12 Great Home Remedies for Eczema You Can Do Yourself What is Eczema? Eczema, which is also known as dermatitis, is a collection of diseases pertaining to the inflammation of the skin. Characteristic symptoms of eczema include red skin, itching, and rashes. Eczema can vary from shortterm systems consisting of small blisters to more longterm conditions involving rashes, thickening of the skin, and can cover the entire body. It is often unclear what causes eczema – it can involve a combination of irritation, allergy, chemical sensitivities and other circulatory issues. For example, irritant dermatitis can occur in people who often get their hands wet, while allergic contact dermatitis commonly follows exposure to substances, solvents, plants and animals that a person is sensitive or allergic to. Symptoms of eczema can vary in type and location on the body depending on the form of the disease. The most common symptom among all forms of eczema is dry itchy skin. Commonly affected skin areas include face, eye lids, wrists, back of the knees and the folds of the arms. So if you have eczema, what can you do about it? Well, there are a number of things you can do in terms of home remedies to deal with many types of eczema. Let's take a look at a few... Avoiding Stress and Allergens As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Eczema, like psoriasis, can be brought about and made more severe by stress, both physical and mental. I'm mentioning this first because, before we proceed with other home remedies, you would be well served to diminish your stress level, and thereby diminish its effect on your eczema outbreaks wherever possible. Avoiding strenuous exercise, in particular exercise that can cause excessive sweating or chafing during an eczema flare up is advisable. Eat right and partake in moderate exercise, and get sufficient sleep. Avoid contact with those things you're allergic to or that might bring about irritation or an allergic reaction with your skin. Keep it clean Wash your skin with lukewarm water, not hot; wash about 10 to 15 minutes, no more. Use a mild hypoallergenic soap or body wash every day. When finished, pat yourself dry with a towel, do not rub your skin. Apply moisturizing lotion all over your body to help prevent dry skin. Use plain vanilla type lotions, not ones with heavy fragrances, dyes, or additives. And remember to wear gloves when handling solvents or detergents.
Don't scratch! Avoid scratching areas affected with eczema. If it helps, cover the area affected with a bandage or dressing. You can take Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) in pill form to reduce the itching (be advised this will make you drowsy, so be mindful when operating machinery or a motor vehicle). Some non-sedating alternatives would include Claritin (loratadine) and Xyzal (levocetirizine). Creams Nonprescription steroid creams, such as hydrocortisone, along with an anti-itching lotions such as calamine lotion can be applied to areas of eczema outbreak. This process must be applied repeatedly and consistently until the rash is gone. Let me repeat that consistency is important here – don't skip days during treatments, and apply creams as often as possible. Cod liver oil Did your mother ever give you cod liver oil as a child? Well, it may have tasted nasty but it was very good for you because it's a great source of healthy fats for your body (and also useful for fighting tooth decay as it plays a part in the remineralization process of your teeth). Along with high vitamin butter oil, cod liver oil is a great source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and help promote healthy skin. Aloe Vera and Baking Soda and Vegetable Shortening Gels made from aloe are rich in healing compounds and have good anti-inflammatory properties. They provide an ice cooling sensation for itchy skin. Aloe Vera gel can be found at most drugstores and health food stores. Baking soda is another useful topical treatment. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 3 gallons of water; apply with a wash cloth to the affected areas for quick relief from itch symptoms. Another useful topical Treatment is vegetable shortening. This old-time kitchen staple can be applied topically to dry, cracked skin to help it heal. Coat the affected area, cover with a plastic wrap and secure with surgical tape or equivalent. Leave the wrap on for 2-4 hours to let the moisturizer sink in. If possible, repeat daily until rash subsides.
Probiotics Along with probiotic rich food, probiotics themselves are commonly absent from our modern diet. Our digestive system (and the gut bacteria contained therein) plays an
important role in our health, including our skin health. Legacy methods of food preservation involved fermentation, which was a good source of natural probiotics that were incorporated into our diet. Today our foods are processed and many natural probiotics are simply missing, so the probiotic rich foods are understandably scarce. Some natural probiotic rich foods include Water Kefir, sauerkraut, Kombucha Soda, yogurt, and so on. Oddly enough, sanitary practices such as hand washing (which is a good and healthy practice in and of itself) also washes away beneficial soil born microorganisms that provide beneficial bacteria to our gut. Healing foods Bone broth, although not very common today, was an important part of a healing diet. This is due in large part to its high gelatin content. Gelatin is good for your gut and it's also great for skin, hair, and nail health. Happily, homemade bone broth is super easy and inexpensive to make. What you want to look for in selecting bones to make a suitable broth from our those high-quality bones coming from grass fed cattle, pastured poultry, or fish caught in the wild. It's best to start with ingredients that come from animals that are as healthy as possible, as you're going to be taking in minerals from them in a concentrated form. Some places to find good bones are:
leftovers from roast chicken, turkey or other poultry (best from pastured poultry) bones from a local butcher shop; look for shops that butcher the entire animal local farmers whose animals are grass fed also you can also get broth from companies that specialize in organic bone broths
Understandably, for those who do not want to get into bone broth making, can take gelatin as a supplement instead. If you are so bold, just web search the phrase "gelatin recipe" for dozens of free recipes. Apply Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, and Tea Tree Oil A long time treatment for skin inflammation and burns his apple cider vinegar, which is also useful as a disinfectant. Applying directly with the cotton swab to affected areas, or use a clean paper towel dipped in a one-to-one mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. Not to be used in areas where the skin is bleeding or cracked, as the apple cider vinegar will irritate and sting upon application. Another healing food is olive oil, which is a natural oil full of omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation. Rub warm olive oil on affected areas of the skin; this will help to soften up scaly patches of eczema. Also adding olive oil to diet is a good way to help treat your skin
from the inside out. You can also take a few drops of tea tree oil, diluted in olive oil, onto eczema affected skin areas, and is useful in alleviating the itch which accompanies eczema outbreaks. Magnesium baths Some eczema sufferers experience worsening symptoms when they soak their skin and water, but for those who can endure immersing the affected areas and water, a magnesium baths can be helpful in skin healing. Just add a cup of Epson salt or magnesium flakes and a few tablespoons of Himalayan salt to your bathwater. As an alternative, you can use magnesium oil. Sea Spray For those eczema outbreaks that are wet and losing, it may be better to try drying it out rather than moisturizing it. Many people with skin problems claim improvement after spending time at the beach. Minerals in the water, magnesium, and Sun provided vitamin D, the beach is a great place to promote skin health! For those who can't get to the beach, try this homemade recipe:
1 cup of distilled water (or boiled) 1 tablespoon Himalayan salt (or sea salt) pinch of Epson salt or magnesium flakes optional: 1 to 3 drops of essential oil (scent is up to you)
Just add the salt and Epson salt (or magnesium) to warm water and stir until ingredients are completely dissolved. If desired had essential oils and place the mixture in a jar or spray bottle. To use, apply to your skin by spraying, or perhaps using a cotton swab applicator. Fast working over-the-counter remedy If you like, you can buy a non-steroid, over-the-counter product without a prescription that will work great for treating outbreaks of eczema. One of the better products you can get is Revitol skin cream, which was developed by dermatologists, and is 100% natural. You can learn more about Revitol Eczema Cream here. I hope you have found this guide useful. All the best. John C.