Soap Making & Natural Product Making Blog Australia: A Natural Eczema & Dermatitis Healing Creme with Chamomile and Aloe Vera Leaf plus Vit E

Natural Eczema Healing Creme with Chamomile & Fresh Aloe Vera Extracts plus Vit E by Lee Strachan, Caress By Nature

As always, life is busy here. I bet most of you out there lives the same busy life like me. No matter how hectic my schedules are, I will always find time to write and share about my 'Natural Beauty & Skin Care' experiences. I hope you try this very simple healing cream. It works like magic! My worries were gone after five (5) days of continuous application.

Because I am a person who believes that mother nature gifted us with abundance of natural healing plants, from flowers, leaves, trees and so on, I rely most entirely to the skin healing benefits I can extract from them.

I chose my ingredients here based on proven studies and research and I can proudly say, "Yes, it worked for my daughter!"

What is eczema? http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsetoh/a/Eczema.htm

"Also known as: atopic eczema, atopic dermatitis, infantile eczema. Eczema is a chronic skin disorder characterized by itching rashes, which may be red, scaly, dry, or leathery. There may be skin blisters with oozing and crusting."

The star ingredient for this healing creme are Aloe Vera Leaf Extract/Juice and Chamomile Flower Extract, however without the help of Natural Vi E and these lovely super moisturizing oils I used, I may or may not be that successful.

Here's a good reading blog you may want to check: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/benefits-of-aloe-vera-zmaz11zhar.aspx#axzz31ATg2EnN

A peek of what this blog says: The benefits of aloe vera are not an old wives' fantasy. Its healing qualities are medically recognized and many creams, ointments, and cosmetics made from its juices are sold in this country and all over the world. Still, it's less expensive-and more effective-to grow your own!

Another study related to 'German Chamomile's' effectiveness on treating eczema: http://ahha.org/EczemaArticle.htm

The oils in my eczema healing creme recipe:

Almond oil - It is great for all skin types as an acting emollient and is best known for its ability to soften, soothe, and re-condition the skin. Great oil for sensitive skin. But be wary I you have an allergy to nuts.

Argan oil - This rare and exquisite oil is meticulously pressed from the fruit kernels of the Moroccan Argan tree. Argan oil is rich in natural tocopherols (vitamin E) and phenols, carotenes, squalene and fatty acids, making it a truly luxurious oil. Argan oil absorbs quickly and is often used in skin, nail and hair treatments to deliver deep hydration.

Coconut oil - This is a great oil for general moisturizing and serves as a protective layer, helping to retain the moisture in your skin. It also acts as a mild oil suitable for those with inflamed and irritated skin, and those with skin sensitivities.

Grapeseed oil - Grapeseed oil has a mild green color with a pleasant odor, silken texture, and great absorbtion rate. Generally employed as a base oil for many creams, lotions and as a general carrier oil. Grapeseed is especially useful for skin types that do not absorb oils too well, and it does not leave a greasy feeling. Wonderful for those with skin sensitivities because of its natural non-allergenic properties.

Rosehip seed oil - A rich, amber colored organic oil from the ripened fruit of the famed Rosehip. This unique oil is extremely high in essential fatty acids and has carried much respect amongst professional journals and organizations as being a great agent in the fight against dry, weathered, and dehydrated skin. It works wonders on scars and is the predominant oil used for treating wrinkles and premature aging.

Soybean oil -High in natural source lecitihin, sterolins, and vitamin E, this oil makes a great base for your products which are being created for outer epidermal healing. Soybean oil is easily absorbed and leaves a smooth sensation to the skin.

Sunflower oil - An oil wealthy in Oleic acids with high amounts of Vitamins A, D, and E, also has beneficial amounts of lecithin, and unsaturated fatty acids. Deeply nourishing and conditioning for the skin and it is highly recommended for recipes designed to treat dry, weathered, aged, and damaged skin.

Enough said, here's my recipe:

Chamomile Aloe VIT E Skin Healing Creme

Batch 500g

{Contains Fresh Aloe Vera Extracts, Chamomile Hydrosol, Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifer (plant derived), Grapeseed Oil, Moroccan Argan Oil, Organic Rosehip Seed Oil, VIT E Tocopherol, VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil), Sunflower Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Soybean Oil, Potasium Sorbate (food grade preservative), Lactic Acid, Sweet Orange & Lavender Essential Oils}

A pure Chamomile Extracts & Fresh Aloe Vera Plant with the all the most skin hydrating oils combined plus VIT E!

This batch uses:

80% Heated Water Base + *10%-25% Water adjustment for thickness

14% Heated Oil Base (add emulsifier here)

6% Conditioning Emulsifier

100% Total

Ingredients:

Heatd Water Base {80%}

30% 150g Aloe Vera Extract + *125g adjustment

47% 235g Chamomile Water/Hydrosol

3% 30g Vegetable Glycerin

How to prepare Aloe Vera Extract?

Batch: 500g

125g Aloe Vera Gel fresh from the plant

500g Distilled Water (boil)

How to prepare Chamomile Hydrosol?

15g Dried Chamomile Flowers

Use this for the hydrosol preparation.

I have collected a little more than 235g Chamomile Hydrosol.

*Scrape fresh aloe vera gel from the plant, remove yellow gel/juice & skin. Wash very well. Weigh & mix with distilled water. Pour on a blender & blend well until smooth. Then, strain the juice to remove aloe gel lumps. Use this juice for any of your skin care preparations fresh or add a preservative for storing.

Heated Oil Base {14%}

5% 25g Grapeseed Oil

3% 15g Argan Oil

2% 10g Rosehip Oil

1% 5g VCO

1% 5g Soybean Oil

1% 5g Sweet Almond

1% 5g Sunflower Oil

1% 5g VIT E Natural

Emulsifier & Binder

6% 30g Conditioning Emulsifier (BTMS)

2% 10g Stearic Acid (Oil & Water Binder)

Cooling Down Additives: (Not included in the total 100%-add in the manner of listing below)

a. 0.5% 2.5g Potasium Sorbate (Food Based Preservative)

b. 0.6% 3g Phenoxyethanol

c. 0.3% Fragrance Blend/Essential Oil Blend (optional)

0.5g Lavender & 1g Sweet Orange

d. 0.5% 2.5g Lactic Acid – Add this while cooling down

INSTRUCTIONS:

A. Prepare, weigh all the WATER BASE, POUR on one Container (could be stainless steel, ceramic pots or PYREX glass, as long as it is resistant to heat. Slowly MIX all the liquids before heating on a DOUBLE BOILER.

How to prepare Chamomile Hydrosol?

15g Dried Chamomile Flowers

Use this for the hydrosol preparation.

I have collected a little more than 235g Chamomile Hydrosol.

How to prepare Aloe Vera Extract?

Batch: 500g

125g (25%) Aloe Vera Gel fresh from the plant (wash until the yellow juice is gone)

500g (100%) Distilled Water (boiled)

-Place aloe vera gel & the distilled water in a blender. Blend until smooth.

-Strain using a very fine strainer

-the juice that will be collected will be your ‘Fresh Aloe Juice/Extracts’

B. Prepare and weigh all the OIL BASE + EMULSIFIER in one heat resistant container or pyrex jar. Warm till the emulsifiers are melted.

C. While heating the WATER BASE & the OIL BASE, weigh your ADDITIVES.

D. The Water base and the Oil Base does not have to BOIL, (though boiling the water base will help get rid of those nasties!) once the water base was heated (it only took me 3 minutes in the microwave), remove from heat and add in Potasium Sorbate, stir well to dissolve. Then, add in the heated water base to the melted/heated OIL BASE + EMULSIFIER, while simultaneously stick blending to emulsify the water base + oil base + emulsifier.

A. When your Oil & Water mixture has cooled just a little bit, stir in your preservative (I used phenoxyethanol). Mix well using your stick blender.

B. At this time your serum/creme mixture has cooled down a bit, time to stir in your FRAGRANCE/ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS.

C. Stir in Lactic Acid at this time. Mix well and let cool. To help your serum/creme cool down to room temperature and thicken, place it in a cold water bath.

D. When your serum/creme has cooled down completely, you may bottle or scoop on cosmetic jars, label accordingly.

Here below are my documented photos using this healing creme for my daughter very recently like two and a half months ago:

I wasn't able to document the flare up with severe thickening,
this was taken after 2 days of applying this creme, but you'll notice the skin
joins together, it started as tiny little bumps with oozing water bits, then went very red the next day.