Homemade Eczema Ointment with Neem Oil
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This homemade eczema ointment, built around a small amount of potent neem oil, comes from years of relying on holistic, Ayurveda-based approaches instead of steroid creams to manage a family history of eczema.
Eczema and psoriasis are uncomfortable to live with, and this family has a history of it — genuine secondhand experience with this skin condition. To calm eczema and offer some relief, this homemade eczema ointment with neem oil gets used. It’s easy to make, with very little effort and a handful of easily available ingredients.
Skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis are among the most irritating disturbances the body can go through. Both are genetic autoimmune skin conditions that result in flaky, inflamed skin. A daughter dealt with eczema since infancy, though it’s under control now.
Eczema is often described as an external presentation of an internal problem. According to Ayurveda, it’s caused by an imbalance of the doshas, or humors, which are closely connected to digestion — so fixing digestion becomes key to a healthy immune system, in that view. With eczema, skin stays chronically inflamed, and the immune system becomes stressed enough that it can end up attacking the skin itself. Outbreaks are often red and swollen, appearing anywhere on the body, and chronic eczema can be genuinely painful.
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Treating Eczema Holistically
There’s no foolproof treatment for eczema, but it can be kept under control by avoiding certain foods — a topic that deserves its own separate post down the line. In natural or holistic medicine, the goal is to uncover the root cause of an issue and treat it at the source, which has been the main approach here for treating any family ailment, with Ayurveda as the medicine of choice. Ayurvedic treatment and diet have brought a daughter’s eczema under control.
Conventional medicine tends to focus solely on applying steroid creams like cortisone to calm eczema, but these come with long-term side effects. Medicated oils have been used instead to heal the skin externally, paired with herbal medicine for internal healing too. Since oils on their own can be messy, this homemade eczema ointment with neem oil was developed instead, and it’s worked very well so far.
Why Neem Oil
Making homemade skin care recipes is a genuine favorite here, mainly to avoid the chemicals that come packaged with store-bought versions. This eczema ointment is an all-natural, oil-based balm meant to soothe itchy, inflamed skin. Neem oil is one of the main active ingredients — used at only around 5% of the total mixture, but potent enough at that small amount, since the oil from neem is genuinely powerful for treating skin conditions.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more
About the Neem Tree
Ingredients List
- Shea butter, cocoa butter
- Sweet almond oil, castor oil
- Beeswax, neem oil
- Vit. E oil, essential oils (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Where Neem Oil Comes From:
The oil is extracted from the fruits and seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen that grows mainly across the Indian subcontinent. Though the smell is strong, it carries a lot of medicinal properties. In India, neem oil is used for skin diseases, inflammation, fevers, and even as an insecticide.
Neem Oil’s Properties:
Neem oil is a thick red or green oil, highly moisturizing and naturally antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, providing external relief from pain and itchiness. It’s rich in fatty acids like palmitic, linoleic, and oleic acid, all of which support healthy skin — which is exactly why it’s such a popular ingredient in Indian skin care products. Neem leaves have benefits too, containing flavonoids and polyphenols with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Lavender Essential Oil:
Soothing and anti-inflammatory, making it safe for those dealing with dermatitis.
Vitamin E Oil:
An antioxidant that supports the immune system and helps keep blood vessels healthy.
Castor Oil:
Anti-inflammatory with a range of medicinal properties, and an excellent moisturizer — genuinely useful for eczema.
Evening Primrose Oil:
A plant with yellow flowers native to North America, sometimes called night willow herb, fever plant, or King’s cure-all. Native Americans used it to heal wounds and treat issues like stomach pain and sore throat. It’s rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pain-relieving effects — potent enough to relieve eczema on its own, though the smell is quite strong.
How It Comes Together
Place the shea butter, cocoa butter, castor oil, beeswax, and sweet almond oil into a double boiler — or make one by resting a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. Melt over medium heat until fully melted, stir well, and let it cool briefly before adding the vitamin E oil and neem oil. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil for a nicer scent, if desired. Scoop the finished ointment into a glass or metal container.
Notes on the Ingredients
For a more liquid cream: add more liquid oil and omit the beeswax.
Adjust the neem oil to taste: reduce the quantity if the smell feels too strong.
Do a patch test first: some people are sensitive to neem oil — test before full use, and avoid it during pregnancy.
Always dilute neem oil: using it undiluted can cause contact dermatitis, so it should never be applied on its own.
More Homemade Skin Care
Printable labels for this ointment are also available as a free download, and more homemade skin care recipes, like this non-greasy whipped body butter, are shared on the blog too.
Watch the Video
Recipe Card
Homemade Eczema Ointment with Neem Oil
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 50 servings 1x
Description
An easy, all-natural, oil-based eczema ointment built around potent neem oil — made to soothe itchy, inflamed skin with just a handful of easily available ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons shea butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa butter
- 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
- 3/4 tablespoon beeswax
- 1 1/2 tablespoons castor oil
- 2 teaspoons neem oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Vit. E oil
- 1 teaspoon evening primrose oil (optional)
- 20 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
Instructions
-
Combine the Base:
Place the shea butter, cocoa butter, castor oil, beeswax, and sweet almond oil into a double boiler.
-
Make a Double Boiler if Needed:
If you don’t have one, rest a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water instead.
-
Melt:
Melt the oils over medium heat until completely melted.
-
Cool and Add Neem Oil:
Stir well and cool briefly, then add the Vitamin E oil and neem oil. For a nicer scent, add lavender essential oil.
-
Store:
Scoop the ointment into a glass or metal container and apply to the area of concern.
Notes
For a more liquid cream, add more liquid oil and omit the beeswax. Reduce the neem oil quantity if you find it too strong. Do a patch test with neem oil before use, since some people are sensitive to it, and avoid it during pregnancy. Neem oil is potent and should always be diluted — using it undiluted can cause contact dermatitis.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Home Remedies
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50
- Calories: 0.05
- Fat: 2
Your feedback is valuable
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