A couple of weeks ago I got a little patch of dermatitis on my leg and thought I’d have a go at finding a dermatitis treatment that was natural. I wanted to share with you my experience in case it is helpful for anyone out there!
Step 1: Identifying the skin condition as dermatitis
When I first got the little itchy, red, rash on my leg, I wasn’t sure what it was. Was it a fungal skin condition? was it eczema? or some kind of rash? To try and clarify things, I looked through some photos on google images (you may need a strong stomach for google imaging skin conditions! – proceed with caution! lol!). After a thorough bit of google research and seeing several photos that looked exactly like what I had, I was fairly confident that what I had was dermatitis (in my case it was probably brought on by a combination of dry skin and, according to the location of the rash, Traditional Chinese Medicine would locate it on the Liver channel, which may be to do with feelings of frustration and irritability which are things I had been experiencing at the time the dermatitis came up).
Step 2: How I found a natural remedy for dermatitis
Once I knew what the rash was called (“dermatitis”) I just googled “natural treatment for dermatitis” and the first helpful article that came up was a great article on home remedies for dermatitis, and it suggested in point number 1 to try using high quality, organic, virgin, Coconut Oil (sometimes also called coconut butter since it’s solid at room temperature in colder.
NB In picking a coconut oil, I think it’ a good idea for buying one in a GLASS container, not plastic, because glass helps preserve the purity of the coconut oil better. There are some theories that plastic may leach plasticy chemicals into the product, especially with very fat-rich products like coconut oil.
Important note: In rare cases, some people, especially people with nut allergies, may be sensitive to coconut oil, so make sure you are not sensitive to it before use.
Step 3: Treating my dermatitis with coconut oil / butter
I applied a small amount of coconut oil to my rash, and the cooling feel of the oil on my skin was immediately soothing and relieved the itching. I massaged the oil in gently, loving the coconutty aroma. I applied the coconut oil about twice a day (morning and night) for the first few days – sometimes more than twice a day if the area was particularly irritating / itchy. Every day it looked better and better and after a little over a week, it was completely gone.
The way I look at it, I think a good guide to know if the method is helping, is to see if you can see any improvement after the first few applications. If it feels better, I continue, and if it feels worse, I stop and look for other possible methods of treatment.
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