If you’ve got eczema, you’ll know all about the daily (and nightly) struggle of trying to soothe your skin.
It can be itchy, it can be red, and it can even be incredibly painful.
And while everybody who has eczema probably has their own go-to remedies, it’s never a bad idea to have a few other options up your sleeve if you’re in the midst of a particularly bad flare up.
And it’s World Atopic Eczema Day today too (September 14) so you might as well get yourself some new info.
Most of these methods can be found and carried out from the comfort of your own home too, so you won’t need to spend a load of money on expensive creams that may or may not work for you.
If these don’t do much, you can just return these items to the fridge, the freezer, the press or wherever it was that you got them and try something else.
No loss.
1. Ice
The first rule of having eczema is get yourself some ice girl, because you’re going to need it.
Don’t place the ice directly on your skin though – it might not be the end of the world, but it could also cause you a bit more irritation if the ice is particularly cold (which it probably will be, it’s ice).
Instead, get yourself an ice pack or wrap a few cubes in some soft fabric and apply gently to the inflamed area. The cold will distract you from the need to itch and your skin will thank you later.
2. Aloe vera
‘Nuff said, really.
Everybody knows aloe is a very good shout when it comes to all things skin soothing. Chances are you’ve got some lying around the gaff in some format.
Your dry and cracked flesh won’t know what hit it.
3. Wear breathable clothing
We’re talking loose T-shirts, we’re talking tracksuit bottoms, we’re talking clothes that are 100 percent cotton.
Essentially anything that won’t scratch, irritate, or be too tight, make you sweat, and in turn cause your eczema to flare up even more.
Wandering around nude would be the ideal scenario here to let your skin breathe, but in the mean time, just stay away from skinny jeans.
4. Get some coconut oil
Similar to aloe vera, coconut oil seems to be cropping up whenever any sort of skin ailment (or delicious meal) is abound.
And there’s good reason for it too – coconut oil contains antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, while also acting as an antioxidant.
All of which essentially means that it’s very good for irritated skin.
5. Don’t scratch, smack
We know, we know – telling someone with eczema not to scratch is like telling someone with the chickenpox… not to scratch.
It’s difficult, it’s all you want to do, and nothing anybody says will stop you from wanting to do it.
If you can manage it though, smacking yourself instead of itching will be less likely to cause your eczema to flare up any more than it already has.
Is this the greatest remedy to itchiness in the entire world? No, it isn’t. But will it leave your skin less irritated than if you were scratching mercilessly for the day? Yes it will.
6. Bathe in apple cider vinegar
No really, do.
Not a whole bottle of the stuff though.
Bathing in some apple cider vinegar has been proven to reduce inflammation and make the whole itching situation a whole lot less severe.
Include one to two cups of the stuff to your bath, stew there for about 15 minutes, and you’ll hopefully notice some decent benefits inflammation wise.
Just make sure you moisturise afterwards because vinegar can be very drying for your skin.
Very.
