What Is the Best Natural Remedy for Eczema?
The most effective natural approach to eczema isn't a remedy — it's a routine. Moisturize generously twice a day, cleanse with something that doesn't strip your skin, and identify your triggers. Barrier repair is the whole game, and it's what every credible eczema protocol, natural or conventional, is built on.
This is part of our guide to probiotic skincare and how it works
Eczema is exhausting in a way that's hard to explain to people who haven't had it. The itch that wakes you at 3am, the flare that arrives the week of something important, the drawer full of products that each worked for a fortnight.
This guide covers what's actually going on in eczema skin, which natural approaches have evidence behind them, how to choose a soap that won't set you back, and where the honest limits are.
What eczema actually is
Atopic dermatitis — the most common form of eczema — is a chronic inflammatory condition where two things go wrong together.
The barrier leaks. Many people with eczema carry variations in a gene called filaggrin, which produces a protein essential to the skin's outer layer. Less filaggrin means a barrier that loses water outward and lets irritants and allergens inward. This is why eczema skin is dry even when it looks inflamed, and why moisturizing isn't cosmetic — it's structural.
The immune system overreacts. Things that wouldn't trouble anyone else provoke an inflammatory response. That inflammation damages the barrier further, which lets more in, which provokes more inflammation.
That loop is the thing to interrupt. Almost everything that helps eczema works by breaking it at one point or another.
The microbiome connection — the strongest of any skin condition
Of all the skin conditions where people talk about the microbiome, eczema has the clearest evidence.
Eczema skin is heavily colonized by Staphylococcus aureus — far more than healthy skin — and the degree of colonization tracks with how severe the eczema is. During flares, overall bacterial diversity drops and S. aureus takes over. As the flare settles, diversity returns.
This isn't a fringe finding. It's why dermatologists sometimes recommend dilute bleach baths for people with recurrent infected eczema — reducing S. aureus reduces flares.
It's also why the "outcompete rather than eradicate" idea has genuine appeal here. Harsh antibacterial products flatten the whole community, including the resident bacteria that normally keep S. aureus in check. Early research on topical applications of beneficial skin bacteria has shown promise. It's still early research.
What "probiotic" soap actually contains
Worth stating plainly: soap can't contain live bacteria. Saponification creates a pH of 10 to 12 and nothing survives it. What probiotic soaps contain are postbiotics — enzymes, peptides and fatty acids produced by bacteria — and paraprobiotics, the inactivated cells. Both are stable and biologically active. The full mechanism is here.
The routine that does the most work
If you take one thing from this page, take this. It's unglamorous and it outperforms almost every product marketed as an eczema remedy.
- Moisturize twice a day, every day, flare or no flare. Most people under-apply by a wide margin — an adult using enough emollient goes through several hundred grams a week, not a small tube a month. Consistency during good spells is what makes bad spells rarer.
- Soak and seal. Bathe in lukewarm water for five to ten minutes, pat dry without rubbing, and moisturize within three minutes while the skin is still damp. This traps water in rather than letting it evaporate. It's the single highest-return habit in eczema care.
- Cleanse minimally. Soap only where you need it — armpits, groin, feet. Most of your body needs water and nothing else on most days.
- Never hot water. It feels wonderful on itchy skin and strips lipids fast. The relief lasts minutes; the damage lasts days.
- Keep moisturizer cold. A jar in the fridge is a genuinely effective anti-itch measure, and it costs nothing.
Choosing a soap for eczema
Cleanser choice matters more in eczema than in any other skin condition, because surfactants directly strip the lipids in a barrier that's already deficient.
Avoid:
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and similar harsh surfactants. Genuinely well documented as barrier-damaging — SLS is literally used in research to induce irritation experimentally.
- Synthetic fragrance. One of the most common contact allergens there is, and it hides behind the single word "fragrance" or "parfum."
- Antibacterial cleansers, which flatten the microbial diversity you want to protect.
- Anything that leaves your skin feeling squeaky. That squeak is the sound of a stripped barrier.
Look for: a short ingredient list, no fragrance, occlusive and humectant ingredients like shea butter, oats or glycerin, and a low or skin-appropriate pH.
An honest note about pH
Healthy skin sits around pH 4.7 to 5.75. Eczema skin runs higher, which is part of the problem — elevated pH impairs the enzymes that build the barrier and happens to favour S. aureus.
Here's the honest bit: true soap is alkaline. Saponification makes it so, ours included. That's why dermatologists generally recommend low-pH, soap-free cleansers for eczema, particularly for the face and during flares.
In practice, people with mild eczema often tolerate a gentle, well-formulated bar perfectly well, especially on the body. People with moderate or severe eczema usually don't. The test is simple and it's yours to run: if your skin feels tight, itchy or tingly after washing, that cleanser isn't right for you — regardless of what's on the label or who made it.
Natural ingredients with something behind them
Colloidal oatmeal. The best-supported natural ingredient in eczema care, to the point that it's a recognized skin protectant. Anti-inflammatory and anti-itch. An oat bath during a flare genuinely helps.
Sunflower seed oil. High in linoleic acid, and studies show it supports barrier repair. Notably, olive oil does the opposite in some research — its oleic acid content can disrupt the barrier, so it's a poor choice for eczema despite how often it's recommended.
Tallow. Fatty acid profile closely resembling human sebum, which makes it an effective occlusive for very dry skin. Traditional rather than trial-tested, but the mechanism is straightforward.
Shea butter. A reliable occlusive, well tolerated, useful in the thicker preparations that dry eczema needs.
Calendula and chamomile. Traditionally used for irritated skin, with some anti-inflammatory evidence. One caution worth knowing: both are in the daisy family, and people with ragweed allergies sometimes react to them.
Evening primrose and borage oil, taken orally, have been widely recommended for eczema. The larger reviews haven't found a meaningful benefit. Include them if you like, but don't expect much.
About steroid creams
This deserves a straight answer, because there's a lot of fear attached to it and the fear causes real harm.
Topical corticosteroids are the standard first-line treatment for eczema flares. They work, they're well studied, and used appropriately they're safe — including for children. The genuine risks (skin thinning, and the withdrawal reactions people worry about) are associated with prolonged use of potent steroids on delicate skin like the face, or with continuous use over months without breaks. They are not what happens when you use a mild steroid on your arms for a two-week flare as directed.
Steroid phobia is well documented and it makes outcomes worse. Undertreated eczema means more scratching, more infection, more broken sleep and more distress — particularly in children, where the fear is usually the parent's rather than the patient's.
So the honest framing is not steroids versus natural care. It's this: steroids treat flares; daily emollients and gentle cleansing reduce how often flares happen. They do different jobs, and the people who manage eczema best generally use both.
If you're using steroids frequently, that's worth a conversation with your doctor — not because steroids are dangerous, but because frequent flares mean the underlying management needs work, and there are now non-steroid prescription options for exactly that situation.
Probiotics and eczema: what the evidence shows
This is one of the few areas where probiotics have genuinely supportive evidence — but in a narrower way than most people assume.
Prevention in infants. Multiple reviews have found that probiotics given to mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and to at-risk infants, reduce the likelihood of developing eczema. This is the strongest probiotic finding in dermatology. It's about prevention in high-risk babies, not treatment of established eczema, and it's worth discussing with a midwife or paediatrician rather than self-prescribing.
Treating existing eczema. Much weaker and inconsistent. Some studies show modest improvement, others none. If you want to try, give it three months and treat it as a supporting measure.
Topical. Early research on applying beneficial bacteria to eczema skin is genuinely interesting and genuinely preliminary. In the meantime, most of the benefit from probiotic skincare for eczema comes from the fact that it's formulated gently — no fragrance, no sulfates, no actives. Which is exactly what eczema skin needs, whatever the postbiotics contribute.
Triggers worth tracking
- Detergents — laundry products are a bigger culprit than most people realize. Fragrance-free, and an extra rinse cycle.
- Fabrics — wool and synthetics against skin; cotton and bamboo are better tolerated.
- Heat and sweat — shower promptly and moisturize after exercise.
- Dry air — winter heating is a common cause of seasonal worsening. A humidifier helps.
- Stress — a real, well-documented trigger, not a soft one.
- Food — a genuine trigger for some children, much less often for adults. Don't run elimination diets without proper testing; unnecessary restriction carries its own risks.
Keep a two-week log rather than guessing. Eczema lags its triggers by a day or two, which is why people so often blame the wrong thing.
When to see a doctor
Book an appointment if your eczema is weeping, crusting, yellow or getting rapidly worse — that suggests infection and needs treatment. Also if it's disturbing your sleep, spreading, not responding to consistent care over a few weeks, or affecting a child's daily life.
Eczema treatment has changed substantially in recent years. Beyond steroids there are calcineurin inhibitors, newer non-steroid topicals, and for severe disease biologics that work extremely well. If you last discussed this with a doctor years ago, the options are different now.
Where our products fit
Best fit: our Whipped Tallow Balm is the product in our range most suited to eczema — a rich occlusive for the soak-and-seal step, with a fatty acid profile close to skin's own. Our Skin Healing Salve suits smaller patches of cracked or irritated skin.
Possible, with the pH caveat above: our Probiotic Bar Soap and Liquid Castile Soap, well diluted, for body washing if your eczema is mild and you tolerate them. Patch test on your inner forearm for several days first.
Skip: our Probiotic Face Scrub and Detoxifying Face Mask. Exfoliation and clay both work against a barrier that's already compromised.
And to be plain: a moisturizer is not a treatment for moderate or severe eczema. We make good daily-care products. They belong alongside medical treatment, not instead of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best natural remedy for eczema?
Consistent moisturizing, done properly — generously, twice daily, and within three minutes of bathing. It's less interesting than any single ingredient and it outperforms all of them. Colloidal oatmeal baths are the best-supported natural addition on top of that.
What's the best soap for eczema?
The gentlest one you can tolerate, used as little as possible. No fragrance, no sulfates, short ingredient list. For moderate or severe eczema, a low-pH soap-free cleanser is usually better tolerated than any true soap. If your skin feels tight after washing, it's the wrong product.
Is there a good cream for eczema without steroids?
Yes — emollients are exactly that, and they're the foundation of daily care. But they do a different job from steroids. Emollients prevent and maintain; steroids calm an active flare. If you're avoiding steroids because you're worried about them, talk to your doctor rather than simply going without: there are non-steroid prescription options now, and untreated flares carry their own costs.
Do probiotics help eczema?
The best evidence is for prevention — probiotics during pregnancy and infancy reduce eczema risk in high-risk babies. For treating established eczema the evidence is much weaker. Topically, gentle formulation is doing most of the work.
Can probiotic soap help eczema?
It can help by cleansing without stripping, which matters a great deal here. Whether the postbiotics add more than that isn't established. Note the pH caveat above — for anything beyond mild eczema, a low-pH cleanser is usually the safer choice.
Does diet cause eczema?
Food allergy is a genuine trigger in a minority of children and much less often in adults. Most people's eczema is not driven by diet. Don't cut out food groups without proper allergy testing — unnecessary restriction has real costs, especially for children.
Why does my eczema get worse in winter?
Cold air holds less moisture and indoor heating dries it further, so the barrier loses water faster. Moisturize more heavily, run a humidifier, and take shorter, cooler showers.
How long before a new routine makes a difference?
Two to four weeks for a change in daily care. Eczema fluctuates on its own, so a good week doesn't prove anything and a bad week doesn't disprove it — look at the trend over a month.
