Hi

I have had KP as long as can remember on arms - shoulders to elbows - all of legs hips and buttocks. Has been getting steadily worse and more ugly especially on bum (yuck). Dry and spikey bumps with red bases. My husband says he doesn't notice as his hands are quite rough from work but it bothers me, makes me feel self conscious. I don't really modifiy the way I dress but do find myself rubbing my arms when in company. Even when in labour 12 weeks ago had a momentary flash of embrassment at the thought that midwifes would see my bum. But when it came to it I had my mind on other things if you know what I mean LOL.

I also have Rosacea which means I have a red nose, think rudolf. But have wondered since finding this site whether it could be KP. It got worse with 1st pregnancy but since switching to all natural soaps and my homemade natural cream it has really calmed down.

My kp has gotten worst with age, pregnancy and breastfeeding not better as some websites would have you believe. I take both hemp [omega 6] and flaxseed [omega 3] oil everyday (get these at Sainsbury's) for last 3 years. Have had some skin improvement, if I miss a few days my skin gets very dry and tight all over. These are supposed to be good for general health, skin and dyslexia which I have.

Have also been using for the past few months almond oil immediately on getting out of shower. I buy it from asian wholesalers that supply indian restaurants etc... much cheaper than elsewhere. I also mix in some essential oils that are good for dry delicate skin, this has helped soften skin in general. But now I have found this website I am going to buy EVCO next time and hope for better results. Have had to stop exfoliating with anything other than wash cloth every once and a while, as the scrubing was causing more damage than good.

For other Brits wondering where to get stuff I live in scotland and have seen extra virgin coconut oil in Holland and Barratts and in a couple of local health food shops may not be organic brands though?

I have been doing the oil pulling with extra virgin olive oil (what we use for cooking) now for past 3 mornings have seen the beginnings of improvement for kp, teeth a bit brighter and this morning noticed that my elbows were almost smooth! It doesn't taste bad to me just a bit difficult to not say anything for 20 minutes with a 2 year old and a 12 week old baby.

Really hope all these natural treatments will work as I am exclusively breastfeeding my 12 week old son and intend to be either pregnant or nursing for the next few years (we want a big family) so the chemical creams offered by my doctor are not an option.

Will keep you posted on any changes or improvements. Fingers crossed!

Good skin and luck to you all Edinbumpy

Just a quick note to say I am getting definate improvements of kp all over, on arms in particular. Right arm seems better than left, have read several others who have said this, wondered if it is something to do with circulation that right arm clears first. And that arms clear before bum and legs, seems to make sense for body to cleanse top down. Roughness is improving first, but reddness seems a bit less also.
Wouldn't it be great if it clears completely for everyone. Definately worth having a go. At least it doesn't cost much and doesn't hurt at all so what have you got to lose?

Hi completely forgot to post this reciepe

This reciepe is one I have found to help with the dryness and redness I have on my face from rosecea. It was not an instant cure but over a few months of cutting out all products with chemicals and just using a mild natural body wash to wash my face morning and night and then put on this cream I have a much calmer complexion. Helped a little with KP on body but I have found the oil pulling and rubbing on pure oil much better than cream. I do add essential oils to my rubbing oil though, smells good.

6 tablespoons of strong Chamomile tea
4 teaspoons of Emulsifying wax
1 teaspoon of Apricot oil
2 teaspoons of Coconut oil
3 teaspoons of Almond oil
4 drops of Lavender Essential oil
4 drops of Chamomile Essential oil
2 drops of Rose Essential oil

Mix the apricot coconut and almond oils in a heat proof glass/ceramic bowl over a pan of boiling water. In another pot melt the wax into the tea (use a metal or pyrex pot you can scrub or have a special pot just for wax so not to taint your food). When the wax has melted add the tea and wax mixture to the bowl of oils and whisk or beat the mixture off the heat for a minute then allow to cool and firm up. Once the cream is cool add your choice of essential oils. Store in a dark glass jar if possible, I use an opaque plastic tub which is fine just does not last as long. Keeps in the fridge well for at least a month. After doing this a couple of times you may find you need to change oil / wax quantities slightly to get a firmer or looser consistance if you prefer. Takes just minutes to make!

* You do not have to use chamomile tea you could just use water or another herbal infusion, I just use chamomile as it is an anti-inflammitory and good for delicate/sensitive skin.
* You can use any combination of oil I have found almond coconut and apricot good for me but you could use just one if you like just so long as it is still 6 teaspoons altogether. Coconut oil is particulary moisturising as many of us are finding out after our showers now. Almond oil is quite fine and light feeling. Apricot oil is high in Vitamin A (I think?) and smells pretty, but is quite expensive so I use this more when making creams for my kids (they get the good stuff LOL). Aparently sesame oil has a slight UV protection but not enough for those of us with pale complexions. Have a go and see what suits you.
* You do not have to add essential oils. But as you get more confident with making your own cream you may like to use essential oils for their properties as well as their scent. I use Chamomile Lavender and Rose for their benefits to my dry and inflammed skin condition. But I have also used a mixture of Mandarine Neroli Rosemary and black pepper essential oils with this base cream to make a stretchmark cream. Just keep the quantites the same, 10 drops for this amount of cream. NOT ALL ESSETIAL OILS ARE SAFE TO PUT ON YOUR SKIN SO DO CHECK A REFERENCE BOOK BEFORE USING.
*Because the reciepe can be adapted easily to whatever oil, herbal infusion essential oils you want I think it should be reasonably easy for most people to do. Only thing may be difficult to get is the emulsifying wax. I buy this from Neals Yard shops in the UK but it is also sold over the internet just google it or try ebay. I get my almond and coconut oils from asian wholesale shops as they are much cheaper than anywhere else I have seen.

This is a reciepe I have adapted from several books on making your own cosmetics. A good all round book if you are interested is Neal's Yard Remedies Natural Health and Body Care ISBN 1-85410-705-4

Hope you try this and like it. Good to get kids involved with this, they love mixing up witches brews. Any questions just ask!

PS I'm at about 40% improvement with the oil pulling and rubbing on coconut oil, now I'm greedy and want it all to go. Will keep posting any changes.

OK so it will be 3 weeks of oil pulling tomorrow so thought I best update. For the first week I used extra virgin olive oil then I switched to pure coconut oil, 2 teaspoons for 20 minutes every morning without fail.

KP on my arms is about 60% improvement with all the roughness completely gone now just have smooth slight bumps which are slightly red on the whole affected area. Still think right is a bit better than left.

KP on my bum has now improved, Horay! This had become my worst and most embrassing area over the last couple of years. About 40% improvement, like arms the roughness is gone, leaving smooth bumps and reduced redness. Left better than right so figure that one out?

Just noticed about 25% improvement on my legs, again it is the roughness that has better first.

With the coconut oil I put 2 teaspoons into a glass and put the glass in a bowl of warm water to melt it as it is solid in the scottish climate. For the first 2 mornings my husband did it he just chewwed the solid oil but found this a bit gag worthy so now melts his too. He has been doing for 5 days but has not noticed anything yet.

I also switched to coconut oil for rubbing on after the shower instead of almond oil. I also take more time to rub it in whilst still in the shower. I think it feels less greasy than the almond oil but more moisturing so I am going to stick to this change. Smells great too!

I think that my teeth are slightly whiter but not very noticable, should have got one of those teeth whiteness scales to judge better. Last week I had very sore gum on the inside top right teeth. Was quite dispointed that the oil pulling was not helping what I thought was my usual wisdom teeth pain. (All 4 wisdom teeth have not been able to come through as not enough room in my mouth, dentist just tells me to hope it never gets really bad or I will have to have an operation.) Then I felt something on the outside gum of the effect area I picked at it and a fibrous piece of ginger (I think?) came away. Then all of a sudden the gum got better wthin a couple of hours. So the piece of food had got trapped on the inside and caused pain until it came out the outside. I cannot remeber anything like this ever happening before. Has anyone else had this. Was it the oil pulling that got it out? I can't really floss as my teeth are so tightly packed the floss tape can never get down between the back ones so I supposed the food could get stuck there for a long time.

Will check back with any other changes