Home Remedies for Eczema
How to Treat Eczema
The best home remedies for eczema are often the easiest. Find out how to treat itchy eczema at home without taking dangerous medicines.
Eczema can be very troubling and uncomfortable. It is a skin condition where skin becomes dry, red, inflamed, peeling, and itchy. It can appear anywhere on the body but is usually on elbows, hands, scalp, or face. Cradle cap on babies is thought to be a type of eczema. Elderly people frequently have eczema on the legs.
There are several theories about eczema causes but no one knows for sure. It seems to run in families. Some people find that eliminating certain foods from the diet makes it clear up and not return. Other people find that their eczema is brought on by using certain soaps or lotions, being in frequent contact with the metal nickel, or by having very dry skin. So, is eczema contagious? In one word, no. You cannot get eczema by touching or being near someone who has it.
The usual medical treatment for eczema is done with antihistamines, pills, cortisone creams, antibiotics, and phototherapy. These treatments are expensive, have undesirable side effects, and often ineffective.
Before using any kind of home remedies for eczema you need to see if you can find out what triggers your eczema. It could be something as simple as an allergy to nickel. If your eczema is on your hands, see if you are using a computer keyboard or mouse containing nickel. If you only have eczema in the winter time, it could be that it is simply caused by having dry skin brought on by home heating without adequate humidity in the air. Or your eczema could be triggered by a food allergy.
It may be that the soap or soaps you use are triggering eczema. Most of us actually use detergent but we call it soap. If you are using detergents, try switching to a pure soap for bathing and washing your hands. Try using one of Dr. Bonner's Castille Soaps available at health food stores. You can still use detergents for dish washing, just wear gloves when you do so.
Which Foods Cause Eczema?
Eczema can be caused by any food but the most common foods are:
- dairy foods
- wheat products
- acidic fruit
- eggs
- seafood
- nuts
- yeast
- sugar
To determine if your eczema is being caused by a certain food, it is necessary to go on a food elimination diet. This means that you give up a certain food group for a week to ten days and see if you have any improvement in your condition. If you do, you have your answer. If no improvemnet occurs, give up another food group and watch what happens. Keep this up until you have gone through all of the food groups. It is possible that the eczema is being caused by more than one food group so you may have to try different combinations.
When you give up a food group, you have to be absolutely diligent that you are not getting even a tiny bit of that food. If you are giving up wheat products, you will have to eliminate more than bread from your diet. Wheat products are in many if not most processed foods. Read the labels of all the packaged food you eat and be extra careful at restaurants. The elimination diet will not work if you are getting a tiny bit of the food in something that you never dreamed would contain it.
Try These Home Remedies for Eczema
- One of the best home remedies for eczema is found in most cow barns. It is called Bag Balm. It is made to soften cow udders and has been around since 1899. It used to be that you had to go to a farm shop to buy it but since Charles Kuwalt put it on one of his "On The Road" series, you can find it in drugstores everywhere. Oprah has even talked about it on her talk show.
My grandpa kept a can of Bag Balm in the barn but grandma also had one in the house. All my life I have reached for the little green can whenever I had a skin irritation. If you are suffering from dry itchy legs that are driving you nuts, slap on some Bag Balm before you go to bed. Rub it in really good. The next day your itchyness will be a dim memory.
What's in it? Who knows. It is a secret formula. It just works that's all. But remember, if it's not in the little green can, it's not Bag Balm.
- Coconut Oil. There is a reason coconut oil is used as an ingredient of a lot of cosmetics. It is wonderful for the skin. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid which penetrates into the cell structure of the skin. It is an antibacterial, antifungal, and an anitviral. It reduces inflammation and aids healing.
One thing that may trigger eczema in some people is perfume. Pure virgin coconut oil has no added perfume but it has a light, pleasant, flowery odor.
- Chamomile oil will help sooth the itching caused by eczema and it will also prevent infection. Put a few drops of the oil in your bath water. You can also buy creams that contain chamomile to apply to the affected area. See Benefits of Chamomile.
- Some people get relief by increasing vitamin B6 in their diet and through supplements. You can't just do this until your eczema is gone. If your eczema is caused by a vitamin B6 deficiency, you need to increase your intake for a long time so your eczema doesn't come back. Also this is a remedy that will not work from one day to the next. When using vitamins as home remedies for eczema, it may be several weeks or months before you see results.
Food sources of vitamin B6 are whole grains, organ meats, and egg yolk.
- Most eczema sufferers need more gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Use Evening Primrose Oil on your eczema. Learn more about evening primrose oil benefits. You can also get GLA through eating salmon or flax seed. The flax seed needs to be ground and only grind as much as you can use in a day. Just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons a day on your vegetables or breakfast cereal.
- Dandelion also contains linolenic acid and has proven to be one of the best home remedies for eczema. You can either apply a paste made out of the root to the affected area or drink a tea made with dandelion leaves. Dandelion capsules are also available. Read more about the health benefits of dandelion.
- Aloe vera is one of the most popular home remedies for eczema. It can reduce the irritation of eczema, reduce the itching, and the chances for infection. Apply the gel from the plant you grow yourself or use a commercial cream that contains Aloe vera. Shampoos are also available for eczema on the scalp. Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice/Gel
- Yarrow or Calendula tea swabbed on the affected area will help reduce inflammation and aid in healing. Learn about Yarrow Herb and Calendula Flower.
