A Place To Buy My Oil Blend

Hello out there, itchy Mamas! Let me just first say, I'm sorry you've had a reason to find yourself here. PUPPPs is agony. 

Next, if you've read desperately through my blog, you've probably run across my Essential Oil Blend. I was selling it for a while, but another PUPPPs suffered asked me if she could sell it on Etsy for me. She uses my exact recipe, so I wanted to give her a shout out and endorse her shop. 

You can find her at OhioEssentials and the product is called PUPPP CLEAR.

Click here to go to her shop.

I hope you find as much relief with it as I found! Feel free to comment back here with how it worked for you or to leave her a review on her shop letting others know!

PUPPPs...For the 5th time!

Well, here I am again, I'm sorry to say. I have PUPPPs again. I made it to 29 weeks this time! I was hopeful that this might be my first pregnancy without PUPPPs! But sadly, I'm 33 weeks now, and I've just reached the keeps-me-up-for-hours-at-night, scratch-til-I-bleed, red-itchy-patches-everywhere, I-might-go-crazy Stage. You know that stage? I'm sure you do. I'm sorry you do. 

For all of you wondering if my oil blend is helping this time (See here for my Cooling Relief Oil Recipe), sadly not enough. As before, it does bring temporary relief. But the rash just keeps getting worse and worse, spreading more each day. 

I'm strongly considering trying topical steroids again this time. You do what you gotta do to stay sane.

There is a strong aspect of the mental game this time. I know what's ahead. I know how much time I have left. It's simply depressing. 

The nights are the worst. Hours and hours awake, scratching with my trusty hairbrush (this fella here), trying not to wake people with the noise and the crying. I know I could bring my cooler of ice packs to bed again, but that is depressing too. To get to that point. After functioning so well last time!

I know you come to this blog looking for answers and hope. So I'm sorry for this little venting session. When I get over the grief and accept that I need to deal with this, I will let you all know what relief I find this time around. 

In the meantime, you once again have my fresh sympathy. Fresh and acute. I say this as I discover a new patch in my HAIR. Sigh. 

Signing off for now.

PUPPPs Mom

Thanksgiving

To all my itchy friends, I hope you are finding ways to be thankful this year! 

I am dealing with a new nasty postpartum PUPPPs rash, but I am thankful...

... For a baby to hold that keeps my hands too full to scratch. 

... For essential oils that consistently heal the flare ups. 

... For a husband that serves me while I adjust to being a mom of 4. 

Look at that face! It's pretty hard to think of anything else when this girl wants to visit. 

Postpartum PUPPPs

Well, I'm holding my 1 week old, precious baby girl! We did it! Made it through yet another pregnancy with PUPPPs. 

And guess what? It's back! 

By the end of my pregnancy, it had calmed down again. It was nearly gone. But after a couple days wearing those funky, oh-so-attractive, hospital provided undergarments (you know the ones??), I developed a pretty good rash on my lower belly. In the last few days, I'm back in my PUPPPs-friendly clothes, but it's too late. The damage was done. The rash is spreading. I'm applying my oils like crazy and considering attempting a 7 star hammer treatment. 

It's hard for a picture to capture just how itchy this is!! See the sheen? I had just put my essential oil blend on it. Ahhh, the cooling relief of peppermint!

I wish I could capture those bumps better! 

I know I am not alone. Many of you mommas have had their rash worsen after baby comes. In the past, mine has taken a good 2 months to go away. Hope it's shorter this time!

Nov. 14th, 2014 **UPDATE**

  Once again, my essential oil blend has saved the day again! After treating the rash for a couple days with it, the rash is fading in size and intensity! Hooray!

Something Must Be Working

The blog has been quiet lately, hasn't it?

Well, it's because my rash is pretty much under control! It's hard for me to believe! I guess on my 4th pregnancy with this crazy condition, I've finally tweaked my routine to something that helps!

Here's a Link to my current treatment routine, in case you'd like to give it a try. I'm pretty sure my essential oil blend is the key to all, so here's a link to that Recipe. It's worth a try people!

I've got 4 and a half weeks left in this pregnancy, and then probably 2 more months of dealing with the rash. But the end is in sight! I sure hope all that I've learned helps some of you out there!

PUPPPs Essential Oil Blend: Amazing Relief!

As some of you may have noticed, I've been working on researching and testing Essential Oils for PUPPPs relief for some time now. It was important to me to be comfortable with the oils I was using and to be familiar with how they worked before I spread the word. Here are a couple links about Essential Oil safety in pregnancy. (But PLEASE, simply consult your care provider before using Essential Oils while pregnant! My midwives have signed off on my blend, but you'll want to have that assurance from your own provider. Also, I would hold off using any Essential Oils until you're through your first trimester. That is when the risk is greatest for birth defects and miscarriage.)

- Is it safe to use essential oils while I'm pregnant?
- Essential Oils

I've been working on refining a special blend of essential oils for PUPPPs for over 3 months, and I think I have something pretty exciting! It hasn't completely cured my PUPPPs, but it has kept it so minimal that I consider it a practical cure. I am functioning again!

Like I said, I've been using and refining this blend for over 3 months. I am very impressed with the combination of immediate relief and healing relief. The cooling effect is amazing. It calms the itch immediately and much more effectively than ANY other product I've tried over my 4 experiences with PUPPPs. But on top of that, it appears to keep the inflammation at bay! I chose each oil in the blend for it's anti-inflammatory properties. I have seen two other blends out there for PUPPPs that seem to use oils traditional for itchy rashes. My blend focuses on inflammation. From all the research I've done, PUPPPs seems to be some kind of an inflammatory response.

Here's some pretty impressive proof of my relief!

These photos were taken 1 week apart. The first is my rash at it's worst for this pregnancy after 1 day of using the oil blend. Miserable. The second picture is after 1 week of using the oils, and the third is after 2 weeks of using the oils! The photos are NOT edited at all! The lighting difference is simply that the first picture was taken in the evening under artificial light, and the last two were taken in the morning in natural light. 

As I have posted about before, my rash is not completely gone. It seems to be on a monthly cycle. Once a month, it "peaks," and I develop a couple of small patches (1-2 inches across) of rash. The peak lasts roughly a week, and the oils seem to take it away! I have never been this functional with PUPPPs before! Not even with steroid use! You know I've tried it all!

I've decided to make my recipe available to all of you, because it has been SO VERY HELPFUL for me! It has been more effective than the STEROIDS were with Baby #3. I'm so impressed that it is competing with and even beating the big guns! 

Here is my Recipe for Anti-Inflammation Oil Blend:

Materials: Essential Oils, carrier oil, and 1 oz glass roll-on bottle.

(Click HERE for a link to these bottles, which I have been very happy with. Not ONE leak!)

Makes 1 oz of Oil Blend (which last 1-2 weeks, depending on the severity of my rash)

Ingredients:
Peppermint Essential Oil - 45 drops (This number is flexible! I find that I like a more intense cooling effect when my rash is at it's peak, thus 45 drops. However, in-between peaks, I often make the blend with only 30 drops. You can vary this to your preference!)
Lavender Essential Oil - 15 drops
Geranium Essential Oil - 15 drops
Frankincense Essential Oil - 12 drops
Myrrh Essential Oil - 12 drops
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil - 7 drops
Eucalyptus Essential Oil - 5 drops
Tea Tree Essential Oil - 5 drops
Organic Jojoba Oil - Approximately 3/4 Oz.

Directions:
Mix all the Essential Oils in a 1 oz roll on bottle, then add jojoba oil until bottle is full. Cap with roller top and start applying for immediate relief! Apply as needed. Note: Be sensible! PLEASE PLEASE test this blend on a small patch of skin first and avoid use in sensitive areas such as the groin, armpits, nipples, and mucous membranes. The oils are no joke, so be careful! Ask your doctor first before using Essential Oils in pregnancy!

My Happy Bottle of Sanity!

A note on purchasing Essential Oils:

They can be PRICEY! Two companies I am very pleased with are Plant Therapy (available on Amazon) and Beeyoutiful (available here). They have reasonable prices and a high quality product. (Note: I am not associated with either company. I'm just a fan.) I have done some reading on other popular companies, and while I believe they have quality products, I also believe they are over-priced. Please don't take offense if you are a loyal supporter of some particular brand! This is just my personal opinion.

Here is an article from the Beeyoutiful company that does a fantastic job explaining the ins & outs of essentials oil quality: Essential Oil Quality

Even with purchasing from companies with reasonable pricing, getting all the oils you need to make this blend is a financial investment. I have found it to be EXTREMELY worth the money, but I understand that some of you may be wary about spending a bunch of money not knowing if the oils will work for you. I am considering selling my oil blend on Etsy, just for some of you who want to be able to try it before making the plunge to buy all the oils. Is anyone interested in this? If I get a positive response, I'll get serious about setting up an etsy store!

UPDATE (November 1st, 2016): I'm riding out my 5th case of PUPPPs. My oil blend is still helpful for itch relief. I wanted to try making a blend that wasn't so oily, as it tends to make all my clothes oily. I whipped up a batch with witch hazel as the base instead of jojoba oil. My conclusions? It burns more, so don't use it in sensitive areas or on places you've scratched til they bleed. It'll hurt. And the relief doesn't seem to last quite as long. But I like alternating it with the oil-based blend. It cuts down on the greasy factor!

UPDATE #2: A fellow PUPPPs sufferer is selling my blend on Etsy! Find it here: OhioEssentials

Essential Oil Journey

I'm embarking on a research journey. 

Actually, I've been on the journey for a little while now. I started getting into essential oils when I was pregnant with my first. I made a stretch mark belly butter with lovely smelling oils to prevent scarring. To this day, I've never gotten a stretch mark, though I suspect that has a lot to do with my genetics. 

These days, I use essential oils on a daily basis in my homemade baby wipes and in my homemade deodorant. 

My handy, 2 inch thick reference book. 

It was only recently that I thought of using essential oils for PUPPPs. (How that escaped me for the first 3 bouts with PUPPPs, I do not know...) A reader recently commented that she was finding a little success in small tests with tea tree oil. This inspired me to let you know that I have been in the process of developing and testing a blend of essential oils for my rash. I'm still researching the safety of all the oils, as I want to make sure I know what there is to know on that subject before I start promoting the idea. I'm also testing, testing, testing. I've gone through a LOT of oils! 

Through all my looking, I've only found 2 essential oil products for PUPPPs. The reviews are compelling! (Although, I bet the ladies that it doesn't help aren't as likely to give a reiew at all.) 

I'm guessing that as essential oils are kind of an up and coming thing lately, a lot of people don't even know to try them. 

I'd love to hear your feedback...have you tried essential oils for your PUPPPs rash? Any luck?

Treatments I've Tried

Here's my comprehensive list of treatments I've tried in the past. I'll rate them on a scale of 1-10, 1 being not helpful at all and 10 being complete healing. I'll also indicate whether it simply brought temporary relief or actually worked to heal the rash. 

Alternative Treatments:

Oatmeal Baths: Rating - 2, temporary relief
These baths (I used the Aveeno brand) felt ok while I was in them, but left zero lasting relief once I was out.

Epsom Salt Baths: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
While I normally love a good epsom salt bath, I found no relief from the itching with these.

Herbal Baths: Rating - 2, temporary relief
I had another friend with PUPPPs that found huge relief from herbal baths that included herbs like comfrey, calendula, lavender, plantain, red raspberry, and others. The bath felt sort of nice while I was in it, soothing even. Sadly, there was no change in the itch as a result of the multiple treatments I tried.

Aloe Vera: Rating - 2, temporary relief
Aloe, which I refrigerated to increase the cooling effect, alleviated the itch while it was drying. However, as soon as it dried, I was reaching for something else.

Banana Peels: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
I read somewhere that someone found relief from rubbing banana peels on their rash. Pretty bizarre. That was not the case for me. It stung a bit, but did not decrease the itch at all. Here is a link to one momma that DID find relief with banana peels: Click Here.

Sun Bathing: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
I think the theory here is that the UV or the release of vitamin D is supposed to help. Not for me! No help at all. I tried multiple sessions just to be sure.

Charcoal Poultices: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
This one makes me laugh, just because of the giant mess it made. Charcoal in general is like a zillion tiny sponges. It's awesome treating food poisoning, because it actually soaks up the toxins and bad bugs that are making you ill. I read that charcoal poultices also help some skin conditions in that same way. You paint yourself with a paste of charcoal and water and cover the mixture so that it doesn't dry out. It doesn't work dry. That becomes tricky when the rash is ALL over! I decided to try it on my worst patch, which was at the top of my belly. My mom help paint me with the paste, and then we wrapped me in plastic stretch wrap to keep it from drying out! What a sight! Black goo wrapped up like yesterday's leftovers! Anyway, I tried it for a couple days and then gave up. It wasn't helping, and it was torture to have my itchiest spot covered where I couldn't get to it!

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
I'm sorry to say that the soap that seems to help so many people gave me no relief! I didn't notice ANY reduction in the itch. Glad it helps so many others though! If I were starting over, I would still try it, as it seems to bring relief for lots of PUPPPs people!

Sulfur Soap: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
This soap is recommended for rashes like poison oak, so I thought I'd try it. It was no help, and it was stinky.

Dandelion Root: Rating - 6, healing relief
I drank the tea and took the tincture. When the rash was bad, I tried to drink a cup of tea a day and take 2 droppers of tincture 3x/day. (This was at my midwife's recommendation.) During the 4 times that I've had PUPPPs, this remedy hasn't always worked. I do believe it was the reason my rash became tolerable with my 2nd pregnancy, but it wasn't enough to help my rash on my 3rd pregnancy. I am currently taking it with my 4th pregnancy, and it seems to be contributing to keeping my rash from driving me crazy. I am sleeping through the night.

Nettle Tea: Rating - unsure, healing relief
I drink this tea off and on, but drank it consistently in my second pregnancy. It may have contributed to the healing. It's easy to add a teabag of this stuff when you are already steeping a bag of dandelion tea. Traditional Medicines is the brand I used.

Apis Mellifera homeopathics: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
Once again, I was disappointed to find that a remedy that seemed to help a lot of women did nothing for me.

Acupuncture: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
I really gave this one a shot, because lots of people said you can't tell with just a few treatments. I even tried a couple different practitioners. I know it has helped some people, but it did nothing for me.

Ice Packs: Rating - 8, temporary relief
This is definitely my favorite treatment for temporary relief. I have a whole post on it here. Icing the itch would calm it down sometimes for hours. This meant sleep! Keep a cooler of ice packs by your bed so you don't have to get up in the night.

Essential Oils: Rating - 9, temporary AND healing relief!
This has been revolutionary in my 4th pregnancy with PUPPPs! I wish I had experimented with it in earlier pregnancies! I made a blend of peppermint, lavender, geranium, frankincense, myrrh, eucalyptus, tea tree, and ylang ylang essential oils. The cooling effect of the oils calms the itch immediately and keeps it calm for hours and hours. The anti-inflammatory properties of all the oils seems to heal the rash! It's awesome!! Here's a link to my recent, thorough explanation of this treatment and a recipe for the blend: Click HERE.

Not-So-Natural Things I've Tried:

Sarna Cream: Rating - 2, temporary relief

This lotion, found at most drugstores, uses menthol and camphor to calm itches. Unfortunately for me, it brought little relief. I would describe it as a mild cooling effect that lasted roughly 5 minutes.

Benadryl: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
I noticed absolutely zero reduction in symptoms from benadryl pills, either 25 mg or 50 mg doses.

Over the counter hydrocortisone cream: Rating - 3, healing relief
I've found that this brings mild relief. It is NOT an instant relief, but if used consistently, I noticed a slight reduction in the intensity of the itch. I would estimate it took 3-5 days to notice any effect.

Benadryl cream: Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
Again, similar to the pill form, I found zero relief from this antihistamine cream.

Vistaril (hydroxyzine): Rating - 1, neither temporary or healing relief
This heavy-duty prescription antihistamine did nothing for me. It was intended as a sleep aid, and it didn't work for me. The thought is that it makes you sleepy enough that the itch doesn't wake you up. I noticed zero improvement in my sleep from this pill.

Prednisone: Rating - 5, healing relief
Sadly, this nasty steroid did work for me, but my experience was brief. 2 days before giving birth to my first baby, I broke down and took this. By the time I went into labor, I did notice a big drop in the itch. I was feeling much better. I stopped the drug after my girl was born, and the itch did return, though not as intensely for about a month. Talk to you doctor or midwife extensively and give careful consideration before you go forward with this steroid.

Topical triamcinolone 0.1%: Rating - 7, healing relief
This is a topical steroid that was my saving grace with Baby #3. Within 2-3 days of starting treatment, I found a huge reduction in the symptoms. I was more comfortable with this than taking oral Prednisone, because the general opinion of the medical world is that less of the drug gets into your system when it's applied to your skin versus taking a pill. I still had flare-ups periodically, but I would just increase my usage temporarily, and it would calm things down. However, though I didn't notice any side-effect for myself, my baby was born was some serious yeast issues. She had yeast in her diaper area, arms pits, and neck folds until she was roughly 9 months old. Steroids suppress your immune system and allow bad bugs like yeast to grow. It is my understanding that the steroids caused my natural flora (my personal collection of bacteria on my skin, in my gut, and even in my birth canal) to change. Thus, when my baby was born, she was colonized with more bad bacteria than good. We spent months battling this yeast. I will tell her story in more detail in a future post. For now, please know that steroids have side effects worth considering before using them. I learned my lesson with baby #3 and have done everything possible to avoid taking them with this current pregnancy rash. 

Alternative Treatments on my list of things to try:

Chinese Medicine 7 Star Needle: Rating - 4, temporary & healing relief
This is a bizarre one! I recently found out about this treatment through puppps.org. It uses a Chinese medicine device designed to treat hives. Here's a pic...

Crazy looking, no? Apparently, you tap the hive until it starts to bleed, and then that hive NEVER itches again. The testimony on puppps.org is really compelling!!! Otherwise, I don't think I'd even consider this treatment! You can find videos on youtube if you want to see the treatment in action. I'm currently building up the courage to order one from amazon. I'll let you know! UPDATE: I tried it!! Click HERE for the review!

Black Cherry Juice: theoretical healing relief UPDATE: rating - 4, healing relief
Apparently this juice is supposed to heal the rash due to its anti-inflammatory properties. A little juice drinking in exchange for rash healing sounds awesome! I think I found this one on a babycenter forum. I'll keep you posted! UPDATE: see THIS POST for my experience trying the Black Cherry Juice remedy!