Eczema: Tips on How to Care for Your Skin

There are things in life that one cannot escape from. For some of us, eczema seems to be on that list. This skin problem can be caused by many things such as allergy to food or cloth, an imbalance of fatty acids and even stress.

My two daughters are already an example of eczema victims who get it because of different reasons. My eldest daughter gets it when she is stressed out. If there’s an upcoming exam that she knows she’s not well-prepared with, I can almost guarantee you that her anxiety will extend to her skin and a flare-up will soon be our problem again. My second daughter gets her eczema from food. You can expect a flare up extending to the skin on the face after a few hours of eating just a leg of chicken.

This is the reason why I have done my best to research on the natural remedies for eczema. Most doctors have recommended steroids and medicines that have their own side effects if taken too often for a certain period of time. Sometimes, the flare ups will respond to these treatments but there are times that these are not enough. Secondly, these prescribed drugs can be very expensive! If you are rich then good for you but for me, the side effects still matter especially when the price is already too high as it is. Here are some natural stuff you can do for both healing and preventing eczema.

1. When the blisters and redness are too much to bear, you can put a bit of milk on ice so that it cools for about a few minutes. Then soak a gauze or cotton pad into the very cold milk and place it on the affected areas. Leave it on for about 2 minutes and repeat the cycle over collectively for ten minutes.
2. Sea salt can also be scrubbed on the blisters and affected areas to promote better blood circulation and faster healing. I know it may sound painful but there are some who swear that this is very effective and relieving because it encourages the skin to secrete its natural oils. You just need to put together a couple of cups of fine sea salt, a quarter cup of olive oil or jojoba oil and a few drops of your favorite essential oil such as lavender (optional). Simply wet the affected area with warm water then gently scrub the salt mixture in a circular motion on the skin. Let it stay on the skin for a few moments and savor the tingling sensation before washing it off with plain warm water again.
3. Licorice root can also be used by putting it on the blisters and red skin. This herb can reduce the swelling and the itch.
4. Another concoction you can apply to the problem area is an equal combination of almond oil, rosehip seed oil and sesame oil.
5. Cod liver oil is a great help to balance the problem with fatty acids and can be taken a teaspoon a day.
6. Primrose oil taken 250 to 300 mg a day can help reduce the inflammation because it also known as a good herb to balance the problem of fatty acids.
7. Taking 50mg of grape seed extract thrice daily can help remove lessen the itch because of its antihistamine properties.
8. Licorice root can also be soaked in around ten ounces of water. Let it stand for a quarter of an hour before taking it orally thrice daily. Just take it moderately because it can result to high blood pressure.
9. Burdock Root Extract can also made into tea and can bring relief. Adults are advised to take it twice a day for a week and children may drink it one daily for the same period of time.
10. Lavender essential oil can also be used either as replacement for soap or an ingredient for a mist spray. Simply put three drops of its essential oil into the bath water and use this to clean the skin especially of children. As a spray, you can mix ten to twenty drops of the oil into 2 ounces of purified water.
11. Oatmeal can also be a great scrub and replacement to soap. Simply powderize oatmeal in a blender. Gather the pulverized oatmeal into a cotton handkerchief or gauze before dipping it in the water and gently scrubbing it all over the skin. Oatmeal is a great moisturizer.
12. The simplest way to prevent eczema is to drink plenty of water daily to ensure skin moisture.
13. It is also advisable to chart what you eat and discover what foods result to a break out on your skin. Some go as far as consulting with a dietician depending on the severity of their cases.
14. Always keep your beddings clean because dustmites are also a significant cause of eczema.
15. Make sure that your clothes and the textile that frequently rub your skin (hanky, beddings,etc.) are not synthetic fabrics because most patients of eczema are allergic to these.
16. Also try being conscious of your reaction to stress. Stress has been proven to cause eczema flare ups and finding ways to control pressure just might help lessen your skin problems. You may try meditating for relaxation daily. It may be hard so if you need help doing this, you can try getting some meditation cds that use brainwave technology. There are also many free ebooks on how to control stress from self-improvement gifts.com that you might want to check out.

There are many solutions that nature herself has produced for the things like eczema and it may be worthwhile to check on them instead of spending so much money of drugs that can also have side effects in the first place.