DEAD SEA SALT BATH
1 lb. Dead Sea Salts
1 cup Oatmeal (instead of putting this directly into the water, I make a satchel so the tub isn't too difficult to clean)
1/4 cup Sesame Oil
Corn starch (to dust the entire body with after stepping out of the bath)
Here's what she said about the baths:
Adjust the temperature of the water so it is on the warm side of tepid. The Dead Sea salts rapidly promote healing. The oatmeal quiets the itch, and the sesame oil provides moisture. When you get out of the tub, gently pat your skin dry, and then dust your entire body in corn starch. The corn starch actually acts as a moisturizer by holding the moisture in your skin, but it also allows your skin to breath naturally. Throughout the day, if you get itchy, dust the area in more cornstarch, you will be surprised at how pleasant this feels. When you use liquid moisturizers you are creating a moist environment where bacteria and fungus can thrive. It is much better if you stop depleting your skin of its natural oils by stopping the hot showers. Stop using anything topical except for soaking in this salt, oatmeal, sesame oil solution and following with corn starch. I really do think that this will begin to provide you with some relief. If you are still experiencing inflammation itching after a couple of weeks, I will talk to my acupuncturist who helped me.
It will also help if you incorporate olive oil, wheat germ oil, or fish oil into your diet. It will also help if you take a good pro biotic.
After just one week of following this bath outline...... I HAVE EXPERIENCED MUCH COMFORT! And it feels like my skin is actually healing much faster now! Last week, when I was looking down at my skin, I resigned to the thinking "It's going to take at least a year for me to heal from this. Probably longer. The damage is just too extensive to heal any faster than that." But now.... after taking the baths (and not moisturizing*) for just one week, I'm predicting that it might take about 5 or 6 months to experience total healing! I could be wrong, of course! But healing already feels so much closer than it did just last week!
Today, I also have an appointment with an acupuncturist who was recommended directly from Jan's own acupuncturist in Pittsburgh. (Can you believe that she actually asked her acupuncturist to look at my blog and see if he thought the acupuncture would help!?!) I'm excited to go this afternoon--hoping that it will provide extra healing and comfort!
Thank you so much, Jan! Words can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that you contacted me.
If anyone else in the midst of TSW tries these baths, please report back and let us know if it helps you too!!
*I have been using a touch of jojoba oil around my eyes (once a day) for comfort from extreme flakey-ness in that area. It works beautifully!