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When my child’s eczema flared, I felt desperate to help. I tried everything I could find… gentle creams, fragrance-free products, and even DIY balms. But what I realized is that even the “safe” products we were using had hidden triggers that kept flares coming back. That’s why I put together a free guide with the top 3 hidden things most eczema moms miss, so you can finally see calmer nights without guessing. Grab it here before you read on.
Our Eczema Journey
Our eczema journey starts pretty soon after my kiddos birth. Almost immediately I noticed a few things were different this time around. For one, this kiddo HATED being laid on their back and would scream during diaper changes. It was terrible. Their skin was always rashy and they didn’t sleep for more than an hour at a time. There was a lot of spit up (like an excessive amount) and it seemed like nothing made it better.
I tried everything. We went to multiple specialists and nothing helped. It felt like the older my child became, the worse things got. I tried elimination diets, every cream (prescription and not) you could think of, bathing more often, bathing less often, changing the types of clothes I bought, changing the laundry detergent. We even had to stop eating at other peoples houses as it seemed to flare my kiddos skin and body. The breaking point came when my child was hospitalized for 5 days due to their eczema.
Through trial and error (and almost no help from specialists- they were ready to put my baby on heavy medications) I finally figured out a routine that seemed to make a difference and I am delighted to say that we very rarely have horrific eczema flares anymore. I want that for you too.
Why Conventional Eczema Creams Didn’t Work for Us
Eczema is itchy and painful and unfortunately, it is really hard to keep kids from scratching. Once they get started with the itching, it seems like they don’t even realize they are scratching so hard they bleed. These open wounds allow bacteria to multiply and get infected. The only way to prevent or stop the itch is by keeping the skin barrier intact. This means using creams and lotions regularly along with a few other things we will cover down below. Unfortunately every single cream we tried burned horribly.
If you have to apply cream to a kiddo who is screaming in pain, you know that is one of the worst moments as a parent. The thing that is supposed to help is actually causing more pain and trauma. This leads to an under usage of lotion which leads to dry skin and eczema flares and the cycle continues. After trial and error with making my own creams, I finally discovered tallow and that is when everything changed.
What is Tallow and Why It Works for Eczema
Tallow has been used for centuries for skincare (such as balms and soaps) as well as cooking with. It was once because it was the most readily available option but now we are realizing there are some serious skin loving benefits too. While dermatologists are divided on suggesting it to their patients, anecdotally we have found success and everybody I share it with has found the same.
Tallow comes from the fat of an animal (typically cattle). There are 2 types of fat from an animal. Trim fat which is the stuff you would cut off a piece of steak, and leaf fat which is called suet. It is from around the kidneys. When rendering your own tallow to make balm, you would look for suet which produces a creamy and hard, white product.
Tallow is very close to your skins natural sebum (the oils found within your skin) and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It locks in moisture and absorbs into your skin. I love that I can pronounce the ingredients and choose the other oils I blend with it for extra skin support. When combined with the rest of my eczema routine, tallow has made my kiddos skin at least 50% better overnight. If this sounds like you, I encourage you to check out the guide!
Our Daily Routine for Eczema Relief (Using Tallow)
Our daily routine changes depending how my kiddos skin is doing. If my child is in a flare, we do a much more in depth routine than when we are in maintenance mode. A typical routine when we are in a flare looks like:
A warm bath before bed (not every day) filled with skin loving ingredients, followed up with a thick layer of heavy tallow cream and cotton PJs.
If we are not in a flare, we do a thinner layer of tallow cream only on the itchy patches unless it is bath day. For my exact routine and all of the needle moving habits, check out my free guide above!
{To learn how to make the fluffiest whipped tallow balm, click here.}
Common Triggers We Had to Eliminate
When I think back to our skincare journey, I look back on us with so much empathy. The sleepless nights, the itching, the pain. All of the lifestyle changes we needed to make.
It is so easy to feel overwhelmed with all of the things you have to change and do so here are my top recommendations:
- Switch to a fragrance and synthetic free laundry detergent. Clothes are the first thing that come into contact with your kiddos delicate skin so make sure you are not aggravating their symptoms.
- All of our scented products. This meant hair care, perfume, deodorant, room spray and candles. I’m not going to lie. This one was hard. It was tricky (but so worth it!) to give up on conventional fragrances. I started making all of our soap (liquid and solid,) our deodorant, room sprays and candles.
If you want to start making your own products but are overwhelmed with the volume of products you need to overhaul, I would recommend starting with the whipped tallow recipe and tallow deodorant. You can also find unscented versions of your favourite products if you do not want to make your own.
Final Thoughts: Why I’m Glad I Trusted My Gut
Sometimes as moms (or women in general) we can be overlooked or told we are over reacting. More than once I have had doctors tell me that tallow cream is nothing special, food doesn’t change your skin, or that skin and your gut are not connected. In what world are the parts of our body not connected in some way?
Honestly the research that I did was far more helpful to our lives than what the doctors told us (I am not knocking medicine. I am so grateful we have access to healthcare!) They just don’t always see all of the pieces like we do. They aren’t there when the kiddos are awake all night or you can’t go to family gatherings because something eventually triggers your kiddo into a reaction.
If you are struggling to get your kiddos skin under control and just need another mom that gets it, check out my free guide below.
Thank you so much for reading. You are doing a great job Mama!
If you just need help right now...
This is just one way I soothed my child’s eczema naturally, but what really made the difference was understanding the hidden triggers that most products don’t warn you about. I put together a free guide that walks you through the top 3 hidden things that can make flares worse and what to do instead. Grab it here and start protecting your child’s skin today.