I Tried Oatmeal Baths to Treat My Eczema, and the Results Surprised Me

As enticing as a soothing hot bath after a long day sounds, anyone with eczema knows it can be a one-way ticket to a flare-up. Overly hot showers or baths are easily the biggest triggers to avoid and are worth steering clear of to keep the itchy, irritated symptoms of atopic dermatitis at bay.

An oat bath, however, is different. Not to be mistaken with a load of cooked oats dumped into a tub of hot water, this eczema treatment consists of pouring finely milled colloidal oatmeal into a lukewarm-temperature bath. As one of the oldest tricks in the book, it doesn't sting, smell, or call for a tedious setup; no wonder the National Eczema Association even reports that parents of babies with eczema should give the remedy a try, too.

So, keeping that in mind, I finally decided to join the milk-bath club (and no, I'm not talking about the popular nail trend) and tested the remedy for myself. Keep reading to hear how it went.

There are two ways you can go about this: You can try the traditional route of grinding colloidal oats and sprinkling them into the tub, or you can get pre-packed formulas, like the Aveeno Oat Bath Treatment Packets, which are available at the drugstore, to streamline the process.

Before diving in (quite literally), I had some concerns. Would the oatmeal bath leave my skin feeling sticky or with a residue on it? Could this mess with my vaginal pH? (These are the things that go through your mind when you've been conditioned to cleanse solely with Dove bar soap your whole life, but I digress.)

During the span of seven days, I took three oat baths in total. For my first, I most definitely felt the remnants of the colloidal oatmeal that had sunk to the bottom of the tub under my butt as I soaked. The water looked murky, and yet, not only did it usher in a wave of calmness for a good night's rest post-bath, but it also didn't cause a reaction, which in my world makes the experiment a success right off the bat. (My skin tells me right away when it doesn't like what it has come in contact with, so clearly, even three baths in, oat baths are sensitive-skin approved.)

Once the 10 minutes of soaking were up, it was time to cleanse and dry off. It did leave a bit of a film on my skin that quickly washed off as I rinsed, but nothing that felt greasy or sticky. Immediately, I noticed how supple my skin felt — and that was before body slugging with moisturizer.

As the days progressed, I was able to determine the best recipe, if you will, for the perfect oatmeal bath and even developed a technique (sprinkle it under the water faucet for a good spread).

Experimenting with oat baths for the week introduced me to a newfound therapy for targeting multiple patches throughout the body at once. Plus, it gives those with eczema the opportunity to sulk and soak in a nice bath while boosting the skin's barrier with moisture rather than depleting it as a regular hot bath might do. I also noticed the oat baths lessened the redness and itchiness I tend to experience after a lengthy shower. Oh, and we're certifying this practice as a must for self-care.

Chelsea Avila is an editorial beauty writer based in Queens, NY, with a passion for uncovering the best of the beauty market and reporting on beauty and fashion news. Chelsea has written for Latina magazine, Allure, Clinique, Cosmetic Executive Women, Editorialist, CNN Underscored, WWD, and more.