For nearly six months, I suffered from itchy eczema patches on various parts of my body. Here is what eczema can look like.

Eczema is a skin condition where patches of skin become irritated, itchy, rough and cracked. Eczema is fairly common and affects about 30% of people in the United States.

It is hard to pinpoint what triggers eczema because there are so many variables. Chemicals, perfume, smoke, hot water, sunburns, some fabrics, detergents, soaps, stress, allergies, dry air, food sensitivities, and sweat can all cause eczema. Will all of the possibilities, it was hard to know where to start.

To try and heal my skin, I tried many different things. I switched laundry detergents, I slathered on lotions for sensitive skin and started taking cold showers. None of these changes helped, and my eczema got worse.

It wasn’t until I watched a video by one of my favorite beauty gurus, Carli Bybel, that I started to rethink my diet.

Carli explained in her video that she has been a long time sufferer of eczema. She would break out in painful rashes all over her body and struggled with her skin. She cut out meat and dairy products from her diet and it drastically helped her skin heal.

I took some inspiration from her and drastically changed my diet. I started eating a primarily plant-based diet, and my skin felt wonderful. My acne was improving, my energy increased, and I felt better overall. It was strange how well my body reacted and healed itself by cutting down on certain foods.

I do continue to consume dairy and meat products sparingly, but reducing dairy consumption from three meals a day to once in a while has made a drastic difference in my eczema. If I could go back in time, I wish that changing my diet was the first step I took towards ending itchy skin all over.