lotions, potions and eczema

My eldest daughter gets eczema, especially on her hands. It's horrible watching your child get skin so dry and cracked it bleeds... We've tried all sorts, our bathroom is full of e45/simple etc. products and the best thing we've found so far which is aqueous cream. 

It seems unfair that the rest of us get to use fancy stuff, nice scented soaps, lotions and potions, bath bombs and the like. The list is endless! So we've started making our own. I thought I'd share a few of the recopies I've found and information on different oils.

Any information/comments/feedback you can add to this would be most welcome!

Essential oils for treating eczema
http://www.herbhedgerow.co.uk/20-best-oils-for-treating-eczema/ I also read somewhere that Manoi oil is good but that seems to basically be coconut oil with posh gardenia's mixed in and I can't remember my source! Apparently Meadowfoam seed oil is a good substitute for Jojoba containing higher levels of most fatty acids and nutrients whilst also being cheaper and a better lubricant.

handmade liquid soap
http://www.thankyourbody.com/homemade-liquid-hand-soap-2-easy-ways/ -  This seems the simplest recipe online. Castile soap doesn't seem readily available in the UK They certainly didn't sell it in our supermarket! But any soap seems to work. In theory - we haven't actually tried this recipient yet! The plan is to use suitable soap and add a 5ml spoon full of glycerine to any batches that aren't soapy enough. We'll add pretty things such as dried fruit/flowers to the bottle to make it pretty.There are lots of soap bar recipes out there, my daughter has already made a few but I find liquid soap less messy!

Massage bars
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/bathbody/ss/cocoabuttermass_2.htm - all the recipies I read basically used one part wax (either soya or beeswax) mixed with one part 'butter' (there's a list of different kinds of body butters and their properties bellow) and one part essential oils. I asked a friend of mine who's an expert in these things and she said we 'should' be okay to mix random quantities of different oils to use. Since then I've read lots of different information online, everyone seems to have a different opinion! We've been making and testing different batches and trying to work out what information is based on scientific information and what isn't!

Body butter
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/spa-health/10-types-of-body-butter.htm#page=0 - here's a list of different kinds of body butter. Apparently it's the top ten! We used Shea butter as it's readily available, less likely to clog pores than coco butter (very important when you're about to hit your teens!), and reported to be good for eczema. We also got mango butter because we thought it would smell of mangos. For some reason ours doesn't!

Bath bombs
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2014/03/homemade-oatmeal-bath-bombs/. I've been told repeatedly that oatmeal is good for skin conditions and to put some in a Hessian bag (or the end of an old pair of tights) and tie it around the bath taps whilst the bath is running. Bath bombs sound like more fun, and something my child can add glitter to. Which is important. And a joy to clean up afterwards - possibly especially when mixed with oats...

Massage candles
http://candles.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Massage_Candles - thought I'd stick this more grown up idea on the end of the list! A friend of mine gets eczema too and I thought it might be a nice idea to make some of these for her and her bloke for Christmas (fragrance free of course). I read a few recipes and they all seem pretty similar.


I like to try things until we get them 'right' or at least my perfectionist streak is satisfied! If I've time I'll add my pictures and notes to separate posts as we make a product we're happy with!