You’re in the right place if you want to stop itching like a maniac! And you’re ready to make big changes in the name of health and well-being and self-care!

Although there isn’t a cure for dermatographia (aka skin writing, dermographism, dermatographic urticaria), there are some things you can do to heal your skin and ease the itch. Many people find that antihistamines work well for them. I’ve also heard that Pepcid AC works. But there are plenty of other things you can do either in addition to antihistamines, or in place of them. If you’re like me, maybe you’re choosing to not take antihistamines because they make you feel crummy, or you don’t want extra stuff in your system. Or maybe you’re taking them to get you through while you’re making some of these changes. If either of these are you, read on…

First things first: it ain’t easy. To heal your skin from the inside out does take work. But it’s totally worth it, trust me. Not only will your skin feel better, but your whole body and mind will feel better too! And once you build new healthy habits it gets easier to incorporate more of them into your routine.

Also, I’m not a doctor. I’m just someone who’s been experimenting with her skin/diet/lifestyle/choices for at least 20 years to find out what helps heal her body. What works for me might not work for you, but I’m sharing all this in the hopes at least something will work for you too! Please talk to your doctor before making any big lifestyles changes or adding supplements to your routine.

Lastly, this post contains affiliate links. While I encourage you to shop local and from small businesses, if you do decide to order these products I will receive a little commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep Skintome running, so thank you in advance!

Step 1: Immediate ways to stop feeling so itchy
Okay, you’re ready to make some big changes in order to feel better, but in the meantime, let’s get the darn itch out of here! If you’re having an itch attach, here’s some things you can do to get immediate relief:
a. Spray some witch hazel mixed with water (about 3 parts water to 1 part witch hazel) to itchy skin. Or, this spray works really well too if you’d rather not make our own. For extra soothing properties, keep it in the fridge!
b. Gently rub on some of this amazing lotion by Babo Botanicals. It’s made for sensitive skin and is super moisturizing with no weird ingredients or scents.
c. Apply a cold compress or ice pack to kind of numb out the itch and soothe the hot irritation (does your itchy skin get hot or is it just me?).
d. Try rubbing some arnica gel on it! Arnica is anti-inflammatory and great for bruising or minor trauma as well. Plus it’s a helpful addition to your first aid kit, especially if you have a kid who’s prone to bonking into things (or maybe you are??)! This stuff is also extra soothing straight from the fridge.

 

 

 

Step 2: Drink tons of filtered water
If you’ve looked around on my blog or have been following me for awhile, you know I say this over and over. DRINK LOTS OF WATER! It’s so important to help flush out toxins and extra histamine, and it’s great for your skin. I’ve heard you should drink half your body weight (measured in pounds) in ounces. So if you weigh 175 pounds your ideal amount of water to drink per day is 87.5 ounces. That’s a lot of water!!

I personally use a Berkey water purification system with Pro One ceramic filters for my water, but you can use a Brita or Pro One with a ceramic filter or many other types of water filters to remove yucky stuff in tap water. Here’s a cheaper version of the Berkey if that’s more within your budget, and here’s a link for the smaller Berkey if you only have 1-3 people in your house.
It’s also not a great idea to drink bottled water all the time because it usually comes in plastic bottles. We get so much exposure to plastic every single day, it’s better to not get more exposure while drinking the water that’s supposed to help remove the toxins.

Step 3: Reduce your toxic load
Speaking of toxins and plastics, the more you can do to reduce the amount of toxins you ingest the better. That includes what you wear, eat, drink, touch and breathe, but the most important thing to start with is what you put on your skin. Look very closely at the products you’re putting directly on your skin: lotions, shampoos, soaps, makeup, deodorant, laundry detergent (okay you don’t rub this directly onto your skin, but your clothes do!), etc. If you have any question about whether or not what you’re putting on your skin is safe, look it up on the Environmental Working Group and their EWG rating system at EWG.org. You can also check out my Dermatographia page for products that are safe for your skin and the environment.

The big one to look out for is fragrance. Anything that has “fragrance” listed as an ingredient is highly suspect, because that could mean anything really. Even if it says it’s natural, if it doesn’t identify what the fragrance is or where it comes from, it’s probably toxic. Especially when it comes to laundry detergent!!! I beg of you, please switch to a clean laundry detergent immediately. Try these awesome detergent sheets from Clean People. They are plastic free and work great! And get rid of the dryer sheets and fragrance beads. They’re so bad for you and our planet!! I routinely get headaches when I’m around people who use strong smelling laundry stuff and/or who wear perfume/cologne. Once you’re sensitized to those fragrances (if you aren’t already), you might get headaches too. No need to walk around smelling like a scented candle!

Be wary of air fresheners too. The ones you hang in the car, Febreeze, scented candles, and similar products. If you need a freshening spray, try making your own. I put water in a glass spray bottle with some essential oil and spray that when I need to smell something fresh. I also spritz it on my hair. My favorite scents are lavender, geranium, clary sage, and peppermint.

Another way to reduce your toxic load is to buy organic whenever possible. That includes meat, fruit, veggies, etc. I’ve heard that organic veggies tend to have about 30% less pesticidal residue than conventional veggies. I’ll take it! That’s 30% less yucky stuff in my system. And even just eating a lot of fruits and vegetables helps your body detox because of all the fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals. Bonus: phytochemicals also strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation woohoo!

 

 

Step 4: Eat healthy, nutritious whole foods
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and avoid processed foods as much as possible. I know it’s impossible to not eat anything processed these days, but do your best. And if you do eat processed foods, check the ingredients list and stay away from anything with hydrogenated fats, GMOs, lots of added sugar and salt, and artificial flavors. I love Siete snacks and Paleovalley bars and beef sticks when I’m on the go.

Personally a Paleo approach really works for me–I’m not 100% Paleo but I do avoid gluten, dairy, most grains and beans. I eat eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat and dark chocolate, plus some gluten free/dairy free treats that I mostly make myself like muffins, bread and cookies. Paleo baking is super easy and mainly uses almond flour, which is more nutritious and filling than white flour. Find a way of eating that works for you. For example, some people are fine with eating lots of rice but it makes me tired so I don’t eat it very often. Keep a food diary and pay attention to what you were eating on days you became super itchy. Taking a probiotic might really help too.

If you’re having a hard time figuring out what’s making you feel yucky, try an elimination diet. I wrote about doing one here, or you can also try the Whole 30 approach which offers guidance for what to eat and how to reintroduce foods effectively. Once you start making these changes it gets easier and easier with each passing day. Food is your fuel, so it’s important to fuel your body with the best stuff to feel your best! It’s like I always tell my son: this is the one and only body you get for your entire life, so you better take good care of it!

Limit or put an end to your intake of juices, soda and alcohol, and stick to water as much as possible. I’ve found that electrolytes keep me very hydrated and the ones by LMNT taste great and come in fun flavors!

Ultimately you’re going to have to find what works for you and stick with it to make lasting changes. And don’t be too hard on yourself–it’s totally fine to indulge! As time goes by and you (and your tastebuds) get used to a new way of eating, you’ll no longer be tempted by things that aren’t great for you to eat. I gave up cheese and dairy 7 years ago because it gave me terrible morning sickness while I was pregnant, and I never went back. This is a big deal for me because I was a cheese junky! Now when I taste cheese or ice cream it tastes gross to me. My tastebuds have changed! And vegan cheese ain’t all that bad lol.

Step 5: Reduce stress and make time for yourself
I don’t want to add more to your plate but…. you gotta find ways to reduce stress! Now! Do it NOW!!! Ha ha jk. But seriously, your body does a better job healing if you’re relaxed. It helps to check in with yourself throughout the day. How do your shoulders feel? Would they feel better if you went for a quick walk or did some shoulder rolls or something similar? What about your neck? Breathe into your neck and head area to bring awareness and relieve tension. Body scans are super helpful to bring awareness, especially if you’re in a stressful situation or have been sitting for long periods of time. For example, when I get nervous or wary, my shoulders creep up by my ears and get super tense. I’m working on relaxing them as quickly as possible, but I have to notice how tense I am first. So I take a moment to check in. Lately I’ve been clenching my jaw too, so at night I massage my jaw muscles with a gua sha tool. It helps me sleep better.

Get plenty of rest and sleep to feel your best! Sleep is so important. When I’m tired I get super stressed and crabby. Not good. I try to be asleep by 10:00pm because my son wakes up around 6:30am. I use an eye mask and earplugs to help me fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

In addition to getting enough sleep, it’s helpful to make time for relaxing things like: taking deep breaths, meditating, praying, walking, dancing, playing sports, yoga, reading, journaling, cooking, making art and/or crafts–anything that feels good to do. And find time to move your body throughout the day. While you’re at it, pay attention to your breath. We often hold our breath without even realizing it. If you notice that your breath is shallow, take a slow, deep breath through your nose for a count of 3 or 4, then release it through your nose to a count of 3 or 4. You can train yourself to take deeper breaths by practicing counting the length of your inhales and exhales. Doing yoga really helps me with this, but you don’t have to do yoga! You just have to be mindful of your breathing. I notice that when I feel anxious I take shallow breaths and that just makes me feel worse. And then my shoulders are up by my ears again.

Other things you can do to relax: Before going to bed do some light stretches and/or ‘legs up the wall’ (yoga pose). Start a gratitude journal or something like it and write in it before going to bed, or just think of 3 things you’re grateful for from the day. Reading a relaxing and uplifting book always helps me too. Then put on your eye mask and earplugs and drift off!

 

 

Step 6: Show your skin some love and grace
Even though it’s easily irritated, sometimes annoying and can be debilitating, just feel love for your skin. This magical protective coating surrounding our insides keeps us alive! It’s our largest organ and is crucial to keeping dangerous sicknesses away. The more we get frustrated with our skin and focus on the itchiness, the itchier we become. Feeling angry and anxious about our skin and the itch brings on more itch. Try really hard not to scratch because that will make it worse. Use some of the techniques in step 1, and keep yourself distracted with your stress reducing techniques and deep breathing.

There is a mind/body/soul connection at work here–it’s not like you just take a pill and all your problems are solved. There’s more to it than that! I believe when there’s something wrong with our skin it can’t be fixed by diet or medications alone, there needs to be emotional healing too. That’s why I always suggest feeling gratitude for your skin and what it’s teaching you. Your skin is sending a message that something isn’t right, and that’s okay because with a little love and patience you can fix it. Our bodies are so smart and sensitive! They absorb and manifest what we’re thinking and feeling, so show yourself some love.

The cool thing is that by doing all of these things, you’re healing not only your skin, but also your microbiome, your mind, your body and your soul. Showing yourself love and taking great care of your body is everything. Only when you’re taken care of can you take care of others and make a difference in the world.

That’s it for now! Please let me know your thoughts and what works for you. I’m always excited to hear from other skin writers out there who have found their own solutions, or even from people who find my suggestions don’t work at all. We’re all unique so what works for me might not wok for you, and vice versa.

Thank you for reading! <3