A MUM has revealed how she relies on giving her baby boy bleach baths to help ease his eczema.
She explained that her son suffers from mild eczema and the condition can cause flare-ups that leave his skin dry and itchy, as well as red and sore.
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In order to treat it, she swears by bleach baths and has explained for fellow mums on Instagram how exactly they work after the method has been criticised by fellow parents.
While it sounds like it could be considered harmful, bleach baths are actually a common practice and used to kill any bacteria that could cause eczema flare ups to become infected.
Alongside a video of her baby in the bath, the mum shared advice she received from a Paediatric nurse, who explained how exactly bleach baths work.
It read: “As a mama I know your little one and ‘bleach bath’ in the same sentence probably sounds real counterintuitive! Believe it or not though bleach baths are a common and very effective treatment for eczema. Hear me out guys…
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“Done safely, the use of a measured amount of diluted bleach added to a lukewarm bath is common practice in our paeds wards across the country. This is because bleach helps kill the bacteria that causes eczema to become infected and reduces the severity of the condition.
“It’s helpful to note that the final bleach concentration is much lower than what you’ll find in your average swimming pool.”
Sharing some important factors when it comes to using a bleach bath, the post continued: “It’s important bleach baths are only carried out after discussion with your GP about your child’s eczema.
“Always use only straight bleach [4.2% sodium hypochlorite] – no lemon or lavender ok! Make sure you measure as per hospital guidelines. You’ll need a measuring cup and a standard household bucket [usually 10L].
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“The Royal Children’s Hospital guidelines advise 12ml of liquid bleach for every 10L of bath water. Don’t rinse off your little one after the bath – unless unlikely stinging or irritation occurs.
“Repeat the baths as often as your little one’s doc or nurse recommends. You can add your usual bath oil to the same bath. Use an old white towel for the dry off!”
NHS Oxford University Hospitals has shared a guide to using cleansing bleach baths to combat eczema and recommends doing so twice a week in order to prevent flare ups.
Bacteria known as Staphylococcus aureus can build up on the skin and can make eczema worse.
Diluted bleach helps to decrease the amount of bacteria on the skin – bleach baths are deemed safe to use and are considered similar to chlorine present in swimming pools.
How to run a cleansing bleach bath
Guide shared by NHS Oxford University Hospitals
- Choose a pure bleach without fragrance or soap
- Run bath to preferred temperature, don’t add bubble bath or soap
- Add half a cup (150ml) of bleach to at least 10cm depth of water in an adult bath tub – for a baby bath tub use 2ml of bleach for ever 1L of water
- Mix well
- Soak for 10-15 minutes
- You can wet your face and hair – water should do no harm if it gets in child’s eyes or mouth (avoid swallowing)
- Rinse with plain water then gently pat dry and moisturise/apply creams as usual
- Repeat twice a week
Their guidelines state using 150ml of bleach in at least 10cm depth of water for adults, while babies require 2ml of bleach for every 1L of water used.
It recommends using a “pure bleach” and lists options such as Tesco Everyday Value Thin Bleach, Milton Disinfecting Solution and Asda Smart Price Thin Bleach.
Patients should soak in the water for 10-15 minutes and the guide claims that a child’s face and hair can get wet in the bleach bath, as it shouldn’t be harmful to the eyes or mouth.
Undiluted bleach should not be used on the skin and if done so, it needs to be rinsed off immediately with water.
Bleach baths should not be used if there are any open wounds present on the skin as it can cause stinging or burning.
NHS Trust warns that bleach baths can cause mild discomfort in some patients. If skin irritation does occur, remove child from the bath and rinse off well with warm water.
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The controversial method seems to divide parents, with some mums revealing they had been ‘slammed’ online when seeking more advice about bleach baths.
“I asked about bleach baths on a parenting forum and got slammed. Thanks for the breakdown,” one mum wrote in response to the Instagram post.
Another mum seemed completely against the idea and posted: “I just have to say this. Bleach classed as poison no matter what kind it is, to be kept out of of reach of children, yet Drs recommending children be bathed in it for treatment of eczema (I was one of those parents getting told that and never in a million years would I do that to a poor defenceless baby/child. There are OTHER options to help our babes, holistically.)”
Others were curious to try, with one woman tagging another and commenting: “Well this is interesting… have you ever heard of this?”
Plenty of other mums had tried bleach baths with their own children who suffer from eczema and seemed to have successful experiences.
“Game changer for both my kids. Wish we trialled them earlier in our attempts to manage eczema in my eldest,” said one mum.
One more added: “We also have a wonderful dermatology nurse at the RCH who prescribed bleach baths as part of our eczema regime. It seemed such a strange thing to do, but has made a world of difference! Six months in and still doing them a couple of times a week.”
If considering using bleach baths, it is important to discuss with a doctor or nurse prior to use.
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