Topic: natural alternatives to bubble bath

[aquilegia]

I'm looking for simple recipes or ideas as alternatives to bubble bath. I have very dry skin and am allergic to baby oil (yes, really!) I have to use bubble bath or I peel, but I'd prefer to use something natural. I seem to remember that oat meal is good for dry skin. Is that right? how much and how often? Anything else?

[Tulipa]

There used to be a product called Aveeno which was an oatmeal based product for the bath for people with ecxema type conditions - don't know if it is still about.  I'm not sure if this is any help!

[Jesse]

Aqui, goats milk is very moisturising and gentle on the skin. Try adding about half a cup full of powdered goats milk to your bath water, and perhaps a few drops of essential oil. My daughter used to get eczema, I started making my own soap (baby soap was too drying and irritated her skin) and we've never had a problem since. I don't think it was the "soap" giving her the eczema, but rather all the additives in the soap. You can also make your own bath oils and you can use a combination of oils to suit your skin. Calendula infused sweet almond oil is quite a good oil for sensitive skins, if you want I can have a look through my book and let you know what other oils are recommended for dry skins.

[aquilegia]

Thanks both

Jesse - milk? I assume that wouldn't make me pong? What's the name of the book? I'm on the look out for books on alternative remedies; it's something I'm getting really interested in.

[Jesse]

Aqui the milk would be fairly dilute so, no, you won't pong (there's no laughing smilie to put here), I guess if you were really worried about it you could always rinse yourself off after having a long soak.

I'm referring to my soap making book by Melinda Coss - "The Handmade Soap Book", she has a small section that lists some common oils, both base oils and aromatherapy oils, and it gives the properties of each oil. E.g. Apricot Kernel Oil, contains skin softening properties, vitamins and minerals and is good for skin that has aged prematurely and for sensitive skins.

I made my bath oil mix from a combination of Apricot Kernel oil, jojoba oil (moisturizer), wheatgerm oil (emollient and particularly gentle oil), grapeseed oil (it's a light oil so you don't end up with a heavy oil) and calendula infused sweet almond oil (offers relief from inflamed and itchy skin).  I fragranced it with camomile essential oil which is good for dry and sensitive skins and can relieve acne and dermatitis.

It's a great book if you want to start making your own soaps but if you're only interested in oils there is a wealth of information on the internet.

[Mrs Ava]

Number one daughter was born with eczema and spent the first 9 months of her life wrapped head to toe in bandages like a little mummy  :'(  A very traumatic time for the family.  Anyhows, she is a lot better now, but one of the suggestions was porridge oats, a handful in a muslin bag, tied to the tap so the hot water ran through it as the bath filled.  Did make the water lovely and soft, but didn't help her out.  Poor lamb was bathed in neat oils and then smothered head to toe in petroleum jelly, not great as I am very allergic to that, then covered in steroid cream.  :'(

Olive oil in the water is softening and lovely also.  :-\

[wattapain]

Aqueous cream is good for very dry skin also - you can put it in the bath and it foams a bit  & then you use it instead of soap. It's often given to people withe eczema.
You get it from Boots & it's their own brand - ask an asssistant - and it's also quite cheap! :)
Hope it helps.
terri

[ACE]

I once worked with a poor chap that had psoriasis, i know that is a bit extreme compaired with your complaint but he used to talk about having a bran bath to ease the symptoms. Worth having a google at.

[Heldi]

Oh this has been a help to me too! I've been looking for some natural remedies for my daughter's dry skin. She'll be 2 in a fortnight. She suffers from large red patches that crop up all around her body. The back of her knees are always red and sore looking. She has dry skin all over which feels pimpley. I've tried loads of things. The doc prescribed aqueous cream,it worked for a bit but then became less effective. I want something more natural anyway. We are both allergic to baby oil. That stuff makes us burn and itch!

[clairenpaul]

i used to work on a dermatology ward and lots of the patients there used  aqueous cream and found it really soothing but it didn't work for my son when he was a baby and had dry excema type patches, one of my friends told me to try using porridge oats in his bath and then to put sudacrem (the nappy rash stuff) on and it cleared it up better than anything the doc prescribed. i tend to have dry skin and if i get any patches which don't go I still use the sudacrem and is works every time

[Amazin]

Do you have a branch of 'Lush' near you?
They make products using natural ingredients, including a soap/ bath concoction called Fresh Farmacy which can work wonders on sensitive skin. I highly recommend it, as does my Sister-outlaw, who has suffered from psoriasis since she was born and has been hospitalised more than once in the past when it reached over 75% coverage. She swears by this stuff and will use nothing else.
They also make some wonderfully soothing massage bars.
And they have a very upbeat attitude! Check the website:

http://www.lush.co.uk

... and no, I don't work for them, but I may just be their best customer!

 ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Amazin, I love Lush and have used their stuff for years, however, made daughter number one scream in agony!  The bath bombs made her sore skin burn terribly and made her very sore for a few days after. 

Aqueaus cream is used in this house a lot.  Sudocrem I find a little too strong for her and can almost make her eczema even more angry, so I avoid it.

It is very tricky and very personal as everyone has different skin and allergies and what one person can tollerate, could cause another massive problems!

[dave]

You may find something helpful here- these people started out making stuff from goats' milk.
my wife is very keen on their products, and delivery seems to be by return
   www.natural-skin-care.com

hope this helps

dave

[Amazin]

Hey, EJ, nice to meet another fan of Lush - there's a lot of us about!
Sorry to hear about your daughter's bad reaction. My sis-outlaw had to stay away from the bath bombs because the bicarb in the 'fizz' exacerbated her psoriasis.

Oh, she also swears by the 'Snake Oil' scalp massage bar for her condition.

[Merry Tiller]

Custard, mmmmmmmmmm ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Awww, look at my baby at just 6 months old.  This was not a good time for the family.  :'(  Her eczema was so serious she would dehydrate as her body was constanly weeping.  She would stick to her bed sheets and clothes and we could hardly hold her. :'( :'(


And here she is now!  You wouldn't believe it would you. 

[kenkew]

A bit over the top tho' EJ. What mother locks up her daughter in a stockade?

[clairenpaul]

That must have been a really difficult time for you EJ - poor baby, pleased to see the improvement  :)  :)

I think you're right though about everyone being different - lots of people recommend E45 for dry skin disorders but me and my son both react badly to it and end up looking like we have a bad case of sunburn  :(. Will have to check out the products at Lush though ...

[Doris_Pinks]

Along the same vein, does anyone know of a shampoo that won't make my head itch!!!  I have tried everything I can think of, even the "gentle" ones don't seem to work  :(  The lush ones as lovely as they sound, still seem to have a lot of chemicals in them, or are they worth a go?

[Juliet]

Faith in Nature (http://www.faithinnature.com/) sell shampoos, bath foams etc which are made from natural organic products - & they use ALES detergent which is vegetable-based rather than the usual SLES which is more irritant.  I haven't tried their shampoos & things but I use their dishwasher gel & laundry liquid & they are both fine for me (I'm allergic to chemicals), so they might be worth a try.