(Part 4) Top products from r/eczema

You need to acquire a kombucha scoby first. You can buy it online or grow one from a bottle. For me, what I did was get a bottle of original GT (the silver and blue bottle, it's unflavored. You must use original/unflavored) and pour everything out into a quart-sized jar. When purchasing, look for a bottle with the most amount of yeast strands inside. They are on the bottom of the bottle. The bigger the clump of strands, the better it is for brewing kombucha. Some people say you cannot brew kombucha with a regular bottle of GT since they changed the formulation a few years ago, but I did in Februrary. I like to think it's because I grabbed the one with the biggest/most yeast strands LOL. When growing the scoby, you can use a smaller cup than a quart-sized jar, but be mindful that the scoby will grow on the top so if you use a small cup, the scoby will be small. I kept it on the counter, covered with a tightly-woven cloth and rubber band for until it grew about 1/4" thick. Here's a video in case anyone is more visual

You will need a 1 gallon jar (or two gallon, but standard is 1 gallon), tea, and sugar. I use only plain green tea (no flavors since flavored might induce mold) and white sugar. Some people highly recommend organic sugar. RecipeMake sure the tea is COMPLETELY cool before adding it into the jar. If it is hot, it may kill your scoby. All tea + sugar that touches the scoby must be room temperature.

Keep the kombucha covered with a tightly-woven cloth (no lid) with rubber band and in the dark preferably away from chemicals. It takes about 10-15 days or longer to brew usually, but it can be as short as 5 days or as long as 3 weeks. It all depends on how strong the scoby is. If you want to taste it, get a straw and put it in to take a sip underneath the scoby. Don't be alarmed if the scoby falls down if you do this (it acts like a barrier) because it will either rise up again OR form a new scoby on top. If the brew tastes too sweet, it needs to ferment longer. If it tastes very watery, don't fret, it sometimes goes through a weird VERY watery stage during fermentation....it simply needs to ferment more.

The reason why I recommend a 2 gallon jar is if you intend to brew seriously (more than 6 months) as you brew, the scoby will get thicker and thicker. Each new batch will also lead to a formation of a new scoby on top. After a lot of research, I decided that it wouldn't be good for me to touch the scobies in fear of contamination so I leave all the scobies inside of the jar. As you can imagine, it takes up a sizable amount of room after a while (1/4 of my 1-gallon jar is scobies!). I do need to repot at least 1 in a scoby hotel in case anything happens, but that's just a backup if my kombucha gets moldy (very rare due to acidity levels).

I bought an auto-siphon for bottling. I highly recommend it. It keeps everything much more sanitary when bottling and is easy. For my first batch, I tried to pour the kombucha in my 1-gallon jar into a bottle using a funnel. It was a REAL pain. Would never do it again. Here's a link to the auto-siphon and a video so you can see how amazing it is. Autosiphon However.... if you want to save money and buy the exact SAME thing for slightly cheaper ($16.95 currently with free shipping), buy it here. You want to get the Size: Mini 3/8", No Clamp, and "Add 5." The Add 5 is 5 feet of tubing so when you get it, I recommend cutting it in half to be 2-2.5 feet of tubing.

For the 2nd fermentation to create carbonation, which isn't necessary but some prefer it, I buy swing-top bottles. I bought mines at TJ Maxx for about $2 each (1 Liter since that's all they had). It might seem difficult to open if you don't know how to, but once you know how, it's super easy.

Sorry if this seems a bit out of order, but I hope I explained a lot. Kombucha Kamp is a great resource and I do believe in not refrigerating scobies. If you take a break from brewing, just add some fresh tea + sugar (same ratio as making kombucha) and let it sit, checking up on it every so often to make sure it doesn't evaporate. I've done it personally for about 2 months and my kombucha was fine (took about 5 days longer to brew, but its fine). I wouldn't refrigerate the scoby because I heard it can grow mold if you do. By the way, mold is fuzzy, green, or black. If you have any concerns about it being moldy, please look at pictures online of kombucha scobies before throwing a batch out. When I first started, the early formations of scoby (blotchy on the surface) made me think it was molded, but it wasn't :)

You may get a dud batch or two taste-wise. If this happens, just remove about 50-75% of the liquid and put new tea+sugar water. Practice makes perfect, yet sometimes humidity/temperature levels can cause a dud (strong sulfur taste... thankfully it was just one batch).

I hope this helps! There are so many resources online and once you get it started, it's as easy as just refilling the 1 gallon (or 2 gallon) jar with more tea+sugar water and waiting for it to ferment.

---**edited to replace cheesecloth with tightly-woven cloth. Personally, I use a tea towel. A cheesecloth may have holes big enough to allow fruit flies to come in. Also added that all tea (tea+ sugar) that will be contact with the kombucha scoby must be cooled down to room temperature or it may kill the scoby.

For me, I went semi-paleo. I hike at least once a week (each one minimum 8 miles roundtrip), so on those days, there's absolutely no way to avoid eating carbs (or else I'd collapse halfway through the hike).

Aside from the hiking days where I load up on breakfast burritos and sandwiches, my meals are typically:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Guacamole. Decaf coffee with blackstrap molasses as the sweetener.
Lunch: Chicken or Beef with a huge serving of Broccoli sautéed with onions and mushrooms
Dinner: Huge serving of sautéed spinach and smoked salmon (or salmon sashimi)
Snacks: Sunflower Seeds. Pistachos. Carrots. Cucumbers. Hummus. Roasted yams/sweet potatoes.

A few notes:
It's not coffee itself that will flare up the eczema, it's caffeine. Coffee is wonderfully nutritious, so just grab the decaf. If you exercise 4-5 days out of the week, your energy levels will be just fine and you won't need caffeinated beverages to keep you awake.

I typically will bbq the chicken or beef, and I'll switch between a simple dry rub (salt, pepper, cayenne) and coating it in sunflower oil. When I'm lazy, I'll grab the rotisserie whole chicken from Costco for $5 and split it up into 2-3 meals.

Spinach shrinks like no other when it's cooked, so I usually sauté those pre-washed 1lbs bags, which is just enough for one serving. For the broccoli, the 1 lbs bags are usually good for 2-3 servings.

I've spent alot of time figuring out what I can and shouldn't eat. When I first started my new diet, my first week consisted of roasted chicken or some kind of fish with broccoli or spinach. Breakfast, lunch, dinner was just some combination of those 4 items. Then I threw in decaf coffee. Ok, solid, nothing bad after a few days. Threw in green tea. Again, nothing bad after a few days. Eggs - cool. Then I just kept adding things and played the elimination game until I had general categories of what I could eat fine and what I could eat that would cause flare-ups.

Although, I will admit, I do cheat ALOT (cheesecake, for example, is my kryptonite even though the dairy and excess sugar flare me up pretty bad). And my typical menu looks limited, but it's really because I'm cheap and lazy. I also love going to all you can eat Indian buffets where I'll load up on the spinach daal, curried cauliflower and carrots, and the tandoori chicken -- no flare ups, and I can pig out on the cheap!

You'll also want to look up "black strap molasses" and how naturally nutritious it is. Acne and Eczema sufferers have reported some good results, and I'm happy to say that it hasn't had any negative side effects for me. I also have gone a bit hippie and drink Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar everyday (plenty of blogs and threads here on Reddit about that).

Edit: Another thing, I'm so lazy when it comes to cooking. I use this pan, and the lid is perfect for steaming/sautéing the veggies. Then throw in half of the store-bought rotisserie chicken, and I've got the lazy man's lunch/dinner. I like paying a bit more for sashimi-grade salmon/ahi tuna because I can eat it raw and not have to cook it! Eggs are also really fast to cook, and I buy the pre-made guac.

I'm guessing you have dyshidrosis- same as I do.

Here is a picture of my hand two weeks ago after a round of golf: http://i.imgur.com/7Noqm1P.jpg

Here is my hand now: http://i.imgur.com/Of4cxtN.jpg
Not perfect but much better.

I'm using a super-strong steroid called clobetesol. The idea is to use it for a couple of weeks then taper down to a weaker steroid (or none at all). The steroid will definitely thin your skin (look at how easily my skin has torn around the inside of the first knuckles). But if you scale back - the skin DOES seem to recover.

I also put it on my hand and then sleep with a cotton glove at night (to let the steroid absorb better and to avoid getting any on my wife and pets). Don't use a latex or nitrile glove as the sweating this causes seems to do more harm than good. This two week regimen usually knocks out a huge breakout (like I'm having now). The breakouts seem to come in cycles. No idea whats causing them - I'm 33 and still haven't figured out the trigger.

My doctor also reccommended a lotion called amlactin - which is a first this time around. It has 12% lactic acid. I think the idea is to exfoliate - get rid of the dead skin and encourage new skin to come back faster. It burns like a mother if you have open wounds - but it DOES seem to help.

http://www.amazon.com/AmLactin-12-Moisturizing-Lotion/dp/B000TTPZQ6

Good luck OP. This condition is a bastard - no doubt

I use something like these. https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Powder-Disposable-Plastic-Gloves/dp/B07N1V79BT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=plastic+gloves&qid=1573347357&sprefix=plastic+gl&sr=8-3 only downside is they aren't elbow length, but they dont bother my skin. Also I like the disposable gloves because they dont accumulate cleaning residue and I can double layer them for extra protection if need be. In terms of cleaning products I purchase I try to avoid anything with added perfume scents if possible. I make my own all purpose cleaner from water, vinegar and peppermint essential oil for little clean up stuff. For kitchen clean up I mix 25%ish Dawn liquid soap with water in a spray bottle. If you're willing to experiment with making a few things yourself it might help.

I get flare-ups on my face and neck pretty regularly. It usually happens when I'm stressed or dehydrated or come in contact with something I'm really allergic to. There are definitely days when I feel so self-conscious about it that I don't want to leave the house.

For immediate relief, I use Colpacs. They make a really big one that stays cold for a long time. When I'm so itchy that I can't fall asleep, I pull it out of the freezer, wrap it in a thin towel, and lay on it.

To treat a flare-up, I use a strategy similar to morallyirresponsible. I dip a washcloth in ice water and lay it on the flared-up area. When the cloth gets warm, I dip it again to make it cold. After about an hour, my skin is usually calm enough for cortisone cream and moisturizer. It takes a couple days of diligent attention, but eventually it works. Maybe it would help you too?

Probably, but I am not a doctor. Here is what I use to help keep it under control. It's super thick and greasy but works very well to moisturize and keep them under control. Go to a doctor if it gets worse.

I really wanted to love the the CeraVe sunscreen but it has: Methylparaben and Propylparaben. I now use the Vanicream sunscreen and the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc . They don't burn/irritate my skin. Hope this helps!

Another thing that you can use and this is what I do (MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO PEA OR RICE PROTEINS) is a thing called mediclear, try to have a smoothie with it in the morning and night until symptoms calm down a little. http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Research-MediClear-980-34-6oz/dp/B000FGXO2U
IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO SOY DO NOT BUY Mediclear Plus. IT IS SOY PROTIENS WHICH WILL (if your like me) END YOU. Once you open this your body should feel a little relieved just breathing the air of it.

Your comment about the apple cider vinegar reminded me that I also suffered from scalp eczema in my teens. I tried ACV but the intense burning sensation wasn't worth the minimal relief it offered.
Is the shampoo by Jason this one? . I'll definitely get some and give it a try when the T-Gel stops working!

This is the stuff that I use, it is 99% pure so its very good for that price. It comes with its own scoop, one side is 1 tsp and the other is 2 tbs. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NPKFCA/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do they have Vanicream? It's actually better then Cerave. There is also Vaseline cream (https://www.amazon.com/Vaseline-Petroleum-Moisture-Creamy-Formula/dp/B0000537JL?th=1). The reason the lotion stings (in my opinion) is due to the amount of alcohol in the lotion.

Never really needed to be too particular as my eczema used to only be mild. Just a light facewash and cotton wool. I have Been using only water with cotton wool for the last few days. I'll start using the AproDerm Emollient Cream as a wash. I have used Diprobase as a wash in the past, face doesn't feel clean. Any recommendations?

Edit: it hasn't been under control for ages really. Which is why I tried Jajobo oil and peptides. I'll certainly stick to a more delicate wash routine for a start.

Solarcaine. It is a topical lidocaine that numbs and hydrates the skin. That and pressing an ice pack into the skin are helpful for me.

These Cotton Lined Washing up gloves aren't bad although mine started to smell a bit after the insides started getting wet.

Chillow
http://www.amazon.com/SoothSoft-604232777510-Chillow/dp/B0000V0E14

I've found that moisturizer creams do very little for me, I put them on and 10 minutes later the skin is just as dry as before. Here is what I have found helps, although my rashes are not on my face but it's still what you can do. After I shower and my pores are opened up, while my skin is still soaking wet I apply Aquaphor Healing Ointment and rub it in quite well. This is somewhat similar to Vaseline, but not the equivalent Then, I just dab dry with a towel so as not to wipe off the ointment. My skin can be very, very itchy and on a scale of 1-10 I may be at an 8 heading into the shower. After applying the Aquaphor ointment, the level of itch falls to a 2-3, and stays that way for a good number of hours.

You may have developed a sensitivity/allergy to petroleum jelly over time. If that's the case, you could try Un-petroleum jelly

I urge you to try this method. It really has helped me, and little else has aside from steroid creams which have those nasty side effects.

I'm curious, doesnt this hospital have nitrile gloves? Latex gloves are sortof old fashioned because so many people have latex allergies, and I find Nitrile to be very comfortable. Definitely switch to nitrile if you can.

Unfortunately, if you have any cracks in your hands, your eczema will get worse, and the worse your eczema is, the more cracks you will have. You really need to work on healing your hands, and I suggest at night, you soak them in a vinegar and salt solution, you can google a recipe for proportions, and then pat them dry and coat them in vaseline or preferably Aquaphor healing ointment, and then put on clean cotton gloves, and go to sleep. If you do this every night, your hands just might have a chance to heal more then you damage them everyday by overwashing. Also, you can wear these cotton gloves under your latex gloves to prevent irritation. Try to wear gloves more often so you can wash your hands less, until your hands completely heal.

https://www.amazon.com/Dermatological-cotton-gloves-medium-pair/dp/B000GCOL5M

My Love. Never going back.

https://www.amazon.com/Selsun-Blue-Medicated-Conditioner-Treatment/dp/B000GCURBO

Also, I had to re-educate myself to using the soft part of my finger to massage the shampoo into my scalp. I know using nails feels really clean, but it cause abrasions, and it will feel itchy when it tries to 'heal' itself after a while. If you scratch then, the open wounds on your scalp will make it even more painful to wash hair.

Try this shampoo, and soft finger style for one to two weeks to see how it goes.

I'm not a doctor, so I do not know for sure. However, when I've missed taking folate, I get a little nauseous. I also know that taking folate decreases the likelihood of liver problems. If you are worried, I would call your doctor about it, or get folate without a prescription..

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Made-Folic-400mcg-Tablets/dp/B0000DJAPS/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1464785184&sr=1-5&keywords=folic+acid