If you’re dealing with eczema, you can often feel like you’re at the mercy of
unknown forces. There are theories as to why some people get eczema and
others don’t, but there’s no known cause or cure. Eczema is thought to be
caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. You’re more likely to develop it if a family member suffers from eczema.

Some people develop these skin irritations when they’re quite young and
outgrow the symptoms. Others develop eczema much later in life, without any warning signs or history of skin issues. For many, it becomes a chronic
condition that flares up periodically throughout their lives.

Your symptoms might range in severity, from a mild rash to very serious scaly skin, itching, and pain. The following home remedies can help you improve your skin overall and stave off future outbreaks.

Moisturizer

It should come as no surprise that moisturizing is the first line of defense. If possible, choose a cream that is specifically made for eczema. Moisturizing after your shower or bath is an excellent way to lock moisture into your skin and help diminish symptoms. Naturally, we recommend our own 100% Organic Shea Butter. One of the reasons is that most moisturizers are typically too lightweight to make an impact, where as our Shea butter is thick and buttery, creating that much needed burst of hydration that itchy, dry and inflamed skin needs to enable healing and reduce inflammation.

Gloves

Your hands are one of the most susceptible areas on your body because they often come into contact with a lot of the things that trigger the
condition. Eczema Gloves protect your hands while you’re working with things that might otherwise irritate your skin. If you do have painful outbreaks on your hands, you can also apply moisturizer at night and wear gloves as you sleep to help your moisturizer work more effectively and promote healing.

Vitamin D

According to the most recent studies, 42% of the population is Vitamin D deficient. This is important to note because Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to and cause some serious health issues, and it’s found to
contribute to eczema. You can have your doctor test you for Vitamin D
deficiency and adding a supplement to your daily routine can provide amazing benefits. You can also use Vitamin D oil topically to aid in healing.

Omega 3

Like Vitamin D, Omega 3 supplements help support a healthy body. They’ve been proven to boost your immune system and stave off other serious conditions. In a study by Penn State, researchers found that use of Omega 3 supplements helped sufferers significantly reduce the symptoms of eczema. Omega 3 is thought to support healthy skin by improving moisture from within and diminishing inflammation. Adding an Omega 3 supplement to your diet will greatly reduce your symptoms and can help you diminish the number of flare ups you have.

Sunlight

We’ve been told for many years that sun exposure is bad for the skin and can cause certain skin cancers. So it sounds strange to say that sunlight is a good treatment for eczema, but it is. Sunlight can help your skin heal and rejuvenate from these flare ups. There’s some discussion that the rise in eczema cases may be due to the lack of sun exposure in the population. The sun is also one of the best ways our bodies get Vitamin D naturally, which also helps to reduce eczema flare ups. Discuss sun exposure with your doctor as there are still risks for other illnesses from overexposure to the sun.

Sensitive Skin Laundry Detergent

Laundry detergent can be one of the biggest culprits in instigating eczema flare ups. Cleaning supplies in general can have an impact. It can be useful to go through your cleaning cabinet to see if your favorite products might be causing a problem for you. With laundry detergent, there are often harsh ingredients to make clothes smell better or increase the brightness in your fabrics. Remember, you’re washing all of your clothes and bedding with this mixture, so using the wrong detergent will impact you continuously. Good detergents to try would be ones meant for sensitive skin, unscented, and with more natural ingredients. You might even use detergents specially made for babies because they tend to use the least harsh ingredients.

Test for Food Allergies and Recognize Triggers

In some cases, eczema flare ups can be caused by existing allergies. Discuss allergy testing with your physician if you think this might be one of your underlying issues. Most sufferers do notice a pattern associated with their outbreaks. When you study the times that your flare ups occur, you’ll notice there are common denominators. These are what we call triggers. Triggers might include certain kinds of foods, exposure to chemicals or environmental issues, such as dust or dirt, even stress can cause flare ups. Pay attention to triggers to see if there’s something that can be removed from your lifestyle, environment or diet to diminish your symptoms.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle has a huge impact on all facets of your health, including your skin. You should make a conscious effort to add the proper vitamins to your diet, pay attention to things like your water intake, and add some more healthy practices to your lifestyle. This might include exercise or meditation. As already mentioned, stress can be a huge trigger for health issues, including eczema. The nice thing about paying attention to lifestyle changes is that it will improve your overall health and well being.

Taking Control of Your Eczema
Like other skin conditions, eczema can impact your confidence and make you uncomfortable in your own skin. We’re not supposed to care about the vanity aspects of afflictions but, the honest truth is, clearing up your eczema will make you feel better physically and more confident emotionally.

Because there is no cure, your best line of defense is in building a good skin
care routine, and learning excellent self care techniques to treat current
outbreaks and prevent them in the future. Your doctor can prescribe certain medications and creams to treat serious cases of eczema. Some of these prescriptions do come with side effects, so it’s important to look for other, more natural ways to treat your condition when possible.