Effective Natural Eczema Treatments for Soothing Relief

I have been suffering with eczema for 9 months on my hands. It's very painful and embarrassing. This past weekend, I went away to the beach and realized after the third day my hands were healing. I also stopped drinking tap water and started drinking bottled or kangen water. After I arrived home from beach, my hands flared up again after one day so I decided to drive back over to beach and get a gallon of the ocean water and rub on my hands before I go to bed. I have put ocean water on my hand for 5 days now and there are no open cracks or pain in my hands, especially the itching. I wanted to share my story because I am hoping this will help others.

My husband used to have dry skin issues during winter months while we lived in the middle east, although it was visible as very small patches on his elbow and ankle that could be easily treated using QV cream mostly and corticosteroid rarely. Dermatologists diagnosed it to be psoriasis. After we moved in to Canada a year ago, he developed extreme dry skin 2 months ago which covered his arms, legs (from the knee down), trunk (both front and back). The GP diagnosed it to be psoriasis whereas the Dermatologist said it was eczema. Both of them prescribed corticosteroids.

As we knew of the side effects of using these creams over large areas of the body, we refrained from using them completely although the situation was very bad. I developed a cream using natural ingredients that was so effective, it has brought about a major turn around and now, am so glad to say, his skin has recovered completely and is back to being normal in every sense of the word. I would like to share this recipe along with the protocol he followed with all other sufferers of this condition with a sincere wish that it will be just as effective for you and help you lead a normal life as I can totally empathise with this, having seen my husband go through all the pain and agony of having eczema.

- one 450g tub Wellskin Glaxal Base moisturizing cream (for sensitive skin)

[I used this cream as the base for preparing the cream]

- 100% Aloe Vera gel (edible variety)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- vegetable glycerine (100% pure)
- Neem oil
- Calendula oil
- Tea tree oil
- Vitamin E oil (40, 000 I. U. )
- Evening primrose oil softgels - 500 mg (GLA 50mg)

Except for the cream base, I got all the other ingredients from wholefoods market.

To half the cream base, I added about 1/4th cup aloe vera gel, 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 to 1/2 cup glycerine, about 2 tblsp vitamin E oil, around 20-30 drops each of neem oil, calendula oil and tea tree oil and squeezed in about 10 evening primrose softgel cap contents. Mix thorougly and store in a clean jar in a cool, dry place.

To use, apply generous amount of this cream to the affected areas of skin like a face mask and leave on for 1 to 3 hours, if u can. By this time, most of the cream would have been absorbed. Either dab off the excess or leave on over night. Please do not cover with plastic wraps as it can result in further inflammations. Apply morning after shower like regular moisturizer and more intensively in the evening ( as mentioned above) an hour to three hours before going to bed. The key here is to let the cream sit for 2-3 hrs in the evening and atleast 1/2 to 1 hour in the morning. Within 2-3 days , we noticed a dramatic change in the skin condition and on the fourth day, his skin had completly recovered!!

At the same time, my husband stopped using soaps of any kind and used only cetaphil. As for diet, we decided to have only fish, vegetables ( no tomatoes, potatoes), wholegrain brown rice and a berry smoothie using organic unsweetened coconut milk for breakfast (no eggs). Avoid sugar and all simple carbs atleast for the duration of this treatment. And drink loads of water too.

Wishing all of you a speedy recovery, one that's free of medications and all its unwanted side effects.

I had eczema since I was a baby. As I grew up, this skin condiion became dermatitis herpetaformis which is a terribly itchy, blistering, scarring affliction. I am now in my 40's. With totally smooth, gorgeous skin that I thank God for every day. Esp when I get compliments on it.

What changed: My diet for one thing. I discovered that dairy and meat were causing the itching and the breakouts. At the same time, I had been doing a colon cleanse, taking black walnut hull supplements (probably for about 6 weeks).

I remember having to rush into a department store restroom and urgently using the bathroom.

What I saw (yes, this is gross but important to those who might be helped by this information) was a t. bowl full of floating black-spider things.

I had obviously purged parasites. After this the DH (dermatitis herpetiformis) was gone. I still got itchy when I tried to eat meat, esp beef. I have been a vegetarian for many years now. Easy to do with all the meat-like analoges.

I believe all skin problems are the result of the GI tract being overloaded and the skin is the next organ of detoxification. Clear the gut and health prevails.

For years, I'd get eczema flare-ups, which were exacerbated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. At first, I cut out dairy altogether, avoided tap water, restricted my diet--the usual--not knowing that dairy in itself IS NOT THE CULPRIT! A one week vacation in France proved that. There, I consumed the typical French fare of wine, cheeses, cream sauces, etc. & my skin cleared completely. But I still didn't "get" it until years later. Recently.

What REALLY helped was changing my diet to traditional foods, namely raw dairy (milk, butter, cream, etc. ) & fermented foods & drink, in particular homemade yogurt. The idea is to get ALL of the beneficial bacteria from real live food items. Helpful traditional fermented foods: pickled veggies, certain raw cheeses, kombucha, natto, miso, raw soy sauce & of course ACV. Many "pickled" items in grocery stores are pasteurized & therefore don't contain beneficial bacteria. Anyway, it's no wonder ACV is the top remedy on this site. It's a raw fermented drink!!! These items, taken regularly, help us digest our food & maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in our bodies. Bacteria are not baddies! I'm now convinced that we need to be mindful of beneficial bacteria in all aspects of life. In gardening & farming, we depend on good bacteria to break down, to compost & make nutrient-dense soil. Earth can't survive without them.

The concept is the same within our bodies. Similarly, anti-bacterial soaps & products and chlorine destroy the "good" as well as the "bad", making our bodies weaker in the end. It all makes sense to me now. You don't have to be vegetarian or a raw foodist (though I like many of those recipes) for clear skin. By sticking to whole, unprocessed foods & adding fermented items at each meal, we noticed a difference in our family's skin (child had severe eczema too, now much more beautiful skin! ) & in overall health. Best to avoid non-raw dairy whenever possible. That's when we begin to see little flare-ups.

Very helpful resources were "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz and "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. Fascinating info on this site!

I agree that the hot, HOT water treatment does relieve my eczema on my hands... I know it's probably not the best thing to do but it's the only thing that relieves that intolerable, unbearable itching. You do get goosebumps from the icredible relief you get from it too!! Ha! I thought I was the only one. I try to follow up with a fragrance free lotion or coconut oil to prevent over drying of the affected areas. It usually clears up on its own in a couple of weeks.

This is my story so far: I am 51 years old, born in London of black Barbadian parents. I relocated to Barbados in 2005. Up to that time I had a minor problem with ezcema, a few dark patches which did not occur until I reached 40 or thereabouts. I didn't worry about them but treated them with the ointment prescribed by the doctor. I noticed soon after living in Barbados that the patches of ezcema were increasing, becoming raised & itching like you wouldn't believe. I am now covered from head to toe, including palms & soles of my feet with these patches. I've tried the traditional route with the dermatologist, a herbal practioner & even acupunture with no real improvement.

I decided to do some internet investigation & read elsewhere that blackseed & coconut oil had helped others with skin problems. I have been using both oils as soon as I come out of the shower & during the day when my skin starts to dry out & tighten up in the office air conditioning. I saw signs of improvement & was encourages to do more research.

I found your site on 16th June 2010, bought the apple cider vinegar on 18th, along with the bicarbonate of soda & followed Ted's advice.

I have been using the 2 tblsps of acv & 1/2 tsp of bicarb each morning or evening. (because I get an immediate reaction of having to rush to the toilet I don't drink this on the mornings I have to go to work) I also apply the acv directly to my skin by way of a spray bottle plus my oil moisturizers as many times as I need. The acv burns but not enough to put me off. I also try to drink each morning lemon juice in a glass of hot water. I have to sweeten this as I find it impossible to drink otherwise.

At first my skin became very flaky, even drier & grey looking, which was alarming but I persevered, encouraged by my husband. I still itched badly too. But within a week the flakiness eased off & the greyness went away.

Nearly 3 weeks later I am very encouraged to see the change in my skin. The raised, thickened patches have flattened out & do not look so angry. The degree of itching has lessened somewhat but I am still itching, especially my palms. I am still covered from head to toe but I am optimistic & encouraged to continue my regime & see what happens.

I have to say BIG THANKS for earthclinic.com & the contributing stories & testimonials.

I will post another update in a couple of weeks.

I was reading everyone's testimonials and it gave me hope that ACV would clear my eczema that I've had for so long (since when I was 14, I'm now 21)and was irritated that my doctor couldn't help clear it and all he ever gave me was steroids to slow it down...What I did was pour of ACV on a cotton ball (soak it) and rubbed it on the places where the eczema was. Because it stings so bad I had a bottle of Sweet Almond Oil and rubbed it on the same spot where the eczema was to immediately stop the stinging and help with the healing of the skin. You can get a small bottle health food stores for around $6, I know it's expensive but it's worth it. I did this for about a week and it cleared up my eczema. I also drink 2 tbsp. of ACV in bottle water daily (tastes bad but bear with it!) to kill the eczema bacteria inside my body.

My son had severe eczema from the time he was a few months old. I took him to 3 doctors and was given prescriptions that didn't cure him.He scratched til he bled. One day after fasting I read that a deficiency in vitamin A will cause dry, itchy bumps especially on the legs.

I gave him cod liver oil in a cup of juice with a top on it (sippy cup) because of the smell. The next week he did not have one spot on him and he is 18 years old now and never had that again.

Has anyone tried Iodine as an eczema cure? I've been painting it on the skin in the affected areas and it seems to be helping. Now I'm going to try taking some iodine tablets. Iodine deficiency is apparently becoming a problem and can be one of the causes of eczema.

On eczema, I believe removing the cause is the best cure. The causative factor is usually soap. No matter what kind - if it's soap, don't use it. One of our psychiatrists came in with a classic case of exzema (in his forties). I took one look at him and remarked, "that looks itchy, is it?" He said yes. When I caught him without an audience, I asked him if he ever tried leaving off soap for his eczema. He said he had and it got better at first, then got worse.

This almost threw me off track, until I thought to ask him what he used instead of soap. He replied that he didn't remember the name of it but it was some kind of medicated cream. I then suggested that he try leaving off soap again and not using any thing instead. He was surprised when told to just use a thick, wash cloth and water when bathing, nothing else, but agreed to give it a try. Several days later when he was next on call, he came in with the smoothest complexion and very happy with it.

People who forgo the use of soap also find that they have less body odor and attract fewer insect bites.

Again, on headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients.

Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death.

If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.

I battled with eczema on both my hands for years - my hands were constantly raw and bleeding from all the scratching. Then I read somewhere that chamomile tea would help. I soaked my hands in a strong brew of chamomile tea every day for about 10 minutes. It's now completely gone. I also make a point of avoiding all soap. We have a fantastic ointment here called Epizone E which can be used as a soap and a moisturiser. Hope this bit of info can help someone out there!

I started taking 10 drops/day of Grapefruit Seed Extract for a different problem. Within 3 days, the mild eczema on my arms was completely gone! It's been there for months so I was surprised by this. I did a search online & found that GSE can help with eczema.

I found that mixing some drops of tea tree oil in the coconut oil made my therapy much stronger than just coconut oil. I have eczema - atopic dermatitis only on summer and on my feet and calves. I used this mixture every day. It's a bit oily. If the area becomes more itchy after applying for a few seconds don't worry, this happens because of rubbing the area and not because of the coconut oil.

This mixed therapy is very good for everyday, but it doesn't vanish the symptoms for weeks.

Alex,

You might give over the counter 1% Clotrimazole cream to try to determine if it is fungal or some other cause. If 1% Clotrimazole clears it or helps considerably, it is likely fungal.

Art

It must be obvious I suppose, but I realise that I omitted to say that the dampened bandages are applied to the dry/itchy patches, before covering with the dry layer and then clingfilm. I do not apply any creams, oils or moisturisers, just water. It certainly works very fast for me, as relief and I hope will turn out to be curative longer term.

Hi!

Yes, this was also my experience for eczema/dermatitis on my face, but the sunlight didn't do it. Vitamin d3 supplementation did cure it within two days. For some reason, the sunlight made it much worse. I can also eat dairy, no prob.

My teenage daughter has dealt with perioral dermatitis for years. We have tried many, many things over the years with varying temporary results that have been less than satisfying. A few months ago we tried Aveno baby eczema cream. Wow! This is the best thing we have used. I would say she is 90% better and has been for months. This is inexpensive and available online and in stores. 😊 ~Mama to Many~

Will add my vote for cod liver oil. It cured my eczema after a curious start. The first time I took the gelcaps, I had the worst itchiest night of my entire life, woke up in bloody sheets, but my eczema was completely calm by then, no itch, no blisters, and the edges of the patches were already healing, back to soft new skin. I have continued to experience four months of continuous healing of my skin, no more flares. I believe I will continue taking cod liver oil all my life. People should beware that some clo on the market has synthetic vitamins added to it. Stick to high quality pure cod liver oil.

Mch, you can try eliminating dairy, sugar and grains for one week, and see if it gets any better.

I recommended Silymarin (Milk Thistle extract) in a post a few years ago. The product I used contained Turmeric (700mg per serving). When I switched to a product that did not contain turmeric my eczema came back. I now believe it's the Turmeric (or the combination of Silymarin and Turmeric) that's curing my eczema. Definitely, for me, Turmeric is an essential component of my eczema treatment.

Hi Deirdre,

You can try 80% aloe vera gel plus 10% xylitol plus 10% food grade vegetable glycerin and a little lavender essential oil. This should avoid the added irritant qualities of lotion based blends. Let me know if it helps and if not I will give it further thought!

Art

Thank you for your very comprehensive post, I'm sure will help a lot of people. Often times when we have recurring skin problems it is because something is not right internally. You usually need to attack or fix internally as well as topically. I would consider adding a great probiotic like homemade kefir, or probiotic pills bought refrigerated to balance your gut's good bacteria, best on an empty stomach, and vitamin c at minimum 1000 mg a day. Of course there are many other immune boosters as well to consider. Sometimes the symptoms flare initially as your boosted immune system fights it out. Also I trust your hand soap is natural, mine is a mix of water, borax, baking soda, bentonite clay and anti fungal, anti bacterial essential oils. Best of health to you