Coconut oil and Eczema

Coconut oil and eczema go hand in hand, right?

I find peace in roaming through the thousands of photos in my phone gallery. Yesterday I caught myself gazing at Js pictures from a few months ago, and I couldn’t help but notice the drastic changes her skin experienced, in such a short amount of time. Redness, teething rash, and eczema, oh my. Let’s not forget the skin discoloration on her cheeks, and that stubborn rash on her back that took months to disappear. It was horrible. Like researching for hours, calling the doctor every few days and trying every “Eczema cure” in the book horrible.  I literally ate, drank, and slept in baby skin anxiety.

Now, at 8 months- Jenesis has no clear signs of skin problems. While I can not directly say what got us to this point, I find it my obligation to share our regimen with you because when I was doing this search months ago, there was little to no information out there 1.) pertaining to African American babies or 2.) that supported natural alternatives that didn’t involve antibiotics or hydrocortisone.

Sadly, all of my initial attempts were met with a big FAIL. Oatmeal baths did nothing more than make me hungry. Shea Moisture  made her skin angry and gave me migraines. California Baby didn’t get the job done. Aquaphor just made her a greasy mess. Everyone praised Aveeno, but it actually irritated her skin more, causing an eruption of redness, small bumps, or a combination of the two. It got to the point where I could no longer use the process of elimination because any and everything was somehow contributing to the problem.

Through it all, ironically,  J seemed unaffected.  She was still happy and only scratched at her neck a few times. Knowing that Js disposition was  completely fine -despite my panic- is what kept me sane. After careful consideration,  I decided I wasn’t going to let this condition win. I stopped worrying. I stopped investing so much money into special washes, creams and lotions. I gave it no more attention than what it deserved. I listened to intuition, let nature take its course, and used coconut oil and Cetaphil for everything in between.

I turned to coconut oil and kept her skin care regimen as simple and comfortable as possible. I bathed her using the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, applied coconut oil to her damp skin then sealed it in with a light layer of vaseline, wrapped her up in her jammies and called it a night. I did this every time she took a bath, and periodically pampered her with coconut oil massages when I noticed her skin was red or irritated.

I looked at my diet. I eliminated as much dairy as I could without losing my sanity. I increased my water intake, removed wheat, and tried to eat as many colors of the rainbow (fruits and veggies) as possible.

I’m not going to lie, there are times when it felt like an uphill battle. But I honestly believe that J’s flawless brown skin is where it is today, not because of one miracle product, but thanks to a healthy routine, my improved diet, and her outgrowing that stage.

Short and Sweet

If you’ve done your research like I did, most of this information will look familiar to you. For the sake of making a list and checking it twice, these are my suggestions for dealing with a baby who has eczema or skin irritation:

10. Research!! The recommendations above are a great start 😉

9. Involve your Doctor; Make them aware of your concerns and ask as many questions as you need to. If this seems to be a problem, its probably time to find a new Doctor.

8. Try not to immediately turn to topical solutions like heavy creams and chemicals- unless a Doctor deems it utterly necessary and detrimental to your baby’s health.

7. Try  to D.I.Y. There are an abundance of natural ingredients that are praised for healing skin ailments. I was confident in using coconut oil, however, not only because of its healing powers but because it is an antibacterial and anti-fungal.

6. Use fragrance free laundry detergent, and skip on the dryer sheets. All Free and Clear is in heavy rotation in our house.

5. Cotton is your baby’s best friend. Any other clothing material could aggravate the situation, and we def. don’t want that.

4. Limit your use of fragrances, and ask friends and family to do the same when they are close to your baby.

3. Consider your diet (if you are a nursing mother) or what you are feeding the little one.

2. Have faith that things WILL get better.

1. Have patience. I know- its so much easier said than done, but time really is on your side here. Children often outgrow skin problems

Good luck loves!