Oatmeal baths: you may have had one as a child, but don’t remember why. They are a remedy people have been using since ancient times. Why would you take a bath in oatmeal? Oatmeal is for eating, right?
Well, oatmeal is cheap, and it’s useful. It can help with diaper rash and other ailments. Nowadays, it’s associated with children, but there are ways an oatmeal bath can help adults, too.
Besides Diaper Rash, What Can An Oatmeal Bath Treat?
As the title suggests, they are great for a baby who has a diaper rash, but that’s not all. Oatmeal bath for diaper rash can be treated as well as various conditions, including:
- Itchy, dry skin
- Chickenpox
- Anal itching
- Acne
- The shingles
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Contact and atopic dermatitis
- Insect bites and poison plant irritation including poison ivy
- Sensitive skin problems
- Yeast infections
So as you can see, oatmeal baths are excellent for children, but adults can find that they have used it as well. Many will use an oatmeal bath for various skin conditions and issues, including dry skin. It also can be used along with other care products and diaper rash cream as a home remedy to improve the skin of the body.
How To Make An Awesome Oatmeal Bath
You can buy commercial products at a store to make an oatmeal bath for diaper rash, but you can also make your version as well. Making your own as very cheap, and sometimes, you may have the ingredients already. Let’s take a look.
What You Need
Something to grind. Like a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. If you’re unable to rub it too much, cheesecloth can catch the oatmeal. You want a coffee grinder or food processor that will ground fine the oatmeal so that it’s smooth.
Warm water. Make sure you use warm water that is milky white when you combine. If it’s milky white, that means it’s ground deep enough that it won’t be lumpy. Warm water will not be too much for the child and it can make it easier for them to get in.
A rubber band. With a rubber band, you can take the rest of your oatmeal in order to use it for food recipes, or for another soothing oatmeal bath to help with dry skin and irritated skin. It’s one of the best natural remedies for different ailments in the body. You can even use this is as a diaper rash cream once it is ground up and for other care products too.
Oatmeal. Unflavored. It can be instant, quick, or slow cooking. You need a cup of it or a third cup for a baby bath. Colloidal oatmeal is one that some people use for different skin conditions including dry skin, irritated skin, and personal care actions. That’s because colloidal oatmeal when ground provides a skin barrier, protective barrier, and contains Avena sativa in it. Avena sativa is an emollient, which can be used to help soothe the skin, and not only can it work as a diaper rash cream, but it also can help skin dry because of the air, or even cracked skin. This is used in natural remedies too.
Rolled oats can also be used to create a soothing oatmeal bath since it does offer a protective barrier and can help with diaper rashes along with other skin conditions. However, with rolled oats, you will need to make sure that they’re ground completely before using it as a home remedy.
Directions
First, blend the oats. Using your grinder or processor, use the highest setting and don’t stop mixing until it’s a fine powder. You can test your oats and see if they work. Put a tablespoon of the oats in a glass of water, warm, and see if it’s absorbed. If the water turns milky and silky, you’ve done it. If not, grind again and repeat.
If, for some reason, you can’t grind it, put it in a cheesecloth, pantyhose, muslin bag, or something else, and you can be able to have an oatmeal bath without the mess.
Afterward, pour the mix into the bath. Make sure the water is nice and warm and then hand-stir it. As you stir it, make sure there aren’t any oatmeal clumps on the bottom. Break it apart. Take around 20 minutes for the bath to absorb the water.
For using a bag for the oatmeal, use hot water and put the bag in there, and wait until it’s cool.
Putting Your Kid In The Bath
When you’re putting a kid in the bath, be mindful. An oatmeal bath is slippery, and the last thing you want is for your kid to slip-slide in there. Make sure that you’re carefully putting your kid in there. Make sure your child is soaking in the tub for about 15-30 minutes. It takes a bit for the oatmeal properties to get working.
When your kid is done bathing, use a soft towel and pat-dry your child.
Oatmeal baths are perfectly safe; you should do it at least once a day, or more if your doctor says so.
Why Does It Work?
You may wonder why an oatmeal bath is effective. Well, we’ll tell you. Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and properties that keep moisture in. This form of oatmeal is called colloidal oatmeal or ground up oatmeal that’s in liquid. Colloidal oatmeal has been a popular treatment since the 1940s but has uses traced back to the Roman Empire. They were using a soothing oatmeal bath to help with skin conditions back then, and to this day, it still works wonders.
Its properties are due to a few reasons, including:
- Vitamin E
- Ferulic Acid
- Avenanthramide, which is the antioxidant that oats use.
- Beta-glucan and starches. These keep water in and allow moisturizing.
- Water-binding polysaccharides. These are a type of sugar that helps keep water in the skin.
- Hydrocolloids have the same effect as the previous ingredient.
- When combined, these properties can soothe your skin and help with itching.
If you have touched poison ivy oak, or have skin conditions which affect the body, then consider using a soothing oatmeal bath. The America academy of Dermatology recommends this for poison ivy oak rashes, and it is a great home remedy that you can use. With a soothing oatmeal bath, you can treat these skin conditions too, including eczema.
The American Academy of dermatology has even medically reviewed this, and they’ve said based on evidence that for skin conditions especially Eczema, a soothing oatmeal bath is one of the key natural remedies.
Other Ways Oatmeal Can Help
Here are some different ways an oatmeal bath can help you.
It can keep your skin’s pH healthy because oatmeal is a buffering agent.
Oatmeal has soap-like properties, which can help clean your skin. If you have a skin condition, a soothing oatmeal bath can help reduce the instance of it.
Oatmeal is also present in various soaps, moisturizers, and other skincare products. Chances are, you may have some soap or something else with a little bit of oatmeal in it.
An oatmeal bath may be able to help with insomnia. A good, warm bath, in general, is great for unwinding and helping you relax, but an oatmeal bath could enhance that experience.
Oatmeal baths are used for anxiety treatments too. A warm bath helps relax, and it’s the same thing as the insomnia reason.
Why Oatmeal Is A Great Breakfast Too
Before we go, let’s briefly talk about eating oatmeal. Oatmeal is among those breakfast foods that haven’t been as popular as of lately. It’s seen as bland and not that exciting for kids or even adults. However, a nice bowl of oatmeal may be what the doctor ordered, and here are a few reasons why:
- Oatmeal is incredibly nutritious, giving you various vitamins and minerals.
- Oatmeal has antioxidants.
- Oatmeal may be able to help raise your proper cholesterol levels, and vice versa.
- Oatmeal may be able to help you with your blood sugar levels.
- Oatmeal sticks to your ribs. You feel full, and it doesn’t have too many calories, making it a good meal if you’re watching your weight.
- Oatmeal is good for constipation.
- Oatmeal may help reduce the risk of childhood asthma.
There are many flavors of oatmeal that taste good and are suitable for you. We say to give oatmeal another chance. Who knows? You may like what you see?
While oatmeal baths have been medically reviewed for some conditions, it hasn’t bene medically reviewed for all. What that means though, is that despite the lack of evidence on this being medically reviewed for some problems, for others it works.
It has been medically reviewed to help with itches, burns and rashes, so for diaper rashes, this can help. There is some studies that are still being medically reviewed to further tell you if it’ll be helpful to your body as well. While there is still some evidence of this being medically reviewed, those parts which have been prove that it works.
This medically reviewed practice is a form of natural healing, and while it is a home remedy, it’s a valid remedy which can work wonders.
Oatmeal baths, and oatmeal in general, can help you and your child out a lot. Try them out.
Oatmeal Bath For Diaper Rash FAQs
Last Updated on January 31, 2023 by Rejie Salazar
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