I rarely use water when I bathe, unless it's absolutely necessary... I read on an Irish eczema discussion board that using Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser as a WATERLESS bath helped a number of sufferers manage their eczema. This is the site that I found
www dot irishhealth dot com / clin / eczema / message dot php ? dis=4&topic=3381&ss=eczema
(this system won't let me post URL's yet... I'm too new here, but if you remove the spaces and add the http, it should get you to the Irish Health dot Com website or just PM me for the address).
A dermatologist I used to see recommends Cetaphil cleanser to her patients. Desperate to try anything that would give some relief, I went out and bought a bottle of Cetaphil and did the following:
1) I applied it to DRY skin -- i.e. I wasn't standing in the shower with the water pouring over me.
2) I rubbed it over a section of my skin with my DRY bare hand (not unlike how one would use a cloth or a loofah to wash) for at least 30 seconds or more. If I've been sweating or doing heavy work and need to scrub away the grime on my skin, I will use a Salux cloth to scour the sweat and grime away (do a Google search for "Salux Japanese Wash Cloths" for more information... they're available at Amazon, eBay or through specialty Japanese supermarkets).
3) Using a DRY cloth (size doesn't matter in this case... I usually use something a little larger than a tea towel but smaller than a bath sheet), I wiped the Cetaphil off the area I'd just "scrubbed." I DID NOT use any water on the cloth, and no water came in contact with my skin as I wiped the Cetaphil off.
I repeated those three steps until I'd "washed" my entire body (yes, the back can be a little tricky, but with a little bit of contortion, it IS possible to clean it). After I was finished, my skin felt clean, and my lesions felt soft (well, softer than when I was showering/bathing with water) and my skin didn't have that tight feeling to it that was customary when I washed with water.
I liked the results so much that it's how I wash my body 95% of the time (occasionally, I'll hop into the shower)... I find that while it takes a little more time to clean up this way in the beginning, it's worth it because you can do this practically anywhere (i.e. you don't necessarily need to be in the bathroom) and you don't have to spend your time drying yourself off before getting dressed. Once you get the hang of it, it can save you time if you're running late because you don't have to wait for the shower to heat up, scrub up, rinse off and then step out and towel off.
If you are skeptical about whether or not your skin is clean, try rinsing the cloth that you used in the sink. The Cetaphil will come off the cloth and go into the water, and with it any dirt that was on your skin will end up in the water as well.
If you find that Cetaphil brand cleanser is too expensive (it can go for as much as CAD 20$ for a 500mL bottle), the store brand works as well.