You know the feeling when you step out of the shower or bath to apply moisturizer and have to wait a long time for it to absorb so your clothes don’t cling to your skin? Now that the weather is getting colder here in Sweden, our skin becomes drier and more fragile. In our home, everyone under this roof has sensitive skin, and especially my soon-to-be 5-year-old son has very dry skin with eczema—someone who, of course, also loves water.

Since he was a few months old, we have been treating his body with moisturizing creams and prescription corticosteroids from the doctor. In addition to this, we use shower and bath oils, currently Eucerin's AtoControl Bath & Shower Oil, which soothes and hydrates even in the shower.

The problem, however, that arises especially during the colder seasons is that we have to apply thick layers of the creams from the doctor for the skin to feel good—morning and evening—which means my son is primarily left freezing while these layers are applied, and getting clothes on is practically impossible due to the stickiness. This leads to us sometimes skimping on the amount applied, as my son becomes sad and uncomfortable being cold and sticky for hours (completely understandable).

Altruist is a brand that is most well-known to many for making sunscreen at an affordable price, suitable for the whole family and supporting charity. In addition to sunscreen, they also have skin creams. All of their products are fragrance-free and created by dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon Dr. Andrew Birnie from the UK. For every product sold, they donate 10p to children in Africa with albinism.

The biggest difference for us has come with Altruist Dry Skin Repair Cream with 10% urea. It’s perfect for dry and sensitive skin, and this is what I use after every shower or bath on my son. We lightly dry the skin but apply the cream while it's still slightly damp to lock in moisture. The cream absorbs quickly into the skin, I don’t need a lot, and clothes can be put on without any issues afterward.

Since I started using this, my son hasn’t complained once about itchy skin, and no eczema has flared up—not even between shower times. In the past, I would wake up at night hearing him scratching his body as eczema appeared, and we had to apply more layers of cream.

In addition to using it for my son, I also use it because I have sensitive skin that easily becomes bumpy and red. This cream has kept my skin moisturized, calm, and the bumps have either decreased or disappeared. My skin has also stayed hydrated between shower times.

Looking at their Moisturising Fluid with 0.5% hyaluronic acid, it has a lighter consistency but still provides a lot of moisture to my face. This is perfect for me as a night cream because it locks in moisture and soothes my sensitive skin without clogging it.

During the day, however, sunscreen is essential, and I love using their SPF 50 sunscreen now during the colder months, as it is a bit thicker but doesn’t clog pores.

Skincare doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, as my mom would say. It’s the ingredients that should be the focus and what suits your skin—not how well-known or expensive something is.

Take care! Ida @hudvardshyllan