Calendula and Herbal Medicine

So, it's been almost 5 months since my last entry and I've continued to figure out how to alleviate my eczema without having to use steroid ointments. Now, I'm not saying that I have not used my medicated creams within these 5 months but I've been trying to use less of it as I found they were not working so well anyways.

The reason why I started using calendula oil (pure calendula) is because it is 100% sting free!!! That's the ticket. I mean my skin was so raw and red that anything I used on it stung. I have so many lotions I've bought thinking because they were for sensitive skin that they would not sting but NO, they stung and hurt like hell. Keri lotion was the one that

stung me the most, which was surprising to me. :(

Basically I looked for lotions with calendula oil and Nivea has a lotion called SOS Skin Relief Body Lotion, it is really good and it really moisturizes my skin without stinging me. But that 200ml squeeze bottle is really costly..$11.99 at Shoppers and $10.99 at Walmart. However, Walmartdoesn't seem to have it in stock anymore. :( The pure calendula oil I buy is $10.29 at the Nutrition House and that is in a 30ml bottle. I use it directly on certain areas and diluted with avocado oil for overall. :0) It really does the job with moisturizing and oddly enough drying up those areas which need to dry up to get better.

The SOS Skin Relief really does work in total boby moisturizing without stinging me so I'm hopeful that it will continue to benefit my skin. Calendula oil helps with healing so that another reason why I looked for this oil in the first place. I found as I got older it was harder for my skin to heal properly...or even at all. Since I've started using Calendula oil, my skin is slowly healing in places where it never wanted to before.

Now, on the Chinese medicine. A couple of months ago my skin was so bad that nothing seemed to be working so I finally listened to my mom and saw a Chinese herbal doctor. I've been

drinking the dark, bitter and sour cup of medicine every night for the past couple of months and it's helping me clean my system I think. I'm starting to see normal skin that is not red. I'm not going to lie, the boiling of the medicine is very tedious and drinking it every night is not something I look forward to, but I'm desperate. I can't go on not sleeping at night, and every move I made hurt like hell because my skin was red and raw. It's

like even when it's raw it's still itchy and how am I to scratch that? Sometimes in the middle of the night I do scratch the raw areas and that's when hell breaks loose and I seriously just want to skin myself and replace it with someone else's beautiful skin. It's so hard to explain why I can't stop scratching to people and I'm always on edge. Makes working with others so difficult and I really want to slap myself for being impatient and bitchy sometimes at work.

I've been off for a day before the weekend and looking at my skin, it's improving day by day. The weather may have a bit to do with the recovery I think. It's not as cold anymore and Spring l

ike weather is finally here.

I'm going to continue drinking the Chinese medicine and using the lotions that seem to be working out for me. I mean if they sting I would use them and therefore stay dry and cracked. Now that I've finally found some useful lotions, I hope to continue to improve my condition.

Oh one more lotion that works, Skin Relief Body Lotion SOS but then it is with

Panthenol and Calendula. This lotion doesn't sting either and the texture feels good on my skin as well. 400ml but I forget how much it was...it's cheaper than the 200ml lotion with calendula though for sure. The texture feels a bit different from the 200ml bottle. I think the 400ml is a bit less runny/oily.

Okay, so that's what I've been using and doing to alleviate my eczema for the past 5 months. I will provide more details on further progress soon.

If you are looking for a healing and comforting remedy, I really recommend Calendula oil. :)

Happy better eczema management 2011 !

2010 was a havoc year for me with managing my eczema. Haven't kept up with my updates on product discoveries but trust me I'm still searching.

I'm not sure if it was stress this time as my 2010 was pretty good in terms of stress. The usual work related and personal stresses but nothing major that I would attribute to my eczema break outs. In fact, the problem I had were not really break outs but constant annoying spots of eczema that doesn't go away, coupled with the occasional break outs from food or stress.

Dare I say those spots are starting to heal up? I finally found a combination of products to help with the healing. One of them I didn't think I would've bought if I had been careful and read the label. I have always thought I was allergic to Almond oil because I'm allergic to Almonds but maybe there isn't enough of it to affect me in the new product I am using right now. It's Weleda Baby Calendula Oil. I got mine at the local health store but if you click on the link you can also get is at Well.ca.

I read that Calendula is good for healing purposes and since my i

ssue with my annoying eczema spots is really healing, I thought I would try it. I remembered using a calendula cream when I was younger but I didn't like the smell nor the yellow stain it left on my skin. That was many years ago and I can't remember how I got that cream, I think it was a friend who recommended me to it but I really didn't like it. However, this oil smells really pleasant, something like a massage oil from the spa. :)

I figured out a way to use it that would make it less oily on my skin. After shower, I would put some on all over my body (extra bonus, it doesn't sting) and then before I pad off the excess water I would first rinse off with very cool water. I swear that right after my skin feels so moist and I feel refreshed. At first I didn't do that but remembered going to the spa for a massage and the lady asked me to rinse off with cool water instead of hot water for a reason...don't remember what but I think it's to tighten your skin and lock in the moisture. It works better with the oil. When I didn't rinse off with the cool water, my skin felt a bit too oily but after the quick cool rinse, it feels more refresh. Can't explain that but it works well. :)

Another natural product I got was Califlora Calendula Gel from the pharmacy around the corner from my office. I went there to get my usual prescription of steriod cream but wanted to get something natural to help my trouble spots heal. The pharmacist recommended this gel. Again, the great thing about it is that it did not sting my broken skin. The trouble areas doesn't seem like ezcema anymore and more like a cut trying to heal, so I needed help in that department. As you get older, the healing process takes forever. :( I tried looking for a Canadian website with this product in case you want to try this, but was only able to find U.S. website. Try this one just in case you want to order online but you can also visit your local pharmacy or health store to see if they have it as well. Good thing about this is that it's all natural. :) Califlora Calendula Gel

Near the end of the year I also made some orders for natural products from Kiss My Face but the ordering process was a pain in the neck. Never doing that again, will just go to the local health store instead. I haven't tried the shampoo and conditioner I ordered yet but the mousse smells great.

I also ordered this lotion that my dermatologist recommended to me 2 years ago but I couldn't find it in Toronto. Not sure if I had mentioned this but Curel changed something in their ingredients I think and it doesn't work so well on my skin anymore. They say it's good for eczema but truly the lotion does not work for me anymore. :( So I ordered Cetraben cream online. Was only able to find it from a UK site, I'm sure I didn't search enough but I just didn't want to search anymore. Still waiting for it to reach me though. I hope nothing went wrong with the order. Will let you know how well it works once I finally receive the order. ;)

Okay that's it for now. I hope you will try using the Calendula oil or gel to help with your eczema, the most important benefit for me for these two products is that they DO NOT STING. :)

Till next week.

RediCare - Great for Anti-Itching and Healing!

Hey another update from me!

To continue with my quest to use natural products, I moved onto RediCare for the past week. I've been using Tortuga as you know from Keys-Soaps and RediCare is also another product from the company.

My eczema has been really irritating for the past few months and my wounds from scratching wasn't healing up and the Betamethasone Valerate that my doctor prescribe seemed to do nothing to help with my itching and rash. It's like nothing was happening in terms of healing. It was so, so, so, soooooo discouraging. So I started looking for help online and since I was reordering more Tortuga, I started reading about RediCare again. I bought the tester, travel size version before and thought it worked well but when it ran out I didn't think of getting more. This time I order one full size and then 2 trail sizes. I carry the travel size and left it at work to help me not to scratch my hands. And guess what? After just a few days, my hand started to healing up. I'm so happy about that!

I use the full size one at home after I take a shower. It helps with moisturizing my body and help with the healing of the skin. The most amazing thing is that it doesn't sting and actually leave your body tingly cool after. But that only happens when I spray it on my body after my shower. Any other time the cooling feeling wasn't as strong. It's great though, because I don't scratch, coz I am feeling good from the coolness of my skin.

I can't tell you how happy I am to see that the top of my right hand is finally healing up. I hated looking at my hands when I pointed to something or when I was typing on my computer at work. It's so gross and you wonder what other people are thinking. Oh well, what can I do but look for way to make myself heal up faster and not feel itchy all the time.

I'm feeling good today. Not itchy and optimistic that this healing lotion will help with my moisturizing regime. I still use Curel Continuous Comfort of course and using that in conjunction with RediCare at work has really helped my not scratching.



Oh did I mention that RediCare is a spray on lotion? That's right it is and it's great coz it can be sprayed on my back and the mist is so fine that I think my skin absorbs it more. I also started using it on my dry scalp. I just spray on the hair line underneath my hair and I think it is helping with moisturizing my scalp and relieving my itchiness. I'm going to continue treating my scalp and see how it goes. My scalp is so dry that it flakes like dandruff. The spray really help me get to my scalp and my scalp feel so cool after application. :)

Let's hope this wonderful new lotion will continue to help and deliver me relief!!! If you are looking for something to moisturize and to help with itching and healing...this is it! The most important thing to me is that it's ALL NATURAL!!!

Found An Eczema Website

I was just surfing around again for eczema information and found one that seems very helpful.

Thought I would share with you here and you can check it out too. I've also added it to my favourite links. The website gives information on what you can do internally and externally for eczema relief.

Check it out, maybe something in there may help you.

http://www.eczema.net

Curel and Eczema

Hi there, Happy 2010! Yes, another year has passed and yes of course I still have eczema to deal with.

Near the end of last year, I had a scared. I was looking for my usual body lotion from Curel and only saw one type available. Curel Itch Defense and it's apparently approved by the National Eczema Association. So I thought I would get it since my usual Continuous Comfort Fragrance Free was not available.

I'm not sure how others found the Curel Itch Defense lotion but it did not feel like the usual Continuous Comfort lotion. The texture of Curel Itch Defense was different and left weird on my skin. I must admit I couldn't continue using it because it really didn't feel right on my skin. I felt like I was coating something on my skin and nothing was absorbed. It was just weird.

I kept looking for another 2 weeks for my Continuous Comfort Fragrance Free lotion from Curel and when I kept seeing the Curel Itch Defense on the shelves instead I started to panic. Did Curel replace the Continuous Comfort lotion with the Itch Defense lotion??!!! I freaked out.

Anyway, in the new year I went to Walmart and saw a whole bunch of Curel Continuous Comfort so I bought a whole load just in case. There really is a difference between the two lotions. I can't stand the Curel Itch Defense, it actually made me want to scratch!

So there you have it. My stand on Curel Itch Defense. Of course, that's just my own opinion. It may work for others.

Cerassie Tea

Okay, I think I've talked about Cerassie/Cerasee tea before but I want to talk about it again today.

My friend introduced it to me for my eczema at least 2 years ago and though I have not used it for my eczema, I do drink it when I have an upset stomach or generally feel sick. If you decide to try it for your eczema, you will not be drinking this tea. You will have to soak a cotton ball or sponge with the tea and wash yourself with the tea. I'm just too lazy for that. :(

This tea is also good for you if you have a cold and I'm drinking it right now as a matter of fact. My man has a cold right now and I'm starting to feel the effects of it tonight. My throat is a bit scratchy and I was feeling the chills. I was feeling a sick to my stomach before I drank the tea but after a few sips I'm feeling good again. It's weird. Maybe it's mind over matter, but I doubt it. All I know is every time I feel sick to the stomach and I drink this tea, I'm good as new.

If you have not tasted this tea before, I must warn you that it is BITTER. It's not an enjoyable tea, like green tea. So, it's not something I drink when I'm feeling fine. When I am feeling sick however, the bitterness of the tea is not as strong. I actually welcome the bitter taste. In fact, I got my man to drink it the other day and he said it worked on him too. He doesn't mind the bitterness, he actually likes it.

So, if you are looking for a natural tea to help with a sick stomach or a cold, go to a Jamaican/Caribbean store or a health store and look for Cerasee tea and see if it works for you.

If you live in Toronto, my friend told me you can find it in one of the stores in Kensington Market. I was lucky enough to receive a box from her, but I will check out exactly where soon, so I will post it up here in case anyone is interested. I'm sure you can order it online as well if you search for it.

I always remember the saying that too much of anything is not good for you, so I only drink this tea when I need it. I don't drink this tea on a regular basis and I'm not suggesting that you do either. :)

Hand Eczema

Two months ago, I developed eczema on my hands. The skin on the palm of my hands became really itchy one day so I rubbed my hands together instead of scratching. When I looked at them, they were red and they felt hot. The only thing I thought I could do is to wash them and then put on my medicated cream. The new one that my doctor prescribed; but it never really healed until recently.

I also had eczema on the top of my right hand as well and it was itchy, dry and in some parts raised up. I thought that was it, I'm going to be stuck with that ugly right hand forever. No matter what I did to prevent myself from scratching, I end up scratching when I was working in the office. Again, I washed my hands and put on the prescribed medicated cream diligently but I didn't really see any improvement until this week. In fact, the eczema on my right hand and the palm of my hands disappeared.

So what changed? I haven't been in the office working for one week and within this one week everything began to heal. And if you look at my hands now, you would not know that I had an eczema flare up at all. It's so strange.

I know I've been less stressed out lately and that definitely must be a major reason why I healed so quickly but I wonder if I was allergic to something in the office. The air must be polluted some how or my desk was dirty? I don't know. All I know is that when I'm in the office my face feels really dry. In fact, my hands feels dry too. I seriously think there is a direct link to my eczema flare up and the office environment.

My doctor definitely thinks my eczema is stress induced. So now that I'm less stressed, my skin is eczema free again. Now it's just a matter of keeping myself moisturized.

I've been using Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream with Royal Jelly, Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss and Burt's Bees Body Lotion with Royal Jelly with natural mica to enhance skin tone. These products are great. I actually still use my Curel Continuous Comfort Fragrance free lotion on my body but I use the Burt's Bees Body Lotion on my hands when I am out and feel my hands getting dry. The Burt's Bees products are pretty low on the hazardous scale so I'm happy about that.

The Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss is also really great. It gives me the shine and colour I love and it moisturizes at the same time. I love it. It also smells like berries which lifts up my spirits whenever I put it on my lips.

I bought these products at Shopper's DrugMart and Walmart but you can also get them via well.ca if you just want to order them online.

Anyways, I'm glad that my eczema flare up has subsided for now. Still in search of the ultimate face cream...all natural if I can find it. So far, the Radiance Night Cream is doing the job but still feel I may find something better out there? I need something for the day...I may try the Burt's Bees Carrot Nutritive Day Creme, but I didn't buy it before because it contains almond oils to and aloe vera. I'm still cautious about trying anything with ingredients that I may be allergic to. The mention of almond oils kind of scared me off. We'll see, I may try it.

Till next time.