Comments on: Eczema: Bringing Relief to the Discomfort http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html Naturally inspired living for the Christian homemaker Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:49:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Daniellehttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-75065 Danielle Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:01:56 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-75065 Thanks for discussing this topic. It has been especially relevant for our family. I've recently become increasingly aware of all the chemicals and irritants that can be lurking in our everyday products, even natural ones. I've since been on a mission to eradicate SLS (Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate) from our home. It really has made a difference. We also started using homemade hard lotion bars, but found that it was difficult to apply all over a child's body (especially soft areas like the stomach and neck), so I switched to making a salve using olive oil and beeswax. The olive oil has really been a great moisturizer, and the beeswax helps to seal the moisture in. The recipe I first tried called for 1 oz. beeswax to 1/2 c. olive oil, but I found it to be a tad hard for my liking. I found that increasing the olive oil (or decreasing the beeswax) made it even easier to apply. For myself, my biggest complaint is my hands, and SLS is in all dish soaps. I tried using gloves, but they are so slippery! Plus, one wrong move while washing out the blender and I've got holes! What I've done is decreased my use of traditional dish soap by using liquid castille soap in a foaming dispenser when washing a dish here or there throughout the day. I save the dish soap for the really greasy jobs. I can tell a huge difference there. Dishes can be a bit spotty with water spots if air drying, but my hands and nails thank me! Thanks for discussing this topic. It has been especially relevant for our family. I've recently become increasingly aware of all the chemicals and irritants that can be lurking in our everyday products, even natural ones. I've since been on a mission to eradicate SLS (Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate) from our home. It really has made a difference. We also started using homemade hard lotion bars, but found that it was difficult to apply all over a child's body (especially soft areas like the stomach and neck), so I switched to making a salve using olive oil and beeswax. The olive oil has really been a great moisturizer, and the beeswax helps to seal the moisture in. The recipe I first tried called for 1 oz. beeswax to 1/2 c. olive oil, but I found it to be a tad hard for my liking. I found that increasing the olive oil (or decreasing the beeswax) made it even easier to apply.

For myself, my biggest complaint is my hands, and SLS is in all dish soaps. I tried using gloves, but they are so slippery! Plus, one wrong move while washing out the blender and I've got holes! What I've done is decreased my use of traditional dish soap by using liquid castille soap in a foaming dispenser when washing a dish here or there throughout the day. I save the dish soap for the really greasy jobs. I can tell a huge difference there. Dishes can be a bit spotty with water spots if air drying, but my hands and nails thank me!

]]> By: Dianahttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-69261 Diana Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:34:49 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-69261 I agree, eczema is very frustrating! I had it a little bit in highschool, but it's come back with a vengeance during my pregnancy. I'm hoping it's hormone-related and will go away after delivery. Another essential oil that works wonders for itch relief is peppermint oil. Rub a little coconut or olive oil on first, and then a little dab of peppermint oil. Since it has the "minty" effect, it really seems to take away the itch. Thanks for the other ideas, too! I agree, eczema is very frustrating! I had it a little bit in highschool, but it's come back with a vengeance during my pregnancy. I'm hoping it's hormone-related and will go away after delivery. Another essential oil that works wonders for itch relief is peppermint oil. Rub a little coconut or olive oil on first, and then a little dab of peppermint oil. Since it has the "minty" effect, it really seems to take away the itch. Thanks for the other ideas, too!
Diana´s last [type] ..Baby Nursery: Appliqued Receiving Blankets

]]> By: She Pregnant » Blog Archive » How a Hard Lotion Bar Helped my Eczemahttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-48457 She Pregnant » Blog Archive » How a Hard Lotion Bar Helped my Eczema Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:12:46 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-48457 [...] Eczema: Bringing Relief to the Discomfort [...] [...] Eczema: Bringing Relief to the Discomfort [...]

]]> By: Betseyhttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-37365 Betsey Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:41:57 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-37365 I am new to the eczema world..It is driving me crazy.. I have it on my face, around my eyes, now it is going down my neck onto my shoulder... I have been surfing and trying to find helpful hints...I have changed my diet, but it is starting to get me down quickly about the affects of it. Thanks for all your posts, I am glad to have found this site..Keep sharing...It is a very frustrating disease... I am new to the eczema world..It is driving me crazy.. I have it on my face, around my eyes, now it is going down my neck onto my shoulder... I have been surfing and trying to find helpful hints...I have changed my diet, but it is starting to get me down quickly about the affects of it. Thanks for all your posts, I am glad to have found this site..Keep sharing...It is a very frustrating disease...

]]> By: Jodihttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20814 Jodi Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:11:33 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20814 I responded to the first post instead of this one so I thought I should post again. :) I have a 5 year old who has dealt with eczema from an early age. I find that he is so much better when his skin is hydrated, hydrated, hydrated! We also use a lot of flax in our diet and thankfully he loves salmon and other fish. I hardly ever give him baths, usually a shower and only once a week unless it is an emergency! The best thing I have done for his eczema is make my own soap. Most commercial "soaps" are really just a bunch of synthetic detergents and very drying to skin. Homemade soap is made with any oils you would like to use and no harsh detergents. I made an oatmeal and honey super-fatted soap with coconut and almond oil that is just wonderful for skin. We have seen a great improvement! I will never go back to regular "soap" again. If you have never made your own soap, consider it. It isn't hard, but there are safety precautions that must be followed when working with lye (you have to use lye to make soap, no getting around it) My dry skin has improved also and I don't have to use any other lotion after washing with the homemade soap. Thank you for your posts, I really enjoy your blog and am blessed to have found it. Blessings to you and yours. I responded to the first post instead of this one so I thought I should post again. :) I have a 5 year old who has dealt with eczema from an early age. I find that he is so much better when his skin is hydrated, hydrated, hydrated! We also use a lot of flax in our diet and thankfully he loves salmon and other fish.
I hardly ever give him baths, usually a shower and only once a week unless it is an emergency!

The best thing I have done for his eczema is make my own soap. Most commercial "soaps" are really just a bunch of synthetic detergents and very drying to skin. Homemade soap is made with any oils you would like to use and no harsh detergents. I made an oatmeal and honey super-fatted soap with coconut and almond oil that is just wonderful for skin. We have seen a great improvement! I will never go back to regular "soap" again.
If you have never made your own soap, consider it. It isn't hard, but there are safety precautions that must be followed when working with lye (you have to use lye to make soap, no getting around it)
My dry skin has improved also and I don't have to use any other lotion after washing with the homemade soap.
Thank you for your posts, I really enjoy your blog and am blessed to have found it. Blessings to you and yours.

]]> By: Andihttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20813 Andi Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:53:29 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20813 Hello, I really enjoy your blog! My daughter has eczema on her legs mostly, and I have dry itchy skin on my legs, too, but not usually the red patches. The skin on my hands would just sort of fall apart, peeling, kind of. Very rough. We also cut down bathing for her from daily to once a week (or as necessary), and have stopped using soap...seriously! We keep some by the sink, but we wash our hands selectively. It might sound gross, but if I am preparing for dinner anything that is to be cooked (where germs will be killed), I don't wash my hands before preparation. After kneeding bread, I don't wash off the yeast with soap, I run my hands under water, because the chlorine content in our water is so high we can't bake bread with it (because it kills the yeast). I used to be a germaphobe and wash all the time, but now I don't. Instead of using a hand sanitizer (which I used to carry in my purse) while we are out, we put coconut oil on our hands while getting ready for an outing and depend on it's antimicrobial properties for all the protection we need. It has been a big adjustment for us (me), but it works. For my daughter, we wash her with water only and have noticed a HUGE improvement in her skin. I bathe every other day and only use soap if necessary on whichever part is necessary (arm pits usually). I realized I was using soap on my whole body every time I showered, even my legs, though my legs very seldom got dirty at all. They always itched like crazy after a shower, so I stopped using soap on them. I also stopped using conditioner, though I still use a shampoo for me (not my daughter, she doesn't get greesy hair yet). We follow up our water baths with coconut oil to the whole body (makes a good deoderant, too!). Because I use coconut oil on my legs daily (even on non-shower days), the skin on my legs has become so moist, that I am able to shave them without using any shaving cream...HUGE improvement! Other things that have helped were wearing rubber gloves for doing dishes and household cleaning, switching to green cleaning for the house (using vinegar for most stuff instead of soap), upping our intake of coconut oil, flax seeds and cod liver oil, and getting off a low-fat (weight watcher's) diet (which is when I first noticed the big improvement with my hands)! Thank you for you posts! I enjoy reading them! Blessings! Hello, I really enjoy your blog! My daughter has eczema on her legs mostly, and I have dry itchy skin on my legs, too, but not usually the red patches. The skin on my hands would just sort of fall apart, peeling, kind of. Very rough. We also cut down bathing for her from daily to once a week (or as necessary), and have stopped using soap...seriously! We keep some by the sink, but we wash our hands selectively. It might sound gross, but if I am preparing for dinner anything that is to be cooked (where germs will be killed), I don't wash my hands before preparation. After kneeding bread, I don't wash off the yeast with soap, I run my hands under water, because the chlorine content in our water is so high we can't bake bread with it (because it kills the yeast). I used to be a germaphobe and wash all the time, but now I don't. Instead of using a hand sanitizer (which I used to carry in my purse) while we are out, we put coconut oil on our hands while getting ready for an outing and depend on it's antimicrobial properties for all the protection we need. It has been a big adjustment for us (me), but it works. For my daughter, we wash her with water only and have noticed a HUGE improvement in her skin. I bathe every other day and only use soap if necessary on whichever part is necessary (arm pits usually). I realized I was using soap on my whole body every time I showered, even my legs, though my legs very seldom got dirty at all. They always itched like crazy after a shower, so I stopped using soap on them. I also stopped using conditioner, though I still use a shampoo for me (not my daughter, she doesn't get greesy hair yet). We follow up our water baths with coconut oil to the whole body (makes a good deoderant, too!). Because I use coconut oil on my legs daily (even on non-shower days), the skin on my legs has become so moist, that I am able to shave them without using any shaving cream...HUGE improvement! Other things that have helped were wearing rubber gloves for doing dishes and household cleaning, switching to green cleaning for the house (using vinegar for most stuff instead of soap), upping our intake of coconut oil, flax seeds and cod liver oil, and getting off a low-fat (weight watcher's) diet (which is when I first noticed the big improvement with my hands)! Thank you for you posts! I enjoy reading them! Blessings!

]]> By: Alexia Hallhttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20812 Alexia Hall Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:38:37 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20812 Hi- Thanks for all the information on this site. My daughter, now 12, has been suffering with eczema since she was in the womb - we saw her scratching her head in the video of the ultrasound! The biggest help we have found was to eliminate all food dye from her diet. The improvement to her symptoms was immediate and wonderful! She has very few breakouts now, but when she does (usually due to scented laundry soap when we travel) oatmeal baths have been great! Thanks, Lexi Hi- Thanks for all the information on this site. My daughter, now 12, has been suffering with eczema since she was in the womb - we saw her scratching her head in the video of the ultrasound! The biggest help we have found was to eliminate all food dye from her diet. The improvement to her symptoms was immediate and wonderful! She has very few breakouts now, but when she does (usually due to scented laundry soap when we travel) oatmeal baths have been great! Thanks, Lexi

]]> By: Melissa Wingohttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20811 Melissa Wingo Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:48:41 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20811 Hi- Thanks so much for all of your info. I'm going to try a few of your suggestions on my daughter's legs. The over use of coconut oil seemed to be a problem but I still use a little. Bathing less has been good too. One thing I noticed is that it gets worse when she wears pajamas that are made from polyester. So she either wears cotton or nothing on her legs. Air circulation seems better even though she itches it more when she has bare legs. Thanks Melissa Hi- Thanks so much for all of your info. I'm going to try a few of your suggestions on my daughter's legs. The over use of coconut oil seemed to be a problem but I still use a little. Bathing less has been good too. One thing I noticed is that it gets worse when she wears pajamas that are made from polyester. So she either wears cotton or nothing on her legs. Air circulation seems better even though she itches it more when she has bare legs. Thanks Melissa

]]> By: Suyaihttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20810 Suyai Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:16:55 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20810 Great post. I really like your blog. Me, my hubby and my 20 months old son have been eczema sufferers. I had to use Elidel at one point and then I found out it was a nasty cream to put into your body. They wanted me to put it to my son but I refused. He got a bad staph infection and had to clear with antibiotics. We tried the oatmeal bath and it was awful bec we hadnt realized he's allergic to many foods. Hence, foods were the answer (he tested positive for egg, oats, colorants) and also wall-to-wall carpeting which we removed. He's doing much better but still has a very delicate skin, esp on his face (he had his cheeks red, oozing and with blood at times for 8 months last year). Also, California Baby Sensitive Lotion and Soap has done wonders for him. I don't live in USA so it's hard to get a hold of them but when anyone visits I ask them to bring me lotion, etc. This has made a tremendous diff on his skin and he's now no longer dry but soft and as baby-like as he always should have been. For him, it all started straight after the 3rd dose of his DTP vaccine. *Sigh* But that's a diff story altogether. Thank you for "listening"! Great post. I really like your blog. Me, my hubby and my 20 months old son have been eczema sufferers. I had to use Elidel at one point and then I found out it was a nasty cream to put into your body. They wanted me to put it to my son but I refused. He got a bad staph infection and had to clear with antibiotics. We tried the oatmeal bath and it was awful bec we hadnt realized he's allergic to many foods. Hence, foods were the answer (he tested positive for egg, oats, colorants) and also wall-to-wall carpeting which we removed. He's doing much better but still has a very delicate skin, esp on his face (he had his cheeks red, oozing and with blood at times for 8 months last year). Also, California Baby Sensitive Lotion and Soap has done wonders for him. I don't live in USA so it's hard to get a hold of them but when anyone visits I ask them to bring me lotion, etc. This has made a tremendous diff on his skin and he's now no longer dry but soft and as baby-like as he always should have been.

For him, it all started straight after the 3rd dose of his DTP vaccine. *Sigh* But that's a diff story altogether.

Thank you for "listening"!

]]> By: Kellyhttp://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html/comment-page-1#comment-20809 Kelly Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:30:14 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/04/eczema-bringing-relief-to-the-discomfort.html#comment-20809 Something we have done around here since I was a little girl was to add a couple of vitamin E capsuls to the bath water. You don't need to bother with opening them as the capsuls disolve in the warm water. Or you could just open one and rub into your still damp skin as that is the time your skin is most ready to except added moisture. Something we have done around here since I was a little girl was to add a couple of vitamin E capsuls to the bath water. You don't need to bother with opening them as the capsuls disolve in the warm water. Or you could just open one and rub into your still damp skin as that is the time your skin is most ready to except added moisture.

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