I read about this goldenseal mix from one of the forum. I have not tried it as I am not sure where to get hold of goldenseal powder. You may want to give it a try. First, some information on Goldenseal.

Goldenseal (Orange-root, Orangeroot; Hydrastis canadensis) is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Its herbal properties include bitter, hepatic, alterative, anticatarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, laxative, emmenagogue, and oxytocic. Goldenseal is often used as a multi-purpose remedy, having many different medicinal properties. In addition to working as a topical antimicrobial, it can also be taken internally as a digestion aid, and can remove canker sores when gargled with. Goldenseal may be purchased in salve, tablet, tincture form, or as a bulk powder. Goldenseal is often used to boost the medicinal effects of other herbs it is blended or formulated with.

Ellingwood’s American Materia Medica lists goldenseal as being useful for functional disorders of the stomach, catarrhal gastritis, atonic dyspepsia, chronic constipation, hepatic congestion, cirrhosis, protracted fevers, cerebral engorgements of a chronic character, uterine subinvolution, in menorrhagia or metrorrhagia from the displaced uterus, post partum hemorrhage, catarrhal, ulcerating, aphthous, indolent and otherwise unhealthy conditions of mucous surfaces, leucorrhea, gallstones and breast swellings associated with the menses.

Herbalists today consider goldenseal an alterative, anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, bitter tonic, laxative, and muscular stimulant. They recommend goldenseal for gastritis, colitis, duodenal ulcers,loss of appetite and liver disease. They discuss the astringent effect it has on mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder, and rectum (applied topically), and the skin. Goldenseal is very bitter which stimulates the appetite and aid digestion and often stimulate bile secretion.

Because of its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, goldenseal has been used by eczema sufferers for inflammatory and itch relief. Here is what you can do. Mix some goldenseal root powder with vitamin E oil, then add a little honey until it is the consistency of a loose paste. Apply this mixture to the affected area.

A caution though, do not use goldenseal on a daily basis for more than one week at a time, and do not use it during pregnancy. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or glaucoma, use it only under a doctor’s supervision.

Natural homemade recipes for your skin are simple to make and cost-effective. What you put on your skin is just as important as what you eat. Commercial products often contain chemicals that are absorbed by your skin finding their way into the bloodstream which can be harmful to your overall health.

Virgin coconut oil/butter makes for a good moisturizer by providing a protective layer that locks in natural moisture. Coconut oil solidifies at temperatures below 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the coconut butter in small lip balm or eye cream jars or any small sterilized jar. For a lip balm, use coconut butter on its own or add peppermint or spearmint oil. As an acne treatment, add a couple of drops of tea tree, lavender, or patchouli oil. For wrinkles, add rose, orange or patchouli oil. To treat eczema, add chamomile, geranium, or orange oil. To treat broken capillaries, add rose, palmarosa, or parsley oil. To treat cellulite, add grapefruit, tangerine, or orange oil. For stretch marks, add palmarosa or neroli oil. To treat burns, add geranium, patchouli or lavender oil.

For sunburned skin, break open a leaf of an Aloe Vera plant and smooth onto the skin. The gel is also good for other types of burns and has soothing, cooling, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Strawberry juice, cucumbers and avocados are also soothing to sunburned skin.

For tired eyes, place cucumber slices over your eyes. For dark circles around your eyes, place cooled tea bags over your eyes.

For a homemade facial toner, mix green tea, chamomile or ginseng tea (made with mineral water or distilled water) with lavender or lemon oil. Green tea is rich in antioxidants which fight free radicals that damage and age the skin. Green tea is said to diminish fine lines. Lavender oil is a good toner and lemon oil is a good rejuvenator and toner. Add Vitamin C crystals as a preservative and antioxidant. MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) is a natural source of organic sulfur good for the skin. Add MSM crystals to your toner or eat high sulfur foods such as kale or watercress.

Prick a capsule of Vitamin A, E, or wheat germ oil and smooth directly onto your skin, add to coconut, almond or apricot oil, or to your toner. Vitamin A is a potent antioxidant and Vitamin E is said to slow down the aging process. Almond oil soothes and lubricates the skin. Apricot oil protects and softens the skin. Wheat germ oil promotes skin elasticity.

For a moisturizing and refreshing mask, mix avocado with shredded cucumber. Avocados are rich in protein and Vitamin A. Cucumbers are cooling and cleansing. Use a mashed banana for a skin firming mask.

To lighten age spots, rub lemon directly onto your skin.

For a body powder, mix cornstarch and baking soda with your favorite essential oil. For a foot powder, mix cornstarch, baking soda and tea tree or peppermint oil. Baking soda acts as a deodorizer and soothes the skin. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, germicide, antibacterial, and fungicide. Peppermint oil is soothing to the feet and swollen ankles.

Drinking plenty of water, eating raw fruits and vegetables, and getting plenty of rest are one of the best ways to achieving healthy and radiant skin. What goes into your body is reflective on your skin.

Courtesy of Sharing Sustainable Solutions

I once read that bamboo floors are recommended for those with allergies due to their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I knew of one father actually change the whole flooring of his house to bamboo for the sake of his 2-year-old daughter with severe eczema. While it is hard to say that bamboo flooring can actually provide relief to eczema, its anti-bacterial properties is a fact.

A recent article says that there are clothing and linens made of bamboo, which quality surpass organic cotton and silk in every way, especially in relation to dry skin conditions and eczema. According to experts, due to its unique qualities, bamboo clothing actually addresses some of the factors which result in dry skin conditions. Some of these unique qualities are:

* Bamboo are 4 times are absorbent than cotton. Thus bamboo can absorbs sweat quickly and you will stay dry and cool even in hot days.

* On a microscopic level, bamboo fibers are round and smooth, thus bamboo clothing and linens are soft, smooth and silky. It does not cling to the skin and cause friction which can be very painful for eczema skin.

* Bamboo’s porous qualities ensure your skin can breath through it. Bamboo fabrics is cooler than others. In fact, they are 2 to 3 degrees cooler than other clothing.

* Although our skin is designed to fight bacteria and fungus, this is damaged in dry skin conditions such as eczema and psoraisis. Tests done on bamboo fabric found that it kills 99.8% of bacteria. So bamboo clothing helps keep you fresh and cool.

* Since bamboo plant is not prone to pests, it is grown organically without any chemicals which irritates the skin.

Bamboo clothings seems to offer a good solution to those with dry skin conditions. It is worth a try definately. Unfortunately, bamboo fabric is not widely available in the market yet. If anyone knows where to find bamboo fabric, please share here as I am interested to know too. Having said that, even with bamboo clothings, a good daily routine of cleansing and moisturizing, a healthy diet, and adequate exercise are still important for dry skin healing.

After 30 years of research on over 900,000 patients worldwide, this team of the doctors discovered that the use of Seabuckthorn oil combined with other ingredients and applied externally to the affected areas can kill the human demodex parasite and restore the skin to its natural beauty.

In China, research has concentrated on a parasite called human demodex folliculorum mite. This microscopic worm infects over 98 per cent of adults, living in hair follicles or on hair or eyelashes. They also may reside in sebaceous glands of the face.

Seabuckthorn Oil - Seabuckthorn is an extraordinary plant that has been recognized for centuries in Eurasia for its exceptional medicinal and nutritional benefits. The oil of seabuckthorn has general nourishing, revitalizing, and restorative action and can be used for acne, dermatitis, irritated, dry, itching skin, sore skin, eczema, skin ulcers, postpartum pigmentation, burns, scalds, cuts, and tissue regeneration. The stimulation of tissue regeneration is helpful in the treatment of burns, bedsores, poorly healing wounds. It helps reduce damaging effects of sun radiation. Seabuckthorn oil effectively combats wrinkles, dryness and other symptoms of malnourished or prematurely aging skin and is utilized in anti-aging skin creams and lotions.

The berries appear to be an unsurpassed natural source of vitamins A and E, carotenes and flavonoids. Seabuckthorn berries are second only to Rose hips and Acerola in vitamin C content. They are also rich in several other vitamins, including B1, B2, K and P as well as in more than two dozens of microelements. Furthermore, berries have remarkably high content of essential fatty acids and phytosterols. Taken internally, it can help prevent gums from bleeding, recuperate mucous membranes, heal peptic and duodenal ulcers, urinary tract and cervical erosion, solar and cancer radiation injuries and is a source of carotenes, phytosterols, and EFAs. The restorative action of the Seabuckthorn oil may be in part due to its high content of essential fatty acids, carotenes, tocopherols and phytosterols, which are all important for the maintenance of a healthy skin.

Shea Butter is definitely important to every skin - sensitive and non-sensitive skin alike because it has natural active compounds that you won’t find in other skin creams…be it night creams, eczema creams, wrinkle creams, or even anti-aging creams. When applied, dry hands and skin are new again within seconds. Shea butter has been used for centuries in Africa and later in Europe to fight a multitude of skin conditions, and internal illnesses. Shea Butter has been clinically proven to decrease the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and its reputation is fast becoming one of an anti-aging compound. Infact, Cocoa Butter was widely used by most major U.S. cosmetics companies before Shea Butter was introduced. Since then, Shea Butter use is now 3 times more than that of Cocoa Butter in most products.

Of course Pure Shea Butter has a unique smell and texture during application but it quickly dissolves into your skin and the smell becomes unnoticeable after that. That is why so many retailers and cosmetic companies go out of the way to come up with some Shea Butter products that will sort of smell good by adding cheap and artificial perfumes or oils. This does not only reduce the natural healing effects of Shea Butter but it may or can cause some serious skin reactions. The use of certain chemicals in making skin care products is known to cause skin cancer today.
African Shea Butter works wonders especially to my son’s eczema skin. It is a great natural moisturizer.