Eczema
Natural Remedies

Effective Natural Eczema Treatments for Soothing Relief

Vinegar Soaks
Posted by Kyle (Bangkok, Thailand ) on 08/18/2012
★★★★★

About a year ago I had my first ever outbreak of Dyshidrotic eczema on my hands. At first glance I didn't pay much mind to it until about a week after and my hands had developed full on blisters and after a week would dry up and leave discolored dead skin which was socially awkward and frustrating. I was baffled at first as to what had caused it until I did a bit of research on it. Apparently others were suffering from the same thing as me but I wanted to narrow down the variables a bit more. After more research I came to the conclusion that my case of athlete's foot was the culprit (root cause of the fungal infection) and when my feet were at its worse the dyshidrosis would begin. I have been battling athlete's foot for years and it was just getting worse.

Long story short, I stopped my athlete's foot with a half and half mixture of white vinegar and water and soaked my feet for 30 minutes, once a day, every day for a week and a half. I started doing this after I noticed an outbreak on my hands occurring and after just a few days the treatment stopped the dyshidrotic eczema dead in its tracks and a week after the small but not developed outbreak was dried up and gone. Even though my feet are still a bit red and tender from years of having athletes foot it has drastically improved and the eczema on my hands have never returned.

In the end, I have associated my breakouts of dyshidrosis to the initial fungal infection from the athlete's foot. I am not a skin specialist, just going by what worked for me. If you are suffering from this condition my best advice would be to find a root cause to the break outs. I've heard that leaky-gut syndrome can be a cause but there is so much speculation out there which is what makes dealing with any kind of eczema so frustrating!! I hope this helps....


Apples, ACV, Dietary Changes
Posted by Joanl (Arlington, Texas) on 08/07/2012

Right on Samuel! Don't feel too bad, I didn't discover the poison food issue til I was 33! 30 years of misery! 16 years of great skin.... Til lately, ate cantelope from a farmer who claimed to grow organically, ate it every day for weeks! ... Now I can't eat anything til I'm clean, almost everything is a trigger. My cycle of itch restarted and it could be a couple of months before my blood is clean. Just sweating burns my skin, the itching intolerable, maddening!! He claims it was a mineral complex he put on the crops for flavor. My mouth, neck, eyes, ears, hands, arms all begging to be lopped off to stop the itch. I can eat org. Apples, plain rice, chicken, oatmeal... FUN (gonna go try acv/h2o on my skin... Hang in there everyone! Oh, tomatoes are the worst, they get sprayed with all the -cides, and they're treated with citric acid to be canned, or made into any condiment. Organic tomatoes only folks!


Ayurveda
Posted by Pinki (Uae) on 07/26/2012

Thankyou for the wonderful description of the three types of excema. Finally I understood. It was always a wonder to me how something worked for some and not the others. especially in my case coconut oil seems to have aggravated it.


Cattails
Posted by Silvermist (Downeast, Maine, Usa) on 07/17/2012
★★★★★

I have been having my child soak in the ocean this summer and her eczema was improving, but we were still giving her hydroxyzine every night for the itching (it's like benadryl). Anyway, I picked some cattails and rubbed the gel that's found by peeling the base of the stalk onto her worst patch and it was COMPLETELY healed the next day- no sign of eczema at all and she slept through the night w/ no itching for the first time in her life! I am going to pick some more cattails and do the other areas.


Ayurveda
Posted by Jennifer (Sunrise, Fl, Usa) on 07/11/2012
★★★★★

To add to my remedies for eczema, one Ayurvedic remedy that very cooling and soothing for pitta eczema - especially on the face - is a turmeric & yogurt mask. It is very cooling and soothing on "hot" kinds of eczema. I use plain Greek yogurt without any additives, and you can find turmeric in the spice aisle of the grocery store. Leave on for 20 minutes and wash or tissue off. Be careful, because turmeric can leave permanent stains on clothing and towels.


Castor Oil
Posted by Beatrix (Melbourne, Australia) on 07/01/2012
★★★★☆

i have suffered from eczema for more than 5 years. I had chinese medicine (herbal tea of a kind) and my skin healed completely for about 4 months. Then winter came and my eczema got really bad. First it was the front of my neck then it spread all the way around. I tried using olive oil to moisturise the skin and it didnt really work. Then, a family friend whose son also suffered from eczema, recommended castor oil. I went and bought some from the chemist and applied it to my neck.

the next day I applied it to my neck when I woke up and when it dried up. I had to sleep with a towel on my pillow otherwise my pillow would soak up the oil. it worked within 2 days. my skin got softer (when my eczema was bad it would be hard), more moist, and it healed, but not completely.

the biggest setback was when I would scratch in my sleep without knowing and find blood on my pjs and hands. I found that the dead skin on my bed probably didnt help so I moved to sleep on the floor. this helped alot.

hoped this helped


Apples, ACV, Dietary Changes
Posted by Marianne (Salyer, Ca) on 06/17/2012

Thankyou so much, Samuel from Redmond, WA. I reread your posting every few days, and am totally grateful for your clear information. It has been the only method that has proven to be helpful. No words can thank you enough.


Ayurveda
Posted by Bess (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 06/13/2012

Thanks Jennifer! The information on ayurveda for eczema is extremely useful. I think that I am a pitta type as well (I have hand eczema). I'm going to try your suggestions - I even have a few of the items on hand (coconut oil, rosewater, etc. ). Cheers and good health! Bess


Ayurveda
Posted by Jennifer (Sunrise, Fl, USA) on 06/10/2012
★★★★★

Eczema - oh, the agony! I've suffered with this condition almost all of my life. I discovered the wisdom of Ayurveda many years ago and it has helped me tremendously with my eczema. Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that has been around for anywhere from 6,000 to 42,000 years. To many people, Ayurveda sounds strange and hippie-ish, but the advice is rather timeless and practical. In fact, the majority of the people who have posted on the eczema board have been using Ayurvedic remedies to clear their eczema, without even realizing it.

In ayurveda, the root of eczema is believed to be in the colon. I'm sure that most of you who are reading this are not surprised by this, because like me, you probably also have a known digestive disorder, weight problems, or slow/sluggish/incomplete digestion. It's not a surprise to me, reading through the posts on this site, that a lot of peoples' eczema responds positively to "cleansing" fasts. It is believed that when the body cannot handle digestion, toxins get released into the bloodstream, and these toxins are then eliminated through the skin, causing a variety of skin problems such as acne or eczema.

However, I see that some of the trouble that people are having is that they are not always using the correct remedies for their eczema "type". For example, one woman's son who has a kind of "vata" eczema (dry, scratchy, aggravated by cold and wind) was applying coconut oil (a cooling oil used to treat "pitta"/hot eczema) to it and not surprisingly, his condition was aggravated. But those who seem to suffer from "pitta"/hot eczema seem to have much success with coconut oil. I compiled this information for you in hopes that you will be able to correctly diagnose your eczema and use the correct Ayurvedic method for your eczema "type".

I have "pitta"/hot type eczema and can only give advice from my personal experience for people who suffer from that kind of eczema.

Ayurvedic approach to healing and treating eczema -

  • Snehana (Oiliation) - apply correct oil/medicated oil preparation on your skin for your eczema type.
  • Panchkarma (Detoxification) - using the correct herbs for your dosha (Ayurvedic "type") to cleanse and detoxify the blood.
  • Elimination - correcting any problems with digestion and elimination, to prevent toxins from entering your blood. One of the important ways to prevent a flare-up is to make sure that colon remains clean.
  • Remove allergens from environment and diet - this can be food/diet related, cosmetic related, or allergen-related (ex. Dust, mold).

    What is my Ayurvedic "type" of eczema? (Vicharchika)
    Vata (cold, dry) type: The skin tends to be rough, dry, hard, itchy and scaly. There may be associated constipation, wind and distension, anxiety and insomnia. The skin is aggravated by cold, wind, dryness and stress and relieved by the application of oils, especially sesame.

    Pitta (hot, burning) type: The skin is hot and inflamed; it is aggravated by heat and heating foods, exposure to the sun (heat rash) and application of most oils, reflecting a state of heat and toxicity in the body. There tends to be burning, redness, oozing, swelling and infection which can be associated with fever, irritability and feeling of heat. Pitta type eczema responds well to cooling oils, such as coconut oil.

    Kapha (cold, moist) type: Kapha skin problems are often accompanied by mucous congestion, lethargy and sluggish metabolism. The skin tends to be cold, clammy, sticky, oozing, swollen and itchy, with a pale complexion. It is aggravated by cold, damp, application of oils and eating dairy products and sugar.

    Eczema is more common with a Pitta imbalance as Pitta can overheat the blood (Rakta dhatu) and predispose to toxic conditions which are expressed through the skin. Factors causing such skin problems include poor digestion (low agni), toxins in the bowel (ama), incorrect diet, over use of sour, salty, or pungent tastes, heavy, sweet or oily foods, as well as over-use of cosmetics, perfumes, synthetic creams, etc.

    ______________________________________________________

    OK, now I know my Ayurvedic eczema type. How do I treat it?

    Vata type eczema: Follow a Vata reducing diet and lifestyle with sesame oil massage and castor oil laxative or enemas. Pungent, bitter and astringent tasting foods should be reduced, while sweet, sour and salty tastes are recommended. Nourishing and cleansing herbs for internal use include Triphala, Guggul, Shatavari, Bala, and Cardamom. Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Cardamom and Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa). Triphala powder mixed in warm water, or Triphala guggul capsules, can be given before bed.

    Medicated ghee (Indian clarified butter, can be found in ethnic food stores) can be used internally and externally. Useful herbs for medicating the ghee include Triphala, Musta (Cyperus rotundus), Manjishta, Gokshura, Chitrak, Neem, Guduchi, Cardamom, Punarnava, and Vacha (Acorus calamus) root.

    Pitta type eczema: Follow an anti-Pitta diet, avoiding possible allergens such as dairy produce, vegetables from the nightshade family, as well as oranges, peaches and strawberries. Sour, salty and hot spicy foods are best avoided, while sweet, bitter and astringent foods are recommended. Drinking coconut juice/water (or taking up to 1 tbsp coconut oil internally per day) is helpful, along with coriander leaf juice. Exposure to sun and heat is best avoided.

    Recommended herbs for internal use include bitter cleansing herbs such as burdock root (Arcium lappa), Neem, Guduchi, Manjishta, and laxative herbs such as Dandelion root (Taraxacum off. ) and Triphala can be helpful. Also recommended are Gotu kola, Sandalwood, Kutki (Picrorrhiza kurroa), Musta, Chirata (Swertia chiretta), Aloe Vera juice, and Amalaki.

    Helpful therapies for external application include cooling and soothing rose water, coconut oil, Aloe Vera gel, coriander leaf juice, Gotu kola oil, and Bringaraj oil. Sandalwood in oils, creams, or the powder made into a paste, has a cooling anti-inflammatory effect. I use a cream that contains Sandalwood, Neem and Turmeric which is effective. Baths with herbs of Musta, Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) and Triphala can be useful.

    **My regimen for Pitta-type eczema**: If you have pitta-type (hot) eczema, the goal here is to cool down your body, improve your digestion and remove toxins from your blood. I recommend (and use) the pitta-reducing Blood Cleanse by Banyan Botanicals, which has manjista, neem, turmeric, guduchi, and burdock. I use in conjunction with Ayurcetics Triphala, 1 tablet right before bed helps elimination and cools and purifies the blood. When I have an eczema flareup, I apply Nutiva Coconut Oil (my favorite coconut oil on the market) to the inflamed areas, and I usually see a clearing up of my eczema within 30 minutes of application. I take 1 tbsp of coconut oil internally everyday, which helps prevent my eczema from recurring. I try to sleep in a cool room, and sometimes I will leave my hair wet, apply coconut oil or brahmi/amla oil to my hair and scalp (I use either the Nutiva oil or the Brami/Amla oil by Vadik herbs), wrap it in a towel, and sleep like that with my hair cold and damp. It keeps my head and body cool all through the night (no heat = no eczema flare up! ). I try to keep as little covers on me as possible as not to get overheated. I also drink aloe vera juice and coconut water, you can find both in Whole Foods or in Asian grocery stores. I prefer the sweetened kind of aloe vera juice (the big green bottles with chunks of aloe vera floating in it), because the non-sweetened kind tastes pretty nasty!! I also try to engage in cooling/calming activities such as yoga and meditation, and try to avoid aggravating "hot" emotions such as anger, resentment, or stress.

    Kapha type eczema: A Kapha reducing diet and lifestyle is recommended by avoiding all heavy, greasy and oily food, particularly cheese and yogurt. Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods should be reduced, while pungent, bitter and astringent foods are recommended.

  • Discoid Eczema Remedies
    Posted by Quiet (Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Usa) on 05/22/2012

    Just Realized that I left out one step in my remedy, above. Sorry!

    It is this: right after washing with mild cleanser and/or sodium bicarbonate, and before applying tea tree oil, I dabbed all effected areas with hydrogen peroxide. Let this dry, or pat it dry before applying the tea tree oil.

    H2O2 bleaches everything it touches, so if you have dark hair, you might be concerned about that.


    Fish Oil, Yogurt
    Posted by Shabana (Abubhadi, Abudhabi) on 05/22/2012
    ★★★★★

    Yea, it is perfect. She is right. I had also this problem but had around my eyes. I took fish oil dietary supplement. I worked and I am 90% satisfied I did ot took yogart but I will use now.


    Discoid Eczema Remedies
    Posted by Quiet (Wisconsin, Wisconsin Usa) on 05/17/2012
    ★★★★★

    This will resolve the itchy blisters--makes them stop itching immediately and rapidly disappear. Apply 2x daily and continue at least overnight for at least a week after all visible signs are gone:

    1. Wash with gentle soap and then gently with baking powder (sodium bicarbonate) Pat dry.

    2. Apply thin coat of tea tree oil

    3. Apply thin layer of coconut oil.

    4. Paint effected area with thin coat of zinc paste. (I used one that also contained castor oil, was made for babies and had no added scent.

    Cover effected areas to prevent touching anything. Is it contagious? Maybe. Clean everything In your household, using bleach when possible.

    Those four steps are the heart of this treatment. I also took turmeric with pepper during treatment, but am not certain that is essential. (1 tsp w/ pepper 3x daily during active phase; tapered to 1 tsp / day during "99.9%" sure it is gone phase ( the extra week)


    The first time I tried this, all blistering was gone in 10 days. Furthermore, at step 2 or 3 above, the itching stops, so you will be comfortable.

    Good luck.


    Lemon and Pineapple Juice
    Posted by Catherine (Wellington, New Zealand) on 05/07/2012
    ★★★★★

    I have had an unsightly patch of thick red scaly skin on the side of my nose for some years. I have tried many of the remedies cited on the EC site with only limited and temporary improvement.

    When looking up my lemon recipe book I came across this eczema remedy.. "50:50 lemon juice and pineapple juice, applied hourly until cured". Well I didn't have any lemons at the time but did have the pineapple so I squeezed a little juice and applied a couple of times during the day and again at night. The improvement was dramatic. I continued with just the pineapple juice as I thought the lemon might be a bit severe on my face. I kept the juice in the fridge for up to 3 days.. It didn't seem to reduce its effectiveness by not being really fresh. I used night and morning for a week and now have only a little dry area of normal coloured skin. Perhaps a strict compliance with the remedy using lemon as well as pineapple and using only fresh juice would be a much quicker remedy. Try it out.. it certainly is worth it, and entirely safe and painless.


    Iodine
    Posted by Sally O (Austin, Tx) on 05/03/2012
    ★★★★★

    Taking an iodine supplement has almost cleared my eczema. I read about swimming in the ocean, but not one near here -- tried bathing in sea salt, but the iodine is doing an amazing job.


    L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
    Posted by Bess (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 04/26/2012

    Hi Maggie (fellow Calgarian) - I wonder if you have keratosis pilaris. While it seems most people get it on their arms or legs, some do get it on their face.

    There are a number of cures here on Earth Clinic, including a homemade mixture of organic coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and lecithin (emulsifier). You might want to add a few drops of lavender - it sounds like it is quite whiffy!

    Here's the link:

    https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/keratosis_pilaris.html

    Although you are taking quite a few oils, are you eating enough water-filled vegetables (like in green smoothies)? Supposedly that is the best way to get water into our cells.

    A humidifier is a must here in Calgary. Exfoliate your skin very gently and rinse thoroughly before patting on a moisturizer (or coconut oil). Some people even put a 50/50 coconut oil and castor oil blend on their face at night (too heavy for the day).

    Also, I believe there are a few forums on the Internet for people with facial keratosis pilaris but I think most of them opt for prescriptions and heavy-duty lotions filled with rather toxic ingredients.

    Good luck Maggie! Cheers, Bess


    L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
    Posted by Maggie (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 04/25/2012

    Hi. I find this posting most interesting. I have been battling chicken skin for 2-3 years now. I do not have the red flaky skin but have been told I have rosacea. I am wondering if this could possibly be helpful as I have tried everything as well. I currently take evening primrose oil capsules irregularly and put a 1/2 tsp of flaxseed in my oatmeal each am. But I take a lot of omegas and am wondering if this is inadvisable. I take cod liver oil capsules; omega and fish oil capsules and seabuckthorn capsules on a rotating basis. My skin is wonderfully soft from these oils but wondering if it is also too much.

    Also please note I did not take all these supplements until after a long time trying to experiment with things to try and get rid of this chicken skin/rosacea type condition. I would like to try just your supplement recommendations and stop all the others temporarily to see if it would clear up my condition - which to clarify is only on my face. I had actually come to the point of giving up trying to remedy my problem because I have worked so hard at it and never seen an improvement over the last few years other than they seem to be less prominent now then other times. I really could never figure out what it was that made them better or worse. I have been told I have candida; I was told by a dermatologist it was a hormone imbalance; so always a mass confusion and a constant process of experimentation.

    I am 51 years old and have recently gone through menopause. Again, the symptom of these pustules, white bumps whatever you would call them have never actually left - even for a day. I have had times last summer where a couple picked off but none have come to the surface lately. I could never figure out what it was that happened at that time to cause the slight improvement at that time.


    Niacinimade Powder, Vitamin E
    Posted by Deepak (Nagpur, Maharashtra) on 04/24/2012

    Use 50:50 ratio of neem oil and mustard oil massage on infected area of eczema within 15days you will get new skin and there is no itching after application.


    Multiple Remedies
    Posted by Liz (Boston, Massachusetts) on 04/19/2012

    My teenage daughter has suffered from eczema since she was just a wee thing, and like you, we have tried every remedy imaginable over the years.When her flare-ups were really severe, she would resort to using her prescription streroid cream. But of course, that's just 'a bandaid' - it doesn't eliminate what's causing the eczema, and that was our ultimate goal.

    What finally worked, was having her include at least two (but the more, the better) small vanilla yogurts each day, without fail - one in the morning, and one in the evening.

    This, along with two fish oil capsules at bedtime has significantly improved (dare I say, perhaps even 'cured') her eczema. The difference is truly astounding.


    Multiple Remedies
    Posted by Lilly (Houston, Usa) on 04/17/2012

    Try applying diluted glycerin soon after shower when your body is still moist. You can dilute glycerin by adding water or rose water. You can adjust the concentration of glycerin according to your need by trial and error method. Hope this will help. It helped me.


    Multiple Remedies
    Posted by Alicia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 04/17/2012
    ★☆☆☆☆

    The earliest I remember ever having eczema is when I was 7 and I remember it mainly being underneath my knees. I used cream a dermatologist gave to my mother and that's the last I remember of it. I was unaware at the time that I actually had excema. I always remember having extremely dry skin all over the lower half of my body. As I got older, and started to see my doctor, I just attributed it to being heriditary as my dad has ridiculously dry, flaky skin -- but he doesn't have excema.

    Anyways, for years and years and years I NEVER showed my legs or feet to anyone but my family. It wasn't because of my excema that I had no idea about until this doctor informed me of it at 22 (I'm 25 now), it was because of all of my blackheads and uneven skin tone, dry, cracked feet etc.

    In 2010 I went to Barbados to a family reunion and of course, as it was hot as ever, decided to wear shorts, skirts and dresses. Most summers back home in Toronto, it didn't matter how hot it was - I wouldn't be caught dead doing this! For some reason when I came back home from that trip I continued to show off my skin and body. I've always been skinny and tall, people always would say you should model, blah blah and it's like... they have NO idea what my skin looks like! I could never be a model! Please.

    I would say once summer ended that year in 2010, my eczema that was finally revealed to me from my doctor was acting a fool and flaring up like crazy. He prescribed me Elidel, Hydroval and Benovate in a period of two years (from 2010-2012). We all know how these things affect our skin! They all come in these tiny portions and it's like, sure I can put it on only the places where my skin is rough and flared, but my ENTIRE lower body itches so what do you do? And I had YET to find a cream and my doctor has as well, that will help relieve my itchy skin. Naturally I put these products on my entire lower half. What did the Elidel do? Weaken my skin where now it's like... An old lady who has wrinkly skin -- almost extra saggy layers of skin, plus it's naturally cracked, plus its dry, plus my skin is 20 different skin tones. It's just sad and embarrassing.

    Last summer I went to England to visit my family for two months. Prior to this I had random flare ups. Omg, I went to England and it was the WORSE it's EVER been. I was in so much pain, itching my skin until to bled in PUBLIC and around my friends and family - totally embarrassing. And the worse part is no one there would prescribe me anything because they didn't know my history. I was forced to use these counter products like Eurcerin that at the time, made me itch even more. It was SO unbareable. During that time I got huge discoloration patches all over my knees and down.

    No matter how much I try to stress to my doctor that I need a dermatologist, he just doesn't seem to get it. His response is more or less like, 'you'll have this forever, dermatologists are expensive. ' I just feel truly hopeless at this point.

    I had quite a bit of acne on my face during my time in England as well which I think was unrelated to the excema. And after several months of over the counter acne medications, I decided to go natural on my face. Recently I decided to go natural on my body as well.

    WHAT I'VE USED: I bought a jar of coconut oil and put that on my skin twice a day for two days straight and my skin has never felt so tight!! It was totally irritating. I was itching all over the place, it was crazy so I stopped using it, lol. But I will admit, in certain places, the eczema has cleared up and has somewhat dried up in a sense. I see people have talked about this working for them so I might continue you it tonight.

    My doctor told me to buy a humidifier. In fact, two doctors have told me that. So fine -- I bought a humidifier for my room and honestly, it hasn't done much of anything. And it's even more irrelevant now that its spring in Canada and yet, here I am with excema outbreaks.

    Late last year I started eating green Granny Smith apples once a day for a month straight JUST to be healthy. Funny enough, I see it on here as something that could help excema! BUT, during my time of eating the apples, I feel as though my acne flared up like crazy! So I stopped doing that. I tried again for two days straight this year, and the same thing so I've just stopped eating them altogether.

    My doctor suggested grounded flax seeds, so last week I bought a whole bunch in bulk, grounded them up and have been putting it in my drink and food constantly. We'll see if this will help.

    Before I bought the grounded flax seeds I was taking one flax seed oil pill a day and I don't know... The results are unknown. When I bought the flax seeds and finished the flax seed oil pills I decided to get Omega 3-6-9 instead, which I almost feel is making my excema worse, ugh. But then again, I never use things long enough to really tell.

    MY QUESTION IS: After all of that, lol. When you use these remedies, does the eczema flare up initially and then start to become effective? Or is it meant to work instantly, so to speak? Because if it is meant to flare up, then I'll use some of these remedies longer then I have been.

    People don't realize how debilitating having eczema is and I feel worse for the ones who have it shown visibly like on their face and neck, etc. Even going swimming is an issue and what kills me is, I actually have a nice body! And I'm so sick of hearing people tell me about it, little do they know. I'm 25 and I'm tired of living like this. I shouldn't be covering up, I want to show it off!

    Help me, please!!!

    Honey
    Posted by Mariah (Boardman, Ohio Usa) on 04/15/2012
    ★★★★★

    I started getting severe eczema all over my body and scalp after using a combination of bleach and dish soap to clean some cement blocks. I cleaned them because our previous landlord next door to us had rabbits running all over our yard and on the cement blocks, and I was worried about getting an infection of some kind. I walked on the cement blocks while I was mopping it down with the cleaning solution. I threw away the old mop. I did not think that after using a solution as strong as the one I had used that the chemical would cause a allergic reaction when I touched my shoes to take them off. I was broke out in 8-12 minutes I broke out all over my body and scalp after my exposure. I did try the apple cider vinegar and it did cause the pus filled eczema to scab over. But then my skin felt so dry from the vinegar, I started itching. I found another remedy, which seems to work much better, and is not expensive to make. You put oatmeal lotion in a bowl {I use the kind from Dollar General stores, as it's thick and has no added fragrance, at $3 a bottle, quite a bargain. } After putting the whole bottle in a mixing bowl add some honey to the lotion in the bowl. The ratio should be 2/3 lotion to 1/3 honey. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of boiled spring water to the mixture after it has cooled to a warm tempature not to burn you when you put it on. Add a vitamin e capsule to help preserve the mixture. Mix thoroughly and amazing the you will notice how the honey mixed in with the mixture along with the vitamin e makes a big difference in how long it takes to heal up the eczema. I have had this condition for 2 yrs, and been to numerous doctors and had shots, but nothing else seemed to work. Then I read something on a website about how honey can heal skin eruptions of almost any kind. The water added to the mixture makes the honey portion of the mixture less sticky, so it won't stick to your clothes. You may have to test out the amount of honey in the mixture that works for you. My mom told me that soldiers in the war had to use honey to heal their wounds, as they no access to any wound creams. Unbeleivably, according to one of the sites I was on honey can lower blood sugar in diabetics, cure obesity, and possibly help with skin rashes. Just look up using honey to make body lotion. Don't look it up as all one word or as a dot.com or you you won't find what you are looking for. Looking it up as a sentence for a general search will bring up alot of websites about using honey in ways you may not know of.

    I hope this can be of help to any of you who have suffered a long battle with this problem as I have.


    Flax Seed Oil
    Posted by Katherine (Copenhagen, Denmark) on 04/06/2012
    ★★★★★

    I love this site! I recently tried cold pressed flaxseed oil on my eczema which was around my mouth, nose and eyes. As soon as it touched my sore skin I knew it was the right thing I was doing. I had tried so many creams over the years, but this worked! I applied the flaxseed oil in the morning and in the evening before bed time. I also drank 2 tablespoons daily. I can't believe it was this simple! A footnote would be to mention that because the eczema is worse in the winter I took a vitamin D supplement - I figured that my body could use it as we don't get much winter sun where I live.

    2 weeks later since starting this treatment and it has almost all gone. I can finally leave the house!


    Olive Oil
    Posted by Elskbrev (Oconomowoc, Wi) on 03/13/2012

    Your eczema that was misdiagnosed as ringworm was most probably "numular eczema. " I get that occasionally, and only when I eat tree nuts. From time of ingestion of tree nuts to appearance of my numular eczema is about two weeks. This eczema usually starts with a whitehead type postule, then becomes a round flat lesion that may grow to the size of a dime before it starts to fade away, all on its own. Mine never itch. It is predictably six weeks from time of ingestion of tree nuts to time the lesion self resolves (disappears) on its own without treatment. I have not found any treatment that makes any difference. Will report back if anything I try based on tips from this site works for me. For now, I avoid eating tree nuts to avoid getting this eczema. Will actually have to intentionally eat tree nuts as if to induce a breakout to find out if some cures work. by the way, a physician did once give a quick glance at my eczema and call it ringworm, but at that time, I already knew what it was, so I corrected him. Many images Of numular eczema are easily found online.


    Cold Showers
    Posted by Meagan (Logan, Ut) on 03/11/2012
    ★★★★★

    Cold showers always have helped my eczema when it flares up. The cold water makes your circulation go faster and the cold water itself purges toxins from the pores in your skin. This helps acne as well.

    You can rub almond, coconut or olive oil on afterwards for extra moisturizing.


    L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
    Posted by Sp (Murfreesboro, Tn) on 03/04/2012

    Wow Diane, Thank you so much for sharing. I have dermatitis. I have just started taking the flaxseed oil, and evening primrose. I will add the carnitine and see if this will work on me also.


    Dietary Changes
    Posted by Colorado Mom (Boulder, Co) on 03/02/2012
    ★★★★★

    My son has had eczema his whole life. Recently, he (now 14) had a really, really bad outbreak and a rash. Prior to this, he never had a rash and his eczema was always just minor spots here and there. I have always used a topical steroid, but wanted to try to heal him naturally this time. We tried the Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother topically for 2 weeks and gave him ACV pills because there was no way I could get him to drink it. It didn't work and the topical ACV burns/stings very bad. Since he is 14, he is old enough to deal with the burning. However, I definitely would not recommend trying it on a young child.

    After trying so many other things: coconut oil, shea butter, Eczema Free cream, Chia seeds, probiotics, fish oil, sea salt soap, among others, I went back to using the topical steroid. He was desperate, embarrassed by the stares, and so miserable. However, I still wanted to try to figure out the cause. There were a few posts about food allergy testing, so I thought we should try that. I had him tested and it turns out he is allergic to all dairy, wheat and eggs (very allergic and he ate them often). These foods are in almost everything! His naturopathic doctor is confident eczema is caused by a stomach issue, as several other posters have said. Based on her experience with other patients, she believes we need to heal his gut and his eczema will go away.

    About 5 years ago, my son started gaining weight. He was always a thin child, but all of a sudden he went from Slim sizes to tight Regular sizes. From what I could tell, he was not eating too much and rarely drank sugary drinks/cokes. He has always been very active in lots of different team sports and participates in something athletic at least 5 days a week. He has always had problems with stomachaches. I have taken him to countless doctors over the years and all they have done is prescribe medicine. I hate medicine. Now, that we have changed his diet to remove the foods he is allergic/reactive to, he is doing so much better and has lost weight. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it is curing his eczema because this episode was mostly gone prior to changing his diet, due to the steroid cream. His naturopathic doctor thinks it will take about 2 months of avoiding the foods he is allergic to for his gut to heal.

    ACV seems to help some people and is worth a try, but please consider food allergy testing. I am kicking myself now that I didn't do this sooner for my son. Also, none of the doctors at Children's Hospital that I have taken my son to in the past have recommended it. I just asked his top-rated, Harvard-educated dermatologist last month and he told me it wasn't necessary. I couldn't disagree more. This doctor also said they don't know what causes eczema. Well, I'm not a doctor, but if your body is allergic to something you are eating, then it is probable it is going to show up on your skin. Maybe they don't know the cause because it is different for different people like the people that don't respond to ACV. There are different types of food testing. We did IgG testing for 96 foods. I don't know if this is the best test available. We are still in the learning process. Hope this helps someone. Thanks to everyone that has posted their suggestions!

    Multiple Remedies
    Posted by Letsdoiteczema (Hong Kong) on 03/01/2012

    I am not saying that this will cure anyone out there in the exact time frame, even if you follow my health routine exactly because it really depends on how damaged, poisoned your body is. That is the truth. The more damaged your body is, the longer it will take to recover, but at least now you know that you CAN recover and be cured! Eczema and allergies, like many other chronic illnesses, are NOT "incurable" diseases.

    In no particular order:

    • Paleo Diet (I do the raw version of it, but mainstream paleo diet is cooked or slightly cooked)
    • Probiotics (from fermented vegetables with Real Himalayan Salt - free and effective, or probiotic capsules mixed with coconut water and a pinch of Real Himalayan Salt)
    • 1-2 or 3 hours of sunbathing every day, if possible, for Vitamin D (best to get out of the sun once your skin is turning pink. This depends on your skin color)
    • Uropathy
    • Coffee enemas to detox liver
    • Other healthy lifestyle habits (e. g. sleeping early - before 11pm (ideally before 10pm), minimizing stress, moderate exercise daily)


    Goat Milk
    Posted by Stephanie (Paris, France) on 02/19/2012
    ★★★★★

    I was in Ireland this summer, and went to waterford and heard about a herd of goats that were very rare, so I decided to go to the santurary. When talking about the goats to the lady she said that the milk was amazing for curing eczema. She told me about a little boy who had awful eczema, all over his body, his skin would flake all over the covers when he woke up. He had been to the docs and taken steriods, but they didn't work, but as soon as he started to drink the milk it improved drasticly, within 2 weeks his eczema was almost all gone, with hardly any scars! Am not sure if your able to buy the milk or where, but is worth checking it out if you have severe eczema! Hope this helps! Sorry if my spelling is bad, am not quite perfect at english!


    Apple Cider Vinegar, Cold Showers
    Posted by Paras (Louth, Drogheda, Ireland) on 02/12/2012
    ★★★★★

    Hi guys, I have had eczema for a good part of five years. I'm sick and tired just like the rest of you guys.

    stumbled across this site and saw the apple cider vinegar remedies. I ordered it online and it actually does work if you apple it more so then drink it. just get some Apple Cider Vinegar with same amount of water. soak it in cotton. Apply it on affected areas. it will sting at first but the sting dies soon.

    Another thing I did to improve my eczema is drink plenty of water and take cold shower! Oh yeah and also try to avoid foods that flare up your eczema! Curry is a big no-no for me! The cold shower is the best method for me! It is ver effective and seems to me like my uncurable eczema is cured.

    Just sharing with you guys because what it can be like having eczema..

    hope u guys beat eczema!


    Apples, ACV, Dietary Changes
    Posted by Emi (Sarajevo, Bosnia) on 02/06/2012

    Ella, mold IS dangerous, it is deadly and it is nothing like other healthy fungus. I am now dying because of mold, so please do not advise people that mold is healthy, IT IS NOT. I am much better since I stopped using citric acid , aka E330, so anyone with allergies, eczema, mold sickness, try avoiding this poison!


    Raw Food Diet
    Posted by Yvonne (London, On) on 01/30/2012
    ★★★★★

    I've had eczema all my life, always using hydrocortisone cream to suppress it and relief itching. But a few years ago I started doing the raw food diet (eating majority raw organic food) and found that my eczema COMPLETELY WENT AWAY. It was good for the next few years, when I was still eating at least 50% raw foods. But when I went into university and stopped eating raw, plus consuming a lot of other bad junk foods e. G. Bread, sugar, deserts, my eczema came back afterwards, and now its worst than ever! :( I'm hoping to slowly ease back into eating more raw foods and hopefully it will improve and leave me for good!



    NEXT 
    Advertisement