Eurax Cream - "Stops Itching Fast"

8-year-old Sophie occasionally suffers from rashes and itchy redness that doesn't last long but looks decidedly like eczema. Last week, she complained of itchiness under her arm. Sure enough, the usual red flare-up was there, alongside three red spots that would have passed for chickenpox if they'd been all over her body. Curiouser and curiouser.

As I'm a bit of a free sample freak and as this has been going on for quite some time, we have various lotions and potions at our disposal to deal with redness or itchiness. The trouble is, Sophie always complains when I put them on because, even if some of them are relatively effective at getting rid of the rash, more often than not they sting quite a lot. When I spoke to her doctor about it, he said to use nappy rash cream, which we have done but Sophie doesn't like the idea of using not only baby products but above all "bum cream" on her body ! So this seemed the perfect time to try out a tube of Eurax cream that I'd been sent for review.

Bearing in mind that the doctor has only said that what she has is "probably mild eczema" but that this time she had a few red spots too, it's sometimes difficult to know what to use. Eurax is a great solution because it deals with pretty much everything that can cause itching. "Lasting up to 10 hours, Eurax cream or lotion quickly relieves the itching and irritation caused by the following 10 common itchy skin irritations : Itchy Dermatitis, Dry Eczema, Allergic Rashes, Insect Bites & Stings, Hives, Nettle Rash, Heat Rash, Sunburn, Chickenpox, Personal Itching". Umm just in case you misunderstand "personal itching" in the same way as me, I should point out that this is explained as "an allergy or reaction to external factors such as washing powders (NB consult a doctor or pharmacist if suffering from genital itching)" !!

Wow, if it covers that many different minor ailments, I'll be adding a tube to my permanent first-aid kit and sticking another one on the car, just in case. So, does it work ? Well, the redness and spots haven't disappeared but they do itch less once the cream has been applied, but above all, it doesn't sting, so that's certainly a definite improvement on what we have been using. It rubs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy residue that feels icky on clothing too. I'll be stocking up for over the summer when insect bites, nettle rash and sunburn will all be more common with all the playing outside.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : 30g tube £3.48, 100g tube £6.06, 100ml lotion £4.60

for more information : http://www.stopscratching.co.uk/