It’s a tough job to make an eczema management plan but all thanks to few natural treatments for eczema that help manage the skin condition. Oatmeal bath for eczema along with baking soda bath, apple cider vinegar bath , neem oil bath , guava leaves & epsom salt bath have long been recommended for people with a variety of skin ailments. In 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved colloidal oatmeal as an effective and safe ingredient to treat skin conditions like eczema, rashes and atopic dermatitis. Also, as per a study by Johnson & Johnson, the colloidal oatmeal is a safe and effective, and no allergies were reported in the users as well. Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes red, itchy, flaky patches on your skin. If you or your loved one are suffering from the symptoms of eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you know very well about the pain and agony that ensues during a eczema flare-up. Since there’s no cure for eczema, few home remedies for eczema flareup such as oatmeal bath for eczema can always come to your rescue.
What is Colloidal Oatmeal Bath?
A finely grounded oatmeal is boiled down to make a solution. It is basically a regular oatmeal, but is powdered finely to get absorb in the skin properly. Oats are not gluten free as these are harvested and often exposed to gluten containing grains or wheat. It can be responsible for cross contamination as well. So, if you have a wheat or gluten allergy or know these things can irritate your eczema, then try to avoid using the same. If you have dry, irritated skin, soak yourselves in an oatmeal bath to find relief from your eczema symptoms.
How To Use Oatmeal to Treat Eczema?
Oats are main source of saponins that give this ingredient remarkable cleansing and moisturizing qualities. Because of all these qualities it can be used in many different ways, such as:
- Bath Soak
- Exfoliant
- Oatmeal Soap
To start making these at home you need to know how to turn regular oats into colloidal oats.
How does colloidal oatmeal helps treat eczema?
Colloidal oatmeal binds perfectly to your skin and forms a protective barrier. It also helps hold in moisture and ease inflammation. People have used it for centuries to ease inflamed and irritated skin.
Oatmeal Bath for Eczema Recipes
RECIPE – 1 Ingredients Used
- Warm water
- 1 cup of oatmeal
- Blender or Grinder
Instructions:
- Blend the oats until you have a very fine, consistent powder.
- Test a tablespoon of the ground oats to see if they are grounded fine enough to absorb water.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of the grounded oats in a glass with warm water.
- See if the oats readily absorb into water to turn the liquid into milky texture
- If the liquid doesn’t turn milky, keep processing the oats to grind them finer.
- Test again with the same process.
- Pour the grounded oatmeal into a tub of warm water and stir well with your hands so that it is easily distributed.
- Be careful while soaking yourselves or your child into oatmeal bath solution as this will make the tub even more slippery than usual.
- Soak for approximately 20 minutes.
- Pat dry the skin with a soft towel.
- Moisturize well within 3 minutes
Colloidal oatmeal bath is a simple, effective, and inexpensive solution for treating various skin conditions. It can be used for everything from soothing a diaper rash to hydrating dry skin or to get relief from eczema. 
RECIPE – 2 Ingredients Used
- ¾ cup oats
- ½ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup coconut milk powder
- 8-10 drops of essential oil(optional)
Directions
- Blend oats, baking soda, and milk powder in a blender till it turns into powdered form.
- Add 8-10 drops of essential oil to blend them smooth.
- Store the mixture in a mason jar and keep it in a cool dry place.
An oatmeal bath is a simple, effective, and inexpensive solution for treating various skin conditions. It can be used for everything from soothing a diaper rash to hydrating dry skin or to get relief from eczema.
Oatmeal Bath For Eczema Benefits
- Soothes atopic dermatitis or eczema: Oatmeal bath is perfect for healing dry and itchy skin. A study by Johnson & Johnson found that colloidal oatmeal bath for eczema is a safe and effective for its users.
- Retains skin moisture: Oats forms a protective layer over the skin’s surface, that helps retain moisture in the skin. The natural starches in oats absorbs water and bind to your skin in case of oatmeal bath solution. An oatmeal bath leaves your skin feeling soft and silky.
- Relieves diaper rash: It mainly happens when a wet diaper causes friction against the baby’s skin, and causes irritation to form a rash. Oatmeal baths can help relieve the diaper rash in babies as well.
- Cleanses your pores: An oatmeal bath helps absorb excess of oil and prevent pores from clogging to help wash away toxins and impurities in the body. Oatmeal possesses anti-inflammatory properties that is helpful to reduce swelling, redness and irritation often caused by worsening of the skin condition.
Oatmeal Scrub for Normal Skin:
If you do not have a skin condition, oatmeal can help exfoliate your skin as well, here’s how you can do it:
- Mix half cup of oats with a few tablespoons of lukewarm water.
- Blend the mixture thoroughly.
- Rub this mixture over one small area.
- Gently massage your body.
- Do this for a few minutes.
- Pat dry with a soft towel.
- Moisturize well.
Oatmeal Soap for Sensitive skin:
If you have sensitive skin, oatmeal soap can help you soothe your skin condition with eczema. Not only is it great for soothing inflammation and redness, but it’s great for exfoliating and sloughing off dead skin, dirt and excess oils as well.
Oatmeal has been used for centuries as a soothing agent to relieve itch and irritation associated with various xerotic dermatoses; however few studies have sought to identify the active phytochemical(s) in oat that mediate this anti-inflammatory activity – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
To make oatmeal soap follow these directions:
- Grate 2 bars of organic soap and keep to melt at low temperature in a microwave.
- Add 1-2 oz of chamomile tea and stir often to avoid burning or sticking.
- Once mixture is completely melted, remove from heat.
- Add 4 tbsp of colloidal oatmeal and 2 tbsp of regular oatmeal.
- Essential oils, honey or herbs can be added as per your choice.
- Pour mixture into muffin tins and let cool for 24 hours before removing it from the mold.
- Let the bars of soap sit for a few more days to completely dry.
Use organic products to avoid any inflammation and allergic reactions.
Tips to remember while using the bath solution:
- Grounded oatmeal can make the bathtub slippery, so be cautious when getting in and out of the tub.
- If you’re sensitive to gluten or suffer from celiac disease, then make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
- Don’t soak for too long as it can dry out your skin and aggravate itch and eczema.
If you’ve tried the above suggestions and your eczema is still healing, then you might want to discover what might be the eczema triggers, we suggest you to check out our blog posts related to Eczema diet tips – Foods to eat and avoid as well. We recommend you to consult your your doctor as well before going for this oatmeal bath eczema solution in order to control the itching caused by eczema.
How long should you take an oatmeal bath?
It is recommended to soak for about 10-15 minutes in this bath solution. After the bath, gently pat dry your skin so that it damp. Moisturize well to lock in the moisture.
Can I rinse off after an oatmeal bath?
If you need to rinse the oatmeal preparation off after about 15 minutes you can ask your doctor as well. That’s the good idea to get a clear picture of you or your loved one is reacting to oatmeal solution.
Do Oatmeal baths help rashes?
There are people who find oatmeal bath helpful for relieving itchy, irritated skin during eczema. It’s thought that adding grounded oatmeal to your bathwater can help ease the skin condition and give you healthy skin.
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