Eczema is a common condition in infants and young kids. It mainly affects the cheeks and chin of babies but can be seen on other parts of the body.Most children overgrow it but in some cases it can continue throughout adulthood.
Eczema is a name for conditions in which patches of skin get inflamed, red, rough and cracked. There are many different stages of eczema but atopic dermatitis is the most common type which affects almost 1 in 3 americans at some stage. You can treat eczema naturally and effectively with coconut oil.
Why to Use Coconut Oil for Eczema
There are a number of reasons to use coconut oil to get eczema relief. Some of the main ones are as under:
1. Coconut Oil is Anti-inflammatory
Coconut oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties that helps in Eczema relief.
Skin inflammation in people with Eczema can be easily caused by changing weather conditions such as excessive, sweating or heat. Even contact with rough surfaces, harsh chemicals including soaps and detergents and plastics can cause skin Inflammations. Coconut oil provides instant relief from such skin inflammations and prevents further flare-up.
2. Coconut Oil Battles Bacteria
Coconut contains a fatty acid called Lauric acid which has antimicrobial capabilities. Other than the Mother's breast milk coconut oil is another one of the rare natural sources of lauric acid.
That is why ingestion of coconut oil as well as topical application of coconut oil on skin are very useful to deal with various kinds of bacteria.
Topical application of coconut oil is very effective against a frequent staphylococcus aureus infection which can really complicate eczema condition.
Studies have shown that lauric acid which gets converted to monolaurin in the body has wide ranging actions against different types of bacteria, viruses and fungi.
3. Coconut Oil is Moisturising
Coconut oil is an excellent skin moisture. This capability is extremely important in dealing with dryness caused by Eczema. It gets easily absorbed by the skin and prevents dryness. The reduction in prominence maintains the connective tissues and place and skin does not break to get infected.
Various studies have shown that coconut oil moisturizers Eczema skin better than the Mineral oil and petroleum jelly generally recommended by the doctors.
4. Coconut Oil Relieves Itching
Itching is one of the most common troubles of Eczema. Scratching on it cracks the skin which can avoid infection. So a better solution is to soothe it with coconut oil rather than scratching.
Other conditions that make eczema itching worse is dryness and roughness of the skin. Coconut oil moisturizes the skin to reduce dryness and roughness.
This double action of coconut oil on AMD drivers helps exhibitions tremendously to soothe the skin and relieve the pain. You can apply a thin layer of coconut oil on the eczema patches before the child goes to the bed. This will help the child to sleep well.
Application of a thin layer of coconut oil on the eczema skin during an outing will protect from dust and other irritants that can induce itching.
5. Coconut Oil is Nourishing
Coconut oil contains fatty acids which are easily absorbed by the skin. They are medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) or medium chain triglycerides (MCT).
These fatty acids in coconut oil have a big advantage of easily permeating through the skin cells as compared to the long chain fatty acids (LCFA) contained in various other vegetable and plant based oils. That is why when coconut oil is applied on the skin it immediately strengthens the connective tissues and makes skin supple and elastic.
They also get easily metabolized in digestive enzymes.
6. Coconut Oil has No Bad Side Effects
Coconut oil is a very safe natural health product for your skin and eczema. There are no known harms of coconut oil on the skin so far. However, oral consumption of coconut oil should be limited as excess consumption can cause complications such as high BP, diarrhea and other digestive problems.
7. Coconut Oil is Easily Available Everywhere
One of the biggest advantages of coconut oil is that it is available everywhere. Virgin coconut oil is one of the best oil for your skin health and if it is not available among the commercially available coconut oils then you can make it at home.
How to Use Coconut Oil for Eczema
You can use coconut oil to get relief from Eczema in the following different ways.
1. Topical Application
Coconut oil is generally in liquid form in the tropical countries where coconut trees grow and coconut oil mage in large volumes. In colder counties coconut oil is available in semisolid state as it freezes below 75F.
It topical application in both liquid and semisolid states is easy and equally Effective for eczema relief
Oil Massage
Take a tablespoon of coconut oil in your palm and massage it on the entire body of your child with special attention to the dry and red patches of eczema.
If the coconut oil is in semisolid form then rubbing between your palm before massaging will make it liquid. If you prefer you can slightly warm it on flame before use.
Gently massage in circular motion. Leave it for about 30 minutes for it to get absorbed. Was the body with warm water.
Oil Bath
You can use coconut oil in warm bath water to get relief from eczema.
- Add 5 tablespoons are coconut oil in a small bucket of warm water.
- Sponge your child with this warm water bath.
- Let the water dry on it's own on the body
This way your child's body will absorb more coconut oil during the bath.
Coconut oil mask
This is one of the quickest ways to get relief.
- Apply thick layer coconut oil all the red patches of Eczema
- Leave the oil there for 30 minutes
- Put a cotton pad and wrap it in a bandage form for better impact
Remove the bandage after 30 minutes. Most coconut oil would have been absorbed by then. Your child will sleep well if you do it before sending your child to the bed.
2. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an ancient technique that deals with lots of skin and other health problems. Mini vegetable oils are used for skin Koli depending on their locally available varieties.
Coconut oil is available everywhere and is particularly very useful in eczema. Children may find it difficult to do oil pulling but you can teach them. Adults can do it easily.
- Keep one tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth
- Squish it around your mouth for about 5 minutes on day one. Try to increase the time from day one itself.
- Increase the time of squishing to 20 minutes within 2-3 days. You can do it.
Oil pulling not only helps you deal with eczema but will also improve your oral health significantly.
3. Drink
Your diet has a significant impact on the flare up of Eczema. What food you eat and what you avoid can make a big difference in eczema pain relief.
Any food item that causes any kind of allergy in your body is bad for eczema. But coconut oil is one dietary item that reduces eczema symptoms.
You can take 1 - 3 teaspoons of coconut oil daily to sooth your eczema. Even young children can consume 1 teaspoon of coconut oil daily. You may initially get loose motion in some cases but it resolves on its own once you get used to consuming coconut oil.
Precautions and Tips
Following additional precautions and tips will help you to get eczema relief.
- Use virgin refined coconut oil for best results. Avoid refined and scented coconut oil on your skin.
- Replace commercial moisturisers with coconut oil
- Eat healthy foods to increase your immunity
- Don't scratch the eczema affected skin
- Avoid wearing synthetic and tight clothes
- Avoid using harsh soaps and shampoos which dry out your skin and hair
- Do not take long warm baths to avoid dry skin
Take these precautions and use coconut oil regularly to get relief from eczema. It takes time, but doing the right things is more important than just try to resort to quick fixes which don't generally work in the long term.