Home remedies for eczema are inexpensive and quite easy to make. Sometimes, all you need are common household items with great healing properties for your body. We put together a list of the best home remedies for eczema to make your search easier. Eczema is a general term used to describe a series of skin conditions similar to rashes. However, most commonly, eczema is used to describe atopic dermatitis. This is, in fact, the most common of the skin conditions that affect a large proportion of the population.
1. Coconut Body Lotion
Yes, coconut oil and coconut butter are the miracle ingredients always at hand. While coconut oil is ideal for homemade hair treatments, whitening your teeth or soothing sunburned skin, it is also ideal to soothe skin affected by eczema.
You can apply it to the affected areas as it is. Alternatively, you can make your own body lotion to replace store-bought products and have an all-natural home remedy for eczema.
Necessary Items:
This is what you will need:
- Half a cup of almond oil.
- A quarter of a cup of coconut oil.
- A quarter of a cup of beeswax.
- The following ingredients are optional and can be changed or left out entirely: one teaspoon of Vitamin E oil, two tablespoons of cocoa butter and essential oils for fragrance.
This is how to create your own home remedy for eczema itching. It is quite easy and it only requires 10 minutes of your time. 10 minutes to make one of the best home remedies for eczema in adults is fairly little and the results are worthwhile.
Mix all the ingredients together in a glass jar. Make sure it is sufficiently large to allow mixing and stirring without overflowing. Add water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cover the jar (but don’t seal it) and place it in the saucepan. Thanks to the heated water, all the ingredients will start to melt and blend. Stir smoothly to help the blending process. When all the ingredients are melted and blended, remove the jar from the saucepan.
This time, seal it properly and let the blend cool. Your coconut body lotion, one of the best home remedies for eczema, is now ready. After it cools, feel free to use it as you would any other body lotion. Your skin will thank you for the extra moisturizing and nourishment. Remember to keep the jar lid on at all times when you are not using the lotion so as to prevent contamination with environmental allergens.
2. Honey
One of the biggest issues with eczema is the inflammation. If one of your biggest complaints is angry red patches of skin, honey may just do the trick. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, so it will help to reduce swelling. If you’ve been scratching, it’s also great for cleaning out the germs and bacteria that may have collected. It is a messy home remedy, though, so only use honey on small, isolated parts of the body. It’s also recommended to use all-natural raw honey for the best health benefits.
Necessary Items
- Organic Raw Honey
- Gauze Bandage
Gently massage honey onto affected areas. Wrap loosely with a gauze bandage. Leave honey on skin for half an hour, then rinse off with cool water. Repeat four times a day.
3. Shea Butter Body Lotion
Much like the coconut body lotion above, this home remedy for eczema on hands or any other part of the body provides instant nourishment and moisturizing. Nonetheless, you will have even more benefits thanks to the stearic and oleic fatty acids found in shea butter.
These fatty acids work wonders for the damaged skin. They render shea butter the power to heal, repair and soften the skin patches affected by eczema. Moreover, shea butter has anti-inflammatory properties, which is great to soothe the skin and prevent further itching. Here is what you need to create one of the best home remedies for eczema on hands or other parts of the body.
Necessary Items:
- Three tablespoons of shea butter.
- Three tablespoons of beeswax.
- Four tablespoons of coconut oil.
- Four tablespoons of jojoba oil.
- Optionally, you can add any essential oil of your liking. Ideally, you can choose one that also carries anti-inflammatory and protective properties for damaged and sensitive skin.
Making this home remedy for eczema on face, hands, knees or neck takes a while longer than the previous body lotion. Nevertheless, it is time well spent. First, you need to add the beeswax and the jojoba oil in a jar, after it has been placed in a saucepan with water. A double boiler works just as well.
When the two ingredients are melted and blended, add the coconut oil and stir until it too has melted. At the end at the shea butter as it is more heat sensitive than the other ingredients. Add the essential oil of your choosing and stir until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Make sure the heat is low during this phase. Remove the jar, seal it and let the body lotion cool. This is one of the best-suited home remedies for severe eczema.
4. Chamomile Bath
In addition to having soothing qualities when consumed, chamomile has been shown to provide relief for inflamed skin. Dermatologists recommend chamomile because of its natural anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. This is great news if you’ve already been scratching. You’ll experience reduced itchiness, redness and inflammation, while also cleaning out any scratches and speeding up healing time. A good long soak in a chamomile bath is one of the best ways to combat persistent eczema.
Necessary Items
- ½ Cup Dried Chamomile Flowers
- Fabric Sachet
Fill the fabric sachet with dried chamomile flowers. Tie to bathtub faucet so the sachet is directly under the stream of water. Fill bathtub with very warm water. Soak for 30 minutes. Repeat once a day.
5. Magnesium and Sea Salt Spray
The therapeutic properties and use of salt water, namely sea salt water, isn’t novelty. The research has been ongoing for years and most scholars agree that sea salt water is good to treat a host of ailments, including skin conditions. This is due to the fact that sea salt water has a high content of minerals which work wonders for the skin.
Magnesium is also extraordinarily good for the skin. After all, it is the fourth most prevalent mineral in the cells. This mineral is tied to the good functioning of many of the bodily functions. However, it is also essential to support a healthy, nourished skin. Often, eczema has been pinpointed to magnesium deficiency. Histamines are released as the magnesium levels in the body drop.
They are responsible for itchiness and red patches of skin. In addition, as magnesium levels drop, so do fatty acids levels. This is why magnesium is so important for a healthy skin. While the mineral can be absorbed via dietary means, this magnesium-sea salt spray is a quick home remedy for eczema. These are the ingredients you need to make another one of the home remedies for eczema.
Necessary Items
- One cup of boiled water. If you have distilled water at hand, that’s even better.
- One spoonful of sea salt or Himalayan salt.
- One teaspoon of magnesium flakes.
- Optionally, add a few drops of essential oils.
Now, it is fairly easy to make this spray which also works as one of the best home remedies for eczema on face. Mix the magnesium flakes and the Himalayan salt or sea salt in the boiled water. Stir until the solution is clear and then add the essential oils if you are planning to use any.
The sea salt-magnesium spray can be stored in a jar and used as a toner or topic soothing solution. Apply it on the affected skin using sterile cotton pads. You can also store it in a spray bottle for much easier use and application.
6. Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the most effective home remedies for eczema in that it works in two ways. A study published in the Journal of Clinics in Dermatology reported that olive oil benefits the skin when applied both topically and ingested.
Topical application to affected areas has a moisturizing and healing effect, while regularly eating olive oil helps prevent future flare-ups. This is because there are a ton of good fats, including Omega-3, which improve skin health and aid in absorption of necessary vitamins.
Necessary Items
Warm up the olive oil to your body’s temperature. Gently massage into affected areas. Repeat twice a day.
7. Probiotics
Dietary changes are among the most overlooked home remedies for eczema. Nonetheless, they are quite important as a healthy body is supported by the foods we choose. Probiotics are scarce in modern diets around the world. However, they are essential for the good functioning of gut bacteria.
Gut bacteria also influences different functions of the body and our overall health. Thus, steer towards a probiotic-rich diet if you want to lessen the effects of eczema on the skin.
Necessary Items
- Kefir, naturally fermented milk products, sauerkraut and pickles are great sources of probiotics.
8. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a well-documents remedy for milder cases of eczema or psoriasis. It has amazing soothing abilities and helps to relieve itching and redness almost instantly. If you have scaly patches, it also softens them and helps the dead skin to flake away, revealing new skin underneath.
It’s also a very powerful essential oil, so it may irritate some sensitive skin. You should never use undiluted tea tree oil on bare skin, as it can cause a burning sensation. However, when diluted in carrier oil, it’s a very safe treatment. However, it can also be harmful to children or pets, so be sure to keep it away from them.
Necessary Items
- 5 Drops Tea Tree Oil
- Tbsp. Carrier Oil (Olive, Jojoba or Coconut)
Mix tea tree oil into carrier oil, then gently massage into affected areas. Do not rinse off. Repeat every 6 hours.
9. Jojoba Oil
There are plenty of natural oils and kinds of butter you can use to moisturize your skin, nourish it and help it recover after the symptoms of eczema have taken their toll. Some people are allergic to coconut and coconut oil, while others find shea butter to not be the best solution to their problems.
Necessary Items
When these situations occur, jojoba oil is your best choice for home remedies for baby eczema or eczema in adults. Jojoba oil is, in fact, waxier than it is oily. This is why the nourishing compounds are easily absorbed by the skin and penetrate the deepest layers.
Thanks to the unique molecular structure, jojoba oil resemble the natural sebum of our skin. The fatty alcohols and fatty acids in jojoba oil simply replenish our skin’s depleted stock as far as eczema is concerned.
All you need is good quality jojoba oil and the patience to apply it to the skin three times per day. Your skin will definitely thank you.
10. DIY Body Butter
While not as simple as some home remedies for eczema, making a large batch of this body butter means you’ll have some on hand for future flare-ups. The combination of shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut oil help to protect your skin, soothing itchiness and reducing inflammation.
They are also fantastic moisturizers, so dry or scaly patches will immediately be less noticeable. This is because they are all high in fatty acids, which heal skin and are natural anti-oxidants. The smell of this body butter is pleasant on its own, but a few drops of soothing essential oil like lavender or tea tree will help relieve stress, another cause of eczema.
Necessary Items
- Half a cup Coconut Oil
- A quarter of a cup Jojoba Oil
- A quarter of a cup Shea Butter
- 4-6 Drops Essential Oil (lavender, tea tree)
Mix all ingredients together very well. Gently massage into affected skin. Let sink in before covering with clothing. Repeat twice a day. Store unused body butter in airtight container, such as a mason jar or plastic tub.
11. Oatmeal Bath
Soaking in a warm bath is soothing all on its own, but when oatmeal is added to the water, it becomes a curative experience. This is because oatmeal has a high amount of proteins that combat itchiness, and the rough flakes act as a natural exfoliant. A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatologists found that oatmeal not only soothes the skin, but reduces inflammation and helps to heal broken skin.
Oats are among the most nourishing ingredients for the skin. After all, when skin is affected by this condition, the best thing to do is to keep it well-nourished and moisturized. An oatmeal bath isn’t just incredibly relaxing, but also beneficial for your skin.
Necessary items
- plain oatmeal
- cheesecloth
Add one cup of oatmeal in a cheesecloth and secure it to not spread in the water.
Let the oats soak in the bathtub for approximately 15 minutes. They will release all the nourishing properties in no time. Don’t soak yourself for longer than 15 minutes. Too much exposure to water, even if enriched by the oatmeal, can lead to even more dry skin and itchiness. Use one of the body lotions above to moisturize even more after getting out of the bath.
If the eczema is wet and oozy, then it’s better to spray on the magnesium-sea salt solution. It helps dry these inflammations while nicely healing damaged skin.
12. Vegetable Shortening
Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, is very thick and slippery. This may not seem like the best thing to put on your skin, as it can clog pores, but it’s fantastic for healing dry, cracked skin. If you have a persistent case of eczema and other remedies aren’t working, this might be for you. It’s messy, but the relief to be gained from applying vegetable oil to your skin is worth it.
Necessary Items
- Vegetable Shortening
- Plastic Food Wrap
- Surgical Tape
Apply a liberal amount of vegetable shortening to affected areas. Wrap with plastic wrap and secure with surgical tape. Try this remedy before going to bed at night. Wash vegetable shortening off thoroughly in the morning. Repeat daily.
13. Green Clay
Green clay is packed with all four minerals predominantly found in our cells. It counts potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals. This is why it is deemed the best home remedy for eczema.
Most people are tempted to scratch the affected skin patches or peel off the scaly skin caused by atopic dermatitis. The sores can even peel off by themselves, causing more inflammation, itchiness and restarting a vicious circle that’s difficult to escape.
Necessary Items
- green clay
- chamomile or witch hazel infusion
Use green clay in combination with chamomile tea or witch hazel infusion to create a paste. Add the liquid gradually to avoid getting a runny paste. Apply it directly on the affected areas and let it dry. Then rinse with lukewarm water. Your skin will be refreshed and soothed. Furthermore, this green clay paste can be used as one of the best natural home remedies for eczema.
14. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has a very long list of health benefits when ingested, but did you know it also works when applied topically? Like many home remedies for eczema, it helps to reduce inflammation and relieve itching. However, it also has anti-bacterial properties to clean the skin and prevent rashes from spreading. Vinegar can be a little harsh, though, so don’t use this remedy if your skin is so dry that it’s cracking.
Necessary Items
- 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider vinegar
- Cotton Balls
Dip cotton balls in apple cider vinegar. Gently pat on affected areas. Let dry, do not rinse off. Repeat every 4 hours.
15. Essential Nutrients Intake
Vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are essential for a healthy organism and a healthy skin. As we mentioned before, dietary habits make all the difference in the world. Thus, you should make it a priority to eat more foods packed with fatty acids with aid with reducing allergic reactions, inflammation and maintain the natural elasticity of the skin.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, tuna, and mackerel, as well as a variety of nuts and avocados. Seeds such as flaxseeds are also packed with essential fatty acids. Vitamin E is also highly beneficial for the skin and helps nourish it from the inside. Take Vitamin E supplements unless otherwise advised by your physician. You can also use Vitamin E oil to apply directly on the skin patches affected by eczema or to incorporate in homemade body lotions.
Vitamin A is another ace in the sleeve as far as home remedies for eczema are concerned. Check with your physician before starting taking supplements. Long-term use of high doses may lead to osteoporosis, as well as more dry, scaly skin.
Zinc and copper also work wonders as home remedies for eczema. Check the recommended dosage per day and follow a treatment for one month. Naturally, all these vitamins, minerals and fatty acids can be absorbed from the foods we choose to eat. Follow a healthy diet and reduce the harshness of eczema symptoms in no time.
16. Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Unlike most home remedies for eczema, fermented cod liver oil is most effective when taken orally. Long used as a preventative measure against constipation, fermented cod liver oil has also been shown to lead to healthy cell development and reduces inflammation in the body. It may not be the fastest remedy for eczema, but it does help to ward off future flare-ups and leads to an overall more healthy body.
Necessary Items
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil Capsules
Swallow one capsule every morning along with your regular diet.
17. Epsom Salts Bath
One of the major ingredients in Epsom salts is magnesium. A recent study in the International Journal of Dermatology found that magnesium salts can greatly reduce the symptoms of eczema. In addition to getting rid of the itchiness and inflammation, they also help strengthen the skin barrier. This protects your skin and reduces the frequency of eczema flare ups.
Necessary Items
- 2 Cups Epsom Salts
- Warm Bath
Fill bath with warm water. Stir in Epsom salts. Soak for 30 minutes, then rinse off with a warm shower. Repeat daily.
18. Turmeric
This delicious spice contains a chemical called curcumin. One study recently published asserted that curcumin is actually effective against a wide range of skin ailments. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, making it fantastic for itchy, inflamed skin. While it can relieve the symptoms of eczema almost immediately when applied directly to the skin, incorporating more turmeric into your diet will also help prevent future flare ups.
Necessary Items
- Tbsp. Ground Turmeric
- 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
Mix turmeric and coconut oil together until a paste forms. Gently massage into affected areas. Leave on for 1 hour, and then rinse off with warm water. Repeat twice a day.
These are some of the best home remedies for eczema. Not only are they inexpensive and easy to prepare, but also highly efficient. Find which works best for you and continue using it to soothe uncomfortable itchiness and dryness of the skin. In time, eczema may entirely disappear.
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