Eczema really sucks and you don’t have to fight it all the time, natural products and prevention is the best cure!
This is my journey into the world of eczema and sensitive skin that I wish to
share with other parents that may be going through the
same thing with their children or adults who have suffered eczema for a long period of their
life.
Hope this helps you clear eczema out of your life for good!
When my son developed exzema at the age of 4 months it was horrible, he would start with a red patch on his cheeks then 12 hours later it was like his skin had evaporated and what was left was raw weeping flesh. That left it open to infection which happened very often in the start. His body had dry red patches but his skin never weeped on his body, just his face.
I didn’t know much about the skin at that time and trusted what the doctors told me to do. I seen around 8 different doctors who prescribed me all different things that never worked and if they did it was temporary, like a band aid.
I felt like the worst parent, when I took him out he would have these big scabs on his face or weeping skin and others would look in disgust, only one parent from my daughters play group knew what it was so I hung out with her when I was there.
One time when I was shopping I walked past two older ladies sitting on a chair so I stopped to have a rest. They were staring at my son and made a remark that cut sooo deep, they said “Ha how can a baby expect to take care of a baby, she obviously does not know what she is doing”. I was 21yrs at the time but looked around 16yrs. I spun around (quite angry) and said I’m not a baby and what he has is excema, I actually yelled at them saying nothing I was doing was helping and all the doctors I had seen where useless. I got up and practically ran away then I stopped to cry, I cried for ages and wondered what I was going to do.
Taking Action
I finally booked myself into the children’s hospital for an allergy test and to see a skin specialist (none of the doctors done this for me) and then had him admitted as he had infection after infection and nothing I was doing was helping.
He was on antibiotics for two weeks, he had cortisone cream lathered on him, some moisturiser and a type of parrafin oil used to soften his skin. I had to wrap his arms and legs in wet wraps with the oil under them for weeks also had to put his arms in braces that did not allow him to bend his arms to prevent him from scratching is face while he was asleep. But it worked and his excema went away.
The time we spent in hospital turned out to have a balance again, his skin cleared but we both got the worst stomach bug from another child in the ward and lasted nearly a month.
On top of this eczema he developed asthma, I felt I could not win. The doctors had said it was a family, allergy, skin conditions and asthma. I accepted it and gave him medication to help him breath. That is another scary story but I won’t share that today.
Once when I was changing his wraps (my mum used to call it his grease and oil change) I got some of that oil lotion on my clothes and within an hour the dye had run out of my top. I thought hang on if this does that to my clothes what is it really doing to his skin that’s when I booked in to see a naturopath.
She was the best and told me all I needed to know about caring for his skin without the products from the hospital she also advised me of diet change for his skin and asthma. Really wish I had of seen her before all the other traditional doctors but it was my learning curve and took me deep into natural skincare for sensitive skin.
Discoveries
When I found that major pharmaceutical companies done everything in their power to stop the use of natural products so more people would use their toxic products I was outraged, disgusted and saddened. People have faith in the traditional health care system and trust what they are told (I did) that is when I chose to take responsibility for our health and not to depend on what the doctors told me. Yeah when we got real sick I’d still go to the doctors but triple checked whatever they prescribed us.
Big, major companies that produce body care products have not always got their customer in mind, money usually comes first. If they find an ingredient that is cheaper (and usually more toxic) they will use it to save on cost. The consumer is never told this and most doctors don’t tell you either. Pharmaceutical companies team up with doctors and pay them too prescribe their products, see it’s all about the money!
What I did
I got myself natural washing powder for his clothes, natural dish liquid for his bottles and a steam steriliser. (breast feeding went well with him until he was 6 months, the time spent feeding him was consuming as he fed often but not long. It took me away from my daughter and she got up to so much mischief when I was feeding him that I gave up)
I had the carpets cleaned often as he had a big allergy to dust mites and used a sheet to put him on whenever I was out and about. I started him on soy milk against the doctors advice but it did help his skin, later there was a big story that if you feed soy to boys it stops them from conceiving babies later (another lie from big pharmaceutical companies)
I started to use natural products on his skin from what the naturopath told me and what I discovered for myself. I fed him homemade food (not food in a jar) as his allergy test showed he was allergic to everything, I mean everything. So it was trial and error, if he broke out I would no longer give him that food. I ended up with a baby that had skin he was supposed to have, soft and smooth!
I felt like super mum and proud that I had cleared his skin, he was so much happier and so was I.
Again I was shopping and come across those two older ladies and dread built up inside. But when I made eye contact they both gave me a sympathetic nod and smiled. I stopped and showed them his skin (like a proud mum) and it felt good!
The Metaphysical Aspect
A while later I come across Luise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life. First up I searched eczema and found that he may have been allergic to life itself. It made sense, when I fell pregnant with him I was unsure as to weather I could care for him as my daughter was still young but wanted my daughter to have a sibling that was close in age. So I figured that’s why it was happening. I had been in two worlds while I was carrying him and that feeling must have passed onto him, he was unsure weather he should be here so I told him everyday that he is my miracle child.
When I was unsure about caring for him I asked the universe for some sign that I could do it and all I saw for two weeks were baby boys, they would smile and chuckle at me for no reason and some baby boys just grabbed me as I was walking past them. That was my sign!!!
I nearly lost him when I was 4 month pregnant and lucky the nurse booked me for an ultrasound before they cleaned me out because he was flapping his arms and legs about just to let me know he was still there. Both my sister and me were shocked to see him as the doctor said you have 100 percent miscarried. That is what makes him my miracle child. And yep he was a boy, the universe sure sent me the right sign.
Today he is eczema free and has been for years now, his asthma is nearly gone and only flares up when he has a cold or virus.
This is what I used on his skin and still use today
- Oats, lavender, chamomile & calendula bath wraps
- Goat milk soap infused with lavender, calendula, chamomile & oat milk
- Calendula, chamomile & lavender infused sunflower oil
If you wish to know how to make infused oil read our facial care part 1 and to find out how to infuse goat milk soap visit our soap post.
If his skin started to flare up quick, say after a food that did not agree with him, I’d bath him in lavender oil to stop infection and get onto the infused oil with wet wraps. I’d put his arms back in the braces to stop him scratching his face, they were horrible and felt kind of mean to use but it stopped his skin from getting infected, sometime you have to be cruel to be kind!
Anyway this natural stuff really works so give it a go, see your doctor if you wish to discuss it with them and always patch test products on your skin, natural ingredients can still cause allergies and flare ups.
Thank You For Reading
