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Note: I’m not a doctor and this is not to be construed as medical advice. I’m just a mom explaining what has worked for my family. Do your own research and use your own good judgement.
Little Peanut is a strawberry-eating machine. She’ll sit in the garden and eat strawberries as fast as she can pick them. When she got little red dots around her mouth last summer, we thought she might have a strawberry allergy. Have you ever tried to tell an 18-month-old that she can’t eat her favorite food? It was a disaster.
We kept her away from the garden for a week. No strawberries at all. And yet, the dots didn’t go away. We were already using a natural soap, but we switched to a different one just in case.
They didn’t seem to itch, but they spread to her cheeks and forehead. She didn’t have a fever or any other symptoms, and we were perplexed. I didn’t want her sweet baby skin to be damaged or scarred by the bumps!
The doctor said she had contact dermatitis. We could put hydrocortisone cream on her face (ummm, no thanks). If that didn’t help, we could try an oral steroid (definitely No Thanks).
Complete strangers asked what was wrong with her. Did she have chicken pox? No, it’s not the chicken pox. Yes, she is vaccinated. It’s just dermatitis. Then they felt obligated to give me treatment advice. (This was a lesson for me in extending kindness!)
Some of the suggestions we received:
- Rub antibacterial soap on her skin and leave it there until it dries. Rejected because we don’t use antibacterial soap, and who wants dried soap on their baby’s skin?
- Eliminate all wheat products and all dairy products. We would do it if clearly necessary, but…no milk?!?
- Eat raw potatoes. Not likely for an 18-month-old.
What did we do? We washed her face several times a day with extra-gentle castile soap. Then we rubbed a gentle lavender tincture on the bumps and let it absorb into her skin.
The result? You can see it for yourself. They started disappearing within days:
Within 10 days, the dermatitis was completely gone. It’s amazing what natural remedies can do!
Our son has been having the same issue. We are just finding out what’s causing the reaction. I got lavender oil & coconut oil today. Can’t wait to try it! & we pray it works. Was your daughter able to eat strawberries again? & does the dermatitis try to still come back periodically?
Yes, she does eat tons of strawberries and it hasn’t come back. If it recurs with your son, it might be eczema or something else…might not hurt to have the doc take a look.
for my little girl’s dermatitis i used apple cider vinegar (diluted in water) worked withing few hours!
Hello Kim, My son is a year old and we were just told today he had this. How much apple cider vinegar did you put with the water and how often? or did you just put on the skin?
Be careful with lavender and tea tree oil. My daughter’s pediatric endocrinologist said these could contribute to early puberty, which I have been dealing with since she was 6. And yes, she had been exposed to both.
Thanks for bringing that up. Heather at Mommypotamus investigated further and it isn’t true. You can read about her findings here: http://www.mommypotamus.com/does-lavender-oil-cause-estrogen-imbalance/
I have contact dermatitis and used lavender but it got way worse where I couldn’t even hold a hairbrush to brush my hair or do up buttons. After skin patch testing they found I was allergic to fragrances! Most of all lavender and tea tree- once I eliminated ALL fragrances my skin healed- sometimes ‘natural’ isn’t always better
Forgot to add- I use baking soda to wash my hair and coconut oil is an amaZing all round cleanser and moisturizer!
Hello! I am linking up through Frugal By Choice, Cheap by necessity. My daughters both has skin issues, and my oldest get eczema on her hands every winter. We have gone through so many products (natural and no) and nothing seemed to work better than hydrocortisone (which isn’t a good long term solution, as it will worsen the problem in the long run). Finally, I received a bottle of Sea Buckthorn oil in a beauty box I had purchased for myself. My daughter’s eczema improved by 50% or so in just a couple of days, and is now slowly improving as her skin heals. I am really happy with it. I will remember lavender oil in the future. Thank you for sharing your story. I would love a return visit if you find the time!
i’d like to know what you diluted the oil with also
Diluted with water? or diluted with oil?
Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil like sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil. Learn more about essential oils here: https://brownthumbmama.com/2013/11/introduction-to-essential-oils.html