Know Your Triggers & Calm The Itch

How to spot your eczema or psoriasis triggers, calm the itch, and help your skin recover.

A practical guide for anyone dealing with eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea-prone dryness, or sensitive skin flare-ups.

Important: This guide is educational and is not a medical diagnosis or a cure. Eczema and psoriasis can be long-term inflammatory skin conditions. The aim here is to help you reduce flare-ups, calm irritated skin, and understand when to ask a GP, pharmacist, or dermatologist for support.

1. What causes eczema flare-ups?

Most flare-ups are not random. They usually happen when your skin barrier is weakened, your immune system is compromised, or your body is reacting to a personal trigger. That trigger might be environmental, dietary, hormonal, emotional, seasonal, or a mixture of several things at once.

The frustrating part is that the trigger is not always obvious. A flare-up may appear hours or even days after the thing that caused it. That is why a simple skin diary can be genuinely powerful.

2. Common eczema and psoriasis triggers to watch

Environmental and household triggers

• Laundry detergent, biological washing powder, fabric conditioner, fragrance boosters, dryer sheets, or residue left in clothes and bedding.
• Scented soaps, shower gels, bubble bath, deodorants, aftershaves, perfumes, fragranced moisturisers, and essential-oil-heavy products on broken or highly reactive skin.
• Harsh surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in some soaps, shampoos, and cleansers.
• Hot showers, long baths, over-washing, chlorinated pools, and not moisturising immediately afterwards.
• Cold weather, central heating, dry air, sudden temperature changes, sweating, friction, wool, rough fabrics, tight collars, gloves, or waistbands.
• Dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mould, workplace chemicals, cleaning sprays, hand sanitiser, and frequent hand washing.

Dietary and lifestyle triggers

• Alcohol, high sugar intake, ultra-processed foods, or large amounts of refined carbohydrates may worsen inflammation for some people.
• Some people notice patterns with dairy, gluten, spicy foods, eggs, tomatoes, citrus, or specific additives – but this is very individual, so avoid cutting out major food groups without a clear pattern or professional advice.
• Dehydration, poor sleep, stress, illness, and emotional overload can all lower resilience and make itching feel more intense.

Hormonal and internal triggers

• Menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause, and thyroid or immune changes can affect skin behaviour.
• For psoriasis, infections, stress, smoking, alcohol, skin injuries, and some medicines can be relevant triggers for certain people.

3. The 14-day skin diary

For two weeks, track your skin like a detective, not a critic. You are looking for patterns, not perfection.

• Where is the flare? Face, hands, elbows, scalp, legs, folds of skin, eyelids, lips, or another area?
• How does it feel? Itchy, burning, tight, cracked, weeping, scaly, sore, hot, or swollen?
• What touched your skin? Laundry products, soap, shampoo, cleaning products, skincare, perfume, clothing, gloves, jewellery, bedding, or workplace materials.
• What happened in the last 24-72 hours? Stress, poor sleep, alcohol, new food, exercise/sweating, illness, travel, weather change, or hormonal changes.
• What helped? Cold compress, moisturiser, Rescue Balm, prescribed cream, oatmeal bath, antihistamine, loose clothing, or avoiding heat.
• Score itch from 0-10 morning and evening. This helps you see improvement even before the skin looks better.

Pattern to look for: if the same product, food, fabric, weather condition, or stress pattern appears before several flares, it is worth testing a careful avoidance period.

4. What to do when a flare-up starts

Step 1: Cool the itch quickly

• Use a cool compress for 5-10 minutes. Do not put ice directly on the skin.
• Choose a short lukewarm shower rather than a hot bath or long shower.
• Pat skin dry – do not rub – then moisturise while the skin is still slightly damp.
• Keep nails short. At night, cotton gloves or soft sleeves can reduce damage from unconscious scratching.
• Try pressing, tapping, or gently pinching near the itchy area instead of scratching through the skin.

Step 2: Rebuild the barrier

Dry, cracked skin loses water and lets irritants in more easily. A balm or ointment helps by softening the skin and creating a protective layer so the skin has a better chance to calm down.

This is where Rescue Balm fits in. It was created to give very dry, reactive skin a simple, comforting barrier. Ingredients such as olive oil, hemp seed oil, safflower seed oil, beeswax, calendula, chamomile, chickweed, nettle, rosehip, and vitamin E are chosen for their skin-conditioning, moisturising, barrier-supporting, and soothing feel. Beeswax helps form a breathable protective layer, while the oils help soften tight, flaky skin and reduce the dry feeling that often drives scratching.

Patch test first, especially if your skin is broken, highly inflamed, or reactive to botanicals or essential oils. Apply a tiny amount to a small area and wait 24 hours. Stop using anything that stings badly, burns, or makes the flare worse.

Step 3: Use the right treatment for the right problem

• Emollients and balms: helpful for dryness, tightness, barrier support, and reducing the urge to scratch.
• Topical corticosteroids: often prescribed for eczema flares to reduce inflammation. Use the strength and duration recommended by your GP, pharmacist, or dermatologist.
• Psoriasis treatments: may include emollients, topical steroids, vitamin D creams or ointments, coal tar, scalp treatments, light therapy, or systemic treatments depending on severity.
• Antihistamines: may help some people sleep if itching is disturbing sleep, but they do not treat the underlying skin inflammation.
• Seek medical advice if skin is weeping, crusting, hot, painful, rapidly spreading, infected-looking, or not improving.

5. Oatmeal baths and DIY itch relief

Colloidal oatmeal is finely ground oatmeal that disperses in water and can leave a soothing film on the skin. Many people find it helpful during itchy, dry flare-ups.

Simple oatmeal bath

• Blend plain, unflavoured oats into a very fine powder. The finer it is, the better it disperses.
• Add around 1 cup to a lukewarm bath and stir until the water looks milky.
• Soak for 10-15 minutes, then gently pat dry.
• Apply an emollient or balm straight afterwards to lock in moisture.

Oatmeal shower pouch

• Put finely ground oats into a clean muslin cloth, cotton sock, or reusable tea bag.
• Run lukewarm water through it and gently squeeze the milky liquid over itchy areas.
• Do not scrub. Let it soothe, rinse lightly if needed, pat dry, then moisturise.

Avoid hot water, fragranced bath products, and vigorous towel drying. These can restart the itch-scratch cycle.

6. Reduce triggers at home

Laundry

• Switch to a fragrance-free, non-biological detergent designed for sensitive skin.
• Skip fabric conditioner, fragrance beads, dryer sheets, and heavily scented laundry products.
• Use an extra rinse cycle for bedding, towels, underwear, baby clothes, gym clothes, and anything worn next to irritated skin.

Washing and skincare

• Use soap-free, fragrance-free cleansers or emollient washes where possible.
• Avoid strong scrubs, exfoliating acids, retinoids, aftershave, perfume, and essential oils directly on active flares unless advised.
• Moisturise after every wash, especially hands, face, lips, elbows, knees, and any area that cracks or flakes.

Clothing and bedding

• Choose soft cotton, bamboo, silk, or smooth breathable fabrics next to skin.
• Avoid scratchy wool or rough synthetics during flares.
• Keep bedrooms cool and consider a humidifier if central heating dries the air badly.

7. What about UV therapy and newer treatments?

Phototherapy uses controlled ultraviolet light under medical supervision. It is not the same as using sunbeds, which are not recommended as a substitute. UVB phototherapy may be offered for more widespread eczema or psoriasis that has not responded well enough to topical treatment. It can be particularly useful when large areas are affected, when plaques are persistent, or when repeated flare-ups are affecting quality of life.

For moderate to severe eczema or psoriasis, dermatologists may also consider prescription options such as stronger topical treatments, calcineurin inhibitors, tablet medicines, injections, or biologic treatments. These are decisions to make with a clinician, especially if the condition is severe, infected, painful, affecting sleep, or affecting your confidence and daily life.

8. The honest truth: relief is not the same as a cure

A balm, oatmeal bath, cold compress, or prescribed cream can calm a flare and give your skin space to heal. That matters. Relief is not a small thing when your skin is driving you mad.

But long-term improvement usually comes from identifying your personal triggers and reducing them in daily life. That might mean changing laundry products, avoiding hot showers, managing stress, simplifying skincare, treating infection, improving sleep, or getting medical support for more persistent inflammation.

The goal is simple: calm the flare, protect the skin barrier, stop the scratching, then use your diary to prevent the next flare from becoming inevitable.

Quick flare-up checklist

• Cool the itch: cold compress or lukewarm rinse.
• Do not scratch: press, tap, cover, or protect the area.
• Moisturise fast: apply balm or emollient while skin is slightly damp.
• Remove likely irritants: fragrance, detergent residue, wool, heat, sweat, harsh soap.
• Record the flare: location, severity, possible triggers, and what helped.
• Seek help if infected, painful, spreading, or not improving.

Helpful sources

This guide was written using general patient guidance from the NHS, NICE/BNF, National Eczema Association, National Eczema Society, Allergy UK, and dermatology guidance on eczema, psoriasis, emollients, topical treatments, itch management, oatmeal, and phototherapy.