Well, let me tell you first what I have tried. I'm more on the natural/organic side when it comes to health prevention and healing. When I had the twins, I was so happy to breastfeed, and I did, for a couple of weeks until my milk just would not come. The twins were able to have colostrum but because I had complications during delivery and post-delivery, my milk never really came. So I had to feed them formula, which there is nothing wrong with it, if you don't suspect your baby is having a reaction to it...
I thought the eczema could be because of the milk or the chemicals in formula so I researched and asked around about natural formula replacements. I heard a lot about goat's milk and other different kinds of milks (and how they nearly killed my friend's baby) so that attempt was out the window.
The pediatrician suggested Cortizone Cream (1%) which to me, it's too strong for my little baby. So I didn't put any on, instead, I tried some homemade salve my mother-in-law made for my c-section incision (which worked great for my skin) but that didn't work. It was a nice moisturizer but the eczema was not going away. I tried bentonite powder. You mix it with water and make it a cream and put it on. Well, it made it worse because it completely dried T's skin and it started to bleed. Then I tried coconut oil mixed with a couple of drops of lavender, melaleuca, and Frankincense essential oils. That did not work at all and the eczema started to build up this weird yellow crust around it. It was so gross and sad... So I stopped that too. Aside from doing all that, I was putting organic oats in a muslin bag and adding 1 TSP of jojoba oil and 2 drops of lavender and putting the bag in their bathwater, which wasn't helping either (good moisturizer though).
So, none of this helped so, I decided to listen to my pediatrician... I mean, if a lab produced substance (the formula) was creating the reaction, perhaps I needed a lab produced substance to remedy it... So there I went with the Cortizone. A day later, it was all clear. I was so happy so I stopped using it and, two days later, it was back with vengeance.
I know that Lavender, Melaleuca, and Frankincense are excellent for skin. I also know jojoba oil is good for skin because I grew up seeing my dad use it all the time and he had nice skin. And I also know Almond Oil is good for skin... So, I made a concoction based on that, what I had learned after researching for the other attempts, and my gut-feeling. This is the recipe I use and has cleared out their skin:
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Eczema Blend
10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops of Melaleuca Essential Oil
10 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
Fill 1/2 bottle with Pure Jojoba Oil (the bottle on the right of the picture, with the droplet)
Fill remainder with Almond Oil
Do not shake it, stir it around. To apply I drop some of the mix in my fingers then add some baby lotion. The one I have is from Brazil and special for babies. I don't use J&J because I read that they insert cancerous chemicals so I bought a stock of the one I use from Brazil. It is more natural and with neutral ph (and it smells wonderful) but you can use any other neutral lotion.
So, for the chest/abdomen area, place one pump of lotion in the palm of the hand then 5 drops of oil blend. I apply all over and massage it a little. Same for the back. For limbs I use half pump of lotion and 3 drops of oil then massage. I do this everytime I change their diaper which is every time they eat, and, because they're on a schedule, that would be every 3-4 hrs. On top of all this, when I bathe them, I add a squirt of Almond Oil and 2 drops of Lavender oil to the water. I bathe them everyday for no more than 5 mins and the water should not be too hot.
Because the best way to prevent or get rid of eczema is to always keep the skin moist, on top of all of this, I keep the room humid. I live in Utah = desert. I use an ultrasonic one and it works well because it's not as noisy as others and the risk of bacteria is way smaller.
I had used the same blend before but with only 5 drops of each essential oil and same measurement of the others. It helped some but it didn't clear the skin so I'm thinking that 5 drops is good for maintenance.
This blend is also good for us adults (dry patches) and cradle cap. The twins had it bad and whenever I would apply the mix on them, the left over on my finger I would rub where the cradle cap was. Also, while bathing them, I place a wet towel on their head while I wash their body (the water on the towel will be warm and have the oils I add to the water). Once I'm done, I wash their hair and voilá, the dry skin is off.The Almond and Jojoba Oil you can find at any health stores. The Almond Oil I bought from the Herb Shop in Orem, UT. The Jojoba I bought from Good Earth. Or, you can buy it from here and here. The essential oils I use are from doTerra. There are a lot of different brands of Essential Oils but you cannot go wrong with doTerra. When I signed up (almost three yrs ago) doTerra was the only company that the oils were safe for consumption. So the oils are really pure, you can take them in vegetable capsules and, depending on the oil, you can cook with them. You can purchase those oils from a consultant or straight from their website. The bottle I bought from Aroma Tools in Orem. I love that store! It has all the containers and things you need to make blends, salve, diffuse, and, if you're into it - I'm not, sell doTerra more effectively.
Disclaimer - even when using natural ingredients you have to be careful when using them on babies. Their skin is thin and more sensitive so always start on the low dosage side and then start increasing as needed. If the problem persists, ALWAYS talk to the pediatrician, but most important, listen to what he says. Gladly, the twins' pediatrician listens to our concerns and tell us if our natural decision is crazy or not.
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