Eczema and dry, itchy skin  

Erica asks, ‘I have really dry hands and I have eczema as well. What shall I do?’

As eczema is an inflammatory reaction, it’s important to find out the cause. You could talk to an accredited naturopath, or doctor.

I had bad eczema and asthma, and I used a strong cortisol (steroid) cream. My naturopath and doctor did tests and found I have strong allergy to horses, which was the cause of my trouble.

They both said, ‘Don’t go near your horses, and you’ll be healthy and not have to spend your time and money on treatments.‘ They were right.  Once I was away from all animals my wellbeing improved – even though I did miss my animals.

Can you see how important it is to find the cause?

It may be something you eat, something in your environment, or sometimes it’s emotional.

My naturopath also quickly found out the foods that were creating itchiness and respiratory trouble, and listed those that would not.

Each person is different, so you need individual guidelines for your diet. Here are some of the foods that cause skin and breathing problems for me:

• Refined carbohydrates (cakes, biscuits, chocolates and pastries generally.
• 100% wheat products (wholemeal/wholegrain bread, white bread, wholemeal/white pasta)
• Fruits and juices (coconut, kiwi, grapefruit, oranges, tomato concentrates such as tomato sauce, paste, puree
• Vegetables (eggplant, English spinach)
• Dairy products in large quantities – butter, cheese, cream, full cream milk, ice cream
• Soft drinks (a preservative used in sports and soft drinks called sodium benzoate)
• Artificial food colourings
• Sodium 5’Ribonucleotide (instant soups, flavoured snack foods, etc.)

 Foods my naturopath recommended (all preferably organic):

• Bread rye, soy, linseed
• Rey biscuits
• Porridge
• Fruits (apricot, green apples, mango, peach, pear, blackcurrant, guava
• Soy milk, yogurt
• Tofu
• Dairy-free ice cream
• Cheese (any 93% fat reduced)
• Fish (fresh tuna, snapper, whiting)
• Meat (lean lamb, beef, pork, chicken)
• Organic eggs.

 I hope this will inspire you to find out ‘your cause’.

In the meantime, try a warm oil mask for dry skin. Watch the video ‘Thermo coconut oil mask’

See related article ‘Cleansing diet for body and skin’ or watch the video

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Anne’s son is allergic

It was at the green expo GREX 07  that I met Anne and her 7-year-old son. She was reading our Miessence product labels very carefully, and asked questions like, ‘How do you preserve these products? Do you have any chemicals or synthetic ingredients? Can I see all the ingredients used?’

She told me that her son reacted very badly to any synthetics products, getting asthma and itchy red skin. She also told me about a website for allergy sufferers-  see here.

Anne bought some of our products because they are free of chemicals and toxins. A couple of weeks later she emailed me that all was well with her son’s skin. And she said she too was using the products and loving them. Great isn’t it? A happy boy free of itchiness … See the products

When you or your loved ones have any allergy, itchiness or redness, note what happened in the previous 48 hours:

• What you have been eating
• What you have been drinking
• What you have put on your skin
• Where have you been.

From my own experience with itchiness it helps to:

• Have a cold shower or bath
• Wrap up in a cold, wet bed sheet.

Please note this is only my own experience. Consult your naturopath or doctor.

Watch the video ‘Anne’s son is allergic’

See related article ‘Understanding product labels’

See related article ‘The right ingredients for your skin type’ or watch the video

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Allergic reaction to Enzyme peel

Red, itchy skin reactions can be a nasty surprise

I had an enzyme peel done. (What is it? A peel for the face and neck, to speed up the exfoliation of dead cells.) Normally I don’t react to anything. But once it was applied I started to feel an uncomfortable tingling, and the smell was yuck. You can’t see yourself when you’re having a treatment, but certainly you can feel!

I asked the beautician if this feeling was ok. She said, ‘Yes, that’s the enzymes working.’

Hmmm. I’d never had this feeling before & didn’t like it. Then the itchiness started and I knew those enzymes didn’t like me.

She washed it off. My skin was swollen, red, and felt like it was cooking. Luckily the beautician knew the simple trick of applying an ice-cold towel compress to cool it down. It took 20 minutes for my face to feel better.

It was the first time I’d had an animal enzyme peel. I had no idea those enzymes are from animals, and would ha ve avoided it.

Lesson learned:

• Always check products/ingredients that are going to be used while your facial
• Tell the beautician if something doesn’t feel right
• Let her know if you have any sensitivities or allergies.

By the way, I’ve since had a plant-based peel and it was very good. Ask your beautician – plant-based treatments are available.

Watch the video ‘Allergic reaction to Enzyme peel’

See related article ‘Myth: exfoliating is bad’ or  watch the video 

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Kathi & Anne: allergic reaction 

Today Kathi contacted me because her daughter Anne has an allergic reaction to her skin care products. She used a conventional range from the US for a long time & loved it till this morning. At night she cleansed her skin as usual, but “when I woke up this morning – my eyes have swollen and my face is really irritated and sensitive. So as you can imagine, I don’t want to touch the stuff again! So many nasty chemicals!”

Before we met with Anne to give her certified organic skin care, I advised her to use a cold face compress (watch the video ‘10 beauty tips’) and leave the skin completely ‘naked’. I did suggest that if she has an aloe vera plant, to make juice packs (watch the video ‘Yummy beauty recipes’ ). These can help calm and heal the skin.

She visited the dermatologist, who gave her cortisol for the swelling.

I met with Anne and we found the right type of skin care – 100% free of chemicals & toxins. We stayed in contact to see how her skin reacted (often the skin needs time to get used to new ingredients). Anne’s skin now seems very happy, and she no longer uses products with nasty chemicals.

Watch the  video ‘Kathi & Anne: allergic reaction’

See  related article ‘The right ingredients for your skin type’ or watch the video

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Reaction to clay mask

One of my customers told me that her skin became itchy while she was wearing a non-organic clay mask. She switched to certified organic skin care, and her skin became healthy again. For a while she was using a clay-base mask with no problems. But last night she applied the mask a bit thicker than usual, and after 10 minutes her skin was very itchy. After she washed it off her skin felt good & clean, and she had no other reactions.

If you’ve had a similar experience -

Wash the mask off immediately with cold water, and apply a cold towel compress:

• Soak a small face towel in cold water, wring out excess water
• Press moist cold towel into your face (fold the towel to leave small space to breathe)
• Leave on your face for 15 seconds
• Re-apply four times. Always freshly soak the towel in clean, cold water.

 So what went wrong?

We may have this kind of reaction even to organic products. Maybe she used too much of the product, or applied it too often. Once a week is usually enough for a mask. It really depends on how bad her skin is and if there are any sensitivities. If she finds her skin very oily and congested, then more frequent use is more appropriate. Otherwise, too much use could actually dry out her skin and cause irritation. It really depends on the specific skin condition.

Lesson learned

Always know your skin condition and what your skin needs. Our body requires certain foods to be healthy and vital, but if we have too much of something, our body may react, and tell us to stop. So does our skin.

Watch the  video ‘Reaction to clay mask’

View related video ‘Allergic reaction- red, itchy, swollen skin’

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

 Forward to a friend