When my son was a toddler, his eczema controlled our entire family's life. He scratched until he bled, rarely slept through the night, and nothing seemed to provide lasting relief. Like so many parents, I desperately searched for one answer that would fix everything.
What I eventually learned changed not only my son's skin, but the course of my life. It inspired me to create The Eczema Company with a simple mission: to give families living with eczema hope, practical guidance, and access to a wide variety of trusted natural products and solutions in one place. Because while there may not be one answer for everyone, finding the right combination of approaches shouldn't have to be so difficult.
Key Lessons I Learned:
- There is no single cure for eczema.
- Every person's triggers are different.
- Don't lose hope if the first treatment doesn't work.
- Healing often comes from combining multiple approaches.
- Listen to your intuition
- Find a pratitioner who listens to and supports you
- Find a support group and take care of yourself and your stress
How It Started: Minor Baby Eczema
Years ago, eczema was my life. I was consumed by it. It was all I cared about both day and night. Unfortunately, it was my 3-year-old son Tristan who had to experience the relentless itching and pain of this unforgiving condition. And as his mother, I was heartbroken to see his suffering, scared that I wouldn't be able to help him, and desperate for answers.
When Tristan was 3 months old, he started to develop dry, itchy skin patches in random spots around his little body and was diagnosed with mild baby eczema. His pediatrician prescribed a very low dose of topical hydro-cortisone, a type of steroid, and it worked wonders. His eczema cleared up and we only had to use the medication every once in a while.
Moderate Eczema and a Dermatologist
By the time Tristan turned one years old, his skin had gradually worsened and the low dose hydro-cortisone stopped working as well, so his pediatrician agreed to test him for a variety of allergies. We found that he was allergic to some pollen, dogs, cats and walnuts. We didn't have any pets at the time, he didn't eat nuts and his seasonal allergies were mild, so the allergy testing didn't seem to provide any answers for us.
Fast forward to Tristan's second birthday, his skin had gotten progressively worse in severity and it had spread. What was once randomly placed small patches of eczema had developed into larger patches that were beginning to merge across his body.
At this point, the traditional pediatrian wasn't enough, so we were referred to a pediatric dermatologist at our local children's hospital who prescribed a stronger dose of topical hydro-cortisone. I asked the dermatologist if food sensitives were causing his skin to flare up (as I was beginning to suspect his seasonal allergies and certain foods were causing his skin to flare), but the doctor assured me that it did not “look” like the kind of eczema related to allergies and therefore she was sure food was in no way related to his eczema. Her answer reassured me at the time.
With the stronger topical cortisone prescription, I was advised to take two week breaks to let the skin rest between treatments. But when I stopped applying the hydro-cortisone, Tristan's skin raged out of control in response. It seemed to be a complete vicious cycle in which nothing (even over-the-counter and prescription creams) helped. The dermatolgists answer was to keep prescribing stronger topical hydro-cortisone. My intuition told me conventional medicine wasn't going to be the answer for Tristan. So I stopped it all cold turkey.
Progressing to Infections & Severe Eczema
In hopes of finding relief for Tristan, I joined many support groups and parenting groups on Facebook trying to find answers. It was wonderful to learn and share with other parents going through the same thing and it totally motivated me not to give up on my son. If they could find a cure for their child, maybe I could too.
In April, just before Tristan's third birthday, his eczema had spread again, this time head-to-toe, though it looked more like red, inflammed, severe burns. It pains me to even remember his skin that way now. He was in complete misery and I felt completely hopeless not being able to comfort my own child.
Soon came the sleepless nights, screaming fits, and awful scratch trances . Scratching led to bleeding, which led to infections and it just kept happening over and over again. Here is a photo of one of his infections that lead to oral antibiotics and steroids.
The itching was completely out on control. I was crying day and night because I was just so incredibly frustrated and exhausted. I had to find a solution and fast.
I am still so thankful to those support groups I had joined. Getting through those darkest of days felt only possible due to the kind people I met online. I was inspired to start my own blog then, Its an Itchy Little World, as another way to reach out and connect with parents going through the impossible challenges of managing severe eczema. The blog became a form of support that I was very grateful to have. If you only take away one thing from my story, let it be the importance of finding your own support network. You aren't alone and you shouldn't have to battle eczema alone. Seek help and support from others who have been there. It can mean all the difference in the world.
Here are some photos to give you an idea of how severe Tristan's eczema had become. The leg eczema did end up spreading up his back and chest as well, but I don't have any photos of that to share.
Finding Eczema Relief With Natural Treatments That Worked
At this point, I was running on fumes and frantically researching alternative medicine and looking for holistic practitioners in hopes of finding something that could cure my son. The idea of healing from within was intriguing and there were so many success stories that gave me hope. Through endless research, conversation and lots of trial-and-error, I decided to treat the cause of Tristan's eczema and not just the symptoms. I knew we had to heal his skin naturally and from the inside out.
Looking back, there wasn't one treatment that transformed my son's eczema overnight. Instead, these six changes had the greatest impact over time.
Here's what I focsed on.
1. Reduce Itching and Scratching
Determined to reduce Tristan's insatiable itching and scratching, I purchased a pair of scratch mitten sleeves and they turned out to be absolutely life changing. My little Houdini could not remove them and they helped him get a peaceful night’s sleep because the soft, silk mittens ensured he wasn't hurting his skin when he'd rub and scratch his itchy skin overnight. When I saw how well they worked for Tristan, I immediately bought three more pairs. We had four on rotation for this time of crisis. He wore them to bed every single night during this time and we carried them around with us wherever we went in case Tristan went into one of itch trances while we were out and about.
Products I wish we'd had back then:
Explore our curated collection of Mittens & Gloves
Visit our Eczema Clothing and Eczema Pajamas collection
2. Find a Gentle, Natural Moistirizer That Doesn't Burn
Without all the scratching, Tristan's skin stopped getting infected and his skin calmed down overnight and so his eczema progression slowed down a bit. I tried to find a moisturizer that didn’t burn or sting his already inflamed skin. I tried countless cream for eczema, seriously, I had an entire closet dedicated to our failed skincare trials. What I found was that most drugstore brands contained some variety of alcohol (all of which completely burned his skin). Tristan would literally run away from me screaming when it was cream time. Poor guy. How could something that was supposed to offer relief, like drugstore eczema cream from top dermatologist backed brands, actually cause him so much more pain?! It was awful.
It was at this time that I started to adopt a much more natural, non-toxic lifestyle. With Tristan's sensitive skin, I felt whole foods and botanical skincare would be the best approach and the least aggravating for his overall health. Reading labels became essential. I discovered that many skincare products contain chemicals or preservatives that caused his skin to flare.
Eventually I found some great natural skincare and my go-tos ended up being salves and balms that contained emollient, nourishing oils without any form of alcohol.
Products I wish we'd had back then: Explore our curated collection of Natural Eczema Creams, Balms and Oils
3. Try Wet Wrapping
Although the mittens and the moisturizers helped, Tristan's eczema was so severe that he needed more advanced therapy. Eventually, I tried wet wrapping and the results were AMAZING. I started off doing it two hours at a time, three times per day for one week and his skin was practically close to perfect. It was shocking. Eventually, the water from the therapy started to dry his skin out, so I slowed things down and only wet wrapped him occasionally. But wow, wet wrapping works great for quick, temporary relief when you just need a break.
4. Find a Rich, Natural Soap And Use Only As Needed
Tristan's hand eczema turned out to be very stubborn. He had to use simple, fatty, very moisturizing soap at home and at school. If he washed his hands once with a chemical-laden, commercial quality soap, like those found in schools, his hands would be in ruins. Moving to a natural, minimal ingredient soap turned out to be a game changer for my little guys hands.
Products I wish we'd had back then:
Explore our curated collection of Natural Soaps and Cleansers
Visit our Hand Eczema collection
5. Look at Laundry Products
Another discovery for me was that laundry detergent was super irritating for Tristan's skin. It didn't cause eczema to flare up initially, but it definitely made it more angry looking. I thought it was just the chemicals in normal detergents, but I even tried natural detergent and it was still too hard on him. Turns out all detergent is very alkaline, and not at all skin friendly. I transitioned to soap nuts and ultimately a mineral laundry ball and found his skin was much happier with these natural laundry detergent alternatives.
6. The BIG One. Healing From Within
Everything I was doing certainly helped my son, but it wasn't a cure. We were getting by, but just barely. Tristan's itching was getting worse and I knew I had to find something to provide long-term relief and quickly. A naturopath recommended my son try some supplements and he experienced great results with an immune balancer and some homeopathy made specifically for eczema. Wet met with a homeopath to create custom treatments for Tristan, but interestingly enough, he had better results with generic remedies prepared by large homeopathic brands, something I'll never understand.
With all of the above in place, Tristan was doing better, but not healed. I read about food elimination diets and felt it was time to try it out. After removing common food allergens from Tristan's diet for a few weeks and then adding each back in slowly and watching for delayed skin reaction, I found a LONG list of food items that made Tristan itch immediately after consuming them (soy, corn, tomatoes, red peppers, etc), as well as many foods that took a day or two to show symptoms (cantaloupe, pineapple, etc). I also discovered that he had a severe dairy sensitivity (that later turned into a full blown allergy). Without these foods in his diet, his skin was a bit better, but not enough to make a huge difference. What I had not removed from his diet, but was a common allergen, was wheat. After not seeing a huge improvement during our initial elimination diet, I removed wheat and Tristan's eczema suddenly and miraculously healed by about 95% in two days!
So, in Tristan's case, he had a medly of foods that triggered eczema, but the final component was wheat.
Learn more about Elimination Diets
Please note: If you decide to try an elimination diet, always work with a health care professional to ensure proper nutrients are met, especially when working with babies and children.
Where We Are Today
Today, Tristan is 98% better. His food allergies and sensitivities are mostly gone. He’s rarely itchy, but he still has the occasional small eczema flare-up from time to time and he does flare up each spring due to his allergy to birch pollen. He also flares up when he goes in the ocean. But other than that, he's doing amazing and so is his skin! And I am so grateful.
Did I cure his eczema? I'd like to think so, but as you might already know - there is no official cure for this skin condition.
What I Learned
The journey to get here wasn’t easy. I hit my own personal rock bottom and there were even times when my husband and I would argue (quite intensely) about the right course of treatment for our son. However, with persistence and hope (and a little bit of stubbornness!), I was able to truly heal his eczema from within and with natural methods.
Looking back now, I wish someone had told me that healing wasn't a straight line. There were setbacks, infections, sleepless nights, and moments when I thought nothing was working. But every small improvement gave us another clue, and over time those small changes added up.
If you’re experiencing eczema yourself or you’re not sure where to turn for your little one’s skin, I hope our story can provide you with some hope that things can get better.
Eczema is an extremely personal skin condition. Products or therapies that work for one person might not help someone else. I definitely encourage you to seek out resources, do your research and stop looking only at the symptoms and start thinking about the root cause.
In our case it seems that food was the primary trigger and root cause, but there are so many other possibilities ranging from stress, organ imbalances, leaky gut, and more. By identifying what was causing Tristan’s skin to flare-up, I was able to heal his eczema by 98% and keep it at bay.
Going through this journey and knowing what worked for my son and what didn’t encouraged me to start my own business. I wanted to create a store that carried the best selection of the most natural products for eczema relief and so, in 2011, I created The Eczema Company. I personally curate all the products - everything is 100% natural and has been tested on eczema prone skin with great results. We know there are no miracle products out there, don't we wish there were?! But at The Eczema Company I have spent years curating the best natural options so you can find the right products for your specific concerns and skincare needs.
Wishing you skin health and happiness!
Jennifer Roberge, Founder of The Eczema Company
