which oils for eczema lotion/cream

[craftygirl]

Which oils do you recommend for a baby with eczema? I'd like to make a cream or lotion. Its not really bad eczema but I want something very moisturizing, non irritating and gentle.

Also if you have a good recipe, would you please share?

 

[Hazel]

There's been several informative discussions about this topic. Click on "Search" and enter "eczema" in the keyword box. But be prepared - it will bring up a lot of threads.

Once you've read about the different oils, you can use a basic lotion recipe and use the oils which you decide to try out. Just remember - there isn't a specific answer. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another person. You'll probably have to experiment. People can help you tweak your recipe if you find it isn't helping.

Lindy posted a basic lotion recipe in the tutorial section which will help you get started.

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20662

 

[IrishLass]

My teenage son has dealt with periodic bouts of eczema in the past with a lotion made from borage oil. The lotion is made by ShiKai and it's called Borage Dry Skin Therapy Children's Lotion. He says it really helped him. I've looked at the ingredients list and it looks like it might be fairly easy for me to try to duplicate- at least I hope so (all of SwiftCraftyMonkey's blogs on duplicating lotions have been inspiring me lately). It's on my 'to-do' list when things settle down after the holidays.

If you've never done so, I would check out SwiftCraftyMonkey's blog. She has wonderful lotion-making ideas, tips and hints. Her blog is incredibly amazing:

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/



IrishLass

 

[soapbuddy]

How old is the baby?

 

[lauramw71]

Has the baby been to the dr? Depending on the age of the baby I would think that would be the wisest move before anything else...

 

[craftygirl]

He's 13 months. He's been allergy tested and so we avoid those allergens which helps alot. Pediatrician said to just moisturize alot. He also recommends aquafor but I'm not a fan of putting petroleum on DS.

It is a very mild case, dry skin with some bumps. I want to make something extra moisturizing for sensitive baby skin.

 

[carebear]

try lard, or crisco. really - I prefer lard.

my son had bad eczema, and what worked best for him (besides the lard) was to put on a layer of Cetaphil cream. That soaks in nicely. Then a layer of Eucerin cream on top to kinda seal it. Eucerin cream is thick and sticky.

I don't like Aquafor except for small areas.

 

[lauramw71]

My son gets dry patchy spots of skin behind his ear, on his knees, and on his neck. I made a whipped shea butter and added Borage, Argan and Hemp oils.. After using for about a week it cleared right up! Eucarin did absolutely nothing for him...

 

[carebear]

that's great. high levels of shea make my son's eczema ITCH - go figure.

 

[soapbuddy]

that's great. high levels of shea make my son's eczema ITCH - go figure.

I can no longer use shea either. I use mango butter instead. I wonder if you and I became sensitized to it?

 

[Hazel]

I've read that shea has naturally occurring latex in it. Could it be more of a latex sensitivity?

I found out long ago that my hands become very irritated, inflamed looking and itchy if I apply a shea based lotion and then wear latex gloves. I thought it was odd because I hadn't had problems before with wearing latex gloves or problems with the shea lotion. Then someone mentioned the latex in shea so I think it was the combination.

 

[Fragola]

I don't see how mixing bad latex with bad latex, it gives you worse latex

Probably we need another explanation.

 

[MychelleC]

Those with a latex sensitivity often find themselves sensitive to shea. Shea is also a nut butter and a pretty common allergen, though usually mild. I am careful using shea on babies because it can be irritating to them. I started with a patch test for my son, and introduced shea very slowly. I make a very simple lotion for my guy with water, olive oil, 2% each cetyl and stearic (cetyl for glide, stearic to make it more occlusive), and just a touch of cocoa butter and dimethicone for barrier protection. Preserved of course, and no FO or EO - fragrance is fragrance and is too strong for a baby. HTH!

Edited because I can't type today.

 

[Hazel]

I don't see how mixing bad latex with bad latex, it gives you worse latex

Probably we need another explanation.

I didn't say latex is bad. The latex is shea is what makes it so good for holding moisture on the skin. I said I have a sensitivity to latex. What I think happened is by using the shea lotion and then wearing latex gloves was enough to push me over the limit of my tolerance.

I learned very quickly not to use any shea based products if I knew I would be working on a job which required me to wear latex gloves.

If you have another explanation, I'd be happy to hear it.

 

[Fragola]

I didn't say latex is bad.

Neither did I Really, you were saying that latex wasn't good for you since you are sensitive to it and I just went along with that.

If I had another explanation, I would have shared it.

I meant that here must be another culprit (besides latex) which we are missing here.

Applying a lotion on your hands which contains different oils than shea doesn't bother you in combination with latex gloves ?

 

[Hazel]

I don't see how mixing bad latex with bad latex, it gives you worse latex

I didn't say latex is bad.

Neither did I

Did I misunderstand your first comment?

A moisturizer without shea doesn't bother my skin at all when I'm wearing latex gloves.

 

[craftygirl]

has anyone tried emu oil? My aestician (sp?) recommended it

 

[Fragola]

Did I misunderstand your first comment?

Well, I didn't mean to generalize.

Latex can be bad under specific circumstances, for certain people. This was the context of our discussion and I didn't mean to go beyond that, or to say that latex is always bad.

 

[dagmar88]

I didn't say latex is bad.

Neither did I Really, you were saying that latex wasn't good for you since you are sensitive to it and I just went along with that.

If I had another explanation, I would have shared it.

I meant that here must be another culprit (besides latex) which we are missing here.

Why?
I'm slightly allergic to cats and grass.
I can touch my own cats with my hands, but not with my face.
I can walk next to certain types of high grass, but not through.

Apparently, there's a limit for each allergy prone person.
Don't see why there'd have to be another 'culprit'.

 

[Fragola]

Because I don't see how mixing the two sources of latex could be more additive than a single one.

Or to give another example: eating a some chocolate and some icecream won't raise my blood sugar level higher than eating a lot of chocolate.

We have not explained how and why the latex from the gloves penetrates through the lotion to the skin. Just speculating, maybe the shea contains some sort of latex solvent (using the term loosely). Which enables it to draw latex from the gloves.