Burning of Alexandria--I found the smell!

[Lilliputian]

Two of my children suffer from eczema, and at church Sunday, a lady recommended a soap that is supposed to help. It's called Grandpa's Pine Tar soap. I ordered it from Amazon to give it a try.

I got it today and opened it up to see what it was like. My first thought was, "This smells horrible!" My second thought was, "It smells like something at Disney World!" It took me a few minutes to place it, but it's the smell of the library of Alexandria burning on Spaceship Earth. If you are a really strange person who enjoys that smell, you have to buy this soap!

I don't know how it works on eczema yet. I'll post again in a few weeks if it ends up being a miracle cure.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I always thought it smelled like fried bologna!

 

[LSmith]

If you are serious in helping your children's eczema then you need to stop your children from consuming any and all dairy products. It is life changing and it works. Try it for two weeks and get back to me.

 

[Lilliputian]

If you are serious in helping your children's eczema then you need to stop your children from consuming any and all dairy products. It is life changing and it works. Try it for two weeks and get back to me.

I've tried that. It doesn't work for these two. They do have some food allergies that trigger their eczema, but dairy isn't one of them. I have another child who is allergic to dairy and who gets some annoying bumps on his skin (plus some much more severe symptoms) when he has dairy, so he avoids all forms of milk in even trace amounts. A dairy-free diet would be really easy to arrange, since one person in our household is already doing it, but it doesn't work for these two.

We've seen multiple allergists, dermatologists, and other doctors for these children, plus I've tried a multitude of home remedies. Nothing has worked so far. My latest trial (in addition to the soap) is essential oils. I've tried some that aren't working, but now I'm going to try frankincense, which is outrageously expensive. I'm going to mix it with a homemade lotion base that I've made with coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, and olive oil. I'd recommend adding black walnut oil to most people, but since it would kill one of the children I'm trying to treat, I have to leave it out.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

LOL I just posted a thread about this same smell!! My dd found a candle at Bath and Body Works called Campfire Cookout and we have it burning now..It is the SAME EXACT SMELL!!! We love it, so we bought a few to keep around incase they discontinue it.

 

[Tinijocaro]

What worked for my dd was cod liver oil. Started Arrington improvement after six weeks and it was gone by eight weeks, never to return. We used lemon flavored liquid Carlsons cod liver oil.

I look at it as lubricating from the inside out. Topicals a never worked for dd.

 

[North of Mouse]

Have heard that Milk of Magnesia helps some people, also homemade Lye soap (I buy mine at ole timey craft stores).

 

[PrincessMe]

The Grandpa's Tar soap does smell awful but it does work on my (adult) excema. I usually can't stand to use I but I keep it around in a sealed Rubbermaid for those occasions when I'm considering sanding off my skin to stop the itch.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I've tried that. It doesn't work for these two. They do have some food allergies that trigger their eczema, but dairy isn't one of them. I have another child who is allergic to dairy and who gets some annoying bumps on his skin (plus some much more severe symptoms) when he has dairy, so he avoids all forms of milk in even trace amounts. A dairy-free diet would be really easy to arrange, since one person in our household is already doing it, but it doesn't work for these two.

We've seen multiple allergists, dermatologists, and other doctors for these children, plus I've tried a multitude of home remedies. Nothing has worked so far. My latest trial (in addition to the soap) is essential oils. I've tried some that aren't working, but now I'm going to try frankincense, which is outrageously expensive. I'm going to mix it with a homemade lotion base that I've made with coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, and olive oil. I'd recommend adding black walnut oil to most people, but since it would kill one of the children I'm trying to treat, I have to leave it out.

I have severe dishydrotic eczema, I tried eliminating dairy, caffeine, wheat...nothing helped. I have used multiple over the counter and home remedies and the only thing that works is a Chinese herbal lotion called Schmoove Cream, and this super strong steroid that I only use when I am desperate. Since mine is on my hands I also carry my own little container of super gentle dye- and fragrance-free handsoap. Then I finally figured out that my eczema was always worse when I was trying to fight off a cold...and when I would fight off a cold I would take echinacea. Eczema is autoimmune, and all the immune-boosting supplements I would take would make it worse! I stopped all that and it is so much better. I haven't used my prescription in a while, but I still use my magic Chinese lotion...it really is magic.

 

[ElizabethB]

This is sobering, but I'll post it anyway. I was in Manhattan on 9-11. On that day and for months afterwards, lower Manhattan (and upper Manhattan depending on wind direction) smelled just like the smell of Alexandria burning in Spaceship Earth. I never get to that part of the ride without thinking of the horror of 9-11.

Odd to learn there is a soap that smells like civilization burning.

 

[Janepod]

If you are serious in helping your children's eczema then you need to stop your children from consuming any and all dairy products. It is life changing and it works. Try it for two weeks and get back to me.

Didn't work for us.

My son uses Texacort -- that is the only thing that works for him. It is not a prescription cream, but most pharmacies do not have it on hand and need to special order. It's a hydrocortisone cream.

 

[npmommie]

I've tried that. It doesn't work for these two. They do have some food allergies that trigger their eczema, but dairy isn't one of them. I have another child who is allergic to dairy and who gets some annoying bumps on his skin (plus some much more severe symptoms) when he has dairy, so he avoids all forms of milk in even trace amounts. A dairy-free diet would be really easy to arrange, since one person in our household is already doing it, but it doesn't work for these two.

We've seen multiple allergists, dermatologists, and other doctors for these children, plus I've tried a multitude of home remedies. Nothing has worked so far. My latest trial (in addition to the soap) is essential oils. I've tried some that aren't working, but now I'm going to try frankincense, which is outrageously expensive. I'm going to mix it with a homemade lotion base that I've made with coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, and olive oil. I'd recommend adding black walnut oil to most people, but since it would kill one of the children I'm trying to treat, I have to leave it out.

How did the Frankincense work on the eczema?
Do you use EO'S a lot? There is a recipe for a healing salve on the Camp Wander blog. Says its good for eczema.

 

[Angelhalo]

I too have severe eczema and nothing dietary helped me. I have also tried every prescription and non prescription cream, soap, etc on the market it seems. This prompted me to create something for myself which turned into a business making lotion bars and lip balms. Now I carry my original clary sage lotion bar with me everywhere I go. It clears up my eczema flare ups in less than a week and it isn't full of weird chemicals.

 

[TheAviator]

I've got it, what seems to work best for me is just a normal Dove moisterizing bar. Not an exfoliation one though, those are murder on me.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Two of my children suffer from eczema, and at church Sunday, a lady recommended a soap that is supposed to help. It's called Grandpa's Pine Tar soap. I ordered it from Amazon to give it a try.

I got it today and opened it up to see what it was like. My first thought was, "This smells horrible!" My second thought was, "It smells like something at Disney World!" It took me a few minutes to place it, but it's the smell of the library of Alexandria burning on Spaceship Earth. If you are a really strange person who enjoys that smell, you have to buy this soap!

I don't know how it works on eczema yet. I'll post again in a few weeks if it ends up being a miracle cure.

HAHAHA...I wish. Keep us posted.

What finally worked for me on my hands was wearing gloves anytime I used chemicals.

Also I think recognizing the type of eczema helps. I have the "scaling eczema" in my ears.

My allergist said, it is probably MOLD. I am allergic to mold (who isn't) however it does cause my eczema to flare. That and stress.

I have it now on the corner of my lip. GAK. I have not found the link to that yet. It is either a chemical or bacterial or both in a lip balm I used. Hard to get rid of. I have to use the scripts and baby it. I use the Cetaphil cleanser on it and drink from straws to avoid pooling in the lip corner.

Good Luck!

 

[Pills]

My younger DD gets eczema on the inside of her elbows. We know for a fact it's dairy related - that's the best way to get it to stop flaring up. It's never terrible; we just watch her dairy intake.

And I love that smell. For whatever reason, if we're in a Bath and Body Works, we always go over to smell the candles while my wife is doing whatever she has to do.

 

[maslex]

Thanks for the tip on the Pine Tar soap. I just bought one off of ebay for $3 to try it out. I have excema to the point where I want to take sandpaper to my skin. And I read that it might work on acne (my oldest is going through this right now) so maybe it'll help.

But I have to say that going on Spaceship Earth, smelling that smell is one of my favorite smells. So maybe I won't mind the smell of this soap.

 

[npmommie]

I too have severe eczema and nothing dietary helped me. I have also tried every prescription and non prescription cream, soap, etc on the market it seems. This prompted me to create something for myself which turned into a business making lotion bars and lip balms. Now I carry my original clary sage lotion bar with me everywhere I go. It clears up my eczema flare ups in less than a week and it isn't full of weird chemicals.

Do you have an etsy store?
What do brand do you use?

 

[mickilee]

If you have a Lush store near you. This stuff is amazing for eczema.
Dream Cream. and smells awesome

 

[npmommie]

If you have a Lush store near you. This stuff is amazing for eczema.
Dream Cream. and smells awesome

I love Lush. I started using it way back before they had stores in the US. found it on a trip to Toronto.
actually my DH found it, he saw the bowls in the window with the fresh stuff and thought it was food and went in, I followed.