Kids & More — The Harmattan Eczema Routine

For two months a year in Nigeria, the air does something to children's skin that adult skin barely notices.

Harmattan starts in November. The wind comes down from the Sahara dry and cold. Within ten days, the babies and toddlers we love most start showing it on their bodies. Patches behind the knees. The crook of the elbow. The cheek your toddler has been rubbing on the school car seat. The eczema you thought had cleared after their first birthday is suddenly back.

The Kids & More line was built for this. It's the line our own children use. The protocol below is what we hand new mums when they message us in November saying please, what do I do? It is paediatric-safe — no fragrances, no high-percentage actives, nothing you'd hesitate to use on a four-month-old.

Before anything: when to see a paediatrician, not us

Eczema flares that respond to gentle routine are the ones we can help with. Flares that need a doctor look different. If you see any of these, take the baby to a paediatrician before trying anything below:

• Weeping, oozing, or crusted yellow patches. That's a secondary infection, not eczema, and it needs antibiotics.
• Patches that have spread aggressively in fewer than 48 hours.
• The baby is fevering, irritable in a way that's not normal for them, or refusing to feed.
• Eyes or genital area involvement.

What we treat with the routine below is the classic dry-skin eczema flare: rough patches, occasional small bumps, dry-itchy-but-not-bleeding skin, no fever, no spread.

The five-bottle routine — total ₦7,500

Five bottles. That's the whole routine. We've kept it deliberately short because parents do not have time for a 12-step children's skincare regime, and toddlers will not sit still for it.

1. Kids & More Gentle Body Wash. Once a day, in lukewarm water. Cold water makes the itch worse; hot water strips the barrier. Lukewarm is the only correct answer.
2. Kids & More Moisturising Lotion. Applied within three minutes of stepping out of the bath, on still-damp skin. The damp skin step is doing 40% of the work — it traps the water under the lotion.
3. Kids & More Eczema Calm Balm. On affected patches only — behind the knees, crook of the elbow, the cheek. Twice a day during a flare. Tapering down to once a day in maintenance.
4. Bathgel Cocoa Butter Shower Cream for over-fives. Older kids tolerate the regular Bathgel range; cocoa butter is what we use for the school-age children we know.
5. Argan+ Hair & Skin Oil for sealing. A few drops on damp skin after the lotion, especially the worst patches. This step is the difference between "calmer by Day 3" and "calmer by Day 7."

The first three days of a flare

Day 1: short bath, lotion, balm on patches, oil on top. Cotton clothes only. No wool, no synthetic against the skin, no perfumed laundry detergent if you can avoid it. Cotton sheets, no scratchy throws.

Day 2: same routine. The patches should feel less raw. The itching should be less intense. The child should sleep slightly better.

Day 3: same routine. By now you should see the redness easing. If it's getting worse, see a paediatrician. Eczema improves under good routine within 72 hours; if it doesn't, it's something else.

What we don't recommend, even though aunties will suggest it

• Vaseline or pure petroleum jelly as the only treatment. It seals but doesn't soothe. Use it over the calm balm if you must, not instead of it.
• Olive oil from the kitchen. Cooking oils on damaged skin can sensitise; we've seen reactions.
• Bar soap. Especially the medicated/antibacterial bar soaps. They strip the barrier and make the next flare worse.
• Hot baths. We know they soothe in the moment. They make the next 12 hours worse.
• Heavy "balm" products marketed for adults. Adult formulas often include fragrances and actives (lactic acid, salicylic) that no child should be wearing.

The school-age version

For children who are five and up, you can lean on the regular Bathgel range for the body and reserve the Kids & More line for the patches. By eight or nine, most eczema kids can manage their own application — give them the lotion bottle, point at the patch, and let them do it. Ownership of the routine massively improves compliance.

What changes in maintenance

After a flare clears (usually 5–10 days under this routine), here's what stays and what tapers:

• The body wash: every bath, all year.
• The moisturising lotion: every bath, all year. Don't skip.
• The eczema calm balm: only on patches, only when patches appear. Otherwise it sits in the cupboard.
• The argan oil: optional in non-harmattan months. Essential during November–February.

How to pack the harmattan bag

We hand a lot of mums a "harmattan bag" — five small bottles for the week, plus a satin pillowcase for the toddler. It costs about ₦8,000. We don't sell it as a kit because every household needs a slightly different mix, but if you message us with the ages of the children we'll put together a custom one and ship it. The Kids & More page has the full lineup if you want to build your own.

The mother-in-law line

If your mother-in-law is telling you that your baby's cheeks are flaking because you're not "rubbing them down properly" — show her this newsletter. Eczema is not negligence. It's a barrier-function issue, it runs in families, it's mostly weather-driven, and the routine above is what works.

You're doing fine. The baby will be fine.

That's six issues

This is the last of the launch six. From № 07 onwards we move to a different cadence — one routine, one story, one tip, every Sunday. We're also opening guest letters for women writing about their own skincare journeys in melanin-rich skin. If you have a story to tell — your bridal journey, your post-acne recovery, your child's eczema win — we want to read it. Reply to this newsletter with the subject line "Glow Letter."

And as always: if you became a believer reading these — the affiliate programme is 15% of every order through your link. Apply in 60 seconds. We approve within 24 hours.

See you Sunday.

— Bisola