Detoxing the Liver, Selenium
★★★★★
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Essential Oils
(Middle, Tennessee, Usa)
07/22/2013
Dear Mamie, Turmeric and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar might help the itching a lot. It has dramatically reduced the misery from tick bites for my family this summer. 2 turmeric capsules 2-3 times a day, internally. Externally, use a cotton ball to apply the vinegar to the bites 2-3 times a day.
I have heard that garlic (internally) will discourage fleas from biting, but if they don't like lavender and tea tree at work I doubt they will want you to smell like garlic. :( Brewer's Yeast, taken internally, I think is suppose to make you less desirable to biting insects.
Hope you get relief soon!
~Mama to Many~
(Battleground, Wash)
07/23/2013
First treat with hydrogen peroxide in case of infection , then put some activated charcoal over the peroxide and cover with a bandaid on each bite.... Charcoal is very messy stuff, use a q tip to apply to each bite, works wonders!
(San Augustine, Texas)
07/23/2013
If you think you're being bitten by something at work, take a 9"x11" cake pan or similar pan to work with you & fill it with soapy water (just add a little dishwashing soap to some water & fill the pan about half-way full). Place this pan of water right below you nearest electrical outlet. Keep other electrical plugs away. Plug a nightlight into the outlet & make sure it stays on all the time, including at night after you go home. If your office has a flea infestation, you will find dead fleas in the soapy water the next day. The fleas are attracted to the heat of the light & when they jump towards it they fall into the soapy water. The soap removes their protective coating & they drown. Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (original) is the best brand to use. You might make a gift of a small bottle of it to those employees who have pets telling them that it works great killing fleas as a pet soap for dogs & cats.
(Illinois)
12/04/2021
If at work or any location infested with fleas/bugs use this to naturally harmlessly kill the pests. Diatomaceous Earth. Sprinkle lightly around. Go to baseboards and these areas. Get food grade! This way if any pet would happen to lick or get on feet and lick no harm. The DE will kill the pests. Use care as u don't want much down or don't breath the dust! Just barely Sprinkle. May also be used internally for pets to rid them of fleas and internal parasites IE worms. Use canned pet food and Sprinkle a small amount proportionally to amount of food. IE 1 heaping tsp spoon of can food use about 1/4 tsp DE for bout a wk.
Fabric Softener or Hair Conditioner
★★★★★
The hair creme rinse or conditioner also worked but did not last all day and night as the fabric softner did. I apply the watered down tablespoon-size excess from my hair and rub it on my skin. I would use a teaspoon rubbed together in my hands to cover both my legs. Then rinse off.
I read a post on another site that suggested using hair conditioner rather than shaving creme for women's legs.
(pleasanton, ca)
03/18/2009
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
Both of these products can contain very allergenic chemicals so be careful. a lot of people's skin might be way too sensitive even if they are watered down.
Fels Naptha Soap
★★★★★
General Feedback
Back in May I visited a friend and we went to her lake house. When I came back home I started getting these "bites" on my torso. At first I thought they were chiggers as we were out in a woody area but as time went on these little bites started moving around my torso. It wasn't very itchy but I was worried about bugs so I went to my dermatologist's PA who didn't think it was chiggers but gave me Peremthrin just in case. I applied one application and didn't think much about it. Slowly the itchiness increased and spread from my torso to my arms. And I didn't think much about it until one morning I started feeling itchy on the skin around my pubic bone. The next day my vagina was swollen and was incredibly itchy along with my anus. I had a few yeast infections before and recognize the feeling and knew this could not be a yeast infection.
I saw my gynecologist who also didn't think it was a yeast infection but took a culture just in case. That came back negative. The husband and I started researching what it could be and feared scabies pinworms given that the itch was worse at night. My GP prescribed Abendazole for the pinworms (at my request) and Prednisone to help alleviate the itching. Prednisone temporarily relieved the itching but I started taking more than one tablet a day (as prescribed) because the itching began to return faster.
I saw another dermatologist who determined it was scabies and gave me more Permethrin. My husband and I both applied it that night. For one evening I didn't itch and assumed it was scabies (gross). The next day the itch came back with a vengeance. At this point, I'm losing sleep and my mind trying to fight the intense urge to itch.
I found this site: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/scabies.html and began reading about how others have the same symptoms and their holistic remedies. I started to bathe in Borax, hydrogen peroxide, clove oil, orange oil and eucalyptus oil. After getting out I would mix clove oil with a carrier oil and apply it to my skin. It burned in areas where I scratched my skin raw but the burn was a nice departure from the urge to itch. Anytime the intense urge came back I would apply more clove oil mixture as a preventative to scratch. I began to cone myself like a dog by wrapping plastic food wrap around my arms and torso so I couldn't unconsciously scratch my skin at night. At this time I thought I was treating scabies and every night it was a fight to not tear my skin off.
I'm a home maker (thank goodness because I don't think I could go to work with this sort of miserable itching) and spent all day cleaning my house and washing sheets in fear that I might have an infestation of mites. One night it was so bad I scheduled a internal medicine doctor, 3rd dermatologist and return GP appointment the next day. I was prescribed Atarax by my GP, more Atarax and Prednisone by my Internal Medicine doctor and Hydroxyzine and Allegra by my 3rd Dermatologist. Both my Internal Medicine and dermatologist ordered a battery of lab work. All came back normal. So frustrated at this point. But my 3rd dermatologist, a former army doctor, said that he saw scabies all the time in the army and what I had was not scabies. He gave me the Allegra and Hydroxyzine to treat the symptoms of itching and asked me to come back in three weeks. I only took the medicine that he prescribed however the relief was so temporary I scheduled an appointment with an allergist - determined to find out a cause or a solution to this problem. The allergist was thorough in asking about the timeline, doctors I saw, symptoms I felt and a wide arrange of questions to really understand my problem. He said he would have ordered the same lab work as what my dermatologist and internal medicine doctor ordered. He prescribed Zyrtec to take in the morning and a double dose of Hydroxyzine at night. I asked him what could cause this and he suspects it might be the "scratch-itch cycle" (my GP also thought it might be this at the time of my second visit). I hoped the drugs would be enough but I still felt strong urges to itch and was still miserable. I hoped that given enough days maybe this would finally work but when every minute feels like days it doesn't take long for you to get really frustrated with waiting.
I started looking back at my planner and seeing what was going on around the time this started. Last November I had jaw surgery and had my mouth wired shut for six weeks. At that time I could not take Levoxyl and afterward forgot to resume to take it. So this April I returned to my Endocrinologist because I was feeling horrible again and she tested my blood and confirmed my thyroid was working overtime. I went back on Levoxyl 50 mcg and started feeling so much better. But then a month later the "bites" started. I then Googled "Levoxyl" and "itching" and found if you take more than you should people started feeling bad symptoms including itching around their labia. I know I shouldn't go off medication without consulting my doctor but I had to test the theory if Levoxyl was causing this - so I stopped taking it five days ago. I'm not 100% back to normal but the intense urge to itch ha been reduced to a mild nuisance of tingling. I prefer this over the former. Today I'm feeling so much better but I'm not entire sure as to what it can be attributed to. Either it's (1) I'm off Levoxyl (2) I'm taking Prednisone now (3) it's finally rained after months of drought in Houston and maybe it was something in the dry air that was agitating my skin or (4) the high dose of Turmeric I took - a natural anti-inflammatory. I just want this done and over with. If it is scratch-itch cycle I hope to break it soon because this itch is debilitating. Good luck everyone else and I hope you find the relief/solution to your discomfort.
(Newark, New Jersey Usa)
03/13/2013
I wanted to comment on intense itching all over. If you are experiensing this, please check what kinds of medications and over-the-counter medicines you are putting into your body. I went through a period of about 2 years (maybe more) of CRAZY itching all over my body without being able to get a doctor to tell me what was wrong with me (the diagnosis was eczema, which just means your skin itches--duh). I developed a secondary staph infection on my shins and nipples. After arguing with doctors about the cause of this mystery eczema I finally decided to insist that they take me off a bunch of oral meds I had been prescribed for blood pressure and an assortment of issues associated with kidney disease. I was taking TEKTURNA, AZOR, AND SENSIPAR. I, I, I finally determined that I was ALLERGIC to all this crap I was being made to take. None of my doctors would say that I was allegic. I have to be the one to tell them that I am allergic, being evidenced that I get the hives. If I don't remind them that I am allergic to these medications, they would precribe them to me all over again. The biggest point I am trying to make is that you must be an advocate for your own health. Not saying that doctors don't care, but they have so many things on their minds; you're not their only patient. Please inform yourself as best as you can so that YOU are the one telling your doctors what you are going to allow them to do to you.
General Feedback
(Austin, TX)
02/15/2009
my skin used to always feel dry and tight after a shower with soap. however, since i have stopped using soap on my skin it no longer feels as dry or itchy. what i do now is soak in an epsom salt bath (1 to 2 cups epsom salts and 9 drops of lavender oil) and i just scrub my wet skin with a loofah or scrub brush. afterwards i put virgin coconut oil onto my still damp skin. soap is not really necessary unless you are extremely greasy or dirty. i have been doing this for years and i've also found that since i stopped washing my underarms with soap that my sweat smells less stinky - i could probably go without deodorant! but i use a crystal deodorant stone just in case...
good luck
(Chicago, IL)
02/15/2009
I would stop using soap altogether. I bet that is part of the problem. Just use it on your private parts. Arizona is really dry, so you need to hydrate your skin inside and out. Might help if you drink more water, take omega 3s and stay away from soap!
(Phoenix, AZ)
02/18/2009
Not all soap causes this reaction. I started making my own soap because my skin is so very sensitive. All natural, handmade soap is vastly different than the commercial variety. Shea butter, lavender and other skin soothing and moisturizing ingredients can be included. I make soap for friends and family too. If you would like more information, please contact me.
(Cape Town, South Africa)
03/08/2016
(Pleasanton, CA)
03/18/2009
Someone said to use soap only on your "privates" but this is actually a very bad idea. These areas are even MORE sensitive than the rest of your body and several sources say not to use any soap at all unless you already know that it doesn't irritate you (you've been using it without a problem for years). It sounds weird but usually warm water and a washcloth is sufficient as long as you do it every day, obviously. Most "feminine" products actually have chemicals in them that can be very harsh and irritating. Personally I won't use anything that isn't 100% natural because I am so ridiculously careful about it.
(VERO BEACH, FL)
03/19/2009
These symptoms are most likely from the use of hot water and from dry skin:
Cholinergic Urticaria (Physical Urticaria, Sweat Allergy, Heat Hives)
Here's a good link:
Go halfway down the page to "Itchy Leg After A Shower":
http://www.healthhype.com/itchy-legs-causes-and-treatment.html
Bottom Line:
Cholinergic Urticaria (Physical Urticaria, Sweat Allergy, Heat Hives)
Urticaria (hives) are red, swollen bumps or patches appearing on the skin due to allergic reaction to some substances or, as it is the case in cholinergic urticaria, physical stimuli like exercise, heat, sunlight, cold, pressure, vibration, water, spicy food, or emotional stress.
Try prevention first. Avoid the use of hot water. Use lukewarm water instead. (I know that is not a fun suggestion--Sorry!) Consider moisturizing the skin with a light coating of a natural oil--like coconut, jojoba or olive oil after showering. Other treatment involves medicines--Benedryl etc.
Best Wishes. Hope you feel better!
(Austin, TX)
03/20/2009
stop using soap. i used to be itchy every time i took a bath or shower until i stopped ALL soap. what i do now is bathe in a solution of 1 or 2 cups of epsom salts and a tub full of water. i scrub with a loofah and after i get out while my skin is still damp i rub virgin coconut oil all over my skin. then towel dry off the excess. since i have stopped using soap my skin isn't dry and i can even skip the coconut oil if i want to.
(Grand Rapids, Mi)
09/01/2009
I have the same intense itch, no rash, that i believe you're talking about. It just started one day and i thought it was just sensitive skin. When it didn't go away after a couple of weeks I changed to hypoallergenic soaps, detergents, anything I could find. I even use all natural cleaning agents for the house. I stopped shaving because I thought that was the culprit. I wake up in the night (and wake up my partner) itching, in tears, trying to stop and having very little self control. Im told that if I can just stop the cycle, then it will go away. The only thing that seems to make it better is the steroid creme I use on my eczema outbreaks (which I try not to use but when it helps so much it's hard to stop). I don't wear shorts anymore because I'm ashamed of the scars and scabs all over my legs. Any ideas would be appreciated!!
(Milpitas, Ca)
09/03/2009
Fill up the bath tub with water add 3/4 cup of bleach soak for 1 hour every day for 2 weeks, You should start to see big improvements if you really do have eczema... You might have Psoriasis
Zinc works very well on eczema......
JC
(Cortlandt Manor, Ny, Usa)
09/03/2009
I would not suggest soaking in bleach, I would however suggest eliminating soap and using some borax, epsoms or sea salts, baking soda, peroxide, and tea tree oil in your bath regularly. Trust me you will be amazed at the difference in your skin. It has done wonders for my children's and my skin. I would also suggest using extra virgin coconut oil as a moisturizer. The initial reaction of people is that it is too oily, but you will find that your skin will absorb it very quickly. Taking the oil internally will also help to combat the itchy and dry skin. Good luck!
(Tyler, Tx)
03/31/2012
Add a couple of scoops of Virgin Coconut Oil to your bath water. It works great! Don't run the water very hot. Don't drink coffee or caffeinated sodas. Avoid perfume and makeup for a while. Don't use fabric softener sheets--use the perfume free dye free liquid kind. Hope this helps.
(Honolulu, Hawaii)
05/20/2013
My integrative MD told me that itchiness can be from caused from several things, and that what is going on in the inside of body is being reflecte onto the skin, itching maybe the liver being overloaded and you need to detox or you could have systemic candida this a stool test will determine if you have it or not. It could be blood fungus. It can be thyroid. Even if your thyroid shows up normal you may be still be having low thyroid symptoms, it can be hormones see a bio-identical hormone specialist. Here are some possibilities : parasites , mercury fillings, lead poisioning (from lead paint or pipes) vitamins, prescribed medication, shampoo, soaps, detergent, plants, pets , your car interior, the paint in your house or plants around your house , the fibers that you wear, the area that you live or work may have issues or it could simply be vitamin deficiencies. I read recently that itchy skin could be from eating seafood which are mercury magnets! Anyhow, the list goes on, and on, but you see my point. There are so many causes
I had crazy itching for years, it felt like biting, itching burning and I felt total exhaustion. My MD had no answers I went an ND and I had low thyroid even though my thyroid test looked normal on the tests I had symptoms that all pointed to hypothyroidism ... I needed iodine, Lugols and Solid Hawthorne extract is what I take, I also had low ferritin when both of those issues were addressed I felt fine. But it took years and many doctors to get to this answer!
Geranium Essential Oil
★★★★★
I hope it helps!
https://www.healthline.com/health/geranium-oil#rose-geranium-oil
Gluten-Free Diet
★★★★★
I then saw a naturopath who looked in my eyes and said he could help me. He still hasn't told me exactly what it is and said not to eat any gluten till next visit and has put me on a liver powder (1st visit) and month later two more medications. Not being a doctor person, I have not eaten gluten now for 4 weeks, and within a week, my itching - which was unbearable - has virtually disappeared.
Last night I was googling about this rash as I was eating chocolate - quite a bit as I am limited to foods now - and woke up through the night with an itch (bearable compared to what I had been having) and decided to google if chocolate has gluten and I found it has also - but you can get some without. One thing led to another and I came upon a site which said Dermatitus Herpetiformis and described my itch down to a tee. (Wikipedia) except my itch was on my neck.
Please please please readers, give up gluten (wheat flour cakes pastries etc etc.) look at labels, try and go gluten-free and I hope my information can help you. It is a lifelong diet, but also can help you lose weight. Some of the photos are much worse than I, but persevere and eat well and I am sure you benefit in the long run. Would love to hear if it helps anyone with the above skin rashes.
Grandmother Guffy Remedy
★★★★★
My grandmother Guffys skin was as soft and smooth as a babys butt till the day she died at 94. One day, when I was a younger woman constantly on the go, she noticed how dry and ashy my skin was and elected to tell me about her method of bathing. It was the only thing she said she did to keep her body clean and soft. First, she never took long baths (and NO, she did not smell). She said bathing dried out skin. Second, she never used hot water on her skin. Third, she never needed lotions. I listened; yet, despite the evidence before me, I did not take her advise. Hot showers were invigorating, I exclaimed. Who ever heard of not bathing, I secretly thought. Why do not the young listen! For years now I have suffered with extremely dry and itchy skin. FINALLY! I recalled my grandmother Guffys bathing method for clean, itch-less, soft, ageless skin. Here it is:
1) Massage 2-3 tablespoons of (antibacterial, anti-fungal) coconut oil over your entire dry, naked body, but not your face. Be sure to include your private areas and feet - get utterly greasy with it! Let it soak 5 minutes.
2) Take a clean, white, DRY bath cloth, folded in fours and scrub your entire body. When one side of the cloth gets cruddy, refold to a clean side of the same cloth. Don't forget private areas.
3) Shower/rinse in very lukewarm to cold water and ONLY wash your private areas with diluted baking soda and water or an organic non-soap or as I sometimes do, diluted ACV.
3) Get out of the shower and barely pat dry.
Believe! This works! People who touch my skin always exclaim at how soft it is AND my husband who has scratched my back many a time has taken to gently rubbing my arms a lot. Just try it! It is not real expensive or hard to do and results are quick. If you are allergic to coconut oil, switch to a light olive oil or sesame oil. Soon you will do as I did - throw away all your bathing soaps and bottles.
(Waymart, Pa)
07/28/2010
If you don't mind my asking, what did your grandmother do for her face? Thanks Terri
(Dallas, Tx)
09/30/2011
★★★★★
.... Wow, this is the routine I myself worked out many years ago, after noticing that a dab of coconut oil put in the bath water doesn't just condition the skin, but cleanses better than soap.... so I just omitted the bath part and kept the coconut oil-dry towel regime.
I do take fast showers with home made soaps, but that's secondary to the coconut oil cleansing.
Definitely stops itching, and improves skin texture.
(fluoride in water is also known for rapidly aging the skin, aluminum in commercial soaps drys skin out... What else is in tap water... We have no idea)
I'd also recommend dry brushing (see bamboo drybrushes at Amazon) with essential oils (lavender, geranium, petitgrain, orange, anis, chamomile... I like lavender anise) against itching. Dry brush instead of morning shower or after you are dry (and already itching :)
(Austin, Tx)
04/12/2012
★★★★★
I only saw my Grandmother, who lived with us when I was a young girl, use pure, cold water on her face every morning. Though she KEPT a bottle of witch hazel on the shelf by the sink, I never saw her use it on her face, just plain water.
But here's my mother's grandmother/ witch hazel story: When my mother birthed a huge 3rd child, she was so badly ripped up that she could not move for the terrible pain. My grandmother, who had been travelling, visited her at the hospital the afternoon of the morning birth and assessed the situation. She then went to a pharmacy and purchased a giant cotton pad and witch hazel. She soaked the cotton pad and placed it between my mother's legs. My mother said, within minutes, she could actually feel the drawing of the pain by the witch hazel and within two hours, she was walking around, pain free. I did mention once before that my grandmother was a healer/mid-wife from a rural community of the early 1900's. She was known far and wide, especially to the "train jumpers" that she fed from a huge black kettle in her back yard, near the rail-road tracks, during the great depression. She was a woman who saw people in need and dived in -- AND, it didn't matter to her what color, religion, philosophy, or background came off those trains. People were hurt and starving, so.....
peace out, CAT
(Tacoma, Washington)
02/03/2013
★★★★★
This is incredible and it worked to stop my itchy skin and cured my chronic dry skin. I am grateful to no longer shower in tap water as well. Thanks for sharing. Have you got some Grandma Guffy advice for shampooing the hair?
(Hawaii)
07/09/2021
For hair washing add 1 cup Borax dissolved into a gallon of water and use it as a shampoo on dry hair to massage into your hair and scalp...rinse. You may need some hot water initially to dissolve the powder.
(Edmond, Oklahoma)
07/27/2014
★★★★★
I can vouch for the Witch Hazel and stitches from child birth. I asked my mother to bring me a bottle of WH as I was in a lot of pain from hemorrhoids. I had learned that WH was good for that. So, I put about a third of a cup in my Sitz bath. The relief to the hemorrhoids was almost immediately. But I noticed the pain relief to my stitches was even faster! And my doctor mentioned it was healing faster than usual.
(Salt Lake City)
12/06/2021
I love that story. I have been using Dr Bronners baby soap and I add Grapefruit seed extract, Tea Tree oil because I had MRSA three times on my face and am so afraid of getting it again so I wash my face with it twice a day. And I then follow with Aloe gel and my own face cream. I make my aloe gel stripped from my own aloe plant. But my face gets itchy and I get worried so I keep using it. But it causes dryness which I know is part of the itchy. Thank you. S
Homeopathic Sulphur, Herbs
★★★★★
I took a tiny bit of scab off a finger after 10 hrs and already had pink healthy skin beneath. I have a long way to go and now I have hope that I will see an end to this. It almost disabled me as my hands and arms were fully reddened and swollen and just before I started the boiron sulfur I noted that I had red dots ALL over my body. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You have saved my life and sanity.
Homeopathic Sulphur, Herbs
★★★★★
Before I understood the benefits of alternative medicine, I went to an Allopathic (Conventional) Dermatologist, who told me I had Eczema. I questioned that, because I had none of the classical symptoms of Eczema. But, he insisted it was possible to have Eczema with none of the symptoms. I still question his diagnosis. He prescribed hydrocortisone cream, which did help until I stopped using it.
As a conventionally trained RN I knew the dangers of long term cortisone use, so stopped using the cream and the itching came back with a vengeance. Not wanting to use the cortisone cream, I continued to suffer, while occasionally using ice packs when the itching became unbearable.
Then, about three years ago, I was talking to a Chiropractor and mentioned my itching problem. She said she had always heard that itching on the arms were related to liver issues - more specifically a sluggish liver, most likely due to all of the chemicals in our environment. When our bodies are exposed to all those chemicals, they eventually end up in our blood, and get filtered out through our liver, which eventually gets clogged, and then doesn't function properly.
I think it is important to note that I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). I believe I have had symptoms for the past 18 years, but only learned about MCS in 2007, from an acquaintance. At the time she told me about her MCS I thought, how awful for her!
Then one day, I went into a clothing store and got really sick with very familiar symptoms: profuse sweating, heart palpitations, light headedness, headache and weakness. I finally left the store without buying anything. Then, as I sat in my car, waiting for the symptoms to pass enough, so I could drive home, I remembered a story I had once read. It was a magazine article that talked about how some women couldn't go into fabric stores, because the finishes on the fabrics, which make them look nice, were chemicals that these women couldn't tolerate.
As I sat in my car, I had an "AH-HA! " moment! The finishes on fabrics in fabric stores were the same chemicals they put on ready to wear clothing in stores! After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I HAVE MCS!
After much research, I gradually removed all chemicals from my environment - including personal care products (hair products, bath gel, lotions, makeup, toothpaste, PERFUME! And scents of all types), air fresheners (one of the most toxic chemicals! ), cleaning products (dish soap, laundry products, window cleaner, oven cleaner, floor cleaner, etc.), gardening products, home improvement products and the most difficult one FOOD! The list is too long to give here, but an online search should help you begin to eliminate chemicals from your life. One of the biggest hurdles, with MCS, is getting family and friends to understand the importance of eliminating chemicals for both you and themselves.
After learning that the liver was the culprit, of my itching, I started doing research about the liver not functioning, due to chemical overload, and found that, indeed, this could cause the profound itching of my forearms all these years! The result of my research, was that there are herbs that help the liver to function more efficiently.
Among the most effective and well known herbs, that improve liver function are: Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Parsley, Black Radish Root, and Burdock Root. There are also some supplements that aid in liver function: NAC (N-Acetyl-L Cysteine), ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid), and TMG (trimethylglycine). I checked my favorite online supplement company, and found that they had a combination product called Liver Essentials. If you do a web search for - Liver Essentials SWC017 - you should be able to find this product. I found that by taking twice the recommended dose, twice daily, my arms gradually began to itch less. As with almost all alternative remedies, it takes time to see a result. It has been a while, but I think after about 30-60 days, I was seeing a big improvement.
For the most part, taking Liver Essentials has made a huge improvement in my itchy arms. But, I found that there were times, that it was almost impossible to eliminate chemicals, from my life, and the itching would return.
After a while, I went looking for other solutions to my itching. I think it may have been on EarthClinic, that I saw someone mention that Peppermint Essential Oil (EO) helped their itching. I don't remember if they said how to use it, but I have experience using EOs and know that it is not wise to use EOs "neat" or full strength. So I got some of a "natural/Unscented, paraben free lotion, that I had in the house and put some Peppermint EO in it, until it had a pretty strong scent - maybe 15 drops in 2 ounces Of lotion. I found that if I put a small amount of this peppermint cream on my arms before I start scratching, and rub it in fully, it does help manage the itch. If I start scratching first, it takes a lot more effort to get the itch under control. Sometimes it takes 2-3 applications to get it under control.
I recently had to have repeated foot surgery over several months, and the anesthesia and antibiotic drugs given, brought the itching back with a vengeance! Nothing helped, short of sitting with ice packs on my arms all day.
Then, one day, I was looking at Homeopathic Remedies, in the health food store, and found Boiron SULPHUR - for "Skin Rash Worsened by Heat and Water". I was at my wit's end with the itching on my arms (which by now had moved to my upper arms as well), so I decided to try it. Imagine my surprise, when five minutes after taking it, the itching was gone! With Homeopathic Remedies, it is generally necessary to take frequent dosing in the beginning and then gradually decrease frequency. So, I started taking it once per hour for the first day, then as needed, for itching the next day, and now I take it 2-3 times daily, as I still have occasional itching. If the itching stops all together, I decrease the frequency and will eventually stop taking the Homeopathic Sulphur. It is not necessary to take Homeopathic Remedies to prevent a condition. So, once the symptoms are gone, it should not be taken anymore.
Honey
★★★★★
Honey
★★★★★
Hot Water
