(Info from a friend, olive oil formula is inside this message)

Dina,

I have had eczema all my life and my twin sons have it, too. I have seen EVERY dermatologist on the planet and also had allergy shots as a kid and adolescent. All avenues were explored including food allergies (too hard to isolate), external irritants (too hard to control), and regular allergies. Getting on a pre s c r i p t ion allergy med helped my itchy eyes and runny nose but not my eczema. I did a ton of research and decided I was sick of using steroid based products (hydrocortisone....) because the long term side-effects are scary as you said, it's only a quick fix. To make a long story short, I mix an oil myself and here is what I use it for: I mix it into tepid bath for my boys (who are bathed every night), I add it to their nightly lotion and shake up the bottle (Aveeno), and I use it straight on their face and body if need be. In other words I use it EVERYWHERE!!!

Here's the formula:

5 parts ORGANIC, EXPELLED OR COLD-PRESSED, EXTRA-VIRGIN olive oil
3 parts 100% pure vegetable glycerin
2 parts ORGANIC, EXPELLED OR COLD-PRESSED, sesame seed oil
1 part SWEET almond oil.

All products can be found at a health food store or grocery store health food section.

Shakeup the mixture every time you use it. Every ingredient in this mixture is not only edible, you CANNOT overdose on it. The only problem is that it is not a quick fix. It may take weeks before the product works, but it will help to soothe in the meantime, and you should notice a difference after the first few days. But it has worked wonders for me and you are talking to someone with whom until I started mixing it would break out on every inch of my body and scratch to the point of depression. It was horrible. But when my sons developed it, I decided they were not going to suffer like I did, and that I was not going to soak them in 'quick fix' drugs. The exact cause of eczema is unknown.Sometimes my son will eat something (like cantaloupe) and his face will break out. Luckily if that happens I know to avoid that particular food and just use the oil more often. Heck, you can rub it on 20 times a day if you want. Here are some tips I have picked up over the years. But the fact remains they do not know what causes it, although genetics is a factor, and it commonly accompanies asthma (which I have) and allergies (which I also have).

1. Don't use 'baby' products like Johnson and Johnson. They are loaded with perfumes ( a major irritant for eczema skin). I use generic Cetaphil soap (about $3.50 a bottle if you buy it at Wal-Mart and buy the generic). It is completely fragrance free and has no alkalinity. I use it to wash them and their hair. It works great. A soap does not have to "lather" to work. Another myth is that you have to wash the whole body to get clean. Not true. I add a squirt of the Cetaphil to the bath water and just scrub them from that.You only need to scrub the areas that create bacteria: the armpit, the hands, feet, and buttocks and crotch area (and of course any spots that are obviously soiled. Do not rub the body dry...just dab with a soft towel. I add the oil to the bath because it helps the water not to dry out the skin. The skin will retain moisture which is major problem for eczema skin, it is dry and cannot retain moisture well. Glycerin help spull moisture from the air and draw it to the skin. Olive oil is a moisturizer but will not clog the pores so the skin will breath but is also a natural anti-microbial and helps kill germs that irritate eczema skin. Sesame seed oil had known properties for fighting eczema as well as sweet almond oil (this is a very powerful anti-itch oil but you don't want to use it in full potency...that's why I add only one part to the five). But if the eczema is REALLY bad yo don't even need the lotion. Just add the oil directly to the body after the bath. Once again, it will NOT clog the pores, and it leaves the skin feeling so nice. (It does stick to bath toys, though...oh well...it's worth it.)
2. Avoid "scrubbing" the skin. This thins the much-needed natural oils on the skin.
3.Avoid "perfumes" in products. One of the best moisturizers I've ever used is Neutrogena Fragrance Free Hand lotion. I use it on my face and lips and my eczema is gone...it is glycerin based.
4. Hot water is bad for eczema skin but so is very cold water. Tepid water is best.
5. Moisture in the air can help but keeping the skin moisturized is much better.
6.Avoid fabrics on the skin like wool, cashmere, silk, and mohair. These are all eczema irritants. Polyester doesn't bother it, but cotton is best.
7. DEFINITELY avoid down comforters, down coats or any type of"bird feathers." We had down comforters in my home while I was growing up and I have now found out that down is a MAJOR irritant for ANYONE with allergies or skin problems. I have been totally safe by just making sure all my linens are either cotton or have polyester fill.Polyester is warm and comfortable and hypo-allergenic. That goes double for pillows!!!! Down pillows will irritate eczema severely.

I hope this helps. You might need to use it for several weeks. But I have noticed, the more it is applied the better it works. You may feel likeyour rubbing it on your baby all the time, but it feels good (my boys skin is totally healed - but I have to keep using it) and it's betterthan drugs. See what you think and let me know...I'm anxious to know if it works for anyone else as well as it has for me.

Margaret



There are a few things to add to the mixture that will help it 'keep.' You can add drops of grapefruit seed extract (health food store), or drain a few tablets of vitamin e into the mixture. The problem is, I don't know how much of either to use. I don't keep mine in the fridge because it gets used up so quickly, but I live in Wisconsin and as it's 26degrees right now (a warm day), preservation is not a huge problem. I would recommend that you make a large batch and store it in a large,dark bottle. The olive oil or sesame seed oil you buy will probably come in a dark bottle...most of the organic stuff does. Store the majority of the mixture in that and what I do is I fill up a couple of lotion bottles with pumps. I keep the lotion bottles all over the house o that it's handy when I want to slather some on Nicholas' face. I keep a pourable bottle in the bathroom as I pour a large amount in with the bath water, but for using directly on the skin throughout the day,put small amounts in the lotion bottles, shake them up EVERY TIME YOU USE IT, it really separates, and just pump out what you need. When itgets low, wash the lotion bottle and refill it with the mixture in the fridge. In the fridge it will keep for up to 3-6 months.