27 Jun All natural eczema cream

One thing we were hoping my grandson would not inherit was the eczema gene. He was blessed, thank God, with all his fingers and toes but also got his grandma’s sensitive skin.

He, like me, has been scratching his itchy skin since he arrived on the scene. His skin is crackly and dry on his legs, arms and face. I feel for him because I have spent the last 50 years trying to figure out how to control the painful rash from this well known immune issue.

There are a few things that I have discovered over the years that can help control the outbreaks.

Bath less. I love my baths so limiting them is hard. When I do take a bath the water should not be too warm, and I like to add a little olive oil or coconut oil for moisture.

Dairy free diet. More diary, more eczema. Pretty simple. Not easy but simple.

Fragrance-free everything. I basically smell like nothing!! No fragrances in anything, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent. All without scent. This is important. Fewer chemicals mean less tax on the immune system which means the body is not busy dealing with toxins and can ward off the skin’s extreme response.

I have also discovered that coconut oil is a great saviour for people with itchy crackly skin like that of my little man. This homemade cream is great for moisturising those of us who have eczema, but it is also great for those who want to moisturise without chemicals.

Natural Eczema Cream

Ingredients

½ cup pure shea butter
½ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
40 drops lavender essential oil
5-10 drops tea tree essential oil

Directions

Using a double boiler or similar setup (I used a small pot in a larger pot), melt down the shea butter and coconut oil until they’re combined. Next, add the honey and allow it to melt. When everything is in a liquid state, add the lavender and tea tree oils and stir to combine.

Allow your mixture to cool slightly so that it will begin to solidify. When your solution has thickened up, but is still liquid, mix with a hand-held mixer or standing mixer. Mix for several minutes until the colour has lightened and the solution has a frothy appearance. As the solution solidifies, mix every ten minutes or so, until it is at its peak solid state (similar to a lotion consistency). Mix one more time and transfer to the mason jar.

You can store this at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Use sparingly at first to be sure that your skin reacts well. After you’ve determined that your skin reacts well, apply once or twice a day over the affected area.