“I’m So Itchy And Hot!”
If you are familiar with eczema, you know about scratching frenzies. This is when an eczema sufferer starts to itch and then gets hot so starts scratching the eczema patch in a rabid manner.
There is no point in telling the person to stop scratching as they can’t. I remember 2 incidences where this happened to me. I was on a train full of people returning from work, and began to scratch.
The next person to me moved to another seat. And so did the person on the other side of me. Then everyone rapidly got off the train as we had reached the final destination of the train. By that time I had taken off my jacket so I could continue my scratching frenzy.
I was the last person off the train and felt really sorry for myself.
The second time was between services at church. Some people had formed a circle round a 3 year old toddler who really knew how to dance We copied each cool move she made. I love dancing and am in my element when doing this.
However, this went on for about 20 minutes by which time I was hot. I removed myself from the circle and ran to the ladies toilets where as soon as I entered one, I took off my top and had a “scratchfest” – My term for scratching frenzy.
The Problem:
When a person is going through this, they need to be made cool instead of be made aware of why they “shouldn’t scratch”.
Read on to find out 6 tips to Cool Down.
The Solution:
- Get a cool damp cotton flannel and place it on the eczema patch to cool it down. Simply put the flannel under running water and squeeze out the excess water from the flannel before lightly covering the patch with it.
- Apply some aloe vera gelly to the patch. It may sting a little, but this will immediately stop the itch.
- Give the person some water to drink. To cool them down. Do not use water from the fridge as the body will try to regulate it’s temperature by becoming hotter again.
- Get them into fresh air if you can Unless it is windy. In that case, use a fan on cool setting.
- If very hot indoors, turn off the central heating! And open the windows for fresh air.
- If the person scratched themselves to bleeding point, rinse with salt water and apply some clay paste directly to the spot. Do this at least twice daily until you see improvement. For moisturising, you can use olive oil, or aloe vera gelly applied on first, before the olive oil.
The salt water will disinfect it and the clay will help repair the wound without leaving a scar.
Depending on if you are outside or inside, the best thing to have on you is a medium to large damp flannel in a sealed plastic bag You may also need some cool water in a flask to wet the flannel or rinse it if you are away from a tap with running water.
These tips were created for you to use either all at a time or as suited to your needs.
The icing on the cake is to achieve glowing skin which is possible.
Do tell me how you get on as I would love to hear from you and see how these tips have worked for you.
If you have any questions about the Eczema Cool Down, just let me know and I will get back to you.
Thanks for the very informative post about Eczema. I honestly didn’t know hardly anything about it. I also didn’t realize that it causes so much itching. I appreciate your advice on how to self remedy. I can only imagine that this will be very helpful for people who are looking to solve the question of Why am I so itchy and hot.
I’m glad you enjoyed reading it Brian!
Yes, eczema sufferers are very hot-blooded and need plenty of cooling when a frenzy occurs.
All the best,
Stella
As a little kid I used to get eczema often, and still suffer from it occasionally in the hotter areas of my body like in my hairline and in and around my ears. If I don’t treat it right away, I scratch, sometimes hard, which results in bleeding, scars, and bald spots if it is under my hair. Like you say, it is beyond my control, and it is embarrassing for others to witness me scratching as it conveys my poor impulse control.
Do you have any great tips to help with this? Please share links as a reply if you have them. Thanks. ~ Elaine
Hi Elaine,
The tips were in the guide! You can simply apply salt water to rinse your ears, then apply clay paste for 15 minutes. Then rinse off with cool water before adding a moisturiser of your choice, probably a balm like shea butter is better.
Or instead of the clay, apply aloe vera gelly. It will stop the bleeding and heal the wound. In my experience the clay works faster though
Hope this helps!.
My son has a little patch of eczema on his elbow and it itches him to death during the summer. But I didn’t realize it was from this heat. Next time I will be trying the cool damp method you provided. So thanks a ton! I know it has to be so miserable having to itch and scratch dry patches of skin.
Hi Vanessa,
I feel for your son. However, just cooling him down is not enough. Reduce the amount of sugary food and drinks you give him and the inflammation which causes the severe itching will die down.
He will feel a lot better. Also provide him with vegetable juices. I have several posts about what foods to avoid and what supplements to take. If he is too young for supplements, oily fish like salmon or mackerel, steamed and cooked with rice (to disguise the look and taste) should go down a treat.
I am working on a book full of recipes – so watch this space.
All the best to you and yours…
Stella
Eczema, my sister had a fair share of them. She’s scratch so hard even I would become so irritated by her and sometimes leave. She still gets them occasionally and now that it’s summer, and it’s relatively hot, I think she’ll still have them again but I’m not going to let her get scars this Summer thanks to your tips. I’ll be sure to share this post with her so she can learn from it. I hope the scratching can go finally in the long run.
Dear H…
Please follow the bowel cleansing and liver flushing tips if your sister is old enough to do them. She must be over 12 to start. Once her bowels are clear of mucoid plaque and her liver is cleansed, she will notice a big difference in her skin and how it feels.
Bowel cleansing is what used to be in ancient times to keep people healthy. Fast forward to the 21st century and we have forgotten about it. Also sugar and sugary drinks need to be cut way down as they cause inflammation which causes severe itching.
It was my aunty who is a Pharmaceutical Technician who told me that. And she was right. When I stopped drinking Orange juice and sugary food, my skin calmed down.
All the best,
Stella
Hi. Thank you for this very informative article.
I have a brother in law that suffers from on Eczema. He is for ever scratching himself. I had no idea that he needed to cool down and I don’t think he even knows. From now on I’ll be able to help him with it by cooling our house down or taking him outside.
I will definitely gave a look at the clay paste link that you provided. We’re great mates and I gate to see him suffer. Jim
Sorry to hear about your brother in law. He must really be suffering in silence. It’s easy to put a brave face on, but it is really unsightly to see and most people do not understand unless they have it themselves.
Please read up on the post “P & B shakes for Eczema’ It talks about the importance of bowel cleansing clear the body of mucoid plaque which harbours toxins. It will make a huge difference to him.
All the best,
Stella