Eczema miracle (Lush Dream Cream)

Member Name: Monacat

Product:	Lush Dream Cream
Date:	10/10/02 (3718 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tames eczema, Feels lovely, Vegan and not tested on animals

Disadvantages: The pot is slightly unwieldy

I didn't think miracle creams existed. It's what you always hope for when you buy a new beauty product - an instant and obvious effect. I know that eczema is a strange ailment which behaves differently in different people, so I wouldn't like all eczema sufferers to get their hopes up - but this cream has very nearly eradicated mine!

I have only had eczema for two years, since my late twenties, but recently it had been getting quite bad. Both my shins were covered in a sore, itchy, bumpy red rash and infected pustules had begun to appear (hope you weren't eating...) I know that severe eczema is much worse than this, but still I found it uncomfortable and unsightly and was very keen to get it under control. I'd had hydro-cortisone cream from the doctor, but it only reduced the symptoms slightly and the pharmacist told me not to use it for more than a few weeks, which wasn't long enough to have much effect. Aqueous cream was slightly better, as could be used more often and for longer, but all it did was stop the rash getting much worse. I seemed to be stuck with two maddeningly itchy unattractive bright red patches.

Then I happened to mention my eczema to a Lush shop assistant (one of a wonderful breed of friendly, patient, well-informed people). She recommended Dream Cream. I bought a pot, rubbed it on before I went to bed and the next morning my skin was transformed! I'm not kidding: it literally happened overnight. My shins looked like they were covered in skin again instead of an angry red mess! The bumps had gone and though the patches were still red, the redness had faded markedly and the skin was smooth, not scaly, and didn't itch at all. I was absolutely amazed.

That was about 3 weeks ago and I've continued to use the cream 2-3 times a day. The eczema has almost completely disappeared from one leg and is hardly noticeable on the other. It hasn't cured it - I still get itchy occasi

onally - but it has brought about a miraculous improvement. None of the other products even began to approach the effect Lush's wonderful cream had.

So what's in it? Oat milk, rose water, olive oil, glycerine and cocoa butter for starters; the most skin-soothing essential oils: chamomile, tea tree and lavender; tincture of benzoin (whatever that is), rose absolute and more!

What's it like to use? It has a fairly thin, smooth texture and feels wonderfully cool and moist on the skin. The scent is hard to describe. Not floral - maybe herbal? It's not a strong smell at all. The cream is white in colour.

Down to practicalities: Dream Cream costs £6.95 for 240g. I've used about a tenth of the pot in 3 weeks, so it should last for ages. The thin consistency means you don't have to use much. The design has changed since the picture on this page: it now comes in a black plant-pot shaped container. The pot has a push-on lid and doesn't have rigid sides so one of these days I know I'm going to knock it over when I'm trying to replace the lid, but so far I haven't.

Lush has shops in all major cities. I've seen branches in Nottingham, Brighton, London, Canterbury and York. You can also order from their website at www.lush.co.uk, though I find the site rather slow to load and the shops are so lovely that I'd much rather go in person. I'm lucky enough to work 10 minutes' walk from the London Covent Garden branch (my bank manager doesn't agree that this is lucky).

I wouldn't be without this product now. I always take it with me when I go away, even for one night, though the pot is quite heavy. On the Lush website, other eczema sufferers are quoted as saying that it really works for them; if you have eczema, I hope it works for you too.

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