Alternative methods for eczema
1. zinc oxide ointment 20% or 200mg. It can be found at your drugstore or Target for about $2 a tube. After washing hands in the morning and night, use the ointment on affected areas, even if they're cracked and in pain. Use a thick lotion on the rest of your hands afterward. If the area is really bad like elbows, use Weleda's rosemary hair oil (see below) and then this ointment. What the dry skin needs is treatment and moisture.
2. Lotion: Trader Joe's biodegradable extra dry moisturizing lotion. They sell it for $3 a pump bottle. I live by this lotion. I wash my hands a LOT and this lotion has saved me from having to use Elidel or any cortisone cream. I keep one at the office, one at home and a tube in my purse. If you have wavy hair or flyaways, it can also be used to smooth the ends down. I didn't want to use a steroid cream and this was the inexpensive environmentally replacement! If you want to add your own scent, I suggest a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil into the pump bottle.
3.I just tried using Weleda's rosemary hair oil on my hands after using it in my hair. Apply lotion after. It kept the moisture in my hands even after my shower.
After washing your face or taking a shower, your skin is stripped of all its moisture. This is usually in the morning and at night. First treat the affected area (zinc ointment or hair oil) and then lock in the moisture without greasiness or residue (simple lotion without all the chemicals and smells). If you can remember to pamper your skin just these two times in the day, you'll save it from being dried out even if you wash your hands all day long. I have extremely dry skin that irritates with weather changes in dry and humid climates. My skin even gets irritated when wearing rough denim. It's also sensitive. These three products help tremendously even with all my skin problems.
4. For dandruff, Kiss My Face along with many other organic and all natural brands have tea tree and/or lavender oil shampoo and conditioners. Kiss My Face's version is very stripping and lightweighting on the hair but the conditioner can therefore be used all the way down to the scalp without weighing the hair down. Make sure to massage the shampoo and conditioners into the scalp and rinse well. It smells much better and feels cleaner than Neutrogena tgel or Head and Shoulders! You're also steaming yourself in an all natural product that travels to the whole surface of your skin and lungs. It smells great too.
If your hair is too dry afterwards, use the Trader Joe's lotion on the ends for moisture and softening. Use Weleda oil for a stronger smoothening. It acts more like a hair polisher. Use either while the hair is wet or damp.
All of these health products can be found at Whole Foods, PCC in Seattle and if you're in San Diego, even Long's Drugs.
* The chakra point for skin conditions is the heart. Heal your heart, heal your skin.
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Novice
