Maybe you’ve seen it….. maybe you’ve experienced it: Eczema – this red….itchy… sometimes painful rash. The first time I knew anything about it was in the middle of bath time one summer evening with my sweet two year old. I’d never seen anything like it. Not on me and not on him. We’d spent the day in the back yard – I was hoping it was an allergic reaction to the grass.

But the doctor said otherwise: Eczema.  The back of his neck looked like someone put tape on him and ripped it off. It was terrible. Equally as horrific…. the steroid cream they gave me that made him scream and cry. When I called to ask about his painful reaction – they said, it might sting ‘a little’. I was distraught that I was forced to torture my child to ‘make him better’.

Fortunately, I have a good friend who is a) a nurse and b) who experienced the very same thing with her daughter… Her trial and error allowed me to go right to the perfect advice from a pediatric dermatologist who prefers to take a ‘holistic’ approach.

This is how we cured my small dude’s eczema – and how – three years later, it has never come back:

A Holistic Approach to Curing Eczema

 

  • 1) Give your eczema suffering child a bath 3-4 times a day for about 5 minutes at a time. Fill the tub with water and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar or household bleach (admittedly the bleach freaked me out, but apparently the Dr. said when it is diluted with that much water – the whole tub- it is like swimming in a pool) Still…I chose the vinegar. Use Cetaphil soap to wash them. Don’t use anything with fragrance.
  • 2) As soon as you get them out…quickly pat them dry and slather them with Vaseline petroleum jelly. Yep, cover their little bodies….layer it on, lube them up…it will trap the moisture in. Then get them dressed.
  • I gave Coop 4 baths the first day. By the time his final one rolled around before bed, the eczema was all but GONE.
  • I also switched to ALL Free and Clear laundry detergent and Bounce Free and Clear Dryer Sheets. I washed Coop’s sheets and ours and am worked on everything else.
  • I didn’t even get to all the additional suggestions, but here they are:
  • 3) Purchase old-school mineral oil. Use small cotton squares to apply mineral oil to the affected areas throughout the day
  • 4) If the face or genitals are affected, use zinc oxide (not a product with zinc, but actual 100% Zinc oxide)
  • 5) Use the steroid cream once a day if necessary. Apply only to raised, red areas. Don’t use for more than two weeks at a time. Take a maximum of a 2 week holiday from the cream and start again if needed.

Good Luck!