It's cozy time. “Come, let’s do your spots,” I tell my little one. “Bring me the cream.” My four-year-old delivers me our jar of Scar Healing Salve and wriggles away. “Let’s do this later. Tomorrow,” she negotiates. I offer to tell her about a special surprise while we put on the salve and she agrees. Quickly I dab the salve on about 20 chicken pox marks as I excitedly tell her when her big brother is coming home from out-of-town school. I analyze each mark and conclude that we are all doing our best!
When seven of my children got chicken pox all at once, I was kind of excited. Now their risk of getting shingles as an adult is lessened. Now they had a huge detox (and indeed my daughter’s eczema disappeared after the chicken pox for many months!). Now they’d never have to worry again about catching chicken pox and it is one potentially problematic vaccine I could happily cross off the list. I won't have to worry about the vaccine’s effect waning in their adult years and contracting a harder case of chicken pox then. I am fortunate that the children experienced it together, so there wasn’t the loneliness factor. The only thing was, my fear was that my children, especially my girls, could get scars on their faces. We made special anti-itching sprays, we filled baths with softening oat water, and we pleaded with everyone—no itching or even touching! And all went well. Except for my four-year-old. She couldn’t resist. To our horror, she picked every last scab off her face. She even ran to her room to lock the door so our distress wouldn’t guilt her into stopping!
So much for my fears. They came true. My heart literally sunk when I saw all the picked scabs on her face. Since my own skin scars pretty easily, I didn’t have so much faith in hers healing. But a friend sent a recipe for a salve she had gotten from her doula that she used to prevent stretch marks, and even though she had twins, she had no scar residues! Although my friend’s skin is probably naturally amazing, I decided we’d do our best. So, every day, we apply the salve, along with a little prayer and a hope that the scars disappear. The little craters are definitely filling in, and I hope they will continue till no one notices anything anymore!
Now, she is four and not always a willing customer. After all, it was she who picked the scabs in the first place, knowing she wasn’t supposed to! So sometimes I have to use bribery like reading her a book, telling her something special, eating something yummy, or doing some other activity when we are finished.
I view it as our cozy time. I get to rub on a little love and care while I am at it.
In general when someone has an injury, they need tender loving care in that area. There are more free radicals roaming around there. So extra warmth, kindness, and healing herbs are always good ideas in those times. If a child of mine gets hurt or sick, I like to keep them home a while till they are whole again. I learned the hard way: when my son was three, he fell in school three times on the same spot on his forehead in a span of a few days. The third time, because his skin there was so tender and stretched, it split open and we had to get him stitches.
So now, it’s not three strikes and you’re home, it’s one strike and you’re home!
In addition to my daughter’s scars, I also put the scar healing cream on my other children’s older scars which are already faded and I doubt will completely disappear, but I feel like the cream is good for them, and those areas could always use more care and attention (including my now ten-year-old’s stitches scar on his forehead.)
And actually, what I learn from the salve application, is...I get to touch the scars, feel them, get to know them, help them, and grow to love the beauty of my child's imperfection, even as I work to fade her scars.
Here are the wonderful ingredients that we’ve included in the salve. If you are the DIY type, really each of these on their own can help. The essential oils would need to be diluted with a carrier oil so they don’t burn the skin. My friend only used vitamin E on her chicken pox mark, nothing else, and her large scar filled in. But I like to use lots of things: the more, the merrier. So here’s what’s included:
Shea butter and coconut oil: these natural fats inhibit scar tissue.
Plantain oil: calming, soothing, and skin regenerating.
Rosehip seed oil: high in vitamins, this special oil reduces discoloration and scarring.
Vitamin E: retains the skin’s moisture and many people relate its effectiveness in treating scars.
Beeswax: firms up the salve and protects the skin’s moisture.
Essential oils: Helichrysum: with antioxidant properties, it can prevent free radical damage. It clears infections and aids collagen production.
Geranium: evens out skin tone, heals wounds, encourages cell growth.
Frankincense: kills bacteria, tightens skin, and reduces scar appearance.
Lavender: antibiotic and antiseptic, and repairs damaged skin.
Sandalwood: many report successful clearing of acne scars. In Ayurvedic medicine this is especially good for chicken pox scars.
Elemi: speeds up healing time of wounds and promotes new cell growth.
The glass jar holds at least two ounces and is plenty for consistent use on scars. Your skin will definitely be very happy. Right now I am offering it for only $20. Purchase some here and let me know your results.
Lots of love,
Nechama Smith
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