Eczema Home Remedies
There are many eczema home remedies for you to think about if you suffer from this annoying condition. Remember that eczema is an allergy or sensitivity to a food or chemical substance in the environment. Food allergies, including those related to gluten products, milk products, soy, peanuts or shellfish, can lead to a chronic eczema state for which there are home remedies. You need to consider what it is you are sensitive to and stay away from it. Other common allergies are to latex and metals (like nickel, gold and copper). It is sometimes nearly impossible to tell what it is your body is sensitive to.
Eczema home remedies are good ways for you to take care of your skin irritations. The first thing you have to do is find out what you are sensitive to and get it out of your system. If it is a food, you should avoid the food in order to see if it is the thing that is causing your problems. If it is, the eczema will dissipate when you have removed the substance from your body. The same holds true for chemicals and metals. Get rid of the substance from your life and see how you do.
Good home remedies for eczema include an oatmeal bath. You use colloidal oatmeal that you get from the drug store. Colloidal oatmeal is ground to a powder and is suspended in water. You take a bath with it using lukewarm water and use the oatmeal like soap, using a handkerchief to rub your skin with it. The itching goes down and your skin is soothed with this home remedy.
You should avoid antiperspirants because they contain metallic salts, including aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, and zirconium chlorohydrate. Such things are highly allergenic. People with sensitive skin often get rashes and eczema when they come in contact with these antiperspirants. Try plain deodorants instead. A good product is aqueous Zephiran — an OTC product that isn’t irritating for most people. You can buy it at most pharmacies or drug stores.
Topical creams or ointments that work for eczema include hydrocortisone ointment or cream. This blocks the allergic response and fights all types of eczema. It is available over the counter in strengths up to 1 percent. If you need a stronger strength or a different corticosteroid, you need to see the doctor for that.
Use all-cotton clothing. This type of clothing breathes better than polyester or wool and keeps the skin cool. It is the least itchy of all fabrics and is a natural fabric that works really well to keep eczema itching at bay. Polyester clothing has too many chemicals in it that allergic-type people can be sensitive to.
Use emollients excessively, especially after bathing. You need to bath in lukewarm water and use a moisturizing soap or no soap at all. Then use emollients in cream or ointment form to seal in the moisture. Use emollients before bedtime as well. Such emollients include Purpose cream, Lubriderm Cream, Moisturel cream or certain ointments, such as Nivea products, Aquaphor, Eucerin cream or ointment, or even petroleum jelly that has no odor or color to it. Many of these products have no fragrances or colors to them that can cause eczema to become worse.
