I’m so fed up with dry skin. If you suffer from it, you’ll know how awful it can be. But if you’ve ever had eczema or some other form of dermatitis, you’ll know it’s similar to the feeling of dry skin, but so much worse.
My grandson suffers from dry and itchy skin so I set out to make a DIY eczema cream that could help to soothe it. This cream is ideal for anyone suffering from itchy irritated skin. It’s bursting with soothing ingredients that should help calm that itch.
A DIY Eczema Cream Suitable For Children
Due to the essential oils used in the recipe, it is not suitable for babies under the age of 3 months old.
Although the 1% lavender essential oil that I’ve included is deemed as a safe level for children, It’s a very aromatic oil that can be overpowering for little ones, so I personally would lower it to around 0.5g.
Both lavender and chamomile can act as a sort of sedative in children, this should help them to get a good night’s sleep whilst their irritated skin is being hydrated.
The Ingredients
Sunflower Seed Oil
Rich in vitamin E and is a gentle non irritable oil that will help to trap the moisture within the skin, keeping it hydrated for longer.
You could substitute it, but I’m not sure why you would want to as it’s very cost effective, is easily obtainable and is the number one choice in an eczema cream.
Borage Oil (Starflower Oil)
Very similar to evening primrose oil and can be easily substituted for one another. Both of these oils will help to build a protective layer around the skin.
They are both heat sensitive, so they will need to be added to the diy eczema cream at the cool down phase so as to not destroy their properties.
Bacuri Butter
Apart from bringing a silky smoothness, with hydration and regenerative goodness, Bacuri butter also has good antifungal and antibacterial values, which is probably why it’s often found in spider and snake bites treatments.
D-Panthenol is (pro vitamin B)
Comes in powder or liquid form and although you can use ether in the same quantities, they need to be treated differently.
Powder panthenol should be added to the hydrosols before heating them, whilst the liquid one is heat sensitive and should be added once the cream is below 40c.
Both the powdered and the liquid have the same moisturizing benefits that you can feel instantly in the cream. I am going to be using the liquid form in this homemade eczema cream because I have it to hand.
Oat Extracts
This stuff is great for dry sensitive skin, and is often used in skin care products to promote cell regeneration, healing and elasticity in the skin.
Preservative
As this cream contains water and oil, it’s prone to mold and bacteria and will only last a few days without a preservative.
If you are worried about keeping the lotion natural, there are some good preservatives that are widely accepted in natural skin care.
Not sure which one to choose? Why not take a look at our preservative page.
Quick Note:
This DIY eczema cream was already a good thick consistency when I poured it into the bottle, and I noticed it had thickened even more overnight making it more difficult to use with the flip-top lid that I had originally used. Next time I’ll opt for a pump-style lid or a container.
DIY Eczema Cream Recipe To Soothe Skin
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Ingredients
Heated Water Phase
- 40 g Lavender Hydrosol
- 27 g Chamomile Hydrosol
- 5 g Glycerine
Heated Oil Phase
- 8 g Sunflower Oil
- 6 g Emulsifying Wax NF (or Polawax)
- 3 g Bacuri butter
Cool Down Phase
- 5 g Borage Seed Oil
- 2 g Oat Extract
- 1 g Liquid D-Panthenol
- 1 g Vitamin E Oil
- 1 g Preservative
- 1 g Lavender Essential Oil
- 1 Pump Bottle
Video
Instructions
- Pour the glycerine and both the Lavender and chamomile hydrosol into a heat proof container, if you are using D-panthenol powder also add this now. Give it a good stir to help the glycerine and dissolve into the waters.Â40 g Lavender Hydrosol, 5 g Glycerine, 27 g Chamomile Hydrosol
- In a separate heat proof container, add the Bacuri butter, emulsifying wax, and the sunflower oil.6 g Emulsifying Wax NF, 3 g Bacuri butter, 8 g Sunflower Oil
- Make up a bain marie by adding a few inches of water into a sauce pan, and bring it up to a light simmer. When the water is just simmering, sit both the water and oil/butter containers into the water.
- Leave the containers in the simmering water until the oils have melted and the water has heated through. This will usually take around 20mins.  Â
- Once the oils have fully melted, remove both containers from the water. Pour the container holding the waters and glycerine into the container with the oils.
- Stir the cream in intervals, stirring for two minutes then leaving to stand for one. Continue with the intervals until the cream has thickened and cooled below 104f (40c). If at any point it looks like the cream is starting to separate, vigorous stirring should bring it back together. Â
- When the cream has thickened and is below 122f (50c) it's time to stir in the Borage oil. Continue to stir until the cream has cooled to 104f (40c). You can now add vitamin E, oat extracts, and liquid D- Panthenol. Stirring after each applicant. Then lastly add the essential oils and preservatives and stir well.5 g Borage Seed Oil, 2 g Oat Extract, 1 g Liquid D-Panthenol, 1 g Vitamin E Oil, 1 g Lavender Essential Oil, 1 g Preservative
- Your cream should now be ready to pop into a bottle or container. I find it easyer to get it into the bottle whilst it's still warmish. I then leave the lid off until the cream has completely cooled. After putting the lid on, just for good measure I give the cream a shake.Â1 Pump Bottle
- This cream is suitable for your face and body. Use as and when needed, avoiding the eyes. This is particularly good as an overnight cream so that the lavender can induce sleep whilst hydrating the skin.
Final Thoughts
I hope you will get as much benefit out of this diy eczema cream as my grandson is. His itchiness and dry skin has almost gone.
We’re all washing our hands a lot at the moment. This alone can be enough to give someone, who has never had dermatitis before, dry and itchy skin.
But there’s no need to suffer anymore when you can make your own natural skincare products that can hit dry skin out of the park.
If you want to learn about to use natural ingredients to make skin care products that are super high performance, check out my skincare section.
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