If you've been searching high and low for answers on 'how to heal eczema, you've likely come across a whirlwind of mixed advice.
Some folks say there’s no real cure for eczema—it's all about keeping the flare-ups in check by steering clear of things like mold, pollen, dust, and harsh soaps. Others swear by steroid creams as the go-to solution. So, what's a person with eczema supposed to do? Well, let’s take a moment to understand what eczema truly is and how it affects your skin.
What is eczema?
Eczema is a broad term covering seven different immune-reactive skin conditions, with atopic dermatitis being the most common. This condition can lead to red, inflamed, and itchy skin in people of all ages, including children.
Though eczema is linked to the immune system, the exact relationship between the two remains a bit of a mystery to experts.
Here in the USA, research indicates that about 30% of the population will experience atopic dermatitis at some point in their lives. Eczema tends to flare up most when the temperature drops or when allergens are in the air. That's why you'll often see eczema flare-ups during seasonal changes, like from summer to fall and winter to spring.
How Eczema Damages Your Skin Barrier
A protein called filaggrin, first discovered by Beverly A. Dale in 1977, plays a crucial role in maintaining the skin barrier and is thought to be linked to atopic dermatitis.
Filaggrin helps the body fend off environmental allergens like pollen, mold, bacteria, and dust. While keeping these intruders out, it also helps lock in moisture, which is vital for healthy skin.
When filaggrin isn’t functioning properly, the skin barrier weakens. This makes the skin more prone to water loss and vulnerable to irritants, allergens, and bacteria. This breakdown drives further dryness and inflammation, creating a vicious cycle for eczema sufferers. With a weakened skin barrier, it's harder to retain moisture.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, eczema sufferers often struggle with their skin's ability to hold in water. This increases transepidermal water loss (TEWL), impacting the skin barrier’s effectiveness.
What Triggers Eczema?
Understanding what triggers eczema symptoms can be a real puzzle. It can stem from environmental, seasonal, and even genetic factors. Some common triggers in the USA include:
- Environmental factors: Mold, dust, smoke, dry air, pet fur, and pollen.
- Seasonal changes: Shifts from humid to dry environments and the transition between seasons.
- Trigger foods: Common culprits like gluten and dairy.
- Harsh personal care products: Products with strong fragrances and surfactant-based soaps and cleansers.
- Stress and anxiety.
- Genetics.
There’s a lot of debate around these triggers, which makes pinpointing the exact cause of eczema difficult. For instance, while some believe that petroleum and mineral oil can worsen eczema by increasing oxidative stress and inflammation, experts are divided on this.
Water can also be problematic for eczema sufferers. Some experts suggest that it’s about regulating the water temperature, while others argue that hard water can irritate the skin and disrupt its pH balance, leading to flare-ups. Spending too much time in water, like swimming in a pool or taking long showers, can also trigger eczema due to temperature changes and chemical exposure, such as chlorine.
What Are the Best Eczema Treatments?
Firstly, reducing or avoiding common triggers is crucial for managing eczema. Since pinpointing these triggers can be challenging, topical treatments often provide much-needed relief.
Experts agree that the best eczema treatments focus on reducing water loss. Common ingredients in effective eczema creams include petrolatum and vegetable butters like cocoa butter or shea butter. These "barrier creams" support healing and soothe the skin, even when it’s scaly or flaky.
Eczema creams are most effective when they contain ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol in specific formulations and sufficient concentrations. These ingredients help strengthen the skin barrier by penetrating the cells and supplementing the natural oils that the skin produces. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Is Tallow Good for Eczema?
Grass-fed and grass-finished beef tallow contains all the right ingredients to help with eczema. Tallow is rich in fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides. Compared to most vegetable oils and plant-based butters, beef tallow has a higher concentration of these beneficial components.
Grass-fed tallow is especially high in palmitic acid (about 26%), which directly aids the skin barrier by improving hydration and reducing water loss—key concerns for eczema sufferers. It also contains palmitoleic acid, which studies suggest reduces inflammation and redness, making it helpful for managing eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and generally irritated skin.
Additionally, grass-fed tallow has high levels of stearic acid, known for its skin-softening properties, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to relieve skin inflammation. CLA is otherwise difficult to find in nature outside of tallow.
Using beef tallow for skincare can protect the skin from environmental stressors. Tallow Balm is considered a barrier cream due to its emollient and occlusive properties, which help heal, nurture, and protect the skin.
Tallow Balm vs. Moisturizer to Repair the Skin Barrier
Barrier creams, like grass-fed Tallow Balm, maintain and protect the skin’s physical barrier, preventing dryness by stopping transepidermal water loss (TEWL). They act as a shield against potential irritants, such as dust or pollen, and help heal damaged skin.
While barrier creams form a protective layer on the skin, they are not the same as moisturizers. A regular moisturizer hydrates the outer layer of the skin, whereas barrier creams restore the skin barrier itself. Regular moisturizers often contain water as the key ingredient, along with sensitizing, synthetic ingredients. In contrast, Tallow Balm is a multi-purpose product rich in fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, eliminating the need for a separate moisturizer.
Tallow Balm vs. Cream for Eczema
Tallow Balm is a concentrated formula made with tallow, jojoba oil, prickly pear and other skin-loving ingredients. When applied to damp or dry skin, it provides moisture and helps the skin retain it, offering relief for eczema.
Balms are often more effective than tallow-based eczema creams or regular moisturizers because they combine several emollients and humectants. Tallow functions as an emollient with occlusive properties.
The main difference between balms, moisturizers, and creams is their formulation. Balms are typically made with oils, butters, and/or wax, while creams and moisturizers often contain water and require preservatives to avoid going rancid.
Tallow Balm provides a higher concentration of beneficial ingredients without the fluff often found in whipped tallow-based eczema creams, which can be filled with air. This makes Tallow Balm a more cost-effective and longer-lasting option.
Why Tallow is One of Nature’s Best Moisturizers
Many drugstore eczema products are primarily made with mineral oil, which can protect the skin but doesn’t support the skin’s natural functioning. Tallow Balm, on the other hand, mimics the oils found in healthy human skin, helping accelerate the healing process and repair the skin barrier. It's a gentle, non-toxic alternative with added benefits of fat-soluble vitamins and naturally occurring fatty acids.
Eczema Treatments to Avoid
When managing eczema, avoid creams and balms with strong fragrances, harsh preservatives, and alcohol. Steer clear of sodium lauryl sulfate in soaps and detergents, which can irritate the skin. Also, avoid hot showers or baths, which can dry out the skin further.
By applying a natural cream like Tallow Balm, you add a barrier that supplements the skin’s natural defenses. This not only reduces water loss but also keeps out unwanted irritants and bacteria.
Other Tips to Manage Eczema Naturally
- Use Moisturizers Generously: Gentle barrier creams and thick balms are most effective at locking in moisture.
- Hydrate: Drink plenty of water daily. Reduce consumption of diuretics like alcohol and coffee.
- Vitamin D: Boost vitamin D through sunlight and vitamin D-rich foods like beef liver, wild-caught salmon, and dairy products.
- Diet: Incorporate hydrating foods like avocado, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed beef, apples, pears, and root veggies.
- Exclusively Oil Cleanse: Use cleansing oils to remove impurities without stripping the skin.
- Wear Soft, Natural Fibers Only: Choose breathable, natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and silk to avoid irritation.
- Use a Humidifier: Add moisture to the air to keep your skin supple.
- Take Shorter, Milder Showers: Use lukewarm water and moisturize immediately afterward.
- Take a Food Sensitivity Test: Identify and avoid trigger foods like dairy or gluten.
- Remove Asthma Triggers: Use a HEPA air purifier to keep airborne allergens at bay.
Tallow Balm for Eczema
Darlin' Tallow Balm is loved by customers with eczema for its gentle, nourishing properties. Many have found success after trying other natural skincare products and conventional treatments.
Customer Reviews:
- "Amazing. Bought this as a last resort to help ease my eczema with something natural. After two weeks, the results are beyond what I expected compared to other products. The red undertones from my eczema have decreased by 60%, and the dry, scaly patches are nearly gone. I warm the bar in my hands, and run lightly only in the morning. Very happy with this product and will definitely be buying again!" - Paola, Darlin’ Lotion Bar Customer, July 2024
- "So glad I found this. This product made me feel confident in my skin for the first time in a long time. Alongside weather-sensitive skin due to eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, I was also dealing with fine lines. The tallow balm has helped significantly in just a week. I highly recommend this product." - Chelsea, Darlin’ Tallow Face Balm Customer, May 2024
Eczema flare-ups? Tallow Balm is here to help.
Eczema and frustration with available skincare options led to the creation of the Darlin’ Tallow Balms. Upon naturopathic advice and success incorporating tallow into their diet, it became a natural step in our co-founder's skincare routine.
At Darlin' Skincare, many customers use our Tallow Balms to manage eczema, including on their child’s (not infants!) sensitive skin. Darlin’ Tallow Balm is an all-rounder, multipurpose cream for all skin types, free from fragrance, parabens, phthalates, and petrochemicals. It’s a gentle, all-natural formula with nourishing ingredients like tallow, jojoba and prickly pear oil, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
If you’ve tried everything for eczema, try the Darlin’ Tallow Face Balm or Darlin’ Lotion Bar. Shop Darlin’ Tallow today.
