We make homemade DIY eczema cream because the makers of commercial creams use petroleum which is not good for the skin, despite their claims!
My youngest daughter has had eczema for most of her life. It isn’t a terrible case; it’s confined mostly to her legs and she has never gotten an infection from it. Still, it always hurts my heart a little to see the red, itchy patches of eczema on her thighs and behind her knees.
Summer gives her a slight reprieve. The humid air doesn’t dry her skin out quite as badly as the dry, cool weather we will experience in the autumn and winter. Since we’ve been dealing with this for enough years that I’m aware of her patterns now, I’m trying extra hard to get her eczema under control before winter arrives.
Ideas for Controlling Eczema
Along with our homemade eczema cream (recipe below) here are a few things we’ve done to help control her eczema:
- Cutting down on bath frequency (especially in the winter when she isn’t playing outside as much)
- Putting her on a dairy-free diet (this is incredibly helpful, although grass-fed dairy is far better than conventional)
- Foregoing harsh soaps (learn to make your own soap here)
- Making our own mild laundry detergent
- Having her sleep in long pants to minimize nighttime scratching
- Keeping her skin moisturized
To keep her skin moisturized, we have tried nearly every lotion we could find. Even with all the products we’ve used, I’ve never found an eczema cream that did anything but give her slightly softer eczema. Many store-bought eczema creams are petroleum-based, anyway, which means they’re not environmentally friendly and not as good for the skin as their marketing claims. (You guys probably already knew that, but if you’d like to read more, check out this article.) There are “greener” products available, but I’ve never found them particularly effective, either.
This year I’ve given up on store-bought brands and am making my own homemade eczema cream for her. I’m able to use natural, plant-based ingredients (except for the honey) and have a more effective lotion, too.
Homemade Eczema Cream
We make homemade DIY eczema cream because the makers of commercial creams use petroleum which is not good for the skin, despite their claims!
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Active Time
- 30 minutes
- Cooling Time
- 1 hour
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Servings
- 8 ounces
- Estimated Cost
- $8.25
Ingredients
- ½ cup shea butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 40 drops lavender essential oil
- 5-10 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions
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To begin making your homemade eczema cream, use a double boiler or similar setup (I used a small pot in a larger pot and melt down the shea butter and coconut oil until they're combined.)
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Next, add the honey and allow it to melt.
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When everything is in a liquid state, add the lavender and tea tree oils and stir to combine.
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Allow your mixture to cool slightly so that it will begin to solidify. You can put the homemade eczema cream solution in the refrigerator. Do not put in the freezer or it will become too solid and you’ll have to melt it back down.
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When your solution has thickened up but is still liquid, go ahead and give it the first round of mixing. I prefer a hand-held mixer, but a stand mixer would work, too. Mix for several minutes until the color has lightened and the solution has a frothy appearance.
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As the solution solidifies, mix every ten minutes or so, until it is at its peak solid state (similar to a lotion consistency).
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Mix one more time and transfer to the mason jar or another container.
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You can store this homemade eczema cream at room temperature or in the refrigerator, depending on how solid you would like it to remain.
Recipe Video
Notes
Application
As always, when using a new product on your skin, use sparingly at first to be sure that your skin reacts well. After you’ve determined that your skin reacts well, apply once or twice a day over the affected area.
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Homemade DIY Eczema Cream Ingredients
Shea Butter
Shea butter is a fat that is derived from the nut of the shea tree. It is incredibly moisturizing and has healing properties, so it helps with the dry skin associated with eczema.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains a lot of good fats, too, and is another moisturizer. It’s also full of Vitamin E!
Honey
The honey in this homemade eczema cream moisturizes the skin and also has antibacterial properties. Two for one!
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil smells great, but it also has soothing and healing properties for the skin.
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree essential oil helps prevent the infections that often occur from scratching at eczema.
Your Final Product: Homemade Excema Cream
When you’re finished with your homemade eczema cream, you should have a soft, creamy lotion that smells of lavender and shea butter. It will also look exactly like buttercream frosting, but won’t taste nearly as good on cupcakes.
I hope this homemade eczema cream works as well for you as it has for us!
Want More Help With Eczema?
Our friend Emily over at Holistic Squid has written an awesome eBook, called The Eczema Cure, about healing eczema from the inside out. She’s a holistic practitioner who has had success healing her own daughter’s eczema. You can learn more about her eBook and get it here.
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Velda says
For obvious reasons, the content here is so accurate for so many reasons. It steers away from the accustomed pitfalls so many fall into, buying horrible alternatives. Greatly appreciated!
Marsha says
Is there a substitute for honey?
Erich says
Most people in my area have no clue that scalp therapy shampoos for fast hair growth (obviously with no sulfates, no parabens and no DEA) are a thing. Persons are now able to achieve longer hair and attain more options. Definitely worth looking into it.
If you’re considering hair loss, hair damage, preventing hair disorders, hair growth, hair and scalp care normally, the same thoughts become relevant.
As a rule of thumb, you should try to stay away from hair treatments and products that include chemicals such as parabens, DEA and sulfates.
What is good for your hair is beneficial for your skin all the same.
Obviously the content on this page hits the nail in the head for multiple reasons. It avoids the accustomed traps and mistakes so many fall into: using horrible alternatives. Thank you so much!
Ette says
I made the cream and find that it have a stickyness to it.
What did I do wrong? It is like the honey leaves a coating.
ISV says
I know this article is almost 6 years old but, I just have to laugh at those who say cut gluten and and your eczema will be gone. I would like to say not true. Due to finding out out 7 years ago that I have celiac I cut all gluten in my diet and I still suffer with eczema during the winter months. It’s not as bad as it use to be but it is still there.
Rene says
Can you tell me how long this lotion will keep before it goes bad?
friend says
Eliminate gluten and you will eliminate eczema
Lucy says
After suffering for years from ezcema, I found it cleared up within weeks of being on a gluten free diet.
(I am off wheat due to digestive issues but it was a wonderful bonus.)
I can have oats and sorghum but when I tried to reintroduce wheat into my diet, apart from stomach problems, the eczema came back. Now that I am GF again, it has not returned. I hope this helps anyone suffering, to maybe consider not eating wheat.
Paige says
I am making the Natural Homemade Eczema Cream for the first time. I can’t get it so a solid state. I am blending with the whisk on my mixer for 3-4 minutes, every ten minutes or so. Anything I’m not doing correct or can change?
Emry Trantham says
Try putting it in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes. It won’t solidify if it’s too warm. Also, try letting it rest longer in between mixing.
Pamela Freeman says
My son has exzema. Has had it for 5 to 6 years now. Been to skin doctors and gotten shots and ointments. Real bad on legs. Was told to use products with no fragrance . What I am asking is in the cream you add lavender oil. Would that be the same as a fragrance? If it will not hurt I will try this for him.
Emry Trantham says
Well, we can’t be certain how your son’s skin will react to lavender oil, but generally speaking lavender essential oil is actually beneficial to skin. It’s different than a fragrance or a fragrance oil. Here’s a quick article that mentions how lavender oil can be good for skin:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/the-5-best-essential-oils-for-glowing-skin/
With that said, you can always leave out the lavender if you have concerns, but it is meant to be helpful.
Regan Webb says
Eczema is definitely your skins reaction to either something you’re eating or putting on it. It’s just a matter of working out what’s causing it – which can be difficult, but so worth it! My son kept getting it on his legs, it used to drive him mad! I tried so many natural things to relieve it, which helped but didn’t stop it. The GP wasn’t interested to help find out what he was reacting to, and we eat home cooked food from scratch, I’m very aware of toxic chemicals in products so everything we use is as natural as possible, and we’re generally healthy. So I did a diary of what he was eating in the previous hour or two before he would start scratching. We soon realised its either a preservative or colouring in some foods. (Certain sweets and cereals definitely). We still don’t know exactly which as they won’t test him, but after cutting out the ones we know he reacts to his skin has been completely clear for a long time now. If he starts scratching again, we just avoid/cut down on whatever he’s just eaten.
AE says
I definitely have eczema and seborrheic dermtiatis and have found the “triggers.” Doctors and Derms only prescribe and do not test. Allergy testing came out clean. I believe after cutting out sugars and gluten entirely for a month…eating mostly nuts, seeds, chicken, avocados, no processed foods, sweet potatoes, etc-I stopped itching and the red scaly patches decreased by 80%, just in a MONTH. My advice despite the oldness of this post-is to cut out all processed grains, sugars, etc, and focus on gut health, hyrdration, and liver detox. The skin is the body’s detoxifier so the body is overburdened. I do well with magnesium citrate supplementation also. My skin seems to heal faster with it.
Sara says
I used to mix vitamin e oil and vitamin e lotion together.. And add coconut oil, and it worked okay. They I stopped using anything at all… And it got better… Like I had to detox from my lotions. Ugh. I also make my own soaps and such, instead of buying store bought junk. But I can’t give it up dairy, I tried. It’s not in me. I may try this next… And on another note, my lip balm sounds like this… Except with some bees wax in it to help it be more solid.
Lindsey James says
I will have to give this a try!
ODEH Ganim says
I really enjoyed reading about eczema because I to live with it.thank you for all the suggestions
Lorene says
When our eldest son was young (he is now 46) he had eczema quite severely on his face and I used to listen to a radio talk show that had a holistic program every Saturday morning. The lady said to crush a “B” vitamin (I don’t remember what type any more) add a few drops of water to it to make a paste and put it on his eczema. I did that and it went away very quickly and never came back. He said it tingled a little bit when I would put it on.
Daniella says
I do not have eczema but being diabetic, I do have VERY dry skin and the ingredients sound like they should work well for dry skin. Do you have anything else that could help me please? Any advice? I am open to hearing it all. Thank you, I so enjoy your site and have saved and shared a lot of great stuff.
Emry Trantham says
I have used this lotion several times as a regular lotion, and I find it very moisturizing! You could probably go without the tea tree oil and/or use less lavender oil, and you’d have a perfectly usable basic moisturizer.
Charlee says
I’ve read that going gluten free can help clear up eczema. Maybe something worth looking into and trying. Good luck.
La Boling says
Is there a substitute essential oil for lavender oil? I am allergic to it.
I love your website.
Emry Trantham says
This is a list of several essential oils that are good for skin. Experiment and see which is most helpful for you!
http://www.herbhedgerow.co.uk/20-best-oils-for-treating-eczema/
Julie Aguilar says
I too have eczema and have had it since I was a teenager. Mine happens to be hormone related. I have found a relief in using just plain red raspberry oil. It is the first time in all my many years that anything has given me relief.
Lynne Wilson says
I enjoy every email you send out on DIY products. I bought the Natural Cleaners last year & refer to the book all the time…love the detergent BYW. I know I an purchase ebook bundle for $30 but ebook is not my style. As with the book I have, not only do I reference it but write in it. By any chance is there an affordable “book” bundle? I love holding a book not an electronic & phone is only device…sorry, old school. Phone is only internet we have due to job lose so tight budget. Also would love access to your husbands financial emails & or books. Life is an adventure…keep up the great work…Lynne
Matt Jabs says
I prefer ebooks sometimes and print other times. I love that I can have ALL my ebooks on my iPad mini and take them with me wherever I go, but I also love the smell and feel of a print book. I don’t know of any book bundles, ebooks are easier to bundle because there’s no cost of production.
Laura says
One of my daughters has ezcema, which runs on my husband’s side of the family. She tried several cremes and whatever the doctor had to offer. Didn’t work. Then I read that vitamin D in a larger amount would clear up ezcema. She tried it and yes! it worked.
This makes sense, since it seemed to be bad during the winter, but not the summer when one absorbs vit D from the sun (as long as you don’t use too much sun screen.)
Since she started taking it as a high school student, I believe she takes about 2000 IU’s daily. She is now 24. If she forgets for a long while, or the season changes then it will come back. All she has to do is start on the vit. D again and the ezcema goes away.
The RDA for vit D has been way too low, at 400 IU’s daily. And people have often been scared to take more, due to the warnings that used to prevail about too much vit. D. Read up on the new info about vit D and figure out how much to take at what age. It really makes a big difference. It takes away the ezcema and leaves the skin normal. Then you don’t have to be putting cremes (of any type) on it all the time.
Chris says
I used to get eczema, but after I began a wheat free diet for other reasons, I realized that I no longer get it. Also, my rosacea is hugely improved. I’m not sure if it’a direct cause-effect thing, but it’s worth a try. It’s easy to be gluten free these days.
Laney says
I, too, have eczema and have made the healing salve on this site with various oils (coconut, almond, avocado, olive). What has made the most difference in my skin is infusing the oil first with borage, calendula, comfrey, horsetail, lavender, and plantain. We use it for everything – blackberry scratches, boo-boos of all kinds, bug bites, scars, and I think it’s even made a difference in our toddler’s hemangioma. The ratio is 1 c oil to 1/4 c beeswax. Frankincense essential oil is also very healing.
Susan says
My son has suffered from severe eczema for years. We tried everything recommended and medication for severe flare ups and antibiotics for infections. Things finally changed when the cardiologist told him to reduce the saturated fats, increase the good fats from nuts and get more omegas in the form of fish oil tabs. We continued with yogurt and flax seeds also. The eczema cleared up so quickly it was like a miracle. This had been going on for 15 years! Now my son doesn’t scratch his scalp, and all of the skin on his body has healed. Sleeping has improved and his ability to concentrate on other things such as school!
Sarah says
What kind of yogurt? My mother and my son both suffer from eczema and I’m willing to try anything to help them!
Martha says
This sounds like a great recipe! Would I be able to use this for psoriasis and as a face moisturizer? Thank you for sharing all your great recipes. I get them in my inbox and I’ve tried several of them and I love them!! 🙂
Thank you for such a great blog! 🙂
Emry Trantham says
I don’t know why you couldn’t try it. I’m not an expert on psoriasis as I’ve never dealt with it, but this is a pretty gentle cream and is unlikely to irritate it.
Martha says
Thanks so much Emry 🙂 I’ll make it today and try it out on my boyfriend. He’s the one suffering from it. 🙂
lorraine says
Hi, I am blessed not to have excema, but I do have Rosacea, and help of any sort is far and few between.
Any help would be appreciated. I have suffered now approx 5 years, and am in my seventies.
Thanks for any suggestions
greetings from South Africa!
Jodie says
My mother had rosacea and went to a naturopathic physician who gave her supplements for gut healing. Her rosacea cleared right up.
Karen says
My 10-year-old son has had eczema all his life. We also have tried every lotion recommended to us. When I started with Radiantly You (www.radiantlyyou.com/karenh) it was recommended to use the dead sea mud soap and follow that up with the healing calendula. His legs are finally eczema free. I highly recommend these affordable, all-natural/organic products to everyone I talk to.
Theresa L says
I have gotten into making plantain salve recently, which works wonders on most skin related issues. I have had friends testing it out on various ailments and exzema is one that it has seemed to worked on. 🙂
Joy says
I make an eczema salve with comfrey and plantain, dried, that works very well. We tend to be allergic to coconut, so avoid it in all preparations
Jodie says
Try taking all gluten/wheat out of the diet. My kids get eczema from wheat. After a few weeks with no wheat, their skin clears right up.