10 Things I Use to Clear Eczema Naturally — My Medicine Cabinet
Key takeaways:
Abby Tai’s eczema came on full force when she was a teenager.
Her approach is to treat her skin condition with natural remedies.
She says clearer skin comes from the inside out and that nutrition, lifestyle choices, supplements, and her mindset all make a difference.
Our Medicine Cabinet series explores what real people keep on hand and consider essential for their particular needs — even if a doctor didn’t prescribe it.
Abby Tai’s eczema didn’t bother her when she was growing up. It was mild and largely limited to her fingers. Then she turned 15 and everything changed. The first flare-up came after she ended a relationship with her first love.
“I just started scratching so much and releasing all that anger and hatred onto my skin,” says Abby, now 35 and a married mother of two. “That’s the first time that my skin became so severe, and it just took a turn for the worst.”
More than 31 million Americans have some form of atopic dermatitis, better known as eczema, a condition that causes itchy, red, and dry skin. For people with moderate to severe eczema, it can feel like what Abby describes as a “severe, unbearable itch.”
According to the National Eczema Association, about 80% of Americans with eczema say the disease first showed itself before their sixth birthday. But it can occur at any time.
Abby was surprised when her eczema moved from being a mild tingle in her fingers to an extremely uncomfortable itch all over her body. At one point, her face was so red and swollen that she says she felt disfigured.
“When my classmates were out having fun, I felt like I was just fighting to survive because it was so painful,” says Abby, now a registered holistic nutritionist who has written books about living with eczema and hosts The Eczema Podcast. “I missed a lot of school. Everything stung.”
Doctors prescribed topical and oral steroids, antibiotics, and topical lotions, but none had much impact, Abby says. She graduated high school and college and landed her first job — all the while still plagued by a condition that left her feeling so down that she didn’t want to leave her home.
That’s when she began studying nutrition to heal her skin “from the inside out,” she says. Two months after eliminating dairy and gluten from her diet and limiting her sugar and MSG intake, Abby saw significant improvement.
“The diet changes actually worked faster than the steroids,” Abby says. “My flare-ups started to decrease a lot.”
Abby worked with a naturopath as she sought further relief. She now has a skin care routine that is time-consuming, but “it’s safe to say it’s better than the discomfort of a flare-up.” She recommends eczema sufferers build a care team that includes a dermatologist, naturopath, nutritionist, and therapist.
Here’s what works for her:
1. Applying shea butter
Abby uses shea butter at least twice a day. “It’s nourishing and clean enough that I can put it on my skin, and it doesn’t react,” she says. “It really helps seal in the moisture.” She doesn’t recommend a specific brand but says a product that is “unrefined” is a better choice.
2. Taking a nourishing bath
Abby recommends nourishing baths with these anti-inflammatory ingredients: Epsom salts, Dead Sea salts, and colloidal oatmeal. Sometimes, she also adds apple cider vinegar and vitamin C to the water to counteract any chlorine. She says soaking in a soothing bath can have hydrating benefits for sensitive, dry skin.
3. Spraying her skin with diluted apple cider vinegar
One of Abby’s go-to home remedies is diluting apple cider vinegar with water, putting it in a spray bottle, and spraying it on her skin. The high alkaline levels in shower or bath water can be abrasive to the outer layer of your skin, Abby says. She finds spraying her skin with a one-to-one mix of water and apple cider vinegar can help “re-acidify the skin and bring it back to its normal pH levels.”
4. Treating flare-ups with zinc oxide
One thing she finds essential is zinc oxide, the same ingredient found in many diaper rash creams. Zinc oxide’s antibacterial properties make it perfect for eczema flare-ups, Abby says. She advises using products with at least 20% zinc oxide. “There have been times that it's helped my skin heal overnight,” she says.
5. Taking a probiotic
Abby likes to say clear skin starts from the inside out. That’s why an oral probiotic is part of her medicine cabinet. Probiotics are supplements made of live microorganisms, like bacteria and yeast. Abby takes them to balance her gut health and immune responses.
6. Using a water filter and water softener
Some research indicates a link between hard water and eczema flare-ups. The idea is that hard water might damage your protective skin barrier and could exacerbate eczema. Abby recommends using a water filter or water softener to lessen skin irritation.
7. Taking a vitamin D supplement
The National Eczema Association says vitamin D may help strengthen the body’s response to an inflammatory condition like eczema, build a stronger skin barrier, and alleviate the severity of an outbreak. Abby takes it as concentrated liquid, but this supplement is also sold in capsule form.
8. Taking a multivitamin
Part of Abby’s daily eczema treatment program includes taking a multivitamin to make sure her body is getting the nutrition she might not get in her diet. She recommends finding a high-quality multivitamin with no added colors or dyes.
9. Getting enough fatty acids
Abby takes omega-3 supplements, which usually contain fish oil or flaxseed. Because preventing inflammation is key in treating eczema, she takes omega-3 for its anti-inflammatory properties. “The good fats nourish the skin,” she says.
10. Using a cold compress for relief
When her skin is raw and burning, she turns to a cold compress. When her itching is out of control, this brings some relief.
Extra tips for keeping her symptoms under control
For Abby, keeping her symptoms under control is about more than her medicine cabinet essentials. She follows a natural way of healing that affects all aspects of her life. She also recommends:
Choosing the right foods: Abby is gluten- and dairy-free and limits her sugar and MSG intake. She finds that fruits and vegetables high in quercetin — including apples, onions, broccoli, and citrus fruits — can reduce inflammation.
Moving her body: Abby uses a mini trampoline to get her system flowing. She says exercise is a natural way to care for the lymphatic system, which plays a key role in the immune system, fluid balance, and absorption of fats and fat-soluble nutrients. Exercise, Abby found, is essential for keeping her eczema symptoms under control. “I had no idea that would have an impact,” she says about exercise.
Finding good mind-body practices: Some studies suggest a link between having eczema and a greater risk of suicidal thoughts. That’s why it’s so important to treat your mind as well as your body, Abby says. She practices daily meditation and is a fan of long walks.
Building a community: Abby created the Facebook group Eczema Conquerors to find other eczema sufferers.
Getting manual lymph drainage treatments: Abby says the Vodder method, developed in France in the 1930s, is a massage treatment that relieves swelling and can make a real difference in helping the lymph move.
Avoiding certain products: Abby stays away from skin products with added fragrance or marketed as “exfoliating” as these can further irritate the skin.
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