The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Crisco
Posted by Ladonna (Idaho) on 09/09/2015
★☆☆☆☆
I just wanted to make a comment on the Crisco. My granddaughter who is 2 has had eczema since birth. She was having a severe flare last week and one of her doctors had said to try Crisco. He said is sound weird but it works for some. We my daughter called me today because she had just left the doctors office today because she now has severe hives on top of her eczema due to an allergic reaction to the Crisco. Be careful.
Eliminate Citric Acid
Posted by Laura (Streetsboro, Ohio) on 02/16/2006
★★★★★
Just wondering if you had heard from anyone regarding citric acid allergies and eczema. When my son was a baby he had really bad eczema. We didn't know what was causing it until I started looking at the labels of all his food products and discovered a common denominator....citric acid. I decided to only use products that did not have this in it and low and behold his eczema cleared up. It was even in the creams I was using to treat the eczema. No wonder none of it helped. He is 4 now and when he gets a build up of citric acid in his body (because it is in EVERYTHING) he gets eczema breakouts again.
Emu Oil
Posted by Cat-Eye Blink (Melbourne, Australia) on 08/18/2009
★★★★☆
Emu Oil cured my son's eczema rash. I have a new baby son. He nearly four months and a lovely organic baby, smiley, outgoing and chubby. He did have cradle cap and I found this fantastic site probably a bit too late. It got out of control and spread, turning in to an eczema-style rash all over his head, belly and arms, and behind his fat little knees. It wept and scaled. Pretty gross.
I tried the usuals to start off with back when his skin was still lovely; olive oil to soften and a comb/soft brush to remove the cradle cap (I tried that so many times and couldn't get to the end of it); my partners 'old' dandruff shampoo (I eliminated his dandruff a couple of months ago with ACV much to our mutual surprise and delight); and ACV itself, both diluted in purified water, and straight, regularly and not so regularly. ACV seemed to halt the worst of it including the scratching for the first half hour or more, but was followed by bright red patches which after a while dried and flaked and itched. I suppose I burned my baby's skin- NOT what one intends to do as an alternative to petrochemical junk...
So as it stood this afternoon: an ugly, weepy, scaly rash both sides of his face and down his neck area; an itchy, hot and dry eczema-ish rash all over his belly; violent red and cracked/chapped areas anywhere his arms and legs bent; skin dry and rough on arms and legs.
I rubbed calendula oil here and there again (which seems to work temporarily on the itch and dryness but that's all) and we walked to the pharmacy where I saw a last bottle of emu oil (not THAT cheap be aware, but fair considering its source and manufacture), bought it (not what the pharmacy woman suggested at all- ) and applied it straight on to his skin as soon as home because he'd woken up and was scratching and going nuts. Within half an hour he looked like a new baby- the redness was completely gone, a little yellowy blistery skin was still visible close up but he chatted away to a toy with hands finally occupied with each other again rather than sneaking a scratch. His skin is soft and lovely. It strikes me as extraordinary because it's been so long since I've seen it that way.
I don't know if it'll eliminate the rash altogether but I'll certainly write back sooner or later to let anyone in the same situation know.
He went to bed after a bath with quarter of a cup of ACV in it, and a massage/rub down with emu oil and he hasn't made a whimper. He's been restless the last two or three nights, not settling at all, waking three or four times, wriggling and mad with itch and irritation at all hours. Hopeful. Not counting on it but it seems pretty amazing so far.
Poor little emu's. R.I.P. : )
Replied by Cateyeblink
(Melbourne, Victoria Australia)
10/20/2009
Epsom Salt
Posted by Cyndee (Newport News, Va) on 04/20/2010
★★★★★
I am in complete shock. My daughter is 5 years old, and has had eczema since birth - extremely severe eczema over 95% of her body. We have tried absolutely everything, from prescription creams, OTC lotions, oatmeal, antihistamines, ACV, Baking Soda, etc etc. Any parent that has a child with eczema has undoubtably tried all the same remedies. I stumbled on this website and read about Epsom Salts. We started giving her a bath every night in the salts - 1 cup for a half full tub. She soaks for about 10 minutes, then out of the tub and gets slathered with a heavy lotion. After 1 week I am flabbergasted - her eczema is so much better, her skin is absolutely clear in most places, and only the worst scabby parts remain. ( We also used Iodine on the really bad infected spots for a couple of days). I don't know why or how it works, but it does! I am one relieved and happy mommy...and she is a much happier child. She actually has an appointment with a specialist in 4 days, and I won't have anything to show the doctor!
Fish Oil, Yogurt
Posted by Kelly (Cambridge, Ma) on 09/10/2013
★★★★★
What worked for my daughter's eczema - yogurt and fish oil capsules. (or Krill oil caps, which are much smaller than traditional fish oil caps.)
I had her take one fish oil capsule and eat a container of yogurt at least once a day - twice, if possible.
After having tried many, many natural treatments for her eczema, this one worked!
Flax Seed Oil
Posted by Becky (Leesville, Sc) on 03/09/2011
★★★★★
My grandson suffers from excema esp. on his hands, his Dr.has us using a steriod cream and something for the itching I do not like using all that streriod cream which really does nothing for it, after numerous hours looking for a natural remedy I came across this site, love it.... starting giving him about a half teaspoon of flax seed oil in his juice and his hands and a spot on his leg have never looked better!!! Also my husband suffers from gout and when it flairs up he will use the black cherry tablets.
Glycerine
Posted by SP (Lawrence, KS) on 02/28/2008
★★★★★
Applied a solution of glycerine and water (equal portions) to 4 month old with eczema. Huge improvement in both inflammed areas and scaly spots within 48 hours. I had earlier tried other options including applying coconut oil, olive oil, flax seed oil and strong chammomile tea. I had also tried adding glycerine drops to the massage oil but that did not help. Diluting with water in approx 1:1 ratio, is important.
Heavy Metal Detoxing, Zinc
Posted by Katie (Ozona, Fl) on 09/01/2009
★★★★★
My daughter had eczema since she was 3 months old. NOTHING has worked. We thought coconut oil but it ended up coming back. I took her to a natural doctor who detoxed her of the heavy metals in her system from vacinations. She also put her on double doses of Zinc. Her eczema went away and only came back after I stopped the Zinc. Most people are either deficient in ZINC or MAGNESEUM. I thank god because it was a daily battle nobody should have to endure.
Replied by Alanna
(NC)
11/05/2020
Iodine, Honey, Vitamin E
Posted by Tishua (Conley, Georgia) on 09/19/2012
★★★★★
Iodine works!! I was so desperate to help my son! I have tried every cream and steroid under the son since he was born. Last night I coated him with iodine, vitamin e oil and honey and wrapped with sports tape. This morning, no itching for the first time in years! Thank you....... Thank you..... This is truly miraculous!!! Tishua
Magnesium Oil
Posted by Txamamom (Arlington, Tx) on 03/05/2016
★★★★★
I found something that will solve the issue of eczema for children or adults. Do a search for Magnesium Oil. Baths are supposed to be the best solution for children because putting oil or lotion directly on the affected area will tend to burn or sting so start with the bath for children then you can gradually go to oil or lotion. Read all the information you can on our bodies needing magnesium and why the transdermal method is the best.
Probiotics
Posted by Teresa (St. Louis, Mo) on 04/16/2012
Kelli that is awesome. I just started giving my 2 yr old probiotics. It has been 3 days and I have seen a difference in her skin already!! Do you do one packet daily? Do you plan on doing this long term? I am so excited that the probiotics may be helping her!!!
Probiotics
Posted by Kelli (Pleasanton, Tx, Us) on 01/22/2011
★★★★★
My 2 yr old has suffered from eczema since birth and we have tried everything from prescription steroid creams to coconut oil to removing all dairy from her diet. While removing the dairy DID help.. We were never able to completely heal her until I saw a news story regarding probiotics and eczema in children. I immediately went to the pharmacy and purchased the probiotics for children that the story recommended and within 6 weeks her eczema completely cleared up for the first time ever.
Sanitize Clothes
Posted by Arsh (Austin, Tx, Usa) on 11/30/2011
★★★★★
Hi, I am sharing our own story. Our son had eczema since his birth. We had so many terrible nights, him scratching all night and us watching helplessely. We tried everything from steroid to natural home made remedies to ayurveda remedies to homeopathy, But all in vain. But things changed when our washer broke down and we bought the top of the line LG washer that has "Sanitizing wash cycle". After using the new washer our son's eczema got better within days. And this is how we believe it worked.
We were applying a lot of vaseline and aquaphor to his skin regularly as doctors reccomend. Even though we were using organic cotton clothes the vaseline was getting absorbed in the fiber of the cotton and had made a film inside the fabric. That would not only negate the purpose of using cotton but make it worse. It was breeding ground for bacteria. His clothes would feel sticky from inside even though they were looking clean. We tried boiling clothes in order to get rid of the vaseline but made no difference. But the new washer uses the sanitizing cycle and gets rid of it. It takes more than twice the time to run the cycle but the results are amazing.
For us it was nothing short of a miracle. I feel the pain of all the parents and the kids that are going through this terrible experience. But , please check if a simple change like this can make a difference in your case. I hope for the best for everyone.
Supplements
Posted by Gean (Salina, KS) on 12/11/2008
★★★★★
My sister's three small children all suffered with itchy eczema, until she started giving them Moducare, which is plant sterols and sterulins. I don't remember how much she gave them, but I believe it was the recommended dose for small children - ages 1 1/2 and up. It's a tasteless powder that comes in a capsule, so you can mix it with applesauce or juice. All the eczema issues resolved. She stopped giving it to them after about a year or so, and the eczema never came back.
Moducare also greatly helped an asthmatic child who was told by his dr. he'd have to be on steroids for the rest of his life. He never did take the steroids, and the asthma got better.
EC: More information:
Each capsule/tablet contains: per capsule/tablet daily dose
Sterols (from pine) 20 mg 60 mg
Sterolins (from pine) 0.2 mg 0.6 mg
Turmeric
Posted by Paa (Fremont, CA) on 09/06/2008
★★★★★
Hi,
I wanted to share a remedy that worked really well on my baby's excema. When it oozes, vicco turmeric (found in any Indian store, it's a turmeric paste in a sandalwood oil base - no other ingredients) works wonders. I just tried it by chance one day and now everytime her excema flares up that's all I use. It's doesn't moisturize well but cures the oozing & flare up really fast so I use it in combination with a natural baby moisturizer.
Pranathi
