by Sherrell Dorsey of OrganicBeautyVixen
It itches, it burns and it’s just plain unsightly when you’re trying to have fierce, fabulous and supple skin. I’ve battled with eczema my whole life and have felt empathetic to fellow sufferers who’s battle is more challenging than mine.
Don’t lose the fight with your eczema! An OBV knows that nature gives us some of the best remedies for treating even the most dreadful of skin conditions. Check out a few of my natural skin care tips for treating the side effects of eczema naturally.
- Oatmeal and milk bath – Pamper your body with a long soak in some oatmeal and milk. Naturally hydrating with anti-itch properties, this little beauty remedy can help to relax your skin not to mention your stress levels. Add some candles and throw on Marsha Ambrosius’ Pandora station for an intimate affair with your skin.
- Bye Bye Dairy – Outside of bathing rituals, ditch the milk. Sometimes foods can cause allergens that aggravate eczema and cause inflammation on the skin. Stick to rice, soy or almond milk for your cereal, smoothies and shakes.
- Exfoliating and Moisturizing – It’s still important to remove dead skin and follow up with a thick moisturizer. Try a sea salt scrub and shea butter for a nice thick layer of daily hydration.
Sherrell Dorsey is a natural beauty expert, writer, speaker and advocate of health, wellness and sustainability in communities of color. In addition to creating OrganicBeautyVixen.com, Sherrell writes beauty articles for Tyra Banks’s beauty and fashion site TypeF.com, Jones Magazine, MySalonScoop.com and Posh Beauty. Follow Sherrell on twitter at www.twitter.com/organicvixen and connect with her on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/
I have tried most of the things that have been suggested, and as a life long eczema sufferer, they all worked at some point. It's almost like my body becomes immune to a remedy after so long and then I have to swith.It's on my hands and I cannot avoid the irritation as we use our hands for everything. Now, I feel I have cursed my baby daughter with this because she is always scratching and itching. Because it's hereditary. While I was nursing, I took skin,hair,and nails vitamins which really helped control this. Now she has been weened and we are back to square one. Her scalp is dry and her hair fell out. Help!. She is always scratching her scalp. Her problem areas are the creases of arms and knees and neck. Right now she is ok with the help of oatmeal baths, shea butter,cream washes, and the pure Love of her mother.
This is interesting. I've had horrible eczema forever. I don't agree with this. How on one hand you can take an oatmeal and milk bath, then not consume dairy? I think everyone responds differently and there is no one cure for everyone. I drink milk faithfully and the bath thing didn't work… it was more about the products and staying moisturized. I use Cetaphil creme on my body and cortizone creme on my face daily. To combat the steroid, blotchy skin issue every once in a while I wash my face at night and put nothing on my face or use Palmer's unscented cocoa butter. I'd love to say I use all natural products, but the over the counter have just worked better for me. Good luck to everyone, I know it is tough to live with when you have it bad.
My daughter suffers from eczema and has been fortunate enough to not have an episode in years, at least six to be exact. They made her miserable. The only issue she has now is very dry easily chapped lips, but I keep her with a good lip balm, home made or store bought. I make my own lotions and keep whipped shea butter and other natural based creams and lotions whipped up for use. I think this has really helped with her going through hormone changes.
I have the best product for eczema which is HPO Butter Drops. I have used it on my nephew who has eczema and it works miracles and he loves the smell. Visit www.beautifuloutside.com to find more information on the product and to purchase.
I HAVE TRIED BABY LOTION VASELINE AND VITAMIN E OIL AND IT MAKES MY SONS SKIN SO SOFT HE HAS DARK SPOTS IT IS NOW MAKING THE MARKS GO AWAY IT REALLY WORKS AND HIS SKIN IS SOFT AND SMOOTH IN THINK HAVING THE VITAMIN E OIL IS THE TRICK ITS LIKE A MIRACLE CREAM THANJK YOU GOD!
I've had eczema since I was 7 and now I'm 23. And I've gotten it under control using Vitamin E, grapeseed oil, sea buckthorn oil mixed with aloe vera gel, it works great! My bf tells me I smell like a vitamin lol 🙂 I'm more concerened about the scrarring since I dno't have breakouts anymore. And drinking MORE water has helped. It's free and I love it!
Don't forget SHEA BUTTER. That stuff worked wonders for my friend's little girl!
My regime since December,
Bathe with Sulphur soap.
Whilst skin is still damp after a shower veg. glycerine & oil, right now I'm using vit. E oil.
Then a thick emollient right now I'm using emulsifying ointment, NOT AQUEOUS it contains SLS.
I stopped drinking tea & coffee which I noticed made a big difference. The best thing to do is work out what your allergic or intolerant to, dairy is not the only thing which can aggravate your skin also fried foods.
Turmeric, rosemary are good things to cook with for eczema also…
I have eczema over 95% of my body. It started a year and a half ago and nothing has worked. I've been to three doctors and nothing prescribed has worked.
ENTER CRISCO-OMG! I started using it last week after getting out of the shower and whenever my skin was itching. IN TWO DAYS I noticed a major difference. It works!!! My skin looks better than it has in over a year. Places where I had large and small bumps/scabs/redness are smooth and healing. My husband laughed when I bought the CRISCO to use on my body but now he is impressed. He has seen me suffer with this for so long. Now I've started layering the CRISCO and a sensitive skin lotion after I get out of the shower and when I itch and that's working well too. I still itch but the amount of itching has greatly reduced and the appearance of my skin has improved 100%. CRISCO really worked for me. It can't hurt to just try it and if it doesn't work for you at least you will know for sure.
I have also battled eczema, and I have found that Pau d'Arco lotion works wonders. You can buy it online, or at any herb shop.
my main this was to ditch the steroid creams the doctor gives you! I've had eczema my entire life and when this past summer it started to effect my face in blotchy areas on my cheeks. The steroid creams may help with itch but sometimes they're so harsh they will BLEACH your skin and turn into hypo pigmentation. I started using Dove exfoliating pads for uneven skin tone and it worked wonders! also gentle oatmeal soaps and aveeno moisturizing lotion is GREAT as well.
Excellent remedy for Eczema,Florasone Cardiospermum Itch & Rash Cream, try it! Homeopathic works wonders!
I use to have eczema and very dry skin. Turns out it was the soap I was bathing with. I use to use regular bar soap (ivory, dove, etc). Now I use cetaphil cleansing bar. I also use complex-15 lotion on my face and moisturel on my body. In the winter I add a little jojoba oil or shea butter to my lotion. I no longer have problems with my skin.
My 2-year old daughter has bad eczema, and is allergic to tree nuts and fish. I was using a blend of shea butter and coconut oil on her hair and skin, but noticed that she continued to be red and welty…finally figured out that the shea butter was causing her to be inflamed. Right now I am using Eucerin and the steroid that her doctor prescribed.
What really concerns me, though, is that her hair is SUPER DUPER dry. I mean African Sahara dry. Her hair just soaks it up. I try to grease it (the organic route broke her out, so I'm back to old school grease) every couple of days, but it is soooo dry it makes my almost want to cry. I have BSL hair and I want hers to grow just as long.
Anybody have any suggestions for what I could use on her hair to really moisturize it? I know the moisture problem is internal, but at least her hair can look healthier.
Shea Moisture Olive and Green Tea Shea Butter Soap and Gold Bond Shea Butter Cream are great for keeng excema at bay as wall.
I've had Eczema my whole life. For the past three years I've found that a brown sugar and EVOO (just enough to wet the sugar) scrub works very good for exfoliating and moisturizing. I use it in the shower right before I get out then pat dry with my towel and I follow up with Shea butter during the winter months if my skin seems drier than usual.
Perfect article!!!! I just had a long bout with eczema all over my arms and chest (which is about as attractive as it sounds). I don't have food allergies, but I like the idea of excluding dairy. I hope some of these help my skin. Thank you for this article!
My daughter also has eczema, but it is mild. I have tried using all kinds of creams. I find that Aveeno oatmeal lotion and the cream works great. It prevents her from scratching her dry patches.
My daughter has eczema as well as food allergies, and shea butter is the bane of my existence. I used it on her once before I knew she was nut allergic and it made her welt all up, I even avoid it in hair products which is difficult! I don't like using the steroid creams on her unless I absolutely have to, but sometimes it is neccessary. If your eczema is moderate to severe I would suggest finding a good dermatologist. Otherwise I like a baby lotion called Gentle Naturals that has a lot of oils in it and calendula which soothes and heals, as well as aquaphor.
Both of my daughters have eczema, especially during the change of season. I use Eucerin for one and Aveeno Cream (its thick) for the other. I also took them to a pediatric dermatologist that prescribed Verdeso (sp.) as a treatment for the eczema. It has the consistency of mousse or shaving cream and it has been a godsend. If they get a patch of eczema, I apply Verdeso with the lotion and the patch is gone within 2 days.
Cod Liver Oil also works wonders on Eczema and dry skin in general. Do some research!
My daughter suffered with eczema for years. i don't want to use the word cure but for lack of a specific work, she was "cured" using a proprietary blend of Oganic shea butter balm containing an orange essential oil.
Orange oil stimulates new skin cell growth among other benefits.
@Nadi, Crisco may help. Not everything works for everybody. I've battled this for almost 20 years. Here's what worked for me:
1. Glycerin. Pure, straight from the bottle. All of those expensive lotions derms recommend for us — Eucerin, Aquaphor, etc. — contain glycerine. Only it's watered down in lotions. I buy a $3 bottle from Wal-Mart and use it once I get out of the shower. Use it year-round and it's the only thing that keeps my skin moisturized.
2.Black soap. I've tried all kinds of soap, but black soap mixed with shea butter works for me. I like Shea Moisture Black Soap. Cost: $5
3. Chlorella. This is a chloryphyll detoxifier and overall green nutrient. I buy the Yayama Source Naturals' brand from Whole Foods for $12.99.Believe me, I can tell the difference when I don't use it. My skin gets little itchy rashes on my arms.
For about $20 a month, my eczema is now completely manageable. I tried so many things –natural remedies, crisco, vaseline, shea butter (makes my skin worse when used as a straight moisturizer).
Nothing worked. I'd take a shower and 2 hours later, my skin would be dry again. Believe me, it's all about trial and error
Last year this time, my skin was so bad that it constantly itched and flaked. My skin is the color of cocoa and eczema would turn it a whitish grayish color.
Winters were miserable. My skin would be raw and bloody from scratching. Strong prescription creams no longer worked for me. Eczema covered large parts of my body – and discolored my face at my worst point.
I still have occasional dry patches, but NOTHING like before. Had a few patches on my back/hands during the change of weather (fall would make my skin go crazy!), but completely manageable. I have glowing skin again and I thank God for it (especially when I up my water).
I watch my chicken/corn consumption (I'm allergic to then) but other than that, my problems are mild.
I'm just glad that I've found something that worked for me because derms and their high priced and side effect heavy creams weren't doing it for me.
http://www.HairNista.blogspot.com
I've had eczema forever on my face and on my scalp. What works best for me is Eucerin on my face and Cantu shea butter for my scalp. Keeps me eczema free. Also not using shampoos with sulfates regularly because that dries out my scalp really bad and could be bad if i dont take care of it right away.
I've also had eczema for my life, triggered by a change in the weather. I found that shea butter works best for moisturizing, but I would steer clear of the sea salt bath and use a loofah instead. Trust..tried the sea salt, straight from the sea…it's not what you want.
Also, @Anon 1:54, try giving your son a soft towel if he has to itch. The scarring comes from breaking the skin when we scratch with our nails, when using a towel or soft bristle brush (i.e. a baby's hairbrush) he can relieve the itch without breaking the skin
I've recently started having this horrible eczema outbreak on my top lip…I don't know if it's the weather change or some of the foods I've been eating; but it's been horrible. Just about the only thing that helps is Vitamin E. I really want my top lip back 🙁
I have suffered from this condition for over 40 years. Mine is stress and weather related. Super cold or super hot brings it on. I even moved to the south for relief! Things work for a while and wear off. Right now, a mixture of baby lotion, Vaseline and vitamin e oil is really helping. I follow up with cocoa butter to cut down on the scarring.
I have been dealing with ezcema most of my life. I last year I started using shea butter. I has worked well.
My son has severe eczema as a result of nuts and eggs allergies. His skin is scarred from head to toe from scratching. I'm talking bloody sheets and pj's at night.
But I've since discovered the only thing that works for moisture for his skin..and believe me, I've tried everything in his short 4 yr life…is my own mixture of EVOO and Aveeno Oat Essence lotion. The lotion is used to help me spread the EVOO better over his skin.
For soap, I purchase No Kidding Goat's Milk soap from the farmer's market.
We can't use soy milk as soy also makes his skin break out, so I will caution others on using soy as well if you have peanut allergies. This does not mean that you will necessarily be allergic to soy, but there's still a slight possibility.
I have had great success with the Qhemet Biologics castor and moringa oil with my eczema patches. I happened to be rubbing my hands when I had some excess after applying it on my hair. 🙂 Never tried Crisco.
omg, this article couldn't be more timely. after two days of drinking coffee i finally realized that it is a trigger for my eczema! it took me months to get it under control and now after only two days the scales and patches are right back! *sigh* controlling this is appearing to be a life time endeavor!
Interesting post! I've been scouring the net for the past week searching for a miracle cure for my 3 month old daughter. She is exclusively breastfed and I have tried cutting out dairy from my diet to no avail. I have heard that people use Crisco! to seal moisture into the skin. In my search I have also found many naturals use crisco to seal moisture into their hair as well… Has anyone had any experience /success using Crisco to help with exzema?