Vanicream Review – Got Rid of My Eczema Completely!

Why did I write this Vanicream review? Let me tell you how eczema ruined my childhood until I was prescribed Vanicream.

If you’re reading this- chances are you have eczema or a similar skin disease. It is horrible.

You wash your hands, they crack. You don’t put enough lotion on, they crack. Then you shower, they crack and bleed. Your skin always looks horrible, rashes everywhere.

Constant itching, irritation, infection…you’re scared to shake hands with other people, it hurts to grab things like the barbell at the gym, and it hurts to write things at school.

I had to itch so much, and every night was painful. It made me barely want to move my hands at all for fear of more bleeding.

Vanicream Review - Picture of lotion tu b.
Vanicream Review – Picture of lotion tu b.

I was prescribed this new lotion. After trying tons of different lotions with none of them working- I was incredibly skeptical.

Although- the promise of this lotion being free of anything that can cause more hurt to my skin (dyes, fragrance, parabens, etc.) lured me in a little bit.

Until I met the lotion that single-handedly fixed my eczema. Vanicream.

Vanicream Fixed My Eczema, Why I Wrote The Vanicream Review

So, if you have bad eczema- you’ll know it can get particularly bad in the winter.

I live in Minnesota, and winters were no exception here. While most people will get dry hands during the winter regardless if they have eczema or not- those with eczema feel the effect tenfold worse.

Throughout my life, I was given tons of different lotions. To be fair, I’ve really tried them all. From big-name brands like Cetaphil to even random steroid topical creams that were graciously given and unforgivingly didn’t work.

And you’re probably reading this vanicream review because you’re in the same boat.

I Was Frustrated Beyond Belief Before I Wrote This Vanicream Review, No Lotions Worked!

If you have eczema or a skin condition- you’ll know exactly what I’m saying.

Trying these different lotions, topical steroids, etcetera to no avail just is frustrating. It’s like, “why am I even doing this?”. At times I just gave up. Dealt with my cracked and broken skin in sorrow and just hoped over time it would get better.

I was given a prescription form of Vanicream through my doctor. He said he wanted me to try it, and that it showed good results for people like me.

The Plan To Test Vanicream and Maybe Write a Vanicream Review

Well, I’m going to be honest. I didn’t expect it to work- but it never hurt for me to try them. So, I followed these guidelines for a little bit:

  • Every time my skin gets wet, put vanicream on after.
    • So this means right after a shower, put vanicream on. After washing hands, put vanicream on.
  • Apply vanicream before bed and when I wake up.
  • Try to apply as much as possible. Take breaks while gaming or watching TV to apply vanicream, things like that.

I put many tubs of vanicream around the house. One at my computer, one in my bathroom for showering/after washing hands, and one in my bedroom.

I had the stuff, so I figured why not try it. I had no idea that I would soon be writing a vanicream review about how great it was.

My Eczema is Very Severe

Look, my eczema is more severe than most. I wouldn’t expect most people to have problems with their eczema like I do.

My skin would bleed it was so cracked, and the cuts would repeatedly get infected. Leaving a lot of my skin looking green and disgusting.

Not only that, but I would also have rashes all around my hands and forearms.

There is still a definition of what my eczema used to look like before I had vanicream, you can see a very clear part of my wrists that are still slightly red from times of old.

This Made It Impossible To Use Eucerin and Other Stinging Lotions

While I’m able to use eucerin now as an emergency backup when your skin is that shredded from your eczema- Eucerin stings. Bad.

And many lotions with any scents or really many ingredients sting and hurt so bad. There were times as a kid I would have to cry while putting lotion on, just because of the dire pain it put me in.

And you’re probably just like me reading this vanicream review- scented things hurt. Scented body washes, shampoo, soap, all not options for us Eczema sufferers!

So my first impression was- Wow! This vanicream doesn’t hurt at all. It just felt like “normal”, I could tell I put something on my hands but there wasn’t any pain or anything.

Now at the time- I was skeptical, nor did I think I would ever write a vanicream review. My old methodology was “If it doesn’t sting, it’s not working”- which I will soon learn to be very untrue.

My Itching From Eczema Stopped Completely – Vanicream Review

I didn’t take pictures or even check every hour to see if something had changed. I just noticed when I was playing some video games with my friend, David.

To put this in perspective- I was prescribed this nearly 4 years ago.

So- it wasn’t unusual for me to play video games all day with him. With a caveat- I would be itching a lot. All-day. It was part of my eczema, I just couldn’t stop itching my hands constantly.

But something was off while I was playing these games. I couldn’t put my finger on it- literally.

I noticed I wasn’t scratching inbetween the rounds anymore.

My usual routine was just scratching endlessly while waiting for a match to start, but I wasn’t doing that anymore. The urge to itch and itch away wasn’t there.

At this point- I realized this vanicream stuff may be working. If it wasn’t directly healing my skin- it was relieving my itching.

And it made me like it because I realized if I combined it with something else in the future, maybe I would never have to deal with eczema again!

That’s when the vanicream review earned its’ spot in my heart.

Vanicream Review, side picture of tub.
Vanicream Review, side picture of tub.

Moisturizing The Skin

As I mentioned earlier- my skin was always dry and cracked.

Vanicream reversed this, and FAST. After I noticed the itching stopped, I started believing in the lotion a little bit.

Now, I was still skeptical. If you searched up vanicream review, basically nothing came up. Not a lot comes up now either if you search that, it’s still a fairly new lotion!

But, I kept pushing. And after a few days of gaming (I really didn’t have many hobbies) I noticed something, my skin wasn’t cracking or peeling that much anymore.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to have to peel off dead skin (TMI, sorry) and have multiple cracks or cuts on my hands.

It just became the “norm”- I wasn’t bugged by it anymore…

My Skin Finally Felt…Normal?

I noticed that a lot of the dead skin and cracks were “going away” or starting to heal back up if you will. The skin wasn’t dry, cracked, or even sharp anymore.

It felt normal and hydrated. It felt like I could actually move it and not worry about it cracking.

Needless to say- I was incredibly surprised. I had almost stopped the itching completely and now my skin was starting to look the best it had in years.

At this point, I started to feel hope in my life for once about this eczema thing.

The Road to Eczema Recovery – Vanicream Review

As I kept putting Vanicream on, my problems went away. It’s literally like magic. The itching stopped, my skin was almost back to normal, and I felt normal for once in a while.

I kept using it everyday for the next 4 years of my life, and I don’t see my eczema as a threat anymore.

Vanicream review - picture of tub from far away
Vanicream review – picture of tub from far away

Whenever I Switch To Other Lotions – My Eczema Comes Back

Whenever I end up traveling or running out of vanicream, my eczema comes back.

The last time this happened was actually a few months ago. And I was MAD. I was waiting for my paycheck to hit to buy the lotion and my skin was just feeling horrible.

My hands were all cracked, part of my hand started bleeding again, I had rashes all up and down my hands. It was like back to step 1.

As soon as I got my vanicream, everything went backward and my skin went back to normal.

During that time I was trying everything. Even Cetaphil again, Eucerin, random lotions around the house. None of them helped now either.

So- Why Does It Work?

I’ve wondered this for a long time. But it only really clicked with me after I recently started visiting an allergist.

The allergists gave me a list that taught me a lot of my eczema is triggered by allergies. I, unfortunately, have severe allergies, like really bad.

That means I have to be on many different medications that I take twice a day just to not sneeze a few hundred times a day.

I think one of the key reasons that Vanicream works so well is how clean it is.

Free of Dyes, Fragrances, Parabens, Etc.

Vanicream is free of lanolin, parabens, dyes, fragrances, and formaldehyde.

I think many lotions screw this up. They try to make their lotion smell peppermint or fruity- and this really irritates the skin.

Furthermore, some of them really focus on trying to make the lotion feel oily or preserve it longer. This is absolutely the wrong thing to do.

I’m glad Vanicream has a firm stance on avoiding this! It is incredibly important for many of us that suffer from eczema to have a clean lotion.

And I’m surprised more companies don’t implement it this way. I mean think about it!

If I am taking a lotion because I have eczema or sensitive skin– why would you EVER put a scent that’s going to possibly irritate my skin!

Is Vanicream Gluten Free?

Yes! Vanicream is gluten free. You are good to use it!

Vanicream Feels Great When You Apply

Vanicream feels great when you apply it. It isn’t too oily, it doesn’t stink, and it’s smooth.

It doesn’t make you itch or rub it in more, it just goes on and it very quickly absorbs into the skin. Within a few minutes max it’ll be like the lotion was never applied as your skin will be clear.

Vanicream’s Ingredients

Vanicream has many ingredients. Here is a list and a small function of what it does.

  • Purified water – just water
  • Petrolatum – Moisturizes skin
  • Sorbitol – Thickening agent for lotion.
  • Cetearyl alcohol – White wax used for lotion.
  • Propylene glycol – Maintain moisture.
  • Ceteareth-20 – Stabilizes oil and water, works with glyceryl stearate.
  • Simethicone – Reduces foam being generated from lotion.
  • Glyceryl stearate – Works with ceteareth-20 to help lubricate lotion.
  • PEG-30 stearate – Helps mix all the lotion together.
  • Sorbic acid – Antibacterial agent to preserve lotion.
  • BHT – Preservative

All of these work together to do things like: decrease itching, stop irritation, and trapping water in the top layer of the skin.

Should You Try Vanicream?

I was writing this vanicream review, and I figured it might be helpful to write a list of people that should give Vanicream a try!

Here are some guidelines/ideas you can base it off of. While this isn’t a perfect list, and I recommend everybody tries it, if you see yourself on this list, consider it a sign!

  • Have bad allergies already.
    • Including indoor/outdoor allergies
  • Really bad itching problems.
  • Many lotions you try hurt really bad when you apply them.
  • Other lotions seem to not really work.
  • You’ve been going to the dermatologist a lot and not seeing good results with other lotions.
  • Your skin reacts to scented soaps and fragrances.

You NEED Vanicream

Ultimately- if you’ve been struggling with sensitive skin or eczema for any length of time, Vanicream may just be your savior.

The truth is this is a newer lotion- and I cannot guarantee it works- but I recommend you give it a shot.

The entire ‘premise’ behind it is that if you give a super clean lotion with none of that ‘BS’ that ruins the product. You can find it in stores, but it is kind of hard to find, so I just recommend buying it on Amazon- where it is WAY cheaper!

Other Vanicream Testimonials

You can just read the Amazon reviews for yourself! This is an amazing product. And used by tons of people- this isn’t some new product that is going to like destroy your skin.

It’s trusted and got an award from the National Eczema Association!

Use Vanicream With Other Prescription Creams

What I recommend to basically eliminate your eczema is to use vanicream with other prescription creams.

I am prescribed desoximetasone and fluocinonide. When the vanicream can’t do enough (which happens if I work on my car and the brake fluid gets on my skin or something) I use a little bit of the prescription cream with it and it works wonders.

Using vanicream and a prescription topical cream for your eczema will literally just make your eczema disappear.

Frequently Asked Questions

I did some research and found a lot of people were asking the same questions about vanicream. So I hoped to answer them in this vanicream review!

Does Vanicream Expire

I have many vanicream tubs in my house. So the question comes up frequently!

Does Vanicream Expire? No, not really. After a few years, it won’t be as effective, but it’ll be hardly noticeable. So you’re all good to keep using it!

Plus, as I mentioned earlier in the vanicream review, vanicream has sorbic acid which stops mold growth.

Free and Clear vs Vanicream

So…this was actually something I asked. What’s the difference between free and clear vs vanicream?

Well- there’s actually no difference. They’re the same brand, just a different name. This was strange because Vanicream started changing the name every other month on their shampoos and soap.

So ultimately, in regards to free and clear vs vanicream, it’s the same thing, you have nothing to worry about!

Vanicream Skin Care Routine

Here’s what you got to do to have a good vanicream skin care routine.

As I mentioned earlier in this vanicream review, you’re going to have to apply it very liberally and frequently.

  • Apply every time after your skin gets wet. After the pool, washing your hands, showering, etc.
  • Apply throughout the day. Every 2-3 hours is a good rule.
  • Lather in between fingers, hands, on the face, etc.
  • Before you go to bed.
  • Before you go out in the cold/outside in general.
  • Apply before work.
  • Bring to work and apply throughout the day.

Also- try to stay hydrated. Drinking water helps your skin stay softer, and has many more health benefits.

Conclusion

We learned that Vanicream is this new lotion that is trying to help those with eczema and sensitive skin by releasing a product that is free of many things that actually make eczema worse!

Vanicream has helped many people including myself- who thought their eczema could control them forever.

I highly recommend trying it. If you aren’t sure, please talk to your doctor and hear what they have to say. Many doctors recommend it for sure, and it is important you visit your dermatologist or primary care physician to see what works for you!

If you do decide to buy it, you can usually find it at Target or Walgreens. However, I’ve found it is cheaper to buy online at Amazon, as it is usually a few dollars cheaper!

Please tell me in the comments your experience with Vanicream!

7 thoughts on “Vanicream Review – Got Rid of My Eczema Completely!”

  1. What do you use for a good clothes detergent and all over bath soap? I just tried Yardly of London oatmeal and almond soap as the store was out of aveeno oatmeal soap. I was skeptical was it had a pretty strong fragrance, but I surprisingly did not break out from it. I just got my first tub of Vanicream today from Amazon. So far so good. I can’t use eucerin as it’s so greasy, it makes me itch more. Like you said, it’s very hard to find posts about vanicream until I saw your review and decided to give it a try. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Hello Laura,

      Thank you for writing in!

      I agree with you completely- Eucerin is just NOT my thing as it’s way too greasy and I just don’t think it has the same effect for me Vanicream does. However, some people swear by Eucerin- so I bet it works for some people’s genetics.

      I’m glad that my review about Vanicream helped you. I’ve been using it non-stop for years now and my eczema barely breaks out. I live in a very cold climate where we have subzero temperatures usually, and I work in healthcare- so with the constant washing of hands and cold air, it’s very difficult for me to keep my hands from cracking. Vanicream is my go-to.

      As per your question. So, vanicream used to make a good bath soap, but I haven’t been able to find it in stores or really anywhere in the past few years to be honest- I was told they discontinued it. If they happen to start making it again I highly recommend that as I LOVED that soap, it was so perfect for my skin.

      Since they discontinued it, I have been using Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap. While it isn’t perfect and I think it still makes my skin a little irritated, it is MILES better than anything else I have used. And believe me, I have gone through countless brands and types of soap. Something I like about the dove sensitive skin bar soap is that it’s very accessible and inexpensive, around $1-2 per bar of soap. As you know, most of the products we are forced to buy to not have cracked skin are incredibly expensive. The Dove Sensitive Skin Bar Soap doesn’t break your wallet, it’s also very accessible. It’s in most stores across the country, which with many of the products we have to buy – like vanicream – is unheard of. I usually have to go to specific stores to get my vanicream fix, and sometimes you can’t wait when you need that lotion or soap in time.

      Like I said, I don’t think the Dove Sensitive Skin Bar Soap is perfect, I really think the Vanicream bar soap was really good. BUT, compared to everything else on the market, I go with the dove soap. I don’t usually break out or crack from the dove bar soap, but I still feel a little bit of dryness after a shower compared to the Vanicream bar. The vanicream bar was really good at making me feel like I didn’t have ezcema at all. But, as my primary care provider told me, if I really put on the vanicream within 2-3 minutes of me getting out of the shower, most of that irritation will go away right away and I won’t break out.

      Hopefully this helps you, Laura. I am so glad my review helped you. Please feel free to respond to this with your insight to help me and countless others. As we both know, it’s very difficult to find a good ‘solution’ for ezcema and sensitive skin, and it’s not that well researched of a topic in medicine yet. So, any experience helps.

      Thank you,
      Please have a great rest of your day Laura.

      Reply

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