It's official. The itches have started. ;-)
I'm not a fan of Caladryl, and it says RIGHT on the package - Do not use on chickenpox. There's a reason for that. If used too extensively this antihistamine cream can end up in your blood stream. A lot of people just slap that on for the itch relief, but you can actually overdose on it (yes a topical cream). Anyone choosing to read up on it at all would see that.
So, what's a Mom to do? My kiddo has the itchies. The Redheaded Wonder is of course doing the standard oatmeal-in-the-sock bathtub soaks. Relief is pretty temporary, however. I have, right now, a completely content kid sitting next to me. Why? Coconut oil.
Yup, that wonderful anti-microbial, all natural, coincidentally tasty magic oil. Redheaded Wonder is calling it Magic Itchy Cream.
Magic Itchy Cream
Equal parts of coconut oil and aloe vera gel
Woah, complicated. ;-)
The aloe vera gel I use is from Trader Joe's and it has calendula and arnica in it as well. (Bonus). You could add in lavendar essential oil or tea tree essential oils. But I didn't (mostly because I am out of both). But this worked so well, it probably doesn't even need it unless you are worried about possible infection (or active infection) of specific spots.
It's good stuff. And it works a heck of a lot better than the over-the-counter, chemical laden, lazy person crap that you can go buy at the store.
We use coconut oil for everything. I bought it for diaper rash cream because we cloth diaper but now I buy a separate jar for the kitchen to use for cooking. It kills lice and yeast infections, too. You can also use it as a low SPF sunscreen and to keep mosquitos away.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip, thanks!