I have been struggling with Excoriation Disorder (compulsive skin picking) for over a decade now. As a younger child I used to pick at my back, but as I got older, this transitioned to picking at my legs. Caring for my skin in these areas has been difficult. I have continued to shave my legs, as I have noticed I pick more when there is hair growth; and I have tried what feels like hundreds of creams and body lotions to help with the healing process, and to try to minimise scars. I still intend to seek professional help to discuss options of scar removal (or even tattooing), but these are the products I have tried and tested over the years.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter – £3.65
My mum recommended Palmer’s Cocoa Butter to me as she had used it during pregnancy to help reduce stretch marks. I have used up several tubs of the stuff and still don’t know if I like it. On good skin it applies well and feels comfortable, but on broken skin, it forms an artificial surface, preventing a natural scab from healing. Also after using it so much, I now absolutely sick of the smell of it.
Score: 6/10
Lush Massage Bar (Holy Berry) – £6 to £8
I picked up my first Lush Massage Bar in the original Lush Store in Poole. It was just after Christmas, so the Holy Berry was half price. This bar soon became a firm favourite and I used it up within 3 months. I loved that I physically had to rub it up and down my skin, as it partially satiated my compulsion to pick. It left my skin feeling smooth, smelling great, and best of all, it barely irritated areas of open skin!
Note: Be mindful of is the amount of pressure used when applying it.
Score: 9/10
Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter – £15
The Body Shop is a brand I have loved for a long time, but when my legs became really bad, I found their scented body lotions (especially their Vitamin E range) to be incredibly irritating on broken skin. Because of this I overlooked their body butters too. On a whim, I tried one of the body butters I had kept in my stash, and to my surprise, it didn’t irritate my skin. Now I consider it one of the best body butters on the market for my problem skin, and I am excited to try more scents in their range.
Score: 9/10
Soap and Glory Body Lotion (Smoothie Star) – £10
And finally, my (current) favourite body lotion is… Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk! I love this lotion so much. It feel incredibly on my skin, smells gorgeous, and absolutely no irritation! With this, I have created and stuck to a diligent routine of application twice daily, once in the morning, and once at night. I love that it comes in a pump bottle, as I feel it adds to the rituality of my routine.
Score: 10/10
Sadly, it doesn’t seem that Soap and Glory still make this particular lotion, however the Righteous Butter Body Lotion looks very similar.
Mental et Moi 