What are eczema friendly clothes and how do they work?

If you or your child suffer from eczema, you’ll probably find that certain clothing can cause massive irritation. This can be due to the material the clothing is made from.  For example, synthetic materials, such as nylon and polyester, do not make for eczema friendly clothes. They can cause a great deal of sweating and irritation, which in turn causes itching.

Additionally, clothing with rough seams, itchy labels, or uncomfortable fastenings can cause further problems for those with eczema.

There are some fabric choices that are more eczema friendly than others when it comes to choosing clothing. Even better than this, there are now clothing choices that can actively treat eczema!

In this post, we’ll discuss the most eczema-friendly clothing choices available and the benefits of each.

Which materials make the most eczema friendly clothes?

Cotton clothing for eczema

Probably the most well-known material for eczema friendly clothes is cotton. It’s cool, it’s fairly absorbent and it allows the skin to breathe.

However, it’s important to note that if a material is labelled a ‘cotton rich blend,’ it’s not going to be 100 percent cotton. A significant proportion of polyester is likely to be included in the mix – not very eczema friendly!

It’s also a good idea to check that the seams and fastenings are flat and non-irritating to ensure that damaged skin Is not aggravated any further. Just because it’s 100 percent cotton, doesn’t mean that the garment doesn’t have rough seams, scratchy labels or inward turned hems and scratchy zippers, so its best to check.

Bamboo clothing for eczema

Bamboo is even more absorbent than cotton and is good at regulating temperature.  It’s also claimed to be antibacterial but as with any natural product, the level of anti-bacterial efficacy will vary from fabric batch to fabric batch, so its best to ask for certification from the manufacturer.

As with the ‘cotton rich blend’ labelling, keep an eye out for anything labelled ‘bamboo viscose.’ This is usually a mix of bamboo and either elastane, spandex, or lycra.  All three of these could make for very sweaty and irritating material!

Whilst 100 percent bamboo clothing may seem an attractive option, it’s worth noting that the process of manufacturing bamboo clothing involves a lot of chemicals and is not environmentally friendly.

Silk clothing for eczema

Silk keeps your skin cool, as well as being soft and breathable. Usually worn as undergarments, it’s a popular material for manufacturing ‘eczema friendly clothing’.

However, the downside is that silk usually pretty expensive, and it also can’t be washed as easily as other materials. Your eczema lotions and potions are very likely to stain silk clothing.

Clothing with technical coatings

There are only two brands that are coated with a coating that is designed to relieve dry skin, eczema and associated skin conditions and these are HappySkin® which is available to buy online and Dreamskin Health which is only available on prescription.  Both are ranges are covered with a clinically proven skin-like coating that kick starts the sensors just below the top layer of our skin that stop working when your child has eczema to start working again. When those sensors are working properly, they sense the conditions around us and manage the moisture levels that travels through our skin to keep at the right temperature, When skin is damaged our skin starts to suffer because moisture levels are not being managed, so it’s so important to get these skin sensors to work again, which is exactly what the Dreamskin coating does.
HappySkin clothing is made from supersoft Tencel and cotton, creating a fabric that adds the breathability of Tencel’s environmentally friendly cellulose fibre and easy care cotton.

Unlike other ‘eczema-friendly’ clothing, that are just comfortable cotton clothing, the Dreamskin^® coating on these HappySkin^® garments is the magic ingredient that makes all the difference. The structure of the Dreamskin^® coating is almost identical to the top layer of our skin so when your baby wears this coated garment next to its damaged skin, the skin sensors think they are close to healthy skin and start to function normally again, managing moisture levels in our body again and results show that the scratch-itch cycle is reversed with redness subsiding within a matter of hours of use.

HappySkin® clothing has flat seams that are designed not to run under arms to avoid unnecessary rubbing and contain no rough fastenings or sharp labels. The DreamSkin® technology also shields your child’s skin from unwanted irritants that are often found in laundry detergents, and also provides anti-bacterial protection.

Try our eczema friendly clothes for children and babies

We’d recommend our eczema friendly clothing to anyone whose baby or child is suffering with itchy, sensitive, or inflamed skin due to eczema.

If you’re unsure about buying our products for the first time, start with the socks – they’re our lowest-priced product. When you see how well they work to treat your baby’s eczema, you’ll definitely be back for more HappySkin® eczema friendly clothing. For other eczema treatments for babies and children, please read our full guide here.

If you have any questions about HappySkin® clothing, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly customer service team by emailing hello@happy-skin.com.