Eczema affects millions of people worldwide, with symptoms appearing as rough, itchy patches on the arms, legs, and face. It can be absolutely debilitating.

One mum from New Zealand understands the problem all too well because four out of her five kids are suffering from the skin condition, and their cases are far from mild.

“I felt sad seeing my kids covered in rashes and dry skin,” said Renita Stuart, who realised that the only way to deal with their severe eczema was a total change in her family’s lifestyle.

Credit: Renita Stuart/7News.​

It took a trip to a dermatologist’s office for Renita’s family to realise that laundry products were one of the factors contributing to their skin’s flare-up.

“At the time, we were purchasing something that was considered eco-friendly and expensive too, but when you really looked into the ingredients, there are things in there that will still irritate our children’s skin,” said the mum, who then decided to make her own non-toxic laundry powder.

“By making my own, I know what the ingredients are and won’t irritate sensitive skin like our family’s.”

And just after a few weeks of using the DIY powder in their family’s clothes and bedsheets laundry, they already noticed the tremendous results.

“It’s much gentler for the kids’ sensitive skin. Also, their skin was not as itchy during the day,” said the satisfied mum.

Renita expressed how surprised she was to find out that not only is the DIY laundry powder safe, it is also super effective in removing tough stains.

“We only use about one tablespoon per load, so normally with the seven people in the family, it will last about four to six months, including washing all of our bed sheets a week,” she said.

Here are the ingredients for Renita’s DIY five-ingredient laundry powder:

• 2 cups baking soda
• 2 cups washing soda
• ½ cup Epsom salt
• 20 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 tablet Young Living Thieves cleansing soap (grated)

The mum-of-five said that you only have to mix all of the ingredients in a blender, then you’re done! You can now use it for your next pile of laundry.

Aside from changing their laundry product, Renita also said that she decided to ‘cut out all the highly toxic products’ in their house.

“We used to think that bleach would kill bacteria, but it could damage our lungs if breathed in constantly. We just became smarter at looking at ingredients of everything, including food and products that we bring into our house,” said the mum.

Credit: Renita Stuart/7News.​

In addition to the DIY laundry powder, Renita also changed her family’s daily food consumption: they used to go on a strict plant-based diet but are now practising 70 per cent plant-based and 30 per cent paleo diet.

“Four out of my five children had eczema, each caused by different things - including gluten, dairy, gut imbalances related to sugar and emotions,” she shared.
“I believe the plant-based diet was working for our family, though it might not work for others.”

“Now we do a meal with meat two to three times a week. We still don’t have a normal meal with mainly carbohydrates. Vegetables take up most of the space on our plate,” she said.

Thankfully, Renita has reported that her kids now have healthy skin and are much happier.

 

[Kayer02]

Never heard of the product "Young Living Thieves" soap.. I gather it`s a Kiwi brand, so does anyone know what is the Aussie version /substitute for it could be ?