My husband and I both don’t have history of eczema. But both our children suffered from eczema when they were merely a few months old.
For the elder child, thankfully it went away completely just before he turned four years old. As for the second child, it went on for many years longer.
I didn’t subject them to blood tests to determine the triggers. They developed them while they were still babies whose only consumption was milk at that time. One was on formula, the other on breastmilk.
All around us, we observed that many babies and toddlers suffered eczema. It seems to be more common amongst children these days, and it’s been noted as a growing concern amongst children worldwide.
Types of Eczema
There are several types of eczema. Atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema and seborrheic dermatitis, also known as “cradle cap” in infants, are the most common types that affect children. Eczema, especially atopic dermatitis, often appears in the first six months to 5 years of a child’s life.
There is no cure for eczema but there are treatments and more are coming. These include over-the-counter (OTC) remedies, prescription topical medications, phototherapy, and immunosuppressants.
Source: National Eczema Association
Treatments And Remedies For Eczema That We Tried
Both my children had bad flare ups at times, so much so that the doctor had no choice but to prescribe topical treatments in the form of creams that contain steroids.
Initially, I used them and it was very effective. The patches subsided quickly. However, it didn’t stop more flare ups and I wasn’t happy continuing to use steroid creams on my babies.
A few other things I experimented with helped. Some of them include changing to specific brands of shower gels that were gentle on baby skin, using aloe vera gel as moisturisers, avoiding certain foods like eggs and shellfish.
These things helped with subsiding the patches and keeping the flare ups away temporarily only.
I wanted a permanent solution, so I decided to try my hands at a DIY project to make an eczema cream of my own. I did lots of searches online and compiled recipe after recipe and finally decided to mix and match a few ingredients across various recipes.
Finally, I came to a winning one that worked its magic on my son with the stubborn eczema. Since then, his eczema flare up has gone.
The only time it comes back is when he’s exposed to pet dander. But that goes away as soon as he washes with water. But his bad flare ups due to unknown causes that started when he was a baby seems to have left him for good. Crossing fingers! It’s been three years and he’s been having good skin condition.
So here’s what I did in my DIY to make the cream.
How to Make Your Own Eczema Cream
Natural Ingredients You Will Need:
- ½ cup pure shea butter
- ¼ cup sweet almond oil
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil (in liquid or solid form)
- ¼ cup of beeswax* (optional, and amount to be used is up to your preference of texture. The more used, the thicker/harder the texture of the cream. If you prefer a more liquid form of lotion, you can opt not to use or use very little. Using beeswax in the mix can be a bit tricky in terms of reaching the desired texture)
- 8 drops of pure grade lavender essential oil
- 5 drops of pure grade tea tree essential oil
- 10 drops of pure grade Frankincense essential oil
- 10 drops of pure grade myrrh essential oil
- 10 drops of pure grade geranium essential oil
- 1 tablespoon pure, raw honey
Directions on How to Make:
- Melt the shea butter and beeswax using a double boil method, on medium heat. If you are using solid form of coconut oil, add it in to melt as well.
- Add in honey, stir and let it melt and combine with the mixture.
- Once the ingredients have melted and combined, turn off the heat and let it cool sufficiently.
- Once the mixture is warm to the touch, add in the essential oils. Take note not to add the essential oils into the mixture while it’s hot because the heat will change the composition of the essential oil properties, plus the oils evaporate quickly in heat.
- Stir to blend the ingredients evenly.
- If you want the mixture to thicken and harden, you can keep it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
- You can use it as it is, or if you want a creamy texture like a body butter, you can put it in a mixer and beat it until it reaches the consistency you want.
Verdict on This DIY Homemade Eczema Cream
I applied this on the affected areas of my son’s skin a few times a day. Within a few days, his skin healed nicely. After two weeks, his skin was without the unsightly and itchy patches. I continued to apply the cream daily until it was all used up.
Since then, I have not made a second batch of the cream and he hasn’t flared up. This recipe has been such a gift!
Granted it isn’t cheap to buy the ingredients, but they are worth it for us because it looks like this cream solved the eczema issue for us.
As for the leftover ingredients, well I’ve been making my own skincare products like moisturisers, serums and even sunscreen lotions.
I love it because it’s all natural ingredients with no harmful substances, and I don’t have to worry and watch out for toxic chemicals.
So, if you too are at your wits’ end trying anything and everything to help your little one with eczema issues, give this a try. It’s not difficult to make.
The challenge is in getting the texture right and that’s really up to your preference. Whether it’s more on the liquid side or thick and hard balmy feel, the ingredients will still work the same. It might save a lot of heartache and pain for you and your little one.