030: Natural Remedies For Eczema Rashes w/ Abby Lai

There are numerous approaches to dealing with eczema rashes, and today my guest offers a rather unique perspective on natural topical remedies.

 

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Subscribe on Android

My guest Abby Lai is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) and the founder of Prime Physique Nutrition, a website that was voted one of the top 20 eczema blogs to follow in 2018.

She is also the creator of The Eczema Podcast. Her mission is to help as many people overcome eczema by working with clients worldwide and providing natural eczema remedies through eBooks, videos and articles.

In this episode, we talk about Abby's unique approach to eczema, and some great natural topical remedies that she swears by.

Have you improved your eczema by using natural topical remedies? Tell us about it in the comments!

In this episode

• Abby's personal struggles with eczema
• Her go-to topical remedies to use on rashes
• Natural oils to help with skin hydration
• How to reduce itching

 

Quotes

“I definitely believe that we have to take care of ourselves from both the inside and the outside.” [4:55]

“I find the bleach baths really controversial…I have heard from dermatologists who recommend them a lot that people have gotten better after doing it. But I've also heard the flip-side where it's an incredibly toxic chemical agent that you're putting on your skin, which gets absorbed into your body. ” [6:55]

“[Bentonite clay] is soothing for the skin and it helps draw out toxins.” [12:10]

 

Links

Find Abby online here

Want to try some skin-soothing products? Click HERE and use code hss20 for 20% off!

Abby's eight-week group program

Download Abby's FREE ebook, 6 Proven Ways to Clear Eczema Naturally

Follow Abby on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Zinc-laced bandages

Pre-mixed Bentonite Clay Paste

My appearance on Abby's podcast on the connection between low stomach acid, “leaky skin”, and rashes issues.

My article, “4 Skin Baths For Rash Relief”

Abby's article on skin baths

The Elimination Diet: A Complete Guide to Conquer Eczema & Food Sensitivities eBook

My Detailed Eczema Healing Treatment Plan eBook

Healing Eczema: When Dieting Is Not Enough eBook

The Power of Thoughts: How Mindset Shifts Can Help Eliminate Eczema eBook

 

030: Natural Remedies For Eczema Rashes w/ Abby Lai FULL TRANSCRIPT

Jennifer :             Hi everyone and welcome back to The Healthy Skin Show. Today I've got a good friend of mine, she is actually based in Canada but her and I have spent quite a bit of time chatting on Skype and we had a great conversation when we first met this past summer and I'm really excited to share her with you if you're not familiar with her because she is very specific to eczema. That's her whole thing. She's also dealt with eczema and we'll talk about that. Her name is Abby Lai and she's a registered holistic nutritionist and a founder of Prime Physique Nutrition, a website that was voted one of the top 20 eczema blogs to follow in 2018. She's also the creator of the eczema podcast, which is a fantastic place to get some of your eczema information. Her mission is to help many people overcome eczema by working with clients worldwide and providing natural eczema remedies through eBooks, videos, and articles. You can follow her over at primephysiquenutrition.com I'll make sure to put all the links that we share, including our website in the show notes. But Abby, thank you for joining us.

Abby:                    Thank you so much for having me, Jen.

Jennifer :             Yeah, so all right, you had eczema, you and I, we share this like we both dealt with eczema, so could you just fill everybody in quickly, obviously cause we don't want a ton of time, but what's, what was your, what kind of eczema did you have?

Abby:                    I had a really severely, I hadn't all over my body to the point where my legs looked really burned and a lot of doctors said that it was worse than they had ever seen. My face had it, my whole body had it. It stung when I took a shower. It just hurt to move, it hurt to get ready and it was just a really, really tough time to go through it.

Jennifer :             I bet. I bet. I would imagine that you said it was like one of the worst cases doctors had seen, so you would have tried a lot of like the conventional stuff.

Abby:                    Definitely. Yeah, I definitely did a, I use a lot of medications, topical and oral steroids. I tried the steroid injections as well or sorry, the injection shots as well. And then also, yeah I've spent thousands of dollars on, on just treatments and then seeing countless doctors and it was definitely really, really tough.

Jennifer :             Yeah. It's one of the most frustrating things because I don't know if you have this, or had this, cause I had this like a box of all these, I used to go to the store and I'd be like, well let me try this cream and let me try that. And I had all of these different things that I tried cause I was just so desperate. Like my eczema was on my hands and so I couldn't really touch things. And so I was just desperate to make the itching as well as you know, I had the flip side of like it was angry and red in the summertime and oozing and all sorts of stuff. But then in the wintertime it would get so dried out and cracked that it was just, it was sort of like living in these two different hell's depending on what time of the year it was for me. So I would imagine that you probably had a similar experience in at least your clients who you work with have a similar experience of having tried so many different things and nothing works.

Abby:                    Yeah, definitely a lot of my clients, but I also had the same experience as you, Jen, where I just tried so many different things and I was constantly buying new things and reading up new things and, and just seeing what would work. And I felt like at times I felt like I was crazy because I was always trying so many new things. I bought so many new products just to see what would work on my skin.

Jennifer :             Yeah. And, and so I like that we're talking about this too, about like topical stuff cause I think that that would be a great thing today for us to talk about. Because you know, you and I both know that the internal stuff takes time and you have a really unique approach to eczema, which I think is fantastic. And I, you know, I've, I, gosh, I've checked out so much stuff on your website. You know, and, and for everybody that is curious, you know, Abby also shares photos of what she went through with her own eczema as well. So you get a chance to really see that and know that she was in this. And she understands this. So, you know, I would say I always think it's like a two pronged approach. You've got to do internal stuff, but you've got to also manage the outside of the body as well. Is that a similar approach to how you deal with or support your clients?

Abby:                    Definitely. I definitely believe we have to take care of ourselves from both the inside and the outside as well.

Jennifer :             So what you're saying is one thing that we're going to talk about today is likely not going to fix you, but it will help support your process. Is that correct?

Abby:                    Yes, yes, definitely. And it can also help bring a lot of relief as well.

Jennifer :             So if somebody is struggling, what are some of your kind of go to topical suggestions or remedies that could help someone right now who's like, I just don't want my skin to be painful or itchy or red or whatever. I mean, I know that they're kind of, I've found that depending on what the symptoms are at the time, it kind of, the suggestions vary. But what are some things that we could start looking into as far as some, some great topical remedies?

Abby:                    Yeah, I actually have a lot of suggestions and one particular thing that I really, really love is actually taking certain baths that can help relieve the inflammation and the itching. And I've re written this on my blog before, but yeah, there's a lot of different types of baths that you can take a, for example, there's Epsom salt baths. There's colloidal oatmeal baths and you can also add things like Apple cider vinegar and baking soda to it as well. And these really help to reduce and help with the inflammation on the skin.

Jennifer :             Yeah. And you know what will be great Abby, if you would, after this interview, send us that link and we'll post that in our show notes for everybody to go check out. That would be fantastic.

Abby:                    Sure I would love to do that.

Jennifer :             Um yeah. And, and so, we can do the baths and figure out which one may be helpful. I actually am kind of curious that we're just touching on this. Have you had any experience or do you ever recommend the bleach baths?

Abby:                    So I find the bleach baths really controversial. I've done them in the past before when I was a teenager and they really made my skin a lot softer. And I have heard from dermatologists who recommend them a lot and people have gotten better after doing it. But I've also heard the flip side where it's an incredibly toxic chemical agent that you're putting on your skin, which gets absorbed into your body. And because you're absorbing these chemicals, it's, it's not bad grade, although it does help the skin. So I guess it's kind of like a catch 22.

Jennifer :             So if someone wanted to do the bleach baths, it would probably be better to space them out. So if you're doing baths, maybe you do, if you, if you are utilizing a bleach bath, maybe that's something you only do once a week or once every other week. You kind off, you don't rely on that all the time, might be a better way to go if that was your doctor's recommendation and what you use . That totally makes a lot of sense. So what else, aside from baths, do you have any suggestions of things that have different salves or oils or anything that you've had luck with, with your clients?

Abby:                    Yeah, so there's actually a, there's actually a lot of different things that can be put on topically. So there's the Apple cider vinegar that you can actually dilute in water and put onto your skin or put into a spray bottle and spray onto your skin. So I've done this in the past and the only downside is that it does sting, but it's, it's pretty effective. I've heard from people who notice a difference in their skin and I have also noticed a difference as well. And it helps the, it helps the wounds heal faster and it helps reduce itching as well. But yeah, I would recommend diluting it.

Jennifer :             And how much would you dilute Apple cider vinegar?

Abby:                    So I guess you can dilute it according to I guess howhow much you would prefer to I guess thought have it sting, if that makes sense. You can try half and half and see, see how that goes for your skin first and then work from there.

Jennifer :             Okay. That, that's it. That sounds very smart. So that would be used almost like a, like a toner almost in a sense.

Abby:                    Yeah. Almost like a toner. You could spray it all over your body or anywhere that you have it.

Jennifer :             I've also heard from clients who when they have eczema quite badly on their scalp, they will use Apple Cider rinses in the shower on the scalp. And they said, don't worry, once your hair is dry, you're not gonna smell like Apple Cider vinegar. So cause that's always a concern. Like I don't want to walk around smelling like that. You, and with this toner, this type of homemade toner, do you find that that odor persists or does that evaporate?

Abby:                    For me I noticed that it went away. But I'm not sure for other people if they put a lot on, if it stays on longer, but it should go away at least after a few hours.

Jennifer :             Okay.

Abby:                    But, but I have heard about the Apple Cider vinegar being used in, in a shampoo as well. I know people also, sometimes add teatree oil to that and some people also use teatree oil by itself on the skin as well because it's very antibacterial and it helps with the wound healing as well.

Jennifer :             Okay. So that's almost like a treatment. Spot treatment in a sense.

Abby:                    Yeah. Like, like a spot treatment. Yes.

Jennifer :             Okay. And what are your thoughts on any like oils or like natural oils to use on the skin to help with hydration of some sort?

Abby:                    Yeah, I love oils. I actually I really love coconut oil actually. I find that it's really natural. It's light. Some people find it a bit too light but if it's a bit too, like you can actually add something else on top or cream or a balm if you want. But I love using it after I come out of the shower or even before going into the shower just so that it doesn't dry my skin out from the water. So coconut oil I find is a, is a great choice.

Jennifer :             Oh, that's an interesting idea. So you apply the coconut oil before getting in the shower?

Abby:                    Yeah. Or either during, like, while I'm in the shower, I do that so that I'm, I find that my skin actually comes out more and moisturized and softer rather than dryer.

Jennifer :             Wow. Okay. That's a great, that's a great tip. Anything else? Any other, what other natural natural remedies? I love these, these topical remedies.

Abby:                    So another idea is to use a bentonite clay topically so you can basically take clay and the powder clay and make it into a paste by adding some water and then you put it onto your skin where the wounds are or the rashes are. And it basically it's soothing for the skin and it helps draw out toxins as well. And it helps to heal the wounds. The only, the only thing is that just to be careful not to put it on right after you scratch your skin because it can sting. And I made a really big mistake one time where I scratched my skin a lot and I put it on right after and, and I just felt like I was burning.

Jennifer :             Oh yeah. I would imagine that does not feel good.

Jennifer :             No, let, let us avoid that. But yeah, I, I know that that is also used in like road rash and my husband's a road cyclist. And when you fall on the road, hopefully that doesn't happen to you, but if you fall and you get a rash down your leg or your arm or whatever, you can use the clay to help pull out. It also reduces the inflammation, but it pulls out debris from, from the tissue. So that, that makes a lot of sense. That really does. Do you have any favorite type of anything to like any thoughts on soothing when like the skin gets really itchy?

Abby:                    So another thing about I like to use is zinc oxide. So I find that zinc is actually great because it really helps to heal the wounds. But another thing is that there's actually a zinc clothing right now. So there's clothing actually made with zinc fibers. And some people have found that when they put this clothing on that it actually helps reduce the itching because it has a cool, or they're less likely to itch, especially at night, because they find that the clothing is actually wrapping around their skin. So it's not as exposed.

Jennifer :             Okay. And I've also heard too, and I know this from a couple of eczema groups, that there are bandages you can buy on Amazon that are laced with zinc. And so if you've got say, wounds that don't seem to heal up and you're using bandaging, you know, to kind of keep them covered, some people have found that that's also helpful to get bandages that have the zinc laced through it.

Abby:                    Yeah. That, that is a really great idea. I definitely will recommend those as well. There's also things like very simple things that people can find in their fridge when they're going through a lot of itching is they can take like a simple ice pack or just ice and put it in like a Ziploc bag and just put it on their skin. Or either they can even take like a wet cloth and run it through cold water, just put it on their skin and of course make it make sure that the water is drained so that it's, it's, it's a damp cloth and yeah, you just put it on your skin and it just has that cooling effect, reduce the heat and just to reduce the itching as well.

Jennifer :             Hmm. Well, I mean, I think too, and this is the other, the other piece to this that I always like to remind people is that this journey, when you go the alternative route, right, to find the root causes and to address them, you have to have these like backup strategies because you're not going to be better in like a week. You're not going to be 100% better. Some people, I've had some clients that respond quickly to whatever's going on and I bet other clients where it takes months because they have so much internally that's imbalanced that it takes time. And so I think that's why these things, these types of things are very important. And just to give everybody a moment of like hope, like, do you still have eczema now or are you, where are you with that?

Abby:                    You know what? After I gave birth my eczema flared incredibly severely and I was really surprised at how bad it got. But after doing a lot of natural remedies, like some of the ones I mentioned here, but also working on a lot of things internally, my skin has gotten a lot better. UI think I'm still in a bit of recovery, but it is definitely so much better than when I first gave birth. So I, I just really hope to encourage everyone out there that,uthings can heal and get better as well.

Jennifer :             Yeah. And it is a journey. It's always a journey. I mean, I know that like my skin has been clear for a year now, but I still have my, my steroid cream upstairs in the cabinet. I, you know, I, it is what it is, you know, I'm not, I'm not quite ready to let go of that. And I, it's not that I don't trust that I have addressed what's going on internally, but I think it's important to know that this is a journey and if you do the work and you address the root causes, what you have to do to maintain healthy skin tends to be a heck of a lot less work than, than if you're just managing the symptoms as they show up on a daily basis. That's at least been my impression. Is that something you would agree with?

Abby:                    Yeah, definitely.

Jennifer :             So so Abby, I think the next time maybe we'd be great to talk about diets stuff because you know a ton about diet and whatnot. I mean, you're a nutritionist and this is something that you work with clients on. You have, like, one of the things that I loved about you and why when I found was that you do this fantastic group program that you work with people sort of like all you do it in every few months. And so I think it'd be great if the next time we could, we could dive into the, the diet piece with, would you be open to that?

Abby:                    Sure. I would love that. I would love to share more about diet and how it can help people.

Jennifer :             Great. and then also I want to make sure that everybody knows that number one you have books. So if you're looking for more resources, Abby has some fantastic books. She's written for eBooks and I will put the link to those eBooks in the show notes for this episode. And then also too, you have a lovely a little ebook to give everybody the six steps to clearing eczema that is their gift, they can go and grab for free and we'll put the link to that also in the show notes so that everybody can get started on that. Who's struggling with eczema. If you know somebody who is I think that would be really great. And, and we can find you at prime physique nutrition, is that correct?

Abby:                    Yes. primephysiquenutrition.com.

Jennifer :             Awesome. Yeah, go ahead.

Abby:                    And Jen, I know I did mention it earlier, but I would also love to give your viewers a 20% discount on a, any of their products in my store. So I know I didn't mention it earlier, but I also sell 'em a skin balm, which is made of a coconut oil and there's a lot of there's actually 15 superfood ingredients in there, so things like tea tree oil, lavender oil, seabuckthorn, so very healing ingredients and all natural which I formulated myself with with a manufacturer that I work with. And then I also have a calming bath treatment just to, just to really help calm the skin and help bring relief as well.

Jennifer :             That would be great. And we'll get that that code from you. And again, we'll just put everything in the show notes with a link to where everybody can go and grab those items. Cause it's great. Like I said, you need to have things along the way on your journey. It's not like, oh, I'm going to take this pill and I'm going to be better tomorrow. It's not like that. So it's important to have the ability to support your body and from the different perspectives, the inside, the outside, etcetera. And the next time we have you on, we'll, we'll talk a little bit more about what you can do internally. But thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate your time.

Abby:                    Thank you, Jen, for having me. It was so great to chat with you.