Although my twin boys are identical and genetically made up the same way that does not mean they suffer the same ailments or to the same degree which actually surprises me considering one has certain allergies and the other does not. When it comes to suffering from eczema both my boys suffer but one of my sons a lot worse than his sibling. My son who suffers less severely at worst gets a few dry red patches every so often. My son who suffers really badly (and unfortunately is the one who has a lot of allergies!) has constantly dry scaly skin on most of his body and he can suffer red angry flare ups that can make him itch so much that they bleed. As a parent this is awful and as soon as I could see my boys suffering I took them to the doctors and one of the (many) products I was prescribed was the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula.


***Oilatum Junior Bath Formula***
Oilatum Junior Bath Formula has been specially developed for children and babies with eczema and dry skin. It is a gentle formula which you put in a child's bath which soothes and re-hydrates the skin and provides protection to stop skin drying out further.

The product is suitable to use from birth and is fragrance and colour free although when poured into the bath it does make a "cloudy" bath. The Oilatum Junior Bath Formula comes in a 250ml white bottle with screw off lid.

The Oilatum Junior Bath Formula is available from Boots, Amazon and most chemists however it is often behind the counter and you may need to ask about it. If you have to purchase this product it costs £5.10 for a 250ml bottle. A 250ml bottle lasts us around 3 weeks therefore you do go through this product very quickly but obviously if your child is suffering it is a small price to pay. My boys are prescribed this on a repeat prescription and I have found most pharmacies I have collected the prescription from (Asda, Tesco and Lloyds) stock this product.


***Our Experience***
We have been using this product in the bath for my boys since they were first prescribed it at around 12 months old. At this time I had mentioned to my health visitor that my boys seemed to have problematic skin and I was advised of many other "traditional" suggestions (i.e. baby oil etc) before I decided enough was enough and went to see my doctor. When I was first prescribed the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula both my sons skin was probably at its worst. My son who suffers less severely had a number of patches of dry skin on his back and legs, whereas my son with the worst case of eczema was totally covered in dry skin patches and had very sore red inflamed patches of skin in the creases of his arms and legs.

When used initially I did not see instant results but both my sons skin had improved greatly within a week of using daily. The Oilatum Junior Bath Formula is very easy to use as you simply pour 2 capfuls of this product to the bath when filling. As soon as you pour the liquid into the bath the bath goes a murky milky colour which is not the most pleasant but has no smell to it and also produces no bubbles. You simply wash your child all over and the product goes to work. When you get your child out of the bath you can notice they feel slightly greasy and there is a film on their skin but this is not the same slippy greasy type feel that you get if you put baby oil into their bath. You then dry your child as normal.

I found that within a week of initial use my son that suffers less had virtually no dry patches of skin on his body and his skin all over felt very smooth. My son who suffers more from eczema still had a number of dry patches of skin on his back however all of the red angry flare ups had completely disappeared and although these were dry they were not red and causing him to scratch and make himself bleed. I used this product for 6 weeks initially until my prescription ran out and I could see a massive difference to both my sons' skin. They both felt a lot smoother and were not constantly scratching and there were not as many or no red patches of skin on their bodies. The product seemed to be working and keeping the product under control so I started to order the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula on repeat prescription.

Because of the severity of one of my sons' eczema I have not really used this product on its own I have used it alongside other eczema products so it is difficult to say how effective it is as a standalone treatment. However when we have ran out of the product and just used the other eczema creams alone my sons who suffers worse seemed to get more flare ups and my other sons skin did not feel as smooth.

I do think the results and effectiveness of this product will vary between individual child's as shown by my two sons over this last year of regular use. For my son who does not suffer as badly from his eczema the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula keeps his skin soft and very smooth and we never need to use steroid or stronger creams on his skin and if he does have a flare up it can be treated with an emollient type cream. For my other son who suffers a lot worse he needs to always use and emollient type cream with the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula and flare ups still happen. His skin is definitely softer but still has a rough appearance at times and it can break out with sore red patches that need a stronger treatment.

Aside from the varying results the only downside to this product is that when used daily you get through a bottle extremely quickly. We are prescribed 2 250ml bottles and these tend to last 6-7 weeks before I need another prescription. Obviously as I do not pay for this product it is not an issue but a larger sized bottle would be a lot more convenient for parents like myself who have to use this over a long term period.


***Overall***
Oilatum Junior Bath Formula is definitely a product I would recommend to other parents who have children with dry skin conditions and eczema as when used as part of the bath time routine it does help to keep a child's skin soft and minimises red sore flare ups that children with eczema suffer. As a parent (and child) it is very easy to use as you simply pour a few cap fulls into a child's bath and let them splash about/ wash as normal as it gets to work on their skin.

The effectiveness of Oilatum Junior Bath Formula will be dependent on the individual child's eczema or skin condition as for one of my (identical) twin boys the Oilatum bath formula plus a emollient cream is enough to keep his eczema under control and remain flare up free. However for his twin the Oilatum Junior Bath Formula helps to minimise the amount of flare ups and keeps his skin smoother but it does not completely stop flare ups and we do still have to use steroid based and stronger creams from time to time.

At £5.10 for a small 250ml bottle this is relatively expensive considering how quickly we seem to get through the bottle with my boys bathing daily. However for a suffering child it is definitely worth paying for as you do see results and you can also get this product on prescription for under 16's (as we do) therefore if your child suffers from skin conditions it is definitely worth consulting a doctor.

A great bath product for problem skin.