If you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from itchy skin, eczema, or some other skin condition, you know how frustrating and downright unbearable it can be.
You’ve probably tried every over-the-counter remedy out there, and maybe even a few prescription drugs, with little success. But what if there were natural solutions that you could use that worked even better?
Keep reading to learn about natural solutions that may help improve your skin health!
What Is Eczema and What Causes It?
It’s normal for some skin to be dry, but eczema is a sign that the skin barrier is screaming for help. Eczema also called atopic dermatitis, is a type of skin rash characterized by:
- Rash-like appearance
- Itchiness
- Regular inflammation of the skin
- Callus appearance
There are seven different types of eczema, but atopic dermatitis is the most common. 31 million Americans struggle with it.
This condition starts when people are kids and babies, and can stay into adulthood.
It’s caused when the immune system actively destroys the skin barrier and leaves the skin vulnerable or damaged, and the skin then gets inflamed.
I think every condition can be improved. There may be some conditions that we can’t get rid of completely, but the symptoms can always be reduced.
Allergens and Eczema
Allergens like food allergies, pesticides, and dust mites can make eczema worse, and cause skin reactions, sweat, and stress on the skin.
What Can Activate Eczema?
There are a number of different things that can cause eczema to flare up and create discomfort. Some of the most common causes include:
- Sweat
- Obesity
- Soaps
- Detergents
- Dust
- Pollen
- Daily Stress
- Nutritional Deficiency
- Allergens
Soothing Remedies For Eczema
Now that we know what can trigger eczema, we can look at some of the natural solutions you can use to help with your eczema:
- Avoid Soaps & Shampoos With SLS – Sodium lauryl sulfate is what makes soap suds. Chemical-free versions of body wash, shampoo, and soaps are crucial.
- Lavender Oil – Studies show that lavender oil reduces the discomfort that eczema can create.
- Coconut Oil – Seals in moisture and softens the skin.
- Vegetable Glycerin – A moisturizing agent.
- Vitamin E – A powerful antioxidant, especially for the skin. It’s also a good moisturizer.
- Witch hazel – I love witch hazel. It’s an excellent soothing agent that’s used a lot by new mamas to give them relief after childbirth. You can take a bath in witch hazel, or get a spray.
- Castor oil – Another proven healing agent.
That’s what can be done externally. Oftentimes, these are going to be short-term solutions. Let’s talk about what can be done internally to help out with eczema.
Internal Solutions to Eczema
Avoid Processed Food
A lot of times when your skin flares up, it’s a warning sign from the inside. You have seven detoxifiers inside of your system, with the primary one being your digestive tract.
When our digestive tract starts to break down, our body can’t detoxify our body correctly and we won’t absorb nutrients as well. This can cause a lot of problems, but the skin gets the brunt of it. We have to clean up our food.
Processed foods have to go. Packaged foods and junk food have to go. If you need some help with this, grab my free book, which breaks all of that down and helps you understand it.
Avoid Dairy
Cutting out dairy is crucial because 89% of people with eczema are allergic to it. Cutting dairy is easy to do, and it may help ease the symptoms of your eczema.
Anti-inflammatory Foods
If you are inflamed, don’t eat foods that cause more inflammation. Again, my book will give you guidance on that food list.
Elimination Diet
This is a process where you take your body through resetting the gut: flushing it out, building it back up, and giving it the nutrients it needs, like probiotics and enzymes.
Then you can follow an anti-inflammatory meal plan to see which food you’re sensitive to. Or you can do it in reverse order, where you start removing foods, wait a couple of days, and repeat that process.
If your body starts to clear up when you remove dairy, gluten, or sugar, you know what you’re sensitive to. You can experiment with this on your own, or you can go through our basic and advanced gut reset processes that are available for you.
5 Foods We Can Add
Juice
Juicing your foods unlocks minerals and nutrients. Some of the best foods for juicing to treat eczema are:
- Celery
- Pears
- Carrots
- Beets
Those four are excellent to juice. I would avoid juicing citrus, kale, or spinach.
Eczema can irritate your system when you have flared skin.
Apple Cider Vinegar
I recommend 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per day to clear up eczema. It restores some acidity, in a good way, to your skin. It helps with microbes and lowers inflammation. Here are a couple of recipes on how to add apple cider vinegar to your diet.
Flax
Flax comes in a variety of forms from seeds, ground flax, and flax oil. You can put flax in a smoothie, and it’s excellent for nourishing skin and fighting microbes.
I would recommend having 1-2 tablespoons of flax per day. It also helps restore that acidity to the skin.
Wild-Caught Fish
Wild-caught fish are loaded with omegas. Omegas are fantastic for the skin. I would definitely recommend these to lower inflammation in the body.
Overnight Oats
Oats are very nourishing for the skin. They’re tasty, but make sure you hit your sugar and weight goals first before you try oats for your skin.
Summary
The major thing you want to focus on is long-term gut health. If you want to help heal your gut and go through a gut reset, I made a video, plus a guide on how you can fix that gut.
