DIY Eczema Cream

My poor babies have all had eczema and I know a lot of people out there suffer from eczema including my family. I didn't have bad eczema growing up (I think) but hubby did and usually if the parents have it, the kids will likely have it too.

My oldest son had it bad and we used Cetaphil Cream on him religiously 3 times  a day. If we missed one, he would break out and we had to apply hydrocortisone. He's now 4 and from time to time he will have flares around his arms opposite of his elbow and behind his knees (classic eczema spots).

Daddy doing the eczema rub ^_^ Logan was 3 months old

Logan 3 months old (eczema on his body)

My 2nd son who is almost 2 years old had minor outbreaks when he was an infant. Even now I use Johnson & Johnson which was a BIG no-no for my oldest. He was lucky to have the better skin... So far he's been fine and haven't had any flare ups. He's luckier than his older brother.

Now my almost 5 month old has been having really bad eczema on his cheeks. He's had areas behind his ears that crusted and bled because it cracked. The cheeks have been really hard to keep dry because he's drooling excessively. We have been able to keep it under control with the Cetaphil cream and occasionally using Hydrocortisone. 

On New Years Eve, it seemed to be getting worse. The creams and ointments doesn't seem to be working any more. I noticed the red rash was warm and oozing clear liquids. At first I thought it was liquid from the breast milk because that's when I noticed it. I carefully wiped it off and it came back instantly before my eyes. Each time I dabbed, it oozed again. I called the doctor's office right away.

During his visit the doctor said it was infected and gave him antibiotics. I was also told to use antibiotic ointment on the rash. Have you ever tried giving an infant oral medication? It's not fun for them or for you. I keep him swaddled because he rubs and scratches his head/face making it worse. 

It's only been one day and i'm looking for alternatives. While searching Pinterest, I came across this recipe. I was looking for eczema recipes using essential oils I already have. 

I love Coconut oil. I love the smell of it. We already use Cetaphil so this is perfect.

This makes only half of the Jar. I even weighed it and it was about 1oz each in one jar (1 ounce Cream & 1 ounce Oil) The recipe didn't specify how much to use. It just said "1/4" of each. I took that has 1/4 of the 4oz jar. So 1/4 of each is 1/2 of the jar. And half the jar is 2 oz ...(excuse me while I geek out) lol.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp Cetaphil Cream

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

20 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

20 drops Lavender Essential Oil

4 oz Glass Jar

DIRECTIONS:

I made 2 jars using 2 slightly different methods. I'll let you know what I think. 

1) Stir the coconut oil and Cetaphil cream in the jar. This has little lumps in it no matter how much I stirred. Coconut oil hardens when it's cool/cold. 

2) Melt the coconut oil first and then mix with the cream. This gave me a smoother texture. Of course I melted it too much and had to stick it in the frig for a few minutes. 

The melted coconut oil was hard to mix/blend

Add 20 drops each of the Lavender & Tea Tree oil

Stir well to get a smooth consistency cream.

I liked the melted oil method. It didn't take long to harden a bit in the frig and it gave it a much smoother texture.

I can't wait to try this! I'm no doctor but I enjoy trying these DIY alternatives and i'm glad I can find these types of recipes online. Oh and it smells sooooo good!