Itching

Itchy skin can be caused by a variety of reasons, from skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, an allergic reaction, heat rash, parasites like scabies, insects like chiggers, or irritations like sunburn.  There are many home remedies and over the counter medications to prevent itching, or cure the problem, but one common thread to itching, is that no matter who you are, you want itching to stop!

Over the counter remedies for itching are benedryl, calamine lotion, any lotion or cream containing lidocane, which actually numbs the area, medicated powder specifically formulated for itching, or products containing colloidal oatmeal in lotion form or as a bath additive.

Cool baths are always soothing to itchy skin, and when adding an itch preventative, such as colloidal oatmeal (long cook oats blended into a fine powder in a blender, will work too) corn starch, or even evaporated milk, they can provide even more relief.

Home Remedies For Itching:

Lye Soap:

Knowing the cause of the itching is a good way to determine what course of treatment is the best. If you have chiggers, using pure lye soap can stop them in their tracks.  Lather up in the tub or shower, and leave the soap on the skin for ten minutes, then rinse well, relater and rinse again, and it should have killed the chiggers.  This remedy is good for small seed ticks as well.  

Nail Polish Or Petroleum Jelly:

Applying nail polish or petroleum jelly has been used to smother ticks and chiggers, so that they release their bite, and die.  Tea tree oil is an anti-inflammatory and an antifungal, so it is good for almost any type of itch, and can be purchased at any health food store or pharmacy section, and simply dropped onto the itchy area, or applied with a cotton ball.  

Peppermint Oil:

A cool bath with peppermint and a little yellow dock is a good herbal remedy to stop itching.  

Applying Different Items:

Try applying aloe vera, either purchased or by splitting aloe vera plant leaves and applying the juice to the itchy area.  Applying cod liver oil, lemon juice, vitamin E oil, wheat germ oil, or witch hazel have all been successful, and used as folk cures for many years to calm itching.

Coal Tar Soap:

Baths with coal tar soap have eased the symptoms of itching due to eczema, and psoriasis.  

Bathing sunburns in cool apple cider vinegar, or applying clean cloths dipped in it,  has been known to ease the burning of sunburn itching.