Natural Remedies for Treating Eczema in Babies

Eczema is known as a kind of sickness that makes your skin inflamed and itchy.  The most prevalent kind of Eczema is atopic eczema, which can be suffered by one in 10 adults and even two in 10 toddlers in the UK¹. Luckily, this kind of eczema is not easily infected, in spite of being so common. Eczema victims are people with hereditary allergies or personal allergies. How to cure eczema? So far there has not been an exact cure for eczema but some methods of treatment can help reduce symptoms and prevent eczema from spreading.

The most imperative thing to do when you think your baby may have eczema is to find out what type of it and his or her symptoms as well as the triggers. This helps treatment become easier and stop eczema from getting worse. There are some cases when the baby still carries eczema when they grow up as an older child or even a teenager. Seeing your doctor is the only way to keep eczema under control.

To reduce eczema’s symptoms there are a few things you are able to do at home but when the redness and rash are uncontrollable or infectious, antibiotic prescribed by doctors may be the only way. Read below for the most 7 common natural remedies for treating eczema without the need to use topical steroid cream.

Bathe your baby with Oatmeal

The most simple, effective but inexpensive way to ease eczema is giving your infant an oatmeal bath. This method is suitable for a variety of skin conditions. Not only can it help to ease eczema but also to moisturize dry skin and provide smoothness from diaper rash.

If you choose to use products available commercially, it will usually cost you about $6 for eight packets for eight-times using such as the Aveeno soothing bath treatment².

If you are someone who prefers everything to be homemade, you can make it on your own, which only cost you around $1—and almost most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen!

Ingredients needed to make a homemade Oatmeal Bath

• Mixer (you can replace by food processor or coffee grinder)
• 1 cup of oatmeal; 1/3 cup for babies (unflavored oatmeal, quick oats or slow cooking oats all are acceptable.)
• Warm water

Apply Coconut Oil on your baby’s skin

Coconut oil can help with eczema on hands, neck or even legs areas. It provides the moisture needed for your infant’s skin.

• Stretching a thin layer of coconut oil on eczema areas and let the skin absorbs it completely. To have the best soothing effect you should use coconut oil right after bathing.

Applying 3 times per day.

• This method can be applied before going to bed and leave it overnight.

Unrefined shea butter

Shea butter has been recognized as a wonderful cream to help cure eczema, sunburns, sores, scars, dermatitis, psoriasis, dandruff, and stretch marks. Due to its richness in fatty acids, it can help heal scars and diminish wrinkles by providing necessary moisture for the skin, improve cell renewal process, and boost circulation.

Using shea butter for eczema is absolutely a wise choice because it is super rich in vitamins A, E, and F, which help cure dry, damaged or inflamed skin. Moreover, it also has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties which can help cure eczema.

Olive oil

Olive oil is well known for its amazing properties which help treat eczema effectively.  It soothes the flare ups and eases the inflammation on the affected area.

• The oil will absorb completely into the epidermis to provide moisture and soften the skin without leaving any unexpected reactions.
• Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, omega – 3 fatty acids and other valuable nutrients that contribute to the process of maintaining and locking the moisture to prevent the skin from dryness.
• It contains some compounds known as squalene and oleocanthal which are recognized as natural anti – inflammatory and antioxidant.
• It has 3 antioxidants like tyrosol, beta – sitosterol and squalene that reduces the negative effects of inflammatory compounds.
• It kills the amount of bacteria on the skin.

Olive oil can be applied directly to the skin or can be mixed with other oils such as coconut oil. Make sure you patch test it first.

Jojoba oil

As well as olive oil, Jojoba oil is a naturally effective treatment for eczema! The only thing worth considering about this kind of oil is that it can be pretty expensive. It’s made from the seeds of jojoba plant and contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E and B, essential minerals such as copper, zinc or chromium. These elements combine to accelerate wound healing, moisturizes dry patches and reduce the effect on the affected area on the skin.

Moreover, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory function, which are known as  an important key in calming the inflammation also can be found in jojoba oil. In fact, a 2005 study has shown that jojoba oil helped alleviate inflammation in rats³.  It does not clog pores and has the high amount of ceramides, covering the skin cells and improve the process of hydration. Jojoba oil also provides a solution for those who are obsessed with scars. This valuable oil contains a variety of the organic tocopherol compounds, which contribute in generating vitamin E- an indispensable nutrient to have a healthy skin.

Preferably, you should buy organic jojoba oil for your baby and patch test it first before applying it on your baby’s skin.

Probiotics

One type of beneficial bacteria, probiotics are often used in alternative medicine for eczema. There are more than 400 different kinds of probiotics, but Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus rhamnosus are known as two of the most popular method for treating eczema treatment.

Probiotics can also be found in a certain type of food (such as yogurt, kefir, and certain fermented food) and in dietary supplement form.

Probiotic supplements are able to protect against immune dysfunction and reduce the negative effects of inflammation (two key symptoms in the growth of eczema).

Probiotics are available in form of powder for the baby and the mother. If you are breastfeeding, you can take probiotics yourself and the good benefits will pass on to your baby.

Fish oils

Omega-3 fatty acids is an important element in the treatment of a number of medical illness consisting of asthma, high cholesterol, and eczema. Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic are two types of omega-3 fatty acids, these acids can provide anti-inflammatory effects, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center notes.  The University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC, adds that omega-3 found in fish oil may also help to heal eczema⁴. Scientists reckon that may be because fish oil helps reduce leukotriene B4, an inflammatory factor that plays a main role in eczema.

Consult your doctor before using fish oil if you are experiencing blood-thinning medications, or when you want to take high doses of fish oil. When using fish oil in high doses, remember to use a brand removing most of the vitamin A. An excessive amount of vitamin A overtime can do more harm than good.

Fish oils are available in capsules. There are both fish oils for infants, kids and adults. Consult with your pharmacist to choose the correct one for your kids.

In summary, it’s important to understand which type of eczema your baby may have and his or her symptoms, then find out some natural remedies for treating eczema that are safe and effective. Those remedies that we just shared with you will help you manage your baby’s itch so that your entire family gets more restful sleep. If you have any experience in treating eczema for your kids, let’s share with us below.