Aus means beach, pool and lake time! Swimming is a key part of summer and is so much fun, but how can one manage chlorine and eczema?

At home, we have a pool. When my parents bought the house, it didn't have one, but they decided to put a pool in so that the kids could stay cool and have some fun!

Chlorine is not eczema's best friend, so when the pool was put in it was decided that it would be a salt water pool. That does not mean that there is no chlorine in the pool, just that there is less than a chlorinated pool!

I do believe there is now a completely chlorine free pool (called HydroxyPure, if you are interested you will have to do some research!) But the vast majority of pools do have some levels of Chlorine.

So here are my top tips!

1) Protective Barrier
It can be important to let as little chlorine on the skin as possible. So using a sunscreen before swimming is not only sun safe, but can add as a protective barrier for the skin!

2) Rinse it off
A shower immediately after swimming is a must! Even if it is just a quick rinse to get all the chlorine off the skin, but obviously a proper shower is best.

3) Moisturise Moisturise Moisturise!
The best advice is to lather on that moisturiser after swimming! Chlorine dries out the skin, which can then aggravate the eczema. It is important to moisturise well after swimming, straight after the chlorine has been rinsed off the skin.

Good Luck and Have fun in those pools this summer! :)

Skin Problems: There always has to be one!

So this past weekend held my 18th Birthday! (Sorry for the lack of Recipe Saturday!)

I had an awesome birthday with an abundance of cool surprises from my friends and family.

I spent the week beforehand buying cream and being extremely careful with my skin to ensure it was perfect for my birthday. However, I have found that something always has to go wrong...

If you do not know what an epilady is, I'll try and explain it. It is an alternative to shaving or waxing, and is essentially rotating tweezers that grab the hair and pull it out by the roots.

I have used one a couple of times on my legs with no problems. I decided to use the epilady as it lasts longer in terms of the hair growing back.

So on friday night I used it on my legs, and as usual for me, I got a bit of shaving rash.

On Saturday morning I started my new job and noticed my legs were a bit itchy, and by saturday night I could see little bumps appearing on my skin. By Sunday, It hurt to walk on my legs and I realised that sadly, they were infected.

I cant say that I am happy about this, it frustrates me that I try so hard for my skin to be under control, and something always has to screw it up!

Right now I am trying to use salt scrubs, bi-carb, tea tree oil and cream to get it under control. Im curious to know if any of you have had a similar experience, or if you have any tips for me!

Have a great day :)

Getting Eczema Under Control

Special events mean that we want to get rid of the eczema to look great on that special day!

But as we all know, with eczema this can be really hard! So this week leading up to my birthday I am trying super hard to clear up my skin! So here is what I am doing over the next week.

1) Oats Oats Oats!

Washing my skin in oats will reduce itching and redness and keep my skin soft and with moisturiser, hopefully keep it under control!

2) Avene Products

The set of products by Avene are great for eczema and definitely help reduce the redness and breakouts of eczema!

The Thermal Spring Water helps to reduce redness, heat and itching.
Cicalfate ( a cream) also helps to quickly reduce the symptoms of a flare
Emollient Cleansing Gel: I tried this last night for the first time and it reduced the redness in my face and combined with the cicalfate has left my face a bit better this morning!

3) Flare Up Baths

Using QV Flare Up Bath Oil to help reduce the eczema on my body

4) Avoiding Triggers

This one may seem obvious, but by avoiding triggers such as excess sugar, salt, citrus; avoiding high dust/pollen environments or any other triggers particular to you, you can reduce a flare up a bit easier!

5) Bi-Carb

Bi-Carb, as I have said before, balances the PH on the skin, which is super important for those with eczema. So during this week I am going to shower and bathe in not only oats, but Bi-Carb as well!

I hope you are all having a lovely day! Let me know if you have any other tips :)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies!

I had the urge to bake yesterday, so I did! But I decided to do a bit of an experiment, and it worked! 

Presenting, Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies!

What you will need:

225g Plain Flour

115g Rice Flour

115g Caster Sugar

1 pinch Salt

225g Butter (Room Temperature)

1 bag Sweet William Chocolate Chips

How you will create them!

1. Sift Plain Flour, Rice Flour and Caster Sugar into a bowl

2. Add Salt and Stir

3. Rub in butter until it resembles breadcrumbs

4. Knead until a smooth dough forms

5. Add Choc Chips and knead them into the dough

6. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and shape into cookies!

7. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown!

Sit back and enjoy your cookies once cooled!

Delicious Tip: If you are looking for an interesting way to eat your cookie, place a marshmallow on top and microwave for approx 10 seconds or until the marshmallow is slightly melted! It makes a delicious treat! 

Eczema on the Scalp

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I would like to talk about getting eczema on the scalp.

We all know that eczema can affect the entire body, from head to toe, but nobody really talks about it!

I personally have eczema on my scalp, which can be very frustrating!

With other pa6rts of the body, you can treat the eczema with creams and other treatments, but on the scalp, its a lot harder.

You cannot really moisturise your scalp twice a day with sorbolene or use steroid creams on your scalp, especially because of your hair.

It has been a long trial and error of different products, but I have come up with three that have personally worked wonders!

1) A Bit Hippy

This is a company worth celebrating! I love their shampoo and conditioner which effectively reduces itching and scaling on the scalp! The link to their online store and stockists: http://abithippy.com.au

Worth looking into!

2) Bi-Carb

Okay so I know you are looking at your screen like "Is she crazy?" Well yes, but thats a different story! :P

Bi- Carb balances the PH levels on the skin, so it is great in a  bath for eczema, but you can also use it as a shampoo!

Simply mix some into a paste with water and add to wet hair! It feels very gross but when you wash it out and dry your hair, its very soft!

3) This one may be a little harder to find!

I^ found that Dr Michaels Scalp and Body Cleansing Gel works extremely well at stopping the itching and really reduces the scaling on the scalp! I used this for a few weeks and I was almost eczema free!

Link to online shop: http://www.psoriasisandskinclinic.com/prod_display.php?p_id=11


Remember everyone; all these treatments may have worked for me, but that might not mean it will work for you! Consult with your doctor before use :)

I hope this may have helped you out, have a great day and I will see you all tomorrow!

Friday Postives: Eczema as a talking point

Good Morning! Its finally friday and that means it's another installment of positive things about eczema!

When I started this blog I said that I wanted to educate people about eczema and allergies, as though they are common, it is not something that is common knowledge.

What I have found is that eczema is a great talking point in conversations and can help you to meet some amazing people.

Here is an example:

The other day I was at work and chatting to one of my customers, who remarked on how nice my skin looked. The past few days my face and neck have been in flare, so this compliment was nice and brightened my day!

This lovely lady was purchasing a rather large amount of product, so we had some time to chat. We ended up talking about eczema and allergies and she told me that her niece had eczema but she still didn't quite know much about it. We remarked on the statistics, and how with 1 in 5 children having eczema or allergies, it is astounding that it is not a common talking point.

I walked away from that conversation feeling happy for a few reasons. Number One; I felt as if I had helped her to understand a bit more and Number Two; I felt happier knowing that whilst I felt like a swollen red panda ( how I feel when my face is swollen in flare) I didn't look like it!

Now I know that sounds a bit vain, but I'm sure you all understand that when you are in flare, you don't feel the best!

This is just one example, there are many occasions where I have been talking to people in chemists, at work or university and the topic has turned to eczema. Slowly but surely, I believe we are making headway in educating more and more people about what eczema is and showing them that it is a part of everyday life!

I remember being in a chemist one evening with my mother, waiting in line to pay for the vast amount of moisturizer, creams and medication that unfortunately comes with eczema and flares. The gentlemen behind us grabbed our attention and said: I'm sorry, but if you do not mind me asking, do you have eczema?

He seemed extremely apologetic for asking, and when we queried why, he said people have been offended and do not want to talk about it! What followed was a lovely conversation as we discussed eczema, as his wife suffers from it as well!

Eczema doesn't have to always be a negative, it can be a positive thing as well! It can encourage conversation, and if you find someone going through the same thing, it can help both of you!

I hope everyone has an absolutely lovely day today, and keep smiling!

P.S Please excuse the posting schedule this weekend, work is piling up like crazy due to Christmas!