Stop Eczema Itching with These 6 Essential Oils

If you have eczema, you know the worst part of the eczema is ITCHING! It’s madness! The itching is so bad that you have to scratch. No question asked. Haha! People will tell you not to scratch, you know those people don’t have eczema. Eczema’s itching is irresistible and violent. Period.

I developed a whole-body eczema in 2018, including my face, ears and neck. I scratched until my skin bled and I felt good, actually, I felt miserable, but with a sense of relief and satisfaction. However, my skin risked infection.

When the skin is scratched, it may develop infection and that’s why majority of eczema sufferers have bacterial skin infection. The skin does not have chance to heal. And the vicious itch and scratch cycle continues.

Staphylococcus aureus is by far the most common bacteria to infect and colonize (when bacteria are present, but not causing an infection) the skin in eczema.

National Eczema Association

What does an aromatherapist do? Use essential oils to stop the itching, of course 🙂

Essential oils are complex and have multi-faceted therapeutic actions, such as anti-bacterial, which prevents infection, anti-inflammatory, which calms the inflamed skin and stops the itch, and skin healing which provides skin nourishing properties to the weakened skin barrier so that it can heal.

Stop eczema itching is the first step to true healing.

Yumei Silva – CA

There is nothing wrong using steroid cream to stop the itching for short term. However, the steroid cream does not have skin nourishing and healing properties for the already weakened skin barrier. So, the itching comes back and using steroid cream long term risks myriads of side effects and steroid cream eventually becomes ineffective. Using essential oils and carrier oils provide the nourishment to the affected skin, making it strong again.

Here is a collage of my right leg at the beginning and then one month later, and then healed in another 2 weeks. I do have to say that there were a few areas that took a year to completely go away. I just continued applying the essential oils to stop the itching, thus allowing the skin to heal.

My eczema skin would start getting itchy when I was ready for bed. All I did was applying the essential oils to stop the itching and I never got woken up during the night due to itching.

Before I introduce to you the 6 wonderful essential oils that I used to heal my own eczema, you MUST read these 2 posts that I wrote to make sure that the essential oils do not further irritate your skin.

• what to look for when buying essential oils
• 4 biggest mistakes people make when using essential oils for skin care

Now, the essential oils!

The following essential oils have been proven clinically to work wonder on the eczema skin, stopping the itching, reducing inflammation and infection, and nourishing the skin to start the healing process.

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Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini var.motia). Grass is used.

Sweet smelling with a woody undertone, Palmarosa is used for many kinds of skin issues, such as eczema, psoriasis, skin infections and fungus, due to its high content of geraniol. You can purchase high quality Pamarosa oil here.

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Flowers are used.

Sweet and herbal, German Chamomile is anti-inflammatory and cooling, especially in combination with Helichrysum. The combination is nourishing for the skin. Chamazulene gives the oil its characteristic blue. You can purchase high quality German Chamomile here.

Caution: this oil could potentiate the actions of some antidepressants such as quinidine, fluoxetine and paroxetine and could also have drug interaction with codeine and tamoxifen, though all these are theoretical risks, based on Essential Oil Safety Second edition by Robert Tisserand & Rodney Young published by Churchill Livingstone 2014

Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum). Flowers are used.

Sweet and fruity with a warm undertone, Helichrysum works well with German Chamomile and Tea Tree to reduce inflammation and prevent infection. This oil is pricey due to the large quantity of plant materials needed, so, it’s likely to be adulterated. Make sure it’s 100% pure. You can purchase this oil here.

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). Leaves are used.

Tea Tree is antimicrobial and antifungal, it has an outstanding effect against a wide spectrum of microorganisms, such as Staphylococcus species including MRSA. You can purchase tea tree here.

                                             

Patchouli (Pogostemom cablin). Leaves are used.

Earthy, woody, and slightly sweet, Patchouli has a unique scent.

Moisturizing and cooling, it is great for skin conditions such as inflammation, dryness, sores, and eczema. You can purchase this oil here

Copaiba Balsam (Copaifera officinalis). Resins are used. Beta-Caryophyllene, main constituent in copaiba oil, is anti-inflammatory, therefore, reduces skin irritation.

Beta-Caryophyllene is also a unique terpene found in Cannabis sativa cultivars. Purchase this oil here.

Now, you have the oils, but how do you use them?

First, make a stock blend.

Below is the formula.

• 10 drops of Palmarosa essential oil
• 10 drop of Patchouli essential oil
• 5 drops of German Chamomile essential oil
• 5 drops of Helichrysum essential oil
• 5 drop of Copaiba essential oil
• 3 drop of Tea Tree essential oil

Add all the above oils to a 5ml amber glass with orifice reducer. And there you have it, a stock blend, ready to use anytime you feel the itch coming.

Second, dilute the blend with carrier oil.

Dilute, Dilute, Dilute!

As I mentioned in my post 4 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Using Essential Oils, dilution is one of the key factors to use essential oils safely and effectively for skin care. Essential oils need to be diluted with carriers. Carriers can be skin nourishing oil, such as borage seed oil, sweet almond oil, or aloe vera gel, or your favorite lotion and potion.

Stratum corneum is the outermost layer of skin, made up of mostly keratin and lipids. In skin barrier disruption, such as eczema, the production of certain skin lipids is inhibited. Therefore, it is essential that the lipids be replenished from the outside source. Carrier oils are the most skin nourishing lipids.

                       – Robert Tisserand

                         Essential Oils & The Skin

• Start with 1 drop of the blend in one ounce carrier.
• Slowly increase up to 4-5 drops for face and other sensitive areas.
• For eyelid, up to 2-3 drops.
• For other areas with thicker skin, such as arms and legs, you can use up to 90 drops, which is about 10%. In the most severe case of itching, you can do 1:1, equal part of the blend and carrier.

The essential oil blend is not for babies under 12 months. Use hydrosol and herbal wash instead. The hydrosols and herbal wash recipes are in the book I wrote about healing eczema naturally on Amazon. If you have prime reading, you can get it free.

For children 1 – 5 years old, use one drop for the face and other sensitive areas, up to 2-3 drops for the rest.

For children 6 – 12 years old, use up to two drops for the face and other sensitive areas, and up to 4 drops for the rest.

That’s it! Let me know if you have any questions.

True Healing Rocks!