Product Recommendations that Helped my Cholinergic Urticaria Hives and Dry Skin

I have been battling cholinergic urticaria and dry skin issues for many years. I now have it managed via diet, exercise, and products below.

Over the past ten years I have tried many products on the market to help with my issues, mainly because I was so desperate. Many of the products I tried were scams and I ended up wasting my time and money. However, after many frustrations, I have found some products that I would like to recommend to other cholinergic urticaria and dry skin sufferers.

These products have helped take the sting out of my CU and made it more manageable. These products are relatively inexpensive and can be found at your local store or online. If you purchase through the links below, you’ll also help support this site. Here’s a short video of them below, and the links are below the video:

Product Recommendations that Helped my Cholinergic Urticaria and Dry Skin

As always, consult a doctor or medical professional before trying or ceasing to try any treatment, remedy, exercise program, or product. The products on this page may not be safe or proper for everyone with cholinergic urticaria, but many people have reported a benefit from them. I use many of the products on this page and recommend them based on my own experience or feedback from others.

• Portable Sauna – A portable sauna has been of great help to many members of this forum. The idea behind a portable sauna is that you heat it up, get in, and hopefully get the sweat out of your skin with as little discomfort and itching as possible. Most members use the sauna daily, but some only use it during the winter months. Always talk to your doctor first, and you may want to avoid this if you have an unusually severe case of cholinergic urticaria, or a history of anaphylactic shock. These are fairly inexpensive (usually around $100-150) compared to the larger sauna or steam capsules.
• Crane Humidifer– I have used many humidifiers and I have been dissatisfied with all of them expect the Crane. Other humidifiers I have purchased in the past put out too much humidity (causing mildew build up on my window sills), required a filter, or had only one humidification setting. The Crane is a cool mist humidifier that doesn’t require a filter and allows me to adjust the humidification settings. I am very pleased with how the Crane humidifier has helped with my dry skin.

• Water Softener – A water softener can help reduce the minerals in your water. This is especially important if you have very hard water. Hard water may contain added chemicals or minerals that can irritate your skin and worsen conditions like eczema or hives. A water softener helps to remove these minerals.

• Culligan Shower Head Filter-I noticed that before I used a shower filter my skin was extremely dry and tight feeling after showers. Also, my skin would smell like chlorine. I tried a shower filter and found instant relief. The Culligan Shower Head Filter simply screws onto your existing shower head and filters the water coming into it.

• Brita Water Filter – I highly recommend using some type of filtration system if you drink tap water. I’ve been using Brita water pitchers for years. You simply fill them with water, and the filter will remove most of the chlorine and chemicals in the water. They make the water taste much better, too.

• Dove Sensitive Skin Soap-Not all soaps are alike and I recommend if you have cholinergic urticaria or dry skin that you do not use any type of soap with antibacterial agents in them because it will cause your skin to dry out even more. The Dove soap I use is specially for sensitive skin and does not contain antibacterial agents in it. It is just a plain soap bar with no scent. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and not rough.

• All Free and Clear Detergent-Like soap not all detergents are the same. Many detergents have chemicals in them that cause skin and breathing issues. I switched to All Free and Clear detergent several years ago and have not had any rashes associated with it. It is also great if you have a new baby who needs their clothes washed in sensitive detergents. Also it is actually a lot cheaper than most brands such as Tide.

• Allergen Mattress and Pillow Covers-I would always wake up sneezing and scratching my face and skin. After my investigation, I suspected I was doing this because of an allergy to dust mites. I tried some basic, cheap mattress and pillow covers and have notice a major decrease in my morning sneezing and itchiness. Note: Avoid covers made out of plastic because the ones I tried has a horrific plastic smell and I had to return them. I went with a cloth type.

• Antihistamines-Though I don’t need antihistamines now, I did use them in the past when I was suffering with cholinergic urticaria. I recommend Allegra. It provides 24 hours relief (only 1 pill a day) and did not cause me any drowsiness or foggy brain like others I have tried in the past. Always check with a doctor before taking or ceasing to take an antihistamine.

• Probiotics-I use a probiotic called Digestive Advantage. I have tried many such as Align, Culturelle, Pearls, etc. Like I have said many times, my cholinergic urticaria is tied to my diet and probiotics have definitely helped me reduce inflammation.

• Arm & Hammer Natural Essential Deodorant-I wanted a deodorant that was aluminum-free and worked because I’m not comfortable with the aluminum kind. This is a pretty good aluminum free deodorant, and if you have sensitive skin, it may help you as well.

• Eucerin Calming Cream Lotion-I have tried many body lotions and found they quit working after a few hours. Eucerin Calming Cream is made for people like me who get dermatitis. I really use this stuff a lot during the winter.

• Exercise Bike and Elliptical-I like to exercise about 15-20 minutes doing some type of cardiovascular exercise. I find that my exercise bike and elliptical do the job.

• Weight Bench – Rather than fooling with a gym, I have always preferred to exercise at home. I own the FID46 weight bench. It has a 1,000  pound capacity, can move to incline/decline/flat positions, and more. I really recommend it, and I’m very happy with mine:

• Hypoallergenic Air Filters-These are great to decrease the amount of airborne particles that causes allergic reactions.