If your precious little one is battling baby eczema, you might be wondering if tallow balm is the right solution. Well, rest assured, this article is here to educate you on the wonders of tallow balm and why it's a safe and effective choice for your baby's delicate skin.
First, let's address the basics, tallow balm is a time-tested, ancestral skincare remedy for eczema that's been used by both adults and children for generations. It's entirely natural and poses no harm when used appropriately. In fact, it boasts an array of valuable nutrients that can soothe, nourish, and safeguard your baby's skin.
To combat baby eczema, moisturizing and protective care is paramount.
1) Gently apply tallow balm to your baby's sensitive skin and dress them in long-sleeved clothing to ensure the rash is shielded as it heals.
2) Reapply the tallow balm every few hours to keep the skin moist, and keep the baby was kept in loose clothing for added comfort.
3) Refrain from using soap, even the natural variety, on or around the affected area to prevent further skin dryness.
4) Avoid bathing in hot water. Hot water strips your baby's skin of the natural oil it needs to remain moisturized, maintain a healthy microbiome, and keep the skin barrier at full strength.
Why is Tallow so Powerful
So, what makes tallow balm the standout choice for baby eczema? First and foremost, it's composed of all-natural ingredients that bestow a plethora of benefits to the skin:
Nutrient-Rich: Tallow from grass-fed sources is a treasure trove of essential vitamins such as D and E, which promote skin smoothness, provide defense against sun damage, and reduce inflammation. Additionally, it contains vitamin K2, which supports the body's ability to create elastin (which, like it sounds, is a protein that increases the skin's elasticity).
Balancing Fatty Acids: Tallow, like other animal fats, is brimming with saturated fatty acids that help correct imbalances in the skin that are often associated with eczema breakouts. Read more about tallow and eczema here.
Moreover, unlike some commercial eczema treatments such as hydrocortisone creams and crisaborole, tallow balm doesn't come with the potentially harsh side effects associated with synthetic ingredients. Hydrocortisone creams, for instance, can weaken the skin's barrier, leading to adverse effects like burning, itching, irritation, and dryness. Prolonged use can even result in hormonal disruption and high blood sugar, hence the recommendation to limit usage on babies to no more than five days.
Why you shouldn’t use hydrocortisone to treat your baby's eczema
If your baby’s eczema breakout was relatively mild, you should follow your urger to want to avoid any products that could cause other negative health effects, now or in the future.
Hydrocortisone and other steroid creams break down the skin barrier, weakening it and leaving it vulnerable to other skin problems. They don't just dry the skin out (a common complaint) — they decrease its ability to stay hydrated and actually disorganize the cell structure in your skin!
Common side effects of hydrocortisone cream include burning, itching, irritation, and dryness. Unless it's a severe eczema flare-up, those side effects may be worse than the symptoms you're trying to treat!
What is even more concerning than the short-term side effects is that long-term hydrocortisone usage has been linked to hormonal disruption and high blood sugar. That's why doctors typically recommend using hydrocortisone cream on babies for no more than five days at a time.
Why you shouldn’t use crisaborole to treat your baby's eczema
Crisaborole (sold under the brand name Eucrisa) has fewer short-term side effects than steroid creams, but it also has a distressing property that you should avoidat all costs: crisaborole is an immunosuppressant.
During an eczema breakout, the body sends white blood cells to the surface of the skin. That immune response is what causes redness and inflammation.
Crisaborole works by weakening the immune system, which prevents the skin from releasing as many inflammatory immune responses. This reduces eczema symptoms, but it does nothing to strengthen the skin barrier or address the root cause of the inflammation.
Safety considerations when using tallow balm for baby eczema
Baby skin is incredibly sensitive, so I recommend taking a few precautions before using tallow balm (or any skincare product) on your little one.
First, check the ingredients list. Make sure it doesn't contain anything you know your baby is allergic to or has reacted to in the past.
If you have another child with highly sensitive skin, a family history or allergies, or you just want to be extra careful, patch test a small amount of the balm on your baby's arm or leg. Leave it for a few hours and verify your baby doesn't have a reaction before applying it to the spot of the eczema breakout.
Stop treatment and consult with your health care provider if symptoms worsen or your baby appears to be reacting negatively to the tallow balm.
The best tallow balm for baby eczema
The best tallow balm for baby eczema is an unscented tallow balm made from grass-fed tallow and other all-natural ingredients.
Research shows that grass-fed beef has a higher nutrient content than meat from other cows. Since tallow is rendered beef fat, this suggests grass-fed tallow will nourish your baby's skin more effectively than balms made from lower-quality ingredients.
Avoid tallow balms made with essential oils when treating baby eczema. Scented ingredients – even natural ones – are highly concentrated, which makes them dangerous for infants because their skin is so sensitive.
Avoid tallow balms made with natural oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, or sunflower oil. Not all natural oils are equal. Natural plant oils, such as olive, coconut, or sunflower seed oils, have been suggested as moisturizers for babies, but there’s evidence that they may actually make dry skin or eczema worse in children. That’s why we make our tallow balm with Jojoba Oil – safe for both newborn & juvenile skin.
I personally handcraft each batch of our tallow balm by creating an ultra-hydrating, all natural moisturizer comprised of 100% grass-fed tallow, organic honey, organic beeswax and 100% pure organic cold-pressed jojoba oil.
We do not use any essential oils and our tallow balm, THE BALM, is fragrance-free, dye-free, paraben-free, and preservative-free – all common irritants that trigger rashes and eczema in hyper-sensitive baby skin.
In conclusion, tallow balm is a reliable and natural solution to soothe your baby's eczema. With its time-tested effectiveness and minimal side effects, it provides a gentler approach to caring for your little one's skin. When used mindfully and in accordance with safety considerations, tallow balm can be a parent's go-to choice for managing baby eczema.
If you have any questions we didn't address here, email me at shopnaturalorigins.com. I'm happy to answer any questions you have and help you choose a tallow balm that's right for your or your baby's skin!