Archive for May, 2009

Natural Treatment For Eczema

If you are currently suffering from eczema, you will have experienced the many sleepless, restless nights and the limitations that this skin condition brings. You too will have received the endless prescriptions for steroid-based skin creams that only work temporarily and are dubious in their safety. There comes a time in every eczema sufferers life when enough is enough and a different plan of action must be sought that will deal with the problem effectively but without any nasty side effects.

To summarize, the following points are a few sound rules to abide by for a natural treatment for eczema.

There is no known actual cure for eczema but there ARE ways to control and prevent an outbreak.

In most cases, eczema and the corresponding symptoms are caused by an allergic reaction to something. It may be eaten or come into contact with in some other way such as, inhalation or simply on the surface of the skin, causing a direct response.

Due to this, it is a good idea to find out what you are allergic to. There are different ways to to do this, the most common probably being a skin test known as a Skin Prick Test, where the suspected substances will be tested on the skin at you local doctors surgery. This is a simple test in a controlled setting and the results will be almost immediate (around 10 minutes), some may take slightly longer.

The most common non-food allergens are: dust (dust mites), perfumed products, shampoos etc, pollen, cleaning detergents and animal hair/dander. The most common food allergens are: nuts, wheat, dairy products, eggs, food additives, alcohol and fish.

Once you have determined the substances you have an allergy to, the next step is to completely eliminate them from your life where possible. There may be times when it is very difficult to avoid certain substances. However, you may find that eczema symptoms are often a build up of many allergies combined and if there are only very few occasions where you are subject to your allergen, you may be able to deal with it far easier and faster than before when following a natural treatment for eczema.

Another factor to consider is your clothing. Certain materials such as wool, leather and polyester are common offenders for aggravating or even causing eczema, so try to stick to pure cotton garments where possible.

Always keep your skin well moisturized. Research has shown that a large percentage of eczema is caused by dry skin becoming itchy. Be careful here and make sure you are using a skin cream that is conducive with your skin type and one which does not cause you to become itchy or is ineffective in it’s moisturization. Going for pure organic skin lotions can be a great choice, failing that, a cream which has been dermatologically tested. Many people find that shampoo can dry out the scalp, trying an eczema shampoo can help.

Emotional upset and stress can also cause eczema. This may be a little harder to treat however, it can be done. Get plenty of exercise. This is good for stress and also has other health benefits. A long soak in the bath with lavender extract can also be great for reducing anxiety and stress.

There are many methods that can be implemented into a natural treatment for eczema For full access to these methods, continue to Natural Treatment For Eczema

Scalp Eczema

Do You Suffer From The Nightmare of Scalp Eczema?

Scalp eczema is not just horrendously itchy and annoying, it can also affect us emotionally and in ways which might affect the way we act in social circumstances just like eczema on other parts of the body.

A while back, my scalp had become so badly covered in eczema that my hair was beginning to fall out! As you can imagine, I was not a happy bunny. My scalp was so dry and itchy and snowfalls of skin would fall on to my shoulders. I was distraught. The affected skin on the scalp was seeming to weaken the hair follicles and my hair could be quite easily pulled out.

I decided at this point that something had to be done and fast.  I loved my long hair and I was not going to lose it to eczema.

So here I began some pretty in-depth research into finding appropriate remedies for my situation that would work and my first, and probably the most vital piece of information, was learning that my regular and most other shampoos, contain harsh chemicals which can really irritate the skin, especially sensitive skin.

The worst offender is Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS). This chemical compound is actually used in the cleaning of car engines! This substance has also been found, in some cases, to cause hairloss due to damage to the scalp and hair follicles. So I needed to eliminate this from my hair washing routine to begin healing my scalp eczema.

Then I was led on to my first remedy for scalp eczema being organic shampoo (& conditioner). Organic hair products are becoming easier to find, if you look around big shopping stores and high street chemists, there will usually be a section for organic beauty products.

After only a couple of washes using the new organic shampoo, my scalp began to really improve. Switching my shampoo was a great help, however, even though there was a change for the better, because my scalp had been so bad, it was still itchy and flaky.

More research led me in the direction of an book called Dry Itchy Scalp Remedies. At first I thought, it was just another guide to a healthy scalp that didn’t work, but boy was I wrong! After using the advice given in the book I found a tremendous change in the condition of my scalp.

This book had not only helped me physically but also mentally as I felt so much more confident and happy.

Some examples of Natural Remedies For Scalp Conditions

- Dry, itchy Scalp. One of the natural remedies, which I found to be very simple was to wet the hair, cover the scalp in olive oil and wrap in a towel. Leave for around 20 minutes then gently wash out. That is just one of many methods to ease the scalp and treat the condition.

- Dandruff.1 tablespoon of honey,5 drops thyme  and peppermint oil, 3 drops of sage oil and 5 drops of carrot oil (instead of oils you can use fresh herbs steeped in water). This formula is also beneficial for scalp odours.

Don’t worry if some of the remedies sound a bit complicated there are actually quite straightforward and there are lots of simple methods like the olive oil.

After using a few of the remedies, I couldn’t believe the difference in the condition of my scalp. The eczema had cleared up and the dry, tight itchiness had vanished. My hair was stonger in the root and I was able to brush it confident that handfuls wouldn’t come out.

I an so thankful to Mia Wadsworth (the author) as I really didn’t think there would be a solution.

If you are suffering as I did, I strongly recommend this book, as it covers absolutely everything, not just eczema and dry scalp but other scalp conditions such as psoriasis and dermatitis. You can downlaod it instantly and start implementing the strategies to clear your scalp and have beautiful hair again.