If you suffer from eczema, you want and need to seek relief.  While over-the-counter (and sometimes expensive) products may offer relief,  most of the acute eczema sufferer would know that it is not a cure.  Comparatively, natural remedies for eczema sometimes have better advantage in the long run.

There is a tendency of using strong dosage of the medication as the time goes by.  The reason is obvious, while the medication offer some level of relief, it did not really tackle the root causes and trigger factors. It is similar to spraying deodorant in a room that accumulates garbage everyday.  The smell may be temporary gone for that day, but the ever accumulating garbage is the triggering factor.

It is proven that prolong used of steroid medication can cause many undesirable side effects, including thinning of skin, overweight, hormonal imbalance and damage to organs.

There are different eczema trigger factors, which can lead to an outbreak.  These trigger factors may include dust, stress, sweat, and laundry detergent.  However, for some children, the cause is nothing more than dry skin.  We instinctively want to touch and itch dry skin to provide relief and children do the same.  Moisturize your child each day.  Their itching may not completely cease, but you should notice an improvement.

Coconut oil does great job of protecting your skin from losing moisture. It function by sinking into the skin and filling in that intercellular space that’s opened up and caused you to lose moisture. It’s a lipid, of course, and fats and oils are what you need to prevent your skin from drying out and becoming more irritated.

A few ways of relieving the itch during eczema attacks include

Baking soda:  Added to a bath or made into a paste can be used to relieve the itching. It is important to avoid applying on scratch wound as it may create stinging sensation.

Oatmeal:  Added to a bath or made into a paste can be used to relieve the itching.

Apply Cool, Wet Compress: Covering the affected area with bandages and dressings helps protect the skin and prevent scratching.

Essential Oil Blend: Essential oil blend with Jojoba or Grapeseed oil as base oil will be also useful to provide some relief.

More natural remedies for eczema can be found at Eczema Free Forever.

However, it is important to set the right expectation when using natural remedies, especially for conditions such as eczema and sensitive skin.

The keys to have more successful outcome are:

1. Patient: Taking note that these remedies are not drugs, it is important to allow some time to let the remedies to take effect.  We must be very clear and always remember the reason why we chose natural remedies over the medication.

 2. Understand Your Body Response: Human body is a complex and smart system.  It adapt to the external stimulant.  In this case, sometimes after a long period of using one remedy, it is good to switch to another remedy to before coming back to the old remedy. The ‘itch’ is a signal crying for help.  While relieving symptoms, we have to take proactive action to discover what are the trigger factors and avoid and eliminate the trigger.

3. Acceptance: Similar to any chronic disease, it is important to accept that our body is more ‘unique’ than others.  Instead of fighting the disease first, try to accept it first. Then slowly moving on and gradually making changes along the way.  It is similar to the concept that our house has a little naughty guess (neighbor son or long distance relative). First, accept that this little guess is going to stay with us for a while, (we can’t really scold him everyday), make friend with him, slowly divert his attention and energy to the right channel.