Healing a 2 Year Old's Eczema {Part 2}

So it was just a few weeks ago that I wrote a post about our daughter's eczema(you can read it here).  We started to see such great improvement, and I thought for SURE we would see beautiful soft skin from head to toe in no time!

Well, sadly, that was not the case.  

Just when her skin was about 75% clear, it took a very bad turn.

All the sudden, her back broke out...not patches on her back, her ENTIRE back.  Her back looked and felt like crocodile skin.  There was no smoothness to it whatsoever. 

It was inflamed, red, hot, itchy, and burning.

I've never seen anything like it.  I couldn't really capture it on camera, and here's why.  Her skin was so inflamed and hot that it would blanch with pressure or movement.

Whenever she arched her back at all, you'd see large portions turn white with the pressure of her movement (normally that wouldn't happen, but it was so so inflamed).

So I captured what looks like some angry skin, but nothing like what it actually was.

You can only see the redness on the bottom left of her back...it really was covering it!

The poor thing would just arch in pain.  Nothing really relieved it.  

I lathered on our homemade lotion bars, straight coconut oil, straight lavender essential oil, melaleuca essential oil...nothing seemed to help.

In fact, we used our lotion bars so frequently that I used them all up within a couple weeks!

So I whipped up (literally....with a mixer) a new cream for her without the beeswax....because...I was too lazy to try to tackle that stuff again!  I'll post the tutorial for that cream this week.

The cream soothed her skin momentarily, but absolutely NOTHING helped her when it was so inflamed.  

I would just cry with her after a bath or shower.  The water, regardless of the temperature is very irritating to her skin right now, and like I said...nothing soothed it!

The back of her knees looked like fresh raw skin.  It looked like she had been burned.  It was super painful and she couldn't stop itching them.  The sides of her legs, outside her knees became dry, then hard and crusty.

The back of her knees then became leathery and very very tight.

Her stomach (which was beautifully clear at the time of my last eczema post) started breaking out in patches again as well and was extremely itchy.

The tops of her feet and her ankles looked like they'd been attacked by piranhas. They looked chewed, cracked, and sometimes bleeding.
 
The rest of her legs broke out again into patches that quickly cracked and sometimes bled.

Literally, the only completely clear parts of her body are her bottom, her girly parts, the bottoms of her feet and palms of her hands.

AND to top it all off, her eyelids started itching and hurting!  

I took a look at them, and they were leathery as well.  Poor thing kept rubbing and rubbing them and they started to flake.

Thankfully THAT part only lasted a few days and is better now.  But her forehead is starting to break out and she has dark circles under her eyes....

Which brings me to my next point.

She's not sleeping well.

She is usually a great sleeper...all my kids started sleeping through the night when they were a couple months old (but she was only 5 weeks!).

But she is waking multiple times in the night crying, tossing, turning, itching.  She's not comfortable and she can't rest. 

So she got a laser treatment from our chiropractor and that didn't seem to help this time (it had before).

It's been a nightmare.

So, I finally had it.

I got her an appointment with a holistic pediatrician.

As of today, interestingly enough, the worst part of her flare has improved, but she is still covered in flakes, crusty skin, scabbed skin, red inflamed skin...but not like it was a week ago.

We saw the doc today.
And here's what he thinks.

Yes, she has eczema.

But her current skin reaction is a combination of things right now.

Eczema is most commonly related to issues with the gut. 

If the gut is not digesting and working properly, it will many times show itself in the largest organ of the body...the skin.

This usually should point us to the internal issue so that it can be resolved.  

Instead, it pointed us, at a very young age...to topical steroid treatments.

Not only do the steroids suppress the skin issue that is telling us there is an internal problem, they also suppress the immune system!  So the body doesn't have the ability to fix what it needs to anyway!  Double-edged sword....with a doctor's signature on it :)

So, when we stopped the steroids a few months ago, she flared immediately, like I mentioned in my other post.  

It then got better, and just recently came back worse.

These are actually withdrawal symptoms.  Apparently there is a huge community of people online that are going through what they call "Topical Steroid Withdrawal" together.  You can check out this website to read more.

**BTW, my mom was the one who pointed this out to me last weekend...again.  And she was right...again.

So not only is Noelle's skin going through withdrawals from the steroids, her body is now able to tell us that something is indeed wrong internally.

So it's both!

He believes her gut needs some serious repairing...and it probably has needed it for a long time.

He gave us several homeopathic supplements to assist her gut's healing and gave us some other regimens he wants her to be following daily.

If, by any chance there are other parents reading this and want to know what he gave us, I'll list them real quick.

*Lycopodium Berberis pellets by Uriel - A gut remedy

*Aquilinum Taraxacum pellets by Uriel - Also a gut remedy

*Thuja Thymus comp pellets by Uriel - I think this was an anti-inflammatory

*Apis Belladonna pellets by Uriel - Also anti-inflammatory

*Bioplasma tablets by Hyland's - Restores natural cell function

Other regimens:

*Probiotic with 8-14 species and at least 3-5 billion active cultures/day.

*S. Boulardi yeast supplement with at least 1 billion cultures/day.

*Omega 3 - 500mg/day.  Example: 1 tsp chia seeds or 1 tsp cod liver oil

*Plant based enzyme with each meal to assist digestion

HOLY COW!

A little overwhelming!

But this regimen is designed to really bombard Noelle's gut and system with what it has been lacking for a long time.  

We are praying that this will take stress off her system and her poor little body so that it can heal and she can be her normal self more often :)

He also gave us (well...sold us)two natural topical creams by Uriel as well as calendula ointment.

We are to put all three creams on every day, and our moisturizer on top of those to seal in the therapeutic qualities of the creams as well as hopefully moisturize her poor skin.

So that was today!

And I'm sorry if it was a bit lengthy, but like I said, I always found it helpful to read what other parents were going through.

I really needed a trusted medical opinion on this one though.  I was really tired of guessing and trying to figure out what was going on with her!

I'm glad we went and I would like to document her progress on the blog....even if it's just so that I can look back and see how far we've come!

Please remember to read the disclaimer!
 Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This post also contains affiliate links to the company which I have personally used and recommend.  If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission, however the cost to you remains the same!

How We Use Thieves Essential Oil

In November I wrote a post about how we use essential oils on a daily basis in our home (read it here).  I said I'd be starting a series addressing each oil that comes in Young Living's Premium Starer Kit so you can better understand the value in it!

After a handful of other posts, I'm getting back on track :)

I'll start the series with one of my very favorite (I'm sure I'll use that term often) oils, which is their Thieves blend.



Thieves is just awesome.

It's a blend of 
Clove
Lemon
Cinnamon
Eucalyptus Radiata
and Rosemary essential oils

Its name is derived from an old tale from the 15th century.  The story goes that a group of thieves covered themselves in a blend of the above ingredients to protect themselves from disease...while they robbed the graves of plague victims!  They were said to have been caught, and to lessen their punishment, they shared the recipe that protected them from disease!

So is this story true?  Many believe that it is!  

Regardless, the blend that Young Living calls Thieves is highly supportive of the immune system!


There are several resources that list literally hundreds of ways that one can utilize Thieves! 

 I'll share the many ways that our family uses it and other options that you can use in your home as well!

• -Rub it on the feet of all the family daily to maintain a healthy immune system
• -When needing a serious boost to our systems, apply to the feet several times/day
• -Dilute with coconut oil or other carrier oil and rub into the spine multiple times/day when immune system might be compromised
• -Put in a capsule with a carrier oil and take internally.  If you have not taken essential oils internally, start with only 1-2 drops and work your way up.  We take several at a time now.  When our health is compromised, we usually combine Thieves, Oregano, Frankincense and Lemon in a capsule and take 3 times/day.
• -Oh, DUH! I almost forgot!  Put a drop or two of Thieves with a drop of Lemon in a shot of water.  Gargle that and it can seriously help a sore throat!!

Don't forget my post about boosting the immune system with essential oils!

-Put a few drops of Thieves in a small glass spray bottle and fill with water.  Use this to safely sanitize and clean any surface!  
-Make your own hand sanitizer!  There's a recipe here. 
-Put a couple drops in your laundry!  Give it a germ-fighting boost!
-Apply diluted Thieves on location with a hot compress to areas that need extra support (urinary, kindey support, etc).
-Thieves (diluted) can also be applied to the throat at the onset of soreness!
-Apply a drop to a canker sore or cold sore at the very onset!  It will probably sting, but others have claimed it stops the sore in its tracks!
-Use a drop when you "oil pull".  If you don't know what that is, you can read about it here.


-Diffuse, diffuse, diffuse!  Put Thieves in your diffuser (this is the one that we have and comes in your kit) and enjoy the many benefits of having Thieves all throughout your home!  
    1. Make your house smell amazing
    2. This proprietary essential oil blend was university tested for its cleansing abilities.
    3. For those that are in the room, inhaling the diffused oil helps to support the immune system as well!

     So, diffuse Thieves for 30min or so each day, and when ickies are in the air, diffuse more!!!
      If you only have one diffuser (like me), then move the diffuser to the different rooms in the home.

Young Living has an amazing line of Thieves products!!! 
You can check them out here.  We use the Thieves hand soap at home and love it!!!  It's so empowering knowing that I have no need to be concerned about the ingredients in the soap my kids put on their hands, which go in their mouths and sometimes in their food!  It's safe, effective, and smells great!

I think I've listed all the ways that WE use Thieves....share with us how YOU use it!

And remember, if you want to try Thieves, let me know!  I can set you up!
But if you are ready to get the full value of a starter kit and getting your oils at wholesale cost, read this post and contact me with any questions!

Other posts in this series:
A day with Essential Oils
How we use Peppermint Essential Oil
How we use Lemon Essential Oil
How we use PanAway Essential Oil
How we use Purification Essential Oil 


Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Homemade Lotion Bars

I wrote yesterday about my daughter's eczema and what has finally helped it heal.  (You can read it here)

I'd like to share with you the lotion bars that I mentioned that have so greatly improved the texture of her skin!

Please note that I do not believe these will "cure" eczema if the cause of it is internal (which I believe it usually is).  However, we've seen beautiful results with these after the diet change took place!

As I mentioned before, the coconut oil we were using was pulling toxins from beneath the layer of skin up to the surface.  Once that painful cycle started to subside, her skin was left anything but soft.  Some spots were leathery, some were dry, and some were even cracked.

The Shea Butter in this recipe has been so beneficial for Noelle's poor skin!!!!
It has brought back soft, smooth skin that we haven't seen in quite a while!

So, here's how I made them.  I purchased the Shea Butter and Beeswax from Mountain Rose Herbs.
I knew the ingredients that I wanted, as I got this recipe from Wellness Mama!

I looked high and low, from Amazon to other lotion making suppliers and couldn't find any other merchant with the selection and quality that Mountain Rose Herbs did!  Shipping is not the cheapest, but I found it worth it to me!  They are very dedicated to the quality of their products!

Anyway, here is what you'll need.

• 1 part organic, unrefined Shea Butter
• 1 part organic, cold pressed Coconut Oil
• 1 part unrefined beeswax (the more beeswax you use, the more firm the bars will be)
• Essential oil of your choice

I used 1/2 Cup of each ingredient and 15 drops of Lavender Young Living Essential Oil.

First you need to grate your beeswax.  That sounds easy doesn't it?

Well, if you're someone who has worked with beeswax before (which I hadn't), you'll know that it is NOT a simple thing to do!

I tried grating it with a cheese grater....that seemed tiresome, so I figured chopping a smaller piece off the block would be best!

That wasn't very easy either....

Proof that chopping doesn't really work with beeswax!

Finally, I figured out how to shave wax off with a knife and that's how I measured the remainder of it.

Next time I will DEFINITELY be purchasing the beeswax in pellet form!!!

Now, put the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax into a jar with a lid (I used a large mason jar).

Place the jar into a couple inches of water in a pot on the stove and heat it up.

Shake the jar every few minutes as the ingredients start to melt.

Continue melting and shaking until all the ingredients are completely smooth and liquified!

Almost liquified!

Take the jar out of the pot and add your essential oil of choice.

You can really get creative with the oil you choose...I'll post some options below.

Stir the essential oil in quickly and immediately pour out your mixture into molds or muffin tins lined with baking cups.

Allow them to cool completely...it'll take a few hours at least! (If you need them sooner, put them in the freezer!)

Store the bars in a container with a lid until ready to use! 

The texture of these bars is so lovely!  They melt immediately into the skin upon contact so you can control how much you use!

Essential Oil Options:
Lavender: Smells amazing and is wonderful for the skin!
PanAway: For rubbing on aches and pains!
Joy: The smell is so uplifting as well as beautiful!  Would make a great perfumed bar.
Purification: Would make a great bug repellant bar
Peppermint: Would make a super refreshing lotion bar! 
Citrus Fresh or Orange: I will try this next time!  Either of these would just smell divine and be really refreshing as well!
Any oil, blend, or combo you like! You can be creative and use whatever oils you are using for their health benefits or just for their scent!

**If you don't know much about essential oils, read this post and feel free to contact me with ANY questions!!

So, we've learned so much about what goes into our bodies these last several months.  And because of this, I just tossed all our store bought lotions, creams, soaps, and shampoos that have ingredients I cannot pronounce and wouldn't want inside my children's bodies!

I'll be making things myself, or purchasing from Young Living. (we already use their shampoo and toothpaste for the kids)

So if you are wanting to make the same decision for your family's health, then start with trying out these lotion bars!  You won't regret it!

Check out the different ingredients available for lotions, soaps, salves, and anything else you might need for homemade toiletries.  As well as TONS more stuff!!!
Click on the banner below to check it out!
**I was not contacted by or compensated by Mountain Rose Herbs in any way for the contents of this post!  Don't think they know I exist! ;)



Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This post also contains affiliate links to the company which I have personally used and recommend.  If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission, however the cost to you remains the same!

Healing a 2 year old's Eczema

So I'm writing about a topic I haven't touched on before.  
I wasn't planning on sharing it, but it has become a very big part of our family's life these past couple years.

The topic is eczema.

Our daughter Noelle has greatly struggled with it since she was an infant.

It may not be an exciting thing to read for many, but learning from other moms really helped me, so I've decided to document our experience with this condition!

So sit tight...it's a bit lengthy.

Eczema (or dermatitis) actually can take many forms and can have many causes.  It usually causes inflammation and/or irritation of when skin.

Our battle with eczema started when Noelle was just weeks old.  It started on her face, which we assumed was baby acne!

Started with some redness on cheeks

Her poor little cheeks and forehead were red, inflamed, bumpy, and sometimes dry, sometimes weepy. 
It continued to spread onto her scalp and I treated it as cradle's cap.  Her scalp would get yellow, scabby, and downright gross!

You can see some of the bumps on her forehead from this angle

I was confused and tried so many different remedies to help...we put olive oil in her bath water, rubbed her scalp with it and scrubbed all those bumps off!  It usually returned.

By the time she was a couple months old, she was getting red patches on the rest of her body.  We noticed large patches starting on her tummy and spreading up and downwards.

I researched online for hours trying to find something that would help.
With the doctor's recommendation combined with articles that I read, we started applying hydrocortisone cream followed by a moisturizer.

We tried several lotions until we settled on Cetaphil...the only one that didn't sting her poor skin when applied.  I tried a bunch of recommended creams, and Noelle usually would squirm and scream seconds after I put it on...poor thing :(

We took away all fragrance soaps and lotions and we were already using homemade fragrance-free laundry detergent.

The hydrocortisone really seemed to help her problem areas!  I was happy with it.

Her face was clear at 5 months with no dairy and use of the hydrocortisone

But her patches were stubborn and new patches would surface frequently...so we used MORE!

I think she was 3 1/2 months old when my mom found some new information online for me.

I was pretty hesitant to receive it, however!

She found that a HUGE percentage of babies with eczema had a food allergy.  Well, Noelle was exclusively breastfed so the issue was not what I was feeding her, but what I was feeding myself!

She suggested I eliminate dairy from my diet....one of my favorite things to eat!!!

Sometimes I get tired of my mom being right...and I really really wanted her to be wrong about this.

But, for my child, who had terrible irritated patches all over her body, I had to try something!
So, sure enough, only a couple days after cutting dairy out, her skin started to change.

I was so excited!!!  We continued to apply the hydrocortisone and Cetaphil daily on her patches as she continued to have extremely sensitive skin that would react to pet dander, saliva, and even certain foods once she was eating solids.

When I weaned her at 6 months old, we had to put her on special formula for babies with dairy intolerance.

She seemed not to react badly when we tried milk again at 12 months so we figured she no longer was sensitive to it!

We still had to be very careful with anything acidic getting on her skin.  Her wrists were frequently inflamed from hand feeding herself.  She's often have breakouts all around her mouth if anything with tomato got on the skin!

I remember her rubbing her wrists hard on the carpet or on her highchair tray when she'd have an irritated patch on them....broke our hearts!

So although her skin had improved since her infancy, the poor girl had never had "baby soft" skin!  Her pediatrician prescribed a stronger steroid ointment for her called Triamcinolone Acetonide when she was around a year and a half old.

Boy, did that stuff WORK!  We were cautioned not to apply for more than 31 consecutive days without a break.

That was easy enough....after a couple weeks of application, her skin would usually be clear for another week or so.

Her problem areas were behind her knees, on her elbows and in the creases, and the top of her feet and ankles.


So.

Enter these last few months where I learn about more natural remedies, and more importantly, the effects that food and other products have on the body....including what we put on the skin.

If essential oils reach every cell of your body when applied topically, why would I think that lotions, creams, and ointments that I put on my babies' skin is completely harmless and remains external?

I learned that the steroid ointment I was putting on Noelle's skin causes thinning of the skin, increased infections, burning, swelling, and redness (wasn't that what we were trying to AVOID?), and more increased use of corticosteroids.

Upon learning this, I immediately discontinued use of it!  I instead used only coconut oil which is very well known for naturally treating eczema, is an anti-inflammatory, and a great moisturizer.  It also will detox the body, bringing toxins out!

What happened was nothing I was prepared for.

Noelle's skin looked like a battle ground.

Her legs broke out in hundreds of red, inflamed bumps.  This led to itching, which led to weeping wet skin, sores, and scabs.  It was horrible.  It seemed to go through a cycle and moved up her body to her stomach, then her back, then her arms.
 

This was the first week or so...it got worse.

Each time it spread, it would be itchy, painful, scabbed, and sometimes bleeding from her wolverine scratches when I'd forget to clip her nails.

She'd whine when I'd apply her coconut oil twice each day and I'd be in tears feeling completely helpless.

We applied Lavender essential oil, which definitely helped sooth the pain and itch, but there was no quick cure!

We again, eliminated dairy and took out gluten as well as they are known culprits of conditions such as this. 

We also started giving her water with a drop of lemon essential oil in it to assist the detox. (These are the only ones we use)

I knew if I took her to the pediatrician, he'd prescribe more steroid cream!!  Not going down that road again!  So I took her to my chiropractor who is a wealth of information, all of which is geared towards natural healing of the body.  She gives advice on what the body needs and what foods and products to avoid that make it more difficult for the body to do what it was designed to do...heal itself!

She pretty much encouraged the changes that I had made as well as giving me other guidance on her diet...eating anti-inflammatory foods and avoiding those that are inflammatory.

She also had us start Noelle on probiotics in addition to the lemon water. (NOT probiotic gummies that are filled with corn syrup. We bought adult probiotics and we emptied the capsule into her food.)

More detox symptoms behind her knees. The skin became leathery before healing.

She is getting regular adjustments to assist her nervous system in functioning properly, helping her body with the healing as well.

Finally, the skin on her stomach began to clear, as well as the skin on her legs, then her arms, and her back  was almost clear!
 

What we believe happened was after 2 1/2 years of putting steroids on her skin and into her system, they had to come out.  Our chiropractor believes that it was a severe recoil from the steroid ointment being stopped so abruptly combined with the fact that coconut oil will pull toxins out of the skin!  Her tiny body had a couple years worth of toxins laying beneath her skin and I think the coconut oil was drawing it out!

So.

4 weeks of this and we were still struggling to see clear, smooth skin.
We saw improvement, but even the spots that weren't red anymore, were not soft.

Her skin remained dry, cracked, and some of it was leathery.

So we tried organic, unrefined Shea Butter.

I applied it all over by itself the first morning and night.

I was amazed at the texture of her skin the next day!!!  The spots that had no scabs were SOFT!
The shea butter did not take her itch away however.  I was so surprised that she was itching so badly that day!

It was clear that the coconut oil soothed her itchy skin and pulled all those toxins out while the shea butter provided the much needed moisture!

So I made some lotion bars, which I'll post a tutorial for, that has both the coconut oil and the shea butter.

Since using the lotion bars, (tutorial here) we've seen her skin transform.  It isn't perfect yet, but spots that looked like they'd been chewed, scratched, and burnt now are more smooth, soft, and FAR less red and inflamed.

Her tummy used to be covered in bumps and scabs!  Now we're left with soft skin with some small patches that we're still working on.

We are still not giving her dairy or gluten and we still do our best to only cloth her with cotton and clothing that is soft as her skin remains very sensitive and I assume it has thinned from the steroid ointment.

But praise The Lord it is BETTER and healing!!!

So, if you're reading this and wondering why your or your child's eczema is taking so long to heal, I'll be the first to tell you that it takes time.

Read about others trying to heal eczema instead of just masking the symptoms, and you'll see that conditions with internal causes are not quickly healed.

We had to go to the root of the problem, not merely treat the effects that we could see externally.  Makes sense right??

**Update-A week later and poor girl's skin is starting to break out again!  Ah!  It's looking more like classic eczema than the severe issues we were having before.  Anyway, it's a roller coaster battle and I'll keep you updated!

Update: Here is the tutorial for our lotion bars! 



  Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This post also contains affiliate links to the company which I have personally used and recommend.  If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission, however the cost to you remains the same!