Help! 5 mo miserable from eczema on head.

imanartiste · June 2013

My 5 month old son has been suffering from awful eczema on his head almost since birth. It's red and inflamed, mostly on the crown of his head and on his upper cheek/forehead area. The poor guy scratches himself constantly until he bleeds, and I almost have to hold his hands down all the time or they immediately go up to itch. He looks like a tiger attacked him! It's embarrassing for us and so uncomfortable for him. I trim his nails constantly, and he wears socks on his hands, but I want him to be able to use his fingers more.

The problem is, nothing has worked, and it doesn't seem to be any of the common triggers I find online. He's formula fed (he was adopted), so I can't "change my diet" since I don't breastfeed (Heck, we're dairy free, gluten free anyway!) We tried going to soy formula early on, and it made him scream constantly where before he was always happy, so that was a no go. (Back on Similac, back to normal). I don't think it's detergent because I use baby friendly ones, and there's no eczema anywhere the clothes touch. I'm very "green..." I use all natural cleaners around the house like baking soda and vinegar. We do have pets, but his birthmom also had pets and had no allergies, and again, I feel like it'd be in more places than his head or he'd have other symptoms. We bathe him infrequently, and don't use soap up there at all. When we do use soap on the rest of him, it's Baby Mild Castille soap.

The doctor immediately suggested Aquaphor, but I don't like all the chemical ingredients in it, so I tried a barrage of natural remedies first. Olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and Burt's Bees Baby Bees ointment. Nothing made a difference, and they all just made him super greasy all the time, to the point where holding him for cuddles kept making my face break out in awful acne! He squirms a lot, so we'd end up covered in greasiness. Lately he seemed so desperate that I broke down and tried Aquaphor and then Cetaphil cream. Aquaphor seems no better, the Cetaphil seems to help slightly, but he's still really itchy.

I'm at the end of my rope! I don't know what to do. I don't want to put him on unnecessary meds like steroids so young. But he's so miserable, and the angry rash and sores on his head look so ouchy. What else can I try?

SantoriniSteph · June 2013

My DS has eczema too. While it isn't a natural option, CeraVe cream works best. Don't get the lotion in the pump though, you want the cream in the tub- blue label. I use CeraVe when it gets bad, and then I use The Honest Company lotion the rest of the time. Good luck!

Athena0809 · June 2013

I'm sorry your little guy is miserable, eczema is no fun! Firstly, please don't switch to soy, soy, contrary to popular belief, is incredibly unhealthy, particularly to someone so young that can't digest soy.

Secondly, I have experience because DS has eczema and he is now 2. I don't have time to give you all the advice I usually give here but here is the link to a similar question a few weeks ago and I went into great detail about it. I hope it helps!

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/73187108.aspx

ETA: I just thought of something else. Eczema means inflammation of the skin, and since he isn't eating solid you have to go the topical route. Bathe him in chamomile tea, calendula or even fresh grated ginger. Those three (not all at once) help to reduce inflammation. I would try a bath with either one of those three.

CariH20 · June 2013

We made homemade formula based on the Weston A Price recipe and used raw goat milk. I would give that a try. It seems overwhelming at first but it becomes second nature and ends up being less expensive than commercial formula in the long run. You also might want to try Vanicream. I got it from Amazon. We bathe our LO with Grandpas Black Tar soap (smells like bacon). Also, make sure your LO is getting Omegas. We use evening primrose oil internally and topically.

dragossoul84 · June 2013

My son has miserable eczema I use the honest company healing balm on it. I originally used aquaphor but it didnt have the results I wanted. His skin is so sensitive I couldnt find anything that worked. So far I've used it for a month and it has really made him a happier guy.

tesskerr · June 2013

Try adding the omegas, flax seed oil is very good at reducing prostaglandin hormones, they increase inflammation, you can apply topically and also ingest it. Also arnica ointment can help reduce inflammation, that's what my mum used to put on our eczema when we were kids, and it worked amazing.

Dobie_Mama · June 2013

My youngest has both eczema and psoriasis. None of the normal lotions work for her, not coconut oil, nothing.

What did help was using lanolin in her bath water and washing her with avocado oil. Even just water hurts her skin. She needs a barrier, and those do it.

barine · June 2013

So sorry to hear that I know how you feel. My son had it so bad and has very VERY dry skin. The doctor also suggested steroids and gave us samples of aquaphor ointment and some washes. I kept them aside and was determined to make my own since I already took my aromatherapy courses.

Try to use a humidifier, avoid overdressing, my daugther's skin broke out every we held her - so we always placed a clean burp cloth over our shoulders.

When bathing do ground oatmeal and milk baths. 1/4 Cup of milk, 5 drops honey(optional), 5 tbsp of Jojoba Oil, 5 drops of lavender essential oil and 5 tbsp of ground oatmeal in his bathing tub mixed with water. Do not rinse him, pat but not dry.

Apply homemade balm on him.

Homemade Balm Recipe:6 oz

.5 oz. Candellila or Bees Wax
1 oz. Cocoa butter
1 oz. Mango /Shea butter
1 oz. Avocado oil / Calendula infused oil
1 oz. Jojoba oil
.1 oz. (1 tsp.) Tapioca Powder(optional if you do not want it too oily but I skip this because I want the oil to soak in)
a few drops Vitamin E oil
1 ml Lavender essential oil or 10 drops

Melt the butters & wax in a microwave safe glass container for 30 seconds or heat on the lowest in a clean sterilized(vinegar) medium sized pot or use a double boiler. Add the carrier oils in the container, add the tapioca powder and stir to remove any clumps. And then add the essential oils.

Best essential oils for babies from 3 months to 2 year old - Lavender, blue or Roman Chamomile(my kids were allergic to chamomile to I had to stop), Neroli, Rose, bergamot (bergeptine free), Geranium and mandarin.

Best oils/butters for eczema, dry sin or psoriais - Avocado, Jojoba, Hemp, Grapeseed, Shea butter(nut), Cocoa butter, Mango Butter, Evening Primrose, Tamanu(nut), calendula infused olive oil, Apricot kernel oil.

**Use essential oils with caution and consult an aromatherapist. Also make sure to always dilute and avoid direct contact on skin..

tbmadeamistake · July 2013

I use Shea Moisture shampoo and lotion, which have not only shea butter but also chamomile which is very calming. If she needs something more, I add in Medicine Mama's Sweet Bee Magic. It's more of an ointment, but it does soak in so that she's not super greasy all the time like you described.

lilpreggo · July 2013

You need to get this: https://www.rockymountainsoap.com/productList/1015197/1000144 A few of my in laws, adults and kids, have long suffered eczema and thought they had tried everything, until I got them this stuff and now it's like the HG to them

. This company's ingredient standards are EXTREMLY high, I would not hesitate to use on a 5 month old.

Twirple · July 2013

Do you live in a dry climate? My son has had eczema since birth (he is now 2). Nothing that we tried topically has helped at all. We finally turned on a cold mist humidifier in his room every night. Several hours of exposure to the humidity has gotten rid of his eczema completely. It is worth a try.