Jock Itch Remedies

Update: I tried the Benzoyl peroxide. It did not work.

I have had Jock itch off and on for 20 years. After going swimming with my daughter at the local pool two to three times a week I noticed my issues went away completely. They stayed gone even after we stopped swimming. After four months of not swimming it slowly came back. So I have taken to bathing in the tub with a half cup of bleach water two to three times a week and had an amazingly fast results.

I have used over the counter, vasoline, gold bond many, many times over the years and nothing works as well as bleach in water.

When I was suntanning in tanning beds ten years ago I had decent reductions in jock itch then also.

Took 2 pills of 100mg of Lactobacillus acidophilus pills daily. Did not prevent reoccurrence of jock itch symptoms.

Swimming pool gets my vote. Have been fighting jock itch for a couple years now ever since moving to the tropics. Well it is hot season now and 2 weeks ago I jumped in the pool, rarely ever use it like most people that own one. Well lo and behold I sat in the pool for a couple hours and the next day the jock itch was gone. I should mention mine was never really bad, just red and flaky skin, no itching at all.

All of these well intended cures are pretty much the equivalent of urban legends. That said, out of desperation I've still tried them all. Most don't work; perhaps because people and the symptoms can be so different. You may or may not have crotch rot: It could be something different.

Without making you read all of this, I'll get to the point first: I have used a combination of rubbing alcohol 2-3 times a day and Gold Bond Friction Defense. That combination (after trying everything else) worked. Symptoms reduced in 1-2 days. All symptoms gone inside of 3 days. My guess is that the alcohol simply super dries the area and breaks down fungus if present. The Gold Bond removes the friction component which for my money is why some get close but don't quite cure this.

What I learned in the process:

Keep your crotch dry and clean. Change underwear every day and often during symptoms. Change your towel every day. Try to be aware of what is going on as this condition crops up: track your underwear-you may be latex allergic, there may be stitches that rub you wrong or your underwear may simply be too tight; rubbing you continually- You have to de-stress the area .

Know where you are in the continuum of this (i. e. If you are in a full blown infection, you need to see a Dr. If it is just starting, fix it early. If you're near the end, be more gentle with the treatment as you need your skin to recover-you don't want to nuke your skin.)

Make sure to track and treat athletes foot also (alcohol helps this a great deal too, but use anti fungal also). Make sure not to cross contaminate yourself (i. E. If you have athletes foot, don't touch that area and then touch your crotch or vice versa). Dry yourself in one direction-top of head down. Don't go back up after you've touched areas. Wear only cotton underwear that fits you properly.

This stuff is a nightmare when it gets out of control but it is typically not serious and the treament can be simple and effective. Be careful to not go crazy and injure yourself in tyring to get rid of this. Use good sense. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much about the Whitflield's Oil treatment - I ordered a small amount of this myself just now.

Previously, I did something that cured jock itch for 4 months in one day. First I sprayed apple cider vinegar on the rash. When the vinegar had dried out slightly, I covered the whole area with coconut oil. The result was a burn that lasted one hour. The next day the rash looked like it had been bombed, with the classic signs of a bomb crater. My leg also hurt slightly in the area, but recovered completely in a few days.

However, this method is hard to duplicate because the apple cider vinegar needs to be at a perfect level of dryness so that it is not pushed off the rash by the coconut oil.

Brian

Some final comments that might help.

This can work for almost any skin ailment, anywhere on your body. It might work particularly well with bed sores (not sure if the alcohol in a huge open bed sore would be a great idea, but...)

After a rugged regimen has been done, and it might be cracked or even an open sore (I'm talking about the spot just above my butt)... Lets say you did something really severe and really blasted the area with 10 coats of iodine per-day to completely obliterate a deep-set candida area, bed sore, skin eruption, or even skin cancer... which has left it feeling raw with peeling skin and a burned feel, or even cracked skin.

This is how to do a final fix:

I wash with 91% Isopropyl and a Q-Tip, let dry. This could hurt a bit if it is an open sore; but just deal with it for a few days until it has healed.

Next, I use a liquid which can be excellent at killing things, even though it is touted as an 'analgesic' (to deaden pain).

Use one teeny drop of "White Flower Analgesic Balm" and spread it in. I certainly would not use that on my balls as it contains such things as Camphor, Menthol and Wintergreen. Liniments such as this, put on the balls, will cause you to go through the roof. That would be equivalent to putting Heat in someone's jock strap. But, for the butt crack, works great.

I then use a tiny fingertip of Coconut Oil and spread it around, then take about 1/8 teaspoon of Turmeric powder and work it in to the oil until it is dry.

Then I go to bed with it that way.

After about a week, it should be healed. To finish with the healing, I clean with 91% alcohol and a Q-tip again, then one drop of the White Flower Analgesic Balm.

Finally, to seal it off from all moisture, I use a tiny dab of Sulfa Derm Skin Formula. This is made from volcanic ash and is high in sulphur.

And I just keep doing that for another week.

The skin should be extremely smooth now, and itch free.

To maintain it, just use one drop of White Flower and one dab of Sulfa Derm.

That's it.

Sorry... Since both of those things aren't easy to find, and because there seem to be a large number of items which come up with you type 'Sulfa Derm'; the particular ones I got are this version which is a combination of only Zinc Oxide and Sulfur (ash):

http://www.healthquestnutrition.com/product70.html

It costs a whomping $29.95; but it is perfect for cutting out all moisture, and encouraging a completely candida-free and bacteria-free seal. You use the teeniest little bit. I don't even cover the end of my finger with it.

The White Flower Analgesic Balm can be found up-to $18... but I found the teeny bottle on Amazon for as little as $9 with free shipping.

It comes in this little glass bottle that you have to hold upside-down for a very long time (20 seconds). I touch it to my finger before a full drop exits, so it's probably about half-a-drop I use.

It lasts forever as long as you don't make the mistake of putting it your pack. The cover leaks and half the bottle can seep out without you knowing if you do that. Keep the bottle upright at all times.

As for both of those being a particular product... both are completely unique products that I don't think anybody else makes.

The first is strange because it is pure volcanic ash from an area where the volcanic ash has a very high sulfur content. The Zinc Oxide forms a perfect waterproof bond.

The other is also a completely unique blend of Wintergreen (40%), Menthol (13%), Camphor (8%). It is a liniment-type analgesic, designed to cut pain. However, all three are the active ingredients in Gold Bond Powder... that's why I like it. Seems to act as a perfect barrier that doesn't dry the area out too much; yet doesn't encourage moisture.

Also mixes well with coconut oil if you're adding turmeric to it as a binder (a great way of sealing an open bed sore, or sore, and acting as a wadding that kills everything).

Just a disclaimer as to why I'm giving particular product names. There just is no such thing made by anybody else, that I saw, that have those exact attributes.

If anybody uses turmeric, realize that turmeric STAINS BADLY. If you put it on your butt, then sit on a chair without putting a towel down first - you will ruin your chair. If you sleep in your bed and don't put a sheet on that you don't like, you will ruin your sheet! You will get to see just how much you toss and turn. Works great for bedsores, open sores and candida that won't go away. Doesn't work well for your wardrobe, chairs or bed linen.

I would just like to add details of why I probably have problems with fungi and yeasts... When I was a child, our doctor would prescribe penicillin for everything imaginable.

When I was 28, I went on a ten month cross-country bicycle trip. Every night I slept in the same tight, confining, sleeping bag. When I was 34, I went on a 6 month cross-country bicycle trip, crossed the Continental Divide 6 times and it rained for 3 out of those 6 months. We would have to sleep in damp bags, half the time.

I continue to camp out even though I am now 62 years old. I go swimming in little pools of algae-filled water out in the desert to dry off. Therefore, I have to have an arsenal. I bring a small jar of ACV with me when I camp. Bring the White Flower Analgesic Balm because it weighs nothing.

Bring a small ziplock of honey just in case I cut myself. Bring cayenne pepper in case I cut myself really deep or have a heart attack or stroke while I'm out there. Also works as an emergency after-swim powder if I have nothing else.

Bring a small bottle of iodine with me for drinking water and skin application. I bring all of that just for any regular hike.

I am probably allergic to aspergillus, just because I've breathed it in through closed sleeping bags. I get all dizzy when I breath their spores, that's how I know.

Moral of the story... if you sweat, and you're out in nature, and you sleep in sleeping bags that get wet, you're probably going to have the problem. "Swamp Rot" some call it.

Sorry for so many E-Mails... but I want to make sure that people never hurt themselves with any suggestions I might recommend.

Realize that any suggestions I might make which concern essential oils (such as the White Flower Balm) should all be administered very carefully. Of all things I've tried, over the years, essential oils are the most caustic of all things I've used (besides maybe 10:1 bleach as a disinfectant).

If you ever overdo, you'll know it because you'll get a burn that is much like when you get sunburned.

However, that also has its purposes. Because, oftentimes, the reason that fungus won't go away is because it takes deep root under the lower skin layers. So, if you burn off the outer layers, that means only new fresh skin is underneath.

It means two things, it means that if you aren't careful, the fungus has access to lower skin areas because you just exposed the lower skin areas and it means that, just possibly, the lower skin areas which used to have the fungus spores in them are now gone.

What I do when that happens is, I take baths in 1/2 cup of bleach to 6" deep - 8" deep of water.

Once it starts to heal and the underneath skin is shiny and new, before taking a bleach bath I sometimes, first, administer a solution diluted 1 Tablespoon of bleach to 10 - 14 Tablespoons of distilled water put on the skin and let stand for 10 minutes before going into the bleach bath.

I then scrub the dead skin off using the bleach bath. This drives the bleach deep inside any layer that is peeling-off and which might still be on the surface of the newly-hatched skin. Rinse well.

This treatment is probably the best thing that can be done for any rash which is based on some sort of organism such as tinea (athlete's feet, jock itch), fungus such as ringworm, or yeast infections such as red rashes that spread on your thighs, butt cheeks, etc.

Repeat the bleach baths at least 3 times-per-week. Any problem which doesn't go away by other means, try this method and it will almost always go away.

Things which can be used to intentionally make the skin peel: multiple coatings of iodine (ten-per-day, essential oils mixed at least 50/50 with olive oil as they are too acidic otherwise such as oregano, thyme, eucalyptus or tea tree. I would recommend only using a drop of those oils to either coconut or olive oil - never use them at such strong strengths.

Even White Flower Analgesic Balm might cause skin irritation, so watch very carefully, particularly if you are using it near any mucal membranes.

NEVER put any oil that contains any mint or menthol on your pubic area, period such as Peppermint, Spearmint or Wintergreen - all of which have medicinal value. One drop put in a couple teaspoons of coconut oil would be the amount I would generally recommend.

I'm curious as to why not to use mint items in pubic area. I use vicks vaporub for my hemi's and labial itch every day, usually twice/day. At first it burned but let me tell you, the burn is nothing compared to that itch! . Now I can tell it's there, but no burn unless I miss a time and scratch the itch to break the skin. I carry my vicks with me everywhere now.

Well, if you put anything with a high degree of menthol, wintergreen, or wintergreen on your balls... it's about the same as if someone just kicked you there.

It starts off low, then it GROWS BIGGER, then it GROWS TO BE UNBEARABLE... you then run for a shower and try washing it off; which doesn't work much. You then just sit there for about 10 minutes in excrutiating pain that's beyond what you can take.

Besides, why go through that if there are ways that work that have no pain associated with it at all. And, you don't want to set-up an inflammatory condition if you don't have to. Inflammation is at the root of every disease.

I would always recommend bleach first. Strange enough, as long as you dilute it - it hurts not one bit and doesn't cause either pain or irritation.

1/4 - 1/2 cup of bleach to 1/3 tub of water. Soak for ten minutes, three times-per-week.

This method, done for 1 week, generally is all that is needed for 4 months.

In my experience (and I've tried just about everything on the planet over the past 25 years), essential oils are caustic. All of them.

And, yes, I think sometimes it is necessary to do a chemical peel to get down to the healthy underlying skin; however, only ONCE. And, the thing I think works best is iodine, regular 2% from the supermarket, applied 5 times-per-day.

Labia is a completely different thing from balls.

With Labia, you don't want to disturb the flora inside. For labia I wouldn't recommend using any topical thing as it might go inside and kill the healthy bacteria.

In that case I would recommend going to Amazon and trying Luvena Prebiotic Vaginal Moisturizer and Lubricant. I would also suggest purchasing Lactobacillus Acidophilus that inserts up inside. Next, I would recommend taking Florastor for two weeks. This balances out the yeast, and sets up a proper environment.

Finally, apply Witch Hazel on the outside. This is cooling, and is an astringent that will help on the surface without disturbing the flora.

If one still has a problem, get some blank capsules and some powdered Boric Acid (NOT BORAX DETERGENT). Fill them all the way full and insert. This will set up a proper pH. Some are afraid of Boric Acid because it is used to kill cockroaches, but it is no more poisonous than Baking Soda is.

In fact, the best place to purchase it is as a 100% powder for Cockroaches. Research it.

But, I really wouldn't screw around with the bacteria balance in the vagina directly. If you do, it can be a difficult thing to get it balanced again. Generally, if a woman is having problems 'down there'... it is an indicator that Candida is a problem in your colon and should be dealt with there, instead.

It usually means that one has to cut out white flour - which means no spaghetti, no white bread, etc. Next, one takes a good enteric-coated multi-dophillus with 16 different strains that is refrigerated at a Health Food store through the mouth. Stop drinking alcohol. Stop steroid use, if possible. Start taking things which inhibit candida (coconut oil, 1 T twice - 3 times per-day, increase garlic consumption). Read about Candida and eliminating it from your diet.

If you determine that your vagina is already having severe problems, one thing many people do is take one whole garlic clove, put it into a mesh bag and put it up there overnight. Since acidophilus has been getting along with garlic forever, it won't die - but Candida will. Garlic can burn, however. That's why you put it in a mesh bag. You can use a green tea bag, take the tea out. Some take a needle and pierce it once or twice, then do it.

The other one that people tend to do is Boric Acid put into gelcaps and inserted one-per-day for 14 days. However, there are those who warn about it being a poison. Women have been using it for that purpose for a very long time, however, and it never has caused anybody a problem that I know of.

Topically? It is very easy to dry out the labia, and essential oils tend to suck every bit of moisture from skin. That is way too harsh. Witch Hazel works by tannin, yet it is gentle and effective for the surface of the labia.

Olive oil, on the surface or inserted, also has anti-candida properties, as does Coconut oil (the Caprylic Adid content); plus, it lubricates.

...

If it is really jock itch (tinea fungus), then again, getting a fungal infection anywhere on your body generally means your body has been imbalanced by too much antibiotic use over time. Get Candida under control and that will help the tinea.

Washing the surface area with Pau-d'Arco Tea, is another gentle one. Let it steep in the hot water for a half-hour. Make sure the water has cooled to wrist temperature before you put it on. Tannins kill fungus.

So, what I would recommend for men, I wouldn't recommend for women as much because of fears of imbalancing the vagina flora. It is best to treat it from inside your colon rather than inside the vagina, if possible; and deal with it topically in gentle ways which don't dry out the skin.

Taking a good, refrigerated and enteric-coated Multi-dophilus that has 16 different strains by mouth is what I would suggest, coupled with an Anti-fungal diet. The vagina is closely associated with the colon. There's just a thin mucal membrane separating the two, you might say. Generally treating the colon treats the vagina.

Oh, and the reason I suggested Luvina is... even though it is designed to lubricate the vagina, it seems to set up the proper pH and adds a 'pre-biotic' which is sort of like a pro-biotic, which sometimes helps with the problem. Setting up a proper environment is essential.

As always, all that I say - take it with a grain of salt and do your own research. I am not a doctor, nor can anything I say be termed doctor's advice. When dealing with your vagina it is always best to ask your gynecologist.

But it seems like I am more careful in that respect than you are. So my suggestions would probably be more gentle than what you've already been doing. Do put any acidophilus up your vagina, only do one capsule. Any gel cap will dissolve.

And, when I said, "1/4 - 1/2 cup of bleach to 1/3 tub of water." I meant a bathtub, not some small tub of water. I add water until the water starts running out the overflow drain.

Most bathtubs have an overflow drain which works to keep tubs from flowing-over. When you get into the tub. I fill the tub until it's about 1 1/2" below this overflow hole; once you get in, the water should completely cover you, if possible.

I have mentioned that, after killing extensively on the skin, it should be repopulated with probiotics just like your colon is. It should also be acid, not alkaline.

The way I do that is...

1. I use ACV with Mother for a few days after any bleach soak, then dry with a hair drier.

2. To repopulate, I mix about 1 Tablespoon of Organic Coconut Oil in a little empty cold cream jar (buy an aloe-vera cream at the dollar store, then throw out the contents) with Nature's Way Primadophilus - Optima. Then I just dab the end of my finger in it and wipe it over my balls and butt crack.

Do this every day. You'll find that any remaining itchiness will go away. Oftentimes the reason one is feeling itchy after a bleach soak is the extreme dryness that occurs after alcohol or bleach has been used. The coconut oil acts as both an anti-candida/anti-fungal AND carries the probiotics to the area.

Do probiotics that are supposed to live in the colon live there afterwards? Seems like some do, or at least the time period that they do live seems to help the situation. I think way too little is still known about probiotics to really know. I think they like to think that these bacteria don't ever live outside the colon - when many of them just might.

It definitely seems to help, that I will have to say. Is it scientifically sound? I don't have a clue how many live, and how long they live outside the colon, or even if they survive the coconut oil; maybe it is the powder base that they pack the stuff in encourages the right sort of bacteria to regrow on your skin.

Anyways, I would suggest it as a final treatment after you have done all the killing and possible alkaline treatments which imbalance both the pH and healthy bacteria levels in your pores and on your skin.

Gold Bond Powder and Baby Powder.

For those who don't know, or realize... talc causes lung problems (very similar to black lung disease - also called silicosis, it is termed 'Talc pneumoconiosis') when you breathe it in. "Talc pneumoconiosis also can lead to lung fibrosis."

As for the risk of cancer from the use of talcum powders.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer

"It is not clear if consumer products containing talcum powder increase cancer risk. Studies of personal use of talcum powder have had mixed results, although there is some suggestion of a possible increase in ovarian cancer risk. There is very little evidence at this time that any other forms of cancer are linked with consumer use of talcum powder."

In the past it was the amount of asbestos found in talc that was warned-of; and any studies of talc workers is probably related to that. Talc used in commercial products has had the asbestos removed.

However, overall... I would never recommend the constant, daily or continued use of Gold Bond or Baby Powder because of the concerns it raises (particularly the breathing-in of talc. It is hard not to breathe in talc, it being powdered all over the room in a fine mist whenever it is used).

Saltwater. I've mentioned saltwater as a cure for sore throats... but I haven't mentioned its use, yet, with these kinds of problems. Very concentrated salt kills everything; look at the Dead Sea, Salt Lake, etc. Nothing whatsoever lives in them.

So, if you put a poultice of salt with water on something, it will kill whatever is there - without burning one bit.

"Bathing with salt water is one of the simplest ways to solve the Jock itch problem. To cure the condition with salt water, fill the bathtub with warm water and generously add salt to it. You can use iodized salt, bath salt or Epsom salt. Soak in this solution for twenty to thirty minutes. Repeat the procedure for several days, twice each day for better results. Salt contains properties that will help the infection heal quickly as well as control fungus growth."

From http://jockitchcrusader.com/3-weird-but-true-home-remedies-for-jock-itch/

So, how much is 'A Large Amount of Salt', then?

You can use a sitz bath tub. That way you don't have to lie in salt for a long time. Remember that salt sucks water out of your body by a process called miosis so drink lots of water as you soak.

"... add salt generously to the tub while it is filling up

• Soak yourself for twenty to thirty minutes. You should do this two times a day such as when you get up and before you go to bed."

"Generously" generally implies the use of as much as 1-2 cups of regular or Epsom salt to the bathwater.

You can also mix up a quart of water to 1/4 cup of sea salt and dab it on with a cotton swab, letting it sit for 5 - 10 minutes. If it is up your butt crack, just stuff the soaked cotton ball up there and do what you normally do for 10 minutes. Repeat three times-per-day.

Moral of the story is, it should be 'very salty' (at least as salty as the ocean). If you live near the ocean, take daily dunks in the ocean three-times-per-day.

So, for topical application of salt I would recommend a 1:16 ratio. If you're making just a small amount I would recommend 1 teaspoon sea salt to 5 Tablespoons of distilled water.

Just so you know, the ocean is 3-4% salt, Salt Lake has varied from 5% - 27% salt and the Dead Sea is 29% salt.

So, 16% saltwater is about half-way between the ocean and the Dead Sea, as far as saltiness goes.

If you wish it to be more the consistency of the Dead Sea, then, mix 1 Tablespoon of sea salt to 3 - 4 Tablespoons of water.