Essential Oils for Eczema Relief

Eczema is a variety of inflamed skin conditions, and usually develops when a person becomes sensitive to allergens such as moulds, pollens, dust, chemicals, animal scurf or certain foods. 

Unfortunately, persistent scratching or rubbing can induce chronic eczema with its distinctive dark, thickened, scaly, crusted red patches of skin. This can be extremely distressing and leads to further anxiety and stress, which in turn can cause flare-ups.

Conventional eczema treatments only seek to relieve the symptoms and do not address the problem at its source, which is left entirely un-investigated. They cause serious side effects such as thinning of the skin and even osteoporosis. This makes finding a more natural and gentle form of treatment an absolute priority.

Keeping your skin properly hydrated becomes especially important when you suffer from eczema since dry skin is more prone to cracking, especially around the creases of elbows and knees which increases the risk of infection.

The difficulty is finding hydrating creams and lotions that do not contain any synthetic chemicals that will aggravate the condition, and can cause eczema in the first place!

Several essential oils are effective with alleviating the inflammation, itching and pain associated with eczema, particularly the ones that exhibit skin cell rejuvenating properties such as Helichrysum, Neroli, Rose, Lavender and Roman Chamomile essential oil is the most effective for reducing the inflammation and soothing the sore patches of skin.

However, chamomile is very powerful and only a tiny amount is needed. For example you could choose to use 2 drops of Lavender, 1 drop of Helichrysum, and just 1 drop of Chamomile, so you ensure that neither of these oils ever makes up more than 25% of your essential oil formula. Often with essential oils, less really is more.

Coconut and rosehip carrier oils provide soothing nourishment to dry skin patches, but if the eczema is on your body use only small amounts before going to bed to avoid your clothes rubbing the skin.

Stress is very often a contributing factor with eczema, and it is quite common for sufferers to experience a severe bout of eczema when life becomes too stressful for them. If this happens to you, remember to vaporise some relaxing essential oils to fight stress together with applying moisturiser to the affected areas.

These are some of the most effective essential oils to ease eczema: Bergamot, Roman Chamomile, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Lavender, Neroli and Rose.

Use your essential oils at only 1% (half the usual concentration) to avoid irritating the already inflamed skin.

Aloe Vera has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians to treat a wide range of skin conditions effectively and when combined with essential oils Aloe Vera is a highly potent treatment for eczema.

Almond, Jojoba, Apricot oils are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and are used to repair and maintain skin tissue; Rosehip, Wheatgerm oils are natural antioxidants and they help with cell regeneration.

If you know of other blends of essential oils for eczema, please put them in the comment box below to help others out, thank you!

Leave a Reply