Why I Created NatureDr8
(A confession from an Allergist who got tired of watching eczema skin burn)
“Doctor… my eczema burns when I apply lotion.”
If you work in allergy or dermatology long enough, you’ll hear this line more times than you can count.
Sometimes quietly.
Mostly said in frustration.
Occasionally said while holding back tears.
And sometimes followed by a child crying because the “gentle moisturizer” everyone recommended…
felt like fire.
So let’s talk about why that happens.
And why NatureDr8 exists.
When Moisturizer Makes Things Worse
If you have eczema, you’re not just dealing with dry skin.
You’re dealing with:
- Relentless itch
- Inflamed, reactive skin
- A barrier that leaks like a broken wall
You scratch.
It bleeds.
It still itches.
And everyone—family, friends, the internet—keeps saying the same thing:
“Just moisturize more.”
So you do.
You try lotion after lotion.
Cream after cream.
And then… sting. Burn. Pain.
One parent once told me their child started crying the moment the lotion touched their skin.
Another said their kid started jumping around from the irritation “like they were dancing the Agogo.”
Yes. That actually happened.
Eczema Skin Is Not “Normal Skin”
Here’s the problem.
Most skincare products are designed for normal skin.
Eczema skin?
- Hyper‑sensitive
- Chronically inflamed
- Immunologically overreactive
Ingredients that are “fine” for others can trigger:
- Burning
- Irritation
- Allergic reactions
- Full‑blown flares
Common troublemakers include:
- Fragrance and perfume
- Essential oils (yes—even the “natural” ones)
- Lanolin
- Urea
- Alcohols
- Foaming agents
- Certain preservatives
So when eczema patients tell me moisturizers hurt —
I believe them.
The Real Issue: A Broken Skin Barrier
Let me simplify eczema.
Imagine your skin barrier as a brick wall.
In eczema, that wall has holes.
Through those holes enter:
- Irritants
- Allergens
- Bacteria
And one bacterium in particular loves eczema skin:
Staphylococcus aureus.
This bacteria:
- Worsens inflammation
- Triggers flares
- Causes painful, weeping eczema
That’s why eczema can look calm today…
and explode tomorrow.
This is the vicious cycle:
Barrier damage → inflammation → itch → scratching → more barrier damage
If you don’t fix the wall, the fire keeps coming back.
“Doctor, What Moisturizer Do You Recommend?”
I get this question daily.
And yes—there are moisturizers designed for eczema.
Many help. Some help a lot.
But then patients started asking me something else:
“Doctor… do you have something organic?”
So I went looking.
And honestly?
Most “natural” products:
- Contained fragrance
- Used essential oils
- Included irritating plant extracts
Which is ironic… because eczema skin hates those things.
After months of searching, I realised something uncomfortable:
👉 The moisturizer I wanted to recommend didn’t exist.
So I made one.
Why I Chose an Oil‑Based Formulation
My eczema patients moisturize a lot.
Multiple times a day.
For years.
They need something:
- Fast
- Simple
- Effective
- Non‑irritating
Oil‑based made sense.
But here’s a myth we need to kill:
❌ “Any oil is good for eczema.”
Nope.
Some oils contain the wrong lipids and can actually weaken the skin barrier further.
So this wasn’t about using oil.
It was about using the right oils.
Why Sunflower Seed Oil Made the Cut
Sunflower seed oil is underrated.
It’s rich in linoleic acid — a lipid eczema skin desperately lacks.
Translation?
- Better barrier repair
- Less water loss
- Less irritation
Its lipid profile closely resembles healthy skin.
In other words:
It doesn’t confuse eczema skin.
It helps it remember how to function.
Why I Added Sacha Inchi Oil
Then came sacha inchi oil.
This oil is loaded with omega‑3 fatty acids.
Omega‑3s:
- Calm inflammation
- Support healing
- Improve skin resilience
For angry, inflamed eczema skin — this matters.
A lot.
The Part Nobody Sees: The Ratio
Choosing ingredients was easy compared to this.
The ratio had to be:
- Effective
- Non‑greasy
- Comfortable
- Easy to apply daily
That took time.
So I tested it:
- On myself
- On my family
- For one full year
Then I gave early batches to my patients — free — and watched carefully.
Another year passed.
It worked.
But something was still missing.
The Infection Problem and The Microbiome Solution
Eczema patients don’t just flare.
They infect.
That’s not poor hygiene.
That’s immune dysfunction plus a broken barrier.
Around this time, research on the skin microbiome exploded.
We learned that:
- Good bacteria protect the skin
- Killing everything makes eczema worse
So NatureDr8 needed to support the good guys.
That’s why I added a prebiotic lipidic complex.
Why No Preservatives (and Why That Matters)
Here’s a key decision:
NatureDr8 contains no preservatives.
Why?
- Preservatives can irritate eczema skin
- They can disrupt the microbiome
- They can cancel out prebiotic benefits
You can’t rebuild a healthy garden by applying fertilizer and poison at the same time.
By removing preservatives and adding a prebiotic, we let the skin heal intelligently.
After 2 Years and 9 Months of Constant Refinement
Three ingredients.
One purpose.
- Sunflower seed oil — barrier repair
- Sacha inchi oil — anti‑inflammatory omega support
- Prebiotic lipidic complex — microbiome restoration
Nothing extra.
>Nothing trendy.
>Nothing irritating.
The Hair Twist!
This part surprised me.
Patients started telling me:
- Their scalp felt calmer
- Their hair felt more hydrated
- Dryness improved
Turns out sunflower seed oil and sacha inchi oil are also excellent for scalp and hair health.
So NatureDr8 quietly became a skin‑and‑hair product.
Not by marketing.
By patients experimenting.
My favorite kind of discovery.
Why NatureDr8 Exists
NatureDr8 wasn’t created to compete with moisturizers.
It was created because:
- Eczema skin burns
- Patients were frustrated
- And the right product didn’t exist
It’s what I wanted to recommend…
but couldn’t find.
So I made it.
And if your skin has ever danced the Agogo after applying lotion —
you’ll understand why.
