Moisturiser for Eczema

[leprechaun]

Hi my name is Rebecca and have been creating Candles for roughly 5 years. My question is my 11 year old, son has bad eczema on his legs and arms. We have tried all the pharmaceutical creams and none work for him. So we looked into creating a natural cream for him in the hope it will help.

Ingredients
113.5 g shea butter
109 g coconut oil
1 tablespoon locally sourced Honey
1 drop Vitamin E oil
25 drops lavender EO
5 drops Tea Tree EO

We tested a small patch and unfortunately, it caused a reaction. I can replace the coconut oil with mango butter. But has anyone else created a natural moisturising cream for this painful skin condition. I would really appreciate any assistance.

 

[mishmish]

I wouldn't use any essential oils until you find a base that his skin will tolerate. Start simple so that you can identify triggers. Also, adding honey to oils can create bacterial growth since it's a humectant and will attract water - you would need the proper preservative. Good luck finding something that will help your son.

 

[A-Polly]

[ edited to add an apology: I didn't notice before I hit Send that you are in Northern Ireland, so sorry about the US sales links. I think Royalty Soaps can ship internationally but it would probably cost a lot. Hope soapmakers local to you can be helpful if you decide to try buying handmade soap. ]

Apologies for veering away from lotions, but wondering if you ever make soap as well? Asking because I've known several people who found that using a mild, completely unscented soap helped with eczema. One friend at work was having a terrible time with every cleanser and cream her dermatologist recommended; I happened to have some unscented goat milk soap I'd made for my grandchild and on impulse gave her a bar. After a few days she was thrilled at how much her eczema had calmed — not because anything in the soap was medicinal or healing, but because nothing in it caused more irritation. She has used similar soaps ever since.

If you'd like to try your own, Zany's No-Slime Castile or the bastille variation (here on the forum) might be a good one to start with. Or Amanda Aaron's Baby Buttermilk, which I first encountered on the old Soap Queen website.

If you don't make your own, lots of soapmakers sell such bars. Two prominent ones with online stores are Missouri River soaps (she usually has at least one unscented, uncolored bar in her shop, such as this one made with tallow), and Royalty Soaps (this one called "Blameless" in her Simplicity line), but I'm sure lots of other soapmakers sell this sort as well. You may need to try different ones to find what works best.

Just an off-topic thought, please ignore if not useful. But I do hope you soon find something that helps your young man get relief!

 

[justsomeguy]

You might to get him tested for allergens. I've read here that people with a latex allergy are sometimes also allergic to Shea nuts (the source of shea butter).

 

[mishmish]

I agree with the unscented plain soap - maybe with goat milk and colloidal oatmeal, but generally simple with a good superfat and not much coconut oil. Do you think that there are any dietary triggers?

 

[leprechaun]

Thank you everyone for contributing to my question. I have picked up some very good tips here and I will update as I progress and hopefully find a solution from your responses. Thanks Again everyone.

I agree with the unscented plain soap - maybe with goat milk and colloidal oatmeal, but generally simple with a good superfat and not much coconut oil. Do you think that there are any dietary triggers?

No I don't think it is dietary triggers. It's more what we put on the child's skin.

I agree with the unscented plain soap - maybe with goat milk and colloidal oatmeal, but generally simple with a good superfat and not much coconut oil. Do you think that there are any dietary triggers?

I have just ordered the ingredients for the soap as this could well be an issue as I know my child cannot use a lot of the soaps and shampoos purchased over the counter.

 

[MelissaG]

I highly suggest no fragrances at all. I make an oatmeal milk and honey one for my husband that includes karanja oil and works well for him.

 

[leprechaun]

I highly suggest no fragrances at all. I make an oatmeal milk and honey one for my husband that includes karanja oil and works well for him.

Thank you Melissa.

 

[Becky1024]

I have had bad patches of eczema on my calves for the past 4-5 years and nothing the dermatologist prescribed would cure it. This winter I’ve been experimenting with natural remedies. Itchiness greatly improved when using what I call my “everything but the kitchen sink” formula of tallow, mango, shea, coconut, olive and sunflower oils with an infusion of chamomile and calendula, with 1.5% each of tea tree, lavender and peppermint essential oils! Whew! Chamomile and lavender calm irritation, calendula and tea tree promote healing, and peppermint is anti-itch. The rest of the oils and fats were just things that I had on hand that were getting a little old and needed to be used up.

I’ve recently learned that borage oil helps heal the rash. Yesterday I made a salve of borage, tallow, tea tree, lavender and peppermint. We will see how that works.

Hope that gives you some ideas. What works for me may not for your son but it is worth a try.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Just another thing to try, if you aren’t opposed to animal products a simple soap using either lard or tallow as the primary fat is often well tolerated. If you would like a recipe just let us know.

I also agree that no fragrances or EO’s is the best place to start. This applies to both lotions and soaps.

 

[Shelley D]

Hi my name is Rebecca and have been creating Candles for roughly 5 years. My question is my 11 year old, son has bad eczema on his legs and arms. We have tried all the pharmaceutical creams and none work for him. So we looked into creating a natural cream for him in the hope it will help.

Ingredients
113.5 g shea butter
109 g coconut oil
1 tablespoon locally sourced Honey
1 drop Vitamin E oil
25 drops lavender EO
5 drops Tea Tree EO

We tested a small patch and unfortunately, it caused a reaction. I can replace the coconut oil with mango butter. But has anyone else created a natural moisturising cream for this painful skin condition. I would really appreciate any assistance.

When I started my self treatment for rashes and eczema ~ I learned real quick that it's best to test one oils at a time, like they do for allergies, only maybe rub a spot on your forearm about the size of a quarter for each oil/butter you want to try. You can use little dose cups from medication (I tend to collect them ) and pour a little bit in each cup (write on the cup w/a sharpie what's in each one), then use a Q-tip for each oil and swab a little circle on your forearm or any clear skin area (leg, stomach, back, wherever). Then wait for an action or reaction ~ redness, itching, bumps, etc). Next, use the non-reactive oils and test each one on a mild outbreak area and check for reactions again ~ because now you have to see how it will feel on the eczema skin. So really it's a 2 step process.
I will add that I had better luck with the heavier oils & butters that coated my skin and/penetrated deeply. Ingredients such as: shea butter (my skin liked the organic yellow), Cocoa butter, olive oil and coconut oil together (but not separately), ostrich or emu oil (these are excellent for eczema!), animal fats (I can't tell you how good it felt to rub bacon grease on my hands ) and last but not least, Crisco (yep, good old Crisco straight from the can).
Once you find the oils your skin can tolerate, then you start testing EOs individually in one of your base oils on your skin, the same way ~ first on good skin, then on eczema skin.
You have to take your time to find what works for you ~ you can't expect any general recipe to be good for you because it works for others. Everyone reacts differently to different things ~ that's what makes us special
I found my oils combo then started making soap with goat's milk because so many sources said it's great for eczema ~ turns out it didn't agree with my skin ~ but making soleseife soaps (with salt water) does great for me!
You have to be open to all other options!
Best wishes on your journey for your son

 

[Cindy D.]

My allergist told me I could test ingredients by rubbing a small amount on a small spot on the inside of my arm, 2 times a day for a week.

I reacted to sulfates in patch tests. I bought small bags of ingredients for a few dollars and had the allergist prep & test with them while they were testing with the T.R.U.E. test.

Surely you have something like the North American 80 patch test over there.

 

[Shelley D]

My allergist told me I could test ingredients by rubbing a small amount on a small spot on the inside of my arm, 2 times a day for a week.

I reacted to sulfates in patch tests. I bought small bags of ingredients for a few dollars and had the allergist prep & test with them while they were testing with the T.R.U.E. test.

Surely you have something like the North American 80 patch test over there.

Yes! Like that!

 

[ToniO]

I would also suggest a Chemical Allergy Test (after the regular food and environmental tests) with his dermatologist and I second that Shea Butter might cause a reaction. (Mango does sometimes also, so you'll have to try it and see!)

Plain (unscented) dead sea salt bath soaks are amazing for itch relief. 2 cupfulls in a warm (not hot) bath - soak for 20 mins, then rinse off and moisturize. He can pretend he's at the beach, with a few beach toys!

Avoid using commercial soaps and body washes for a week or two if you can and wash his hair w/o getting soap on his body. Warm water and a simple oatmeal scrub will clean him if he's dirty.

Try each butter/oil you have separately as a patch test to see how his skin reacts.
Always measure your essential oils in micrograms rather than using drops and never go over 1% of total recipe.
They sell cheap microscales these days. These are great for this!
I've had success with a Lavender/Geranium/Cedarwood blend but you could hold off on that till you figure out your base.
Start with mixing your mango butter with just jojoba oil and nothing else.
Jojoba oil is close to our sebum and is very allergy friendly. You could even use it alone. It doesn't feel super moisturizing but it will provide a simple barrier. You don't need much, it's better to let the skin be able to breathe.

I would not put regular honey in any cream and definitely not w/o a preservative, unless you plan on using it in a few days or keep it in your fridge. Your vitamin e will extend the shelf life of your oils but won't stop bacterial contamination.

Keep it really simple to start.
As you experiment, you can add another oil/butter good for skin.
I really like Kokum, Illipe, Cupuacu butters (Cupuacu is like a creamy, fatty cocoa butter).
Tamanu, Pumpkin, Rose Hip, Meadowfoam, Argan, Abyssinian, Berry seed (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry) oils.
Research the properties of various oils/butters and see what you can access at a good price.

My allergies are from a wide range. Latex rubber and nitrile, etc. (hence the shea butter allergy - and for some this includes mango but not me), this included elastic that touched my skin from stretchy clothing.
Also blue dye (Disperse Blue 106, 124) in synthetic clothing (inc non-cotton jeans, sweatpants, etc).

Preservatives in laundry detergent (this included the Irish detergent my mom used when I was home) cause HUGE problems for me. Clothes, sheets, wash cloths, towels..
Isothiazolinone is a family of preservatives (methyl is the most common) that have one of the most common allergic reactions and they're in a lot of stuff! Skincare, Shampoos, Dish soap and Laundry. It can take a lot of washes to remove the allergens also. 5 or more for me for cotton gloves that I accidently washed in a free and clear brand that wasn't!
And keep it fragrance free also. These can be a big melting pot of mystery ingredients.
Parabens are another big allergy for me.

Sudocrem - 1 use caused blisters that lasted weeks. I found out I was allergic to lanolin, so that explained that!

Keep notes of what does and doesn't work for him.
It can take up to 3 days for reactions to manifest. I used to have eczema mainly on my legs and eyes as a kid but it got really bad on my hands as I got older.
The tests are an amazing way to find out answers early.

Homemade Soaps are wonderful to create and use. I'm a big fan of goat milk soaps. Probably best to avoid any fragrances in there also. Since you don't need any preservatives in them, they're fantastic and there are so many ingredients in your pantry that you can use for colors!

These days, I'm making cleansing conditioners and love, love them. I've had to wear gloves (vinyl disposable) washing my hair for years and it's so nice not having to anymore!
I'm also making syndet soap bars (synthetic detergent) and much prefer the lower ph (6.5 rather than 9 of soap) on my skin. They do use a preservative tho so I'd stick with the cold-process soap.
Not recommending starting this also, but just as something to put a pin in, if you want to branch out in a few years and ditch the shampoos.

 

[natik]

I have a friend whose daughter had eczema on her hands. I made a salve with comfrey/olive oil/bees wax and body butter with 80% organic beef tallow and 20% olive oil. The eczema disappeared within a week
The daughter has OCD and washing her hands constantly, so it might be different from your son. But I would still give it a shot.