Oats are considered as a “super grain” that are equally good when either consumed orally or applied externally. I’m a huge fan of colloidal oatmeal and use it on regular basis as a skin soothing agent for my eczema prone son.
It contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory and moisture-retaining properties as it contains starches and beta-glucan. These are naturally present in oats. They help to hold in water, which enhances the moisturizing abilities. They are also famous for the antioxidant properties due to the presence of compounds that include vitamin E, ferulic acid, and aventhramides. These are just few of the useful compositions of oatmeal among a plethora of more.
Preparing oatmeal baths is fairly simple, just make sure the oats are free of flavorings, chemicals, sugars, and salts. Grind the oats into a fine powder using a food processor or grinder. Once finely ground and easily dissolved in water; they’re good and ready to be used. I don’t have a bathtub so I just use a big sized round tub and fill it up with warm water and start by adding a half-cup of oats to the bath. Once dissolved, I just simply soak my son in the bath for 15 minutes or so. Afterwards rinse him with plain water, pat dry and slather with moisturizer (which is also colloidal oatmeal based).
This skin regime really helps soothe my baby and calm his angry red blotchy eczema during the flare ups. This is not only helpful for dermititis but also if a child suffers from chicken pox or any skin allergic reaction.
Next time if you’re skin is really irritated, sunburned or itchy in general, then do give an oatmeal bath a try…