Eczema Information

Have you noticed that eczema is on the rise in our country? It is difficult to find a family that has not been affected by this terrible skin condition. What is eczema? It’s a scaly, itchy patch or patches of skin. Sometimes it’s simply inflamed skin, sometimes it is cracked and seeping skin.

I know firsthand how uncomfortable eczema can be.  Having it yourself and watching your child suffer with that same uncomfortable feeling are two different things. My son developed eczema when he was only two weeks old. We had just started giving him “official baths.” With every attempt to give my little boy his relaxing evening bath, his tender skin became more scaly and eventually his skin started to crack and bleed. My heart ached for him. I had suffered from eczema on my hands for years and just coped with it but I would not allow my son to endure the same fate.

I did what every good Mommy would do and I took him to the doctors. We started down the path of years of steroid creams and petroleum-covered nights. Nothing worked. I had heard a few things that scared me about continuing a steroid regimen for my son.  They included the words, “cancer,” and “thinning of the skin.” I was scared enough to start doing my own research. What I discovered absolutely floored me! I found that many people who suffer from eczema have a mild allergy to petroleum products.

“Petroleum products?!” I hear you asking that question as I write it. I answer you with a resounding, “Yes—petroleum products!” The chemical that we were told to put on our ailing skin was the chemical that was causing the problem! Unbelievable!

I was upset further to discover that all of my prescriptions for eczema were based in petroleum. As I researched even further, I found that many other chemicals listed on the back of my commercial lotions, soaps, shampoos, and creams were loaded with petroleum products or by-products.

Let's face the facts—these products come from crude oil. They are not used because they are good for our skin. They are used because they are inexpensive and easy to get from the petroleum industry. Petroleum is what is left in the stiles during the process of making gasoline. What else are they going to do with it?  Petroleum products block the skin's ability to breathe, therefore promoting dry and damaged skin.

Another damaging chemical used in our everyday products is Sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate (SLS).

This foaming agent is toxic to the skin. What is it? A cheap and easy way for companies to make a detergent to clean your skin. You read it correctly—detergent. A “soap” is a cleanser made from fats and oils and tweaked with lye to make either a liquid or a bar that will clean oils and dirt from a surface like your skin. Without using fats or oils you have to use a chemical to clean yourself. When you make a cleaner using synthetic chemicals you have a “detergent.” What’s even worse is that there is little difference between what you use on your skin and what you use to wash your clothes. The base of both is sodium lauryl sulfate. SLS dries the skin and makes your eczema worse.

Where does this leave us?

Eczema currently infects one in five children and one in ten adults. Does anyone see the connection in the rise of petroleum and synthetic ingredients in our beauty products and the rise in chronic skin conditions? That means that over 35 million Americans suffer from eczema every day. Don’t think for a minute that the drug companies have overlooked this one small million-dollar fact. If we (and this includes only those of us who suffer from eczema) spent only one dollar a month on treating our eczema, drug companies would stand to make over $420 million dollars from us in one year. What kind of money would they make if they actually cured your skin conditions? Nothing. They make millions if you have a skin condition. They make nothing if your skin is healthy.   Multiply that one dollar by what you actually spend per month trying to get your skin (or your child’s skin) healthy. You’ve got it—their corporate profits skyrocket and we spend a fortune. Simply Pure is here to offer you two things—information and an affordable way out!

You are now armed with the truth and you have the information you need. I encourage you to do your own research. Beware as you venture out onto the Internet though—many websites are still encouraging you to slather your skin with petroleum products. Don’t give in! You are doing yourself much more harm than good. If they like the product so much, let them use it. We offer a different solution. Go Natural! Go back to a simpler time when soap was made from healthy, real fats and oils. We have so many soaps and lotions for you to try. We hope you will give this regimen a try—

·       Soak for about 15 minutes in a tub of water (scary for those with dry skin—I know—but try it and enjoy the results)  that has been enriched with Grey Salt Mineral Soak. Adding several tablespoons of this salt puts many different minerals in your water and ultimately in your skin.

·       Wash your skin with our Simply Clean Bath Bar or our Cool Spice Body Wash. Both are made with all-natural, healthy oils that will be gentle on your skin without the drying and devastating effects of chemicals on your already ailing skin.

Barbara&Her Family