Our current eczema regimen that helps fight staph and Candida
One of the hardest realities to accept with eczema is that it is not just a skin problem, it is an internal problem which can be so tricky to figure out. No amount of creams, sprays or lotions will heal what is going on inside the body that is causing the eczema in the first place. I know this first hand because I feel like we have tried every single cream out there, and while some work to tame the itch, it never gets rid of it.
My third daughter started to develop small patches of eczema on her forehead and one on the side of her cheek, and I wanted to figure out the “root cause” as soon as possible, which is always much easier said than done. Because we are also going through what we believe is TSW with my son, we immediately felt very convicted to try everything we can to heal her naturally.
After working with our chiropractor and muscle testing some common trigger foods, we decided to cut out gluten from my diet, and add in a different strain of a probiotic to my diet. Her eczema cleared — for a good amount of time. Oh how I wish it was just that easy!
We currently have her whole body clear except for her neck and behind her legs. These spots have been so so stubborn despite doing many different things. Getting a yeast rash from candida is a very common thing in babies, they are most often prescribed lotramin or nysatin and that’s it. For my daughter, the candida that I believe to be there is aggravating her eczema since she is prone to that. Then, when she scratches and if she ever breaks any skin, it easily becomes infected with staph, another very common thing for those with eczema. A TERRIBLE trifecta let me tell you. It took me many hours of research and asking other moms to figure out this is what was going on. So — now that we have that established what I share below will make more sense.
A method of treating fungus and bacteria on the skin is spraying it with something that changes the pH of the skin to make it unfavorable to the pathogens. Often we think moisture when we think of eczema ,but if there is any overgrowth happening, the moisture feeds it. So after applying the spray, instead of moisturizing you can use a sealer if its really dry or itchy. You can also coat it with zinc, which is another layer of anti-bacterial goodness and helps fight the itch.
We use rosemary hydrosol spray from plant therapy. This has to be one of my all time favorite products and I have been dealing with eczema for years!! It has so many amazing benefits and uses. I’ve used it to help my postpartum hair loss, I’ve treated a stubborn rash behind the ears, I use it after I shave - its just a product I wont live without now. When treating bacteria try and let it sit on the skin for a couple minutes before the next step
Badger Zinc cream is the best non-toxic zinc cream that I have found that also doesn’t contain any petroleum. We seriously have this on auto-ship because that’s how much we use it in this house. Both my kids with lots of food sensitivities do so well with this one.
If the itch is really bad or the spot is really dry I will use the Earthley All Purpose Salve. This is another product that the whole family can use and it has so many benefits. It’s also antibacterial and contains herbs that soothe. Its great for eczema but also for any cuts, scrapes, burns or bug bites!
Finally, if the spot of eczema is really raised and in a spot I’m not treating staph I will use organic castor oil. This stuff is amazing and has so many health benefits. It is antinflammatory and one of the most efficient oils at penetrating deep into the skin, benefiting more than just the surface. That what makes it so effective when using for castor oil packs. We have been using those on the kids which I will do a how-to blog on that as well.
I have alternatives for all of these products as well if you’ve tried them already, or if you want a different option. It’s the process that’s important but each product can be swapped for something that does the same thing. I love to know what has been working for you or your kids- let me know in the comments!!
** the Erasing Eczema group was so helpful in finding the regimen that works well for my daughter. There is a lot of valuable information on that page!