Natural Cures for Blepharitis

| Modified on Oct 28, 2024
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Baking Soda
Posted by Elaine (Los Angeles, California) on 04/10/2016
★★★★★

I have had blepharitis for many years. I can't count all the treatments my opthalmologist prescribed. Everything he gave me either didn't work, made my eyes sore or made me sick. Recently, I tried the treatment advised on Earth Clinic for dry eye and found it has cleared up the blepharitis. About two weeks ago, I started dabbing my eye lids with a solution of 1/2 cup distilled water with 1/2 tsp. baking soda. I do this with my eyes closed. When they are dry, I redo. At first I was doing this 3 times per day. Now I just do it regularly morning and night. All the crusts that would form overnight are just about gone. My eyes are less sensitive to light, grittyness is gone, and my vision is improving. And, best of all, my eyes feel really good. Apparently, baking soda alkalizes and germs can't live in an alkaline environment. Hope this helps someone.

Castor Oil
Posted by Marj (Deer Park, Ny) on 02/28/2017
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I had painful dry eye/blepharitis. Went to a dry eye "expert" and went back and forth with all kinds of prescriptions that I am sure made things worse. After over a year of that nonsense, I did this:

I put a heated gel mask over my eyes when I woke up and before I went to bed. That helped "melt" the plugged up gunk clogging the oil glands on my lash line. Importantly, after warming up the lash line for about 15 minutes, I washed my eyelids with baby shampoo. That helped to further break up and dissolve the gunk build up. Finally, the third part of this process is to take a dot of castor oil (organic, hexane free, cold pressed), and swipe your eyelids with it.

My eyes felt better immediately. It took a week or so to see an uninflamed eye margin. Since my gunk is all cleared out, I only use the castor oil. I swipe my eyelids with it before I go to bed. My eyes are perfect. I've been back to the dry eye "expert" for a complete exam to see if the castor oil might be doing something bad to the insides of my eyes or something. No. They are perfect.

I will never stop putting a drop on my lash line every night. Honestly, when I was suffering with dry eye, I thought I would have it forever. I was depressed. I couldn't wear eye makeup for a year. My eyes hurt like hell just from air! I was constantly putting drops in my eyes. That helps the symptom temporarily. For me, the cause was clogged up oil glands related to my lashes. Why that happened in the first place, I have no idea. But now, I am fine. If anyone can take what I've shared and heal themselves as I have, I'd be real happy about that. Good luck!!!!

Hand Wipes
Posted by Ophelia (Dana Point, CA) on 08/07/2014
★★★★★

This is not my cure but I found it tonight and wanted to share.

I no longer have Blepharitis. There is a cure.

Benzethonium Chloride is the medicine in the products that get rid of Blepharitis. It is found in the antibacterial hand wipes known as WET ONES. It comes in a red box. Walmart or drug stores or grocery stores here carry it. I checked on the internet to find what products Benzethonium Chloride was in. You may have to order from a drug store on line if you can't get it there.

Let me explain how I got rid of it. I tore each hand wipe into 8 pieces and rubbed each eyelash are twice-4 times a day to start. After a week or two I went down to 3 times a day. After a month I went down to 2 times a day for several months. This is an infection in the roots of the eyelashes. Putting medicine in the eye doesn't do much. I tried 3 times with antibiotics. Did nothing.

When a friend said she got rid of it I jumped on it right away. She had it going up her eyelids.

Two people have gotten rid of this horrible itching. It is not a hit and miss thing. I kept at it for 3-4 months and it is gone.

The 3 Dr.'s who looked into my eyes tried to find it and couldn't. One was the Dr. who gave me the prescriptions for antibiotics and diagnosed the Blepharitis. This is not just a temporary relief thing I am writing blogging about. I learned how to blog to try to help others learn about the way to get rid of this infection in the eye lashes. The Dr.'s didn't seem to be interested in a cure. I did blog on one Dr.'s comment and he was interested and wanted to know if I washed my eyes off after using the wipes. I told him no I did not.

There is no need to suffer with this when there is a cure. Please be diligent and work at it for the 3-4 months. You do start to feel better. When I was done it itched once or twice and I used the wipes and it was gone.

Relief is not far way, Lynda

Manuka Honey
Posted by Karl (Bellevue, Wa) on 01/04/2015
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

So, my wife, Julie, has been dealing with blepharitis for 14 months now. It started with a flaky, itchy rash (like eczema) on her upper eyelids and then it spread to her lower eyelids. It would also cause her left eye to water and tear up. She went to an allergist, a dermatologist and a esthetician to seek treatment. She tried creams, ointments, steroid creams, air purifiers (in case it was caused by an airborne allergen) and vitamin therapy. On a few occasions, it went away and then came back even worse. Needless to say, she was getting enormously frustrated that this condition might go on forever since nothing that the doctors prescribed was working.

I started looking for alternatives for her and came across a few people touting the claims of Manuka honey. The more I read up on it, the more I was convinced that it might do the trick. We went to Whole Foods and bought the most potent manuka honey we could find (+16). A higher number means higher potency. It was an expensive jar of honey, and if we were going to eat it, it would be nuts, but this was medicine. Julie put it on for 10 minutes at a time and left it on lightly overnight and, after one night, the upper eyelid inflammation and rash was GONE! After 48 hours, the entire thing was gone. She burst into tears after the first morning and is just absolutely stunned by how fast it worked and how effortless the application is. No side effects, no danger of a chemical in the eye...just all natural pure manuka honey did the trick.

If you are in that same boat and nothing is working for you, I highly recommend that you give Manuka Honey a try. It's really a miracle cure for this condition.

Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Snazzy (London) on 11/01/2014
★★★★★

I am writing enthusiastically endorse the tea tree oil treatment -- it seemed to have worked overnight! This is only the second time I have ever had belpharitis and this treatment worked much faster than the antibiotic I used the first time.

The first time I got blepharitis, I went to the doctor and got an antibiotic ointment perscription. It took almost a full month for the ointment to work and for the irritation to go completely away. Because I am not in my home country (I am American), I did not want to have to go to the doctor again. In part, I also wanted an alternative way to deal with this because I did not want to have to deal with the uncertainty for an entire month again - it took so long before!!!

So, I searched, found this forum, and saw the tea tree oil cure. I happened to have it at home, so I decided it would be easy enough to try out.

I mixed, in a bowl, in two drops of tea tree oil and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I then stirred the mixture with a q-tip for about 10 seconds and rubbed some on my eye before bed. Overnight it became much better.

I continued to apply the mixture about 3 times a day for about 3 days just to be safe. It has now been another four days since I stopped applying the treatment, and the symptoms have not returned. I am so freakin' happy! Maybe what I had was not serious and would have gone away on its own, but really it felt exactly like the symptoms I had two years ago (which lasted for a whole month even with a perscription).

So, if you have these symptoms I really suggest trying out the tea tree oil treatment out! From what I can tell, it saved me a lot of time, pain, and anxiety. I hope it works for you too!

Antifungal Cream
Posted by Rebecca (OR) on 06/07/2023
★★★★★

Antifungal cream for 'blepharitis' is working! Have I been misdiagnosed for 10 years?!

I've suffered for a decade with chronic severe blepharitis. 4 doctors in a row just believing that was so. 5 different prescription antibiotic creams tried, worked for short times, but failed and even made it worse long term. 50 different home remedies, you name it, I've probably tried it, bought it, or made it. The last 2 years I settled on using my homemade beeswax and essential oil salve for the most relief I could get. I gave up on everything else. All my eyelashes are gone, and I'm always miserable, wearing sunglasses. My "blepharitis" is not only in my eyes but also gets in my eyebrows and a new but similar issue began behind my ears a few months ago.

My husband has had recurring ear infections most of his life and crusting around ears and nose. He keeps going to the doc, getting antibiotics, and the ear infections just keep coming back, sometimes worse than before. But, this time he went to a new doctor, and this doctor had a new diagnosis. He said it's not a bacteria infection, but an overgrowth of a fungus that is already naturally on our skin. He and sent him home with Clotrimazole and Betamethasone Cream USP 1%/0.05% and Ketoconazole shampoo. I watched my husband's ear infections and skin issues disappear in just a few days and then I tried some of the prescription cream for myself.

I put on an extremely thin application of the cream behind my ears, in my eyebrows, and then just barely wiped my eyes with what was left on my fingers. I felt a deep itching and slight burning for the next several hours behind my ears. The next day, already feeling much less inflammation, I did a 2nd application the same way, and I felt layers of skin rubbing off behind my ears, but it was not painful and the skin underneath was not inflamed. That night I did a 3rd application and the peeling was done, the skin felt clean, and the healing was remarkable! I no longer felt any new crusts and goops developing in my eyes either. The thick leathery feeling skin started to feel softer and today I woke up and did not even feel a need to wash my eyes. The skin feels completely clean and new. My husband keeps remarking about how my eyes don't look red or puffy anymore.

This anti-fungal prescription cream has cleared up everything and put healing in turbo mode! For real!? Even the "blepharitis" I've been suffering with for a decade!? Have I been misdiagnosed with blepharitis all this time? Have I been treated for bacteria growth when it was fungus this entire time? It seems like once one doctor told me I had blepharitis, every doctor after that just believed it and didn't consider anything else. I've never even heard a doctor consider fungus as a cause. I believe I have found my answer to my "blepharitis". They say they don't know what causes blepharitis, they just think it's bacteria. Well, it appears to be a fungus in my case.

I pray this continues to work. I've had products help for a time and then stop working. This time it seems to be doing more than just helping though. It seems to be actually curing. If this does stop working I will be sure to come on here and update this. But for right now, I had to let you all know. Ask your doctor about the possibility of fungus overgrowth. I have suffered for way too long, tried way too many medications, and spent way too much time and money trying to figure this out. I hope this can help someone else.

Baby Shampoo
Posted by Missm (New York) on 08/13/2020

Blepharitis, if you are older, is often caused by demodex mites. Baby shampoo will not stop them, only wash them away temporarily.

You can use sulphur soap - Mites hate sulphur. Mind you it's sulphur and has some smell. But not horrible.

Braunfels Labs SAL3 is also commonly used as a calming sulphur face wash for relief from demodex mites, and acarid.

https://www.amazon.com/SAL3-Salicylic-Acid-Sulfur-Soap/dp/B00685KUGA/ref=sr_1_38?dchild=1&keywords=sulfur+soap&qid=1597354813&sr=8-38

What I used -

Pet MD Benzoyl Peroxide Dog & Cat Shampoo.

Benzoyl Peroxide Dog & Cat Shampoo, 12-oz bottlehttps://www.chewy.com/pet-md-benzoyl-peroxide-dog-cat/dp/186052

This is HIGHLY effective. It does not smell. I use as a facewash and shampoo.

You can add a couple drops of teatree oil. Teatree oil is the most effective essential oil again demodex mites.

You must stop consumption of dairy as this is mite food.

You need to change your bed linens as often as possible washed in detergent and borax. Dry at high heat.

I had a severe case on eyes and head. And though above was very good, I finally got prescription for Ivermectin two weeks apart and it stopped the mites.

FYI Mite irritation comes in two week episodes so you have to be vigilant in eradication.

Many doctors don't even know about this as cause for blepharitis!

If you feel your eyes get bad in the evening then its most likely demodex mites! I know! Yuck but everyone has these but if your immune system is down or if you are older they turn into an issue.

Keep your face clean, demodex love face oils.

Also you makeup feeds mites. If you want to get rid of them ditch eyemakeup. Use only aloe gel on your face.

These can be extremely hard to get rid of.


Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Narendra (Ontario) on 11/11/2015
★★★★★

I felt I must add my experience since this site has help me. I use tea tree oil mixed with coconut oil and it has help me tremendously for blepharitis.

I must also mention for blepharitis, mix a cup of boiled water with one half teaspoon of baking soda. Clean eyelids with solution when cool using q- tips. Also, for dry eyes, drink flax seed oil, omega 3 and primrose oil. Primrose oil has GLA which help the oil gland produce the lipid that prevent evaporation of the tears

To keep the bad bacteria away, strengthen the immune system. Use anti inflammatory once a day. This is found at most health store. Use probiotics to help balance the gut flora and get rid of the bad bacteria, otherwise, blepharitis returns.

This approach has work for me. I hope everyone recovers from this terrible infection.

Hand Wipes
Posted by Hs (Fl) on 11/24/2017
★★★★★

This cure for blepharitis is a very affordable, easy to find grocery item - Wet Ones wipes.

I've had blepharitis for 20 years. I was told repeatedly that I will have it my whole life and that it can't be cured.

But there is a cure. The active ingredient in Wet Ones wipes (red label - NOT the blue label/sensitive version) is Benzethonium Chloride 0.3%. It kills staph.

Don't use the blue label/sensitive version - it has no active ingredient. Don't use generic/store brand versions of Wet Ones - they don't have enough Benzethonium Chloride.

Because this is the first mention of this easy cure, you might be tempted to dismiss it. I encourage you to check this thread of people who have used this cure, including lots of feedback from the woman who originally discovered it. https://patient.info/forums/discuss/one-week-using-wet-ones-with-benzethonium-chloride-62456

Cut wipes into small pieces and put them in a glass bowl with a lid. Wipe the lash line 3 to 4 times per day. Don't rinse, let them dry. My eyes feel no irritation at all. Wipe lashes less frequently as the blepharitis goes away. It will eventually be gone or easily managed.

After 20 years, I am shocked and so happy that this can be fixed.

Epsom Salt, Baby Shampoo Treatment
Posted by Circuitrider (Hawaii) on 11/18/2015
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

After dealing with blepharitis for about two years, I feel that I finally found a treatment that works for me. After poring over literally hundreds of posts on different websites and trying numerous treatments - the simplest has proven to be the best.

The problem with blepharitis is as soon as the infection occurs, the immediate reaction is to get rid of it quickly even to squeeze the infected gland and/or eyelid to remove the stye. As many of the previous posts already indicated, this only worsens the condition.

For many with blepharitis, as it was with me it meant keeping up with the condition every single day. I found that I had to keep a close eye on my eyelids to watch for any sort of inflammation or swelling that indicated that an oil gland was blocked. If there was any swelling, redness or indication that a meibomian gland had become blocked I would have to intensify the treatment.

Here's the treatment that I have been using and it is now worked for over a year now with no serious reoccurrence of infection:

  • microwaveable eye warmer with beads, (never bother with a single eye warmer) usually obtained at a local drugstore for about $10
  • Epsom salts - about 2 tablespoons
  • Baby shampoo - 5-6 drops (don't get cheap off brands, they sting)
  • About 2 cups of water
  • Small towel to just wrap around the heating pad

Heat up the water in a small bowl along with the Epsom salts and baby shampoo. Takes about 45 seconds by microwave. Heat up the beaded mask for your eyes takes about 20 seconds in the microwave. Then take the small towel and soak it in the solution and then wrap it around the beaded eye mask. The heat will last a good five minutes or so. Then if you want to go a full 10 minutes you can heated up and repeat the process one more time. It seems that if you're in the middle of dealing with an infection that a full 10 minutes does work better. This process softens the congealed oil's in your oil glands, it allows them to drain which is what you need to have happen.

The eyelid will immediately feel better. If there is a small white spot on the eyelid you will notice that eventually it starts to go down. As you may already know Epsom salts are used to draw out infections, and it feels really good on your eyelids even if you didn't have this condition. But it takes time to reduce the swelling. If you wake up in the morning with a crusty feel in the eyelid that means that the eyelid is draining, and that's a very very good sign. If you catch it early enough it will only take a few days and the infection will go away completely. Here's something else that seems to work well for some reason, if you can soak your eyes in the evening at about six or seven in the evening, and then again just before you go to bed, it seems that it really helps the eyelid to drain if you're dealing with an ongoing blockage.

I would like to add a few things that I feel do not work. Often you will read where just putting on a hot cloth is suggested but it doesn't get hot enough long enough to do any good. It is basically ineffective. Also taking a hot shower doesn't really get enough heat to where it needs to be. Also you will hear comments where you should heat the pad to where you can barely stand it, but you only need to heated to about 40° C. Hotter could be damaging. Some will say that it's not necessary to use any kind of solution, that it's just the heat, but the solution does cause better contact with the heat and the salt can have a therapeutic effect as well as the soap on the eyelid. I've also tried some other oils and other substances on my eyelids which only burn and perhaps could even damage your eyes. Unfortunately in talking with doctors about my eyes, they usually pass it off is no big concern which is a little bit annoying and simply say just soak your eyes. While that is basically true you have to approach it the right way for it to actually work.

Another device that I have used that is very helpful is an electric eye warmer that connects to USB port, especially designed for treating blepharitis not the usual eye warmer that might be commercially available. There's only one on the market that I have found and finally it past all the testing and is now available. I use every night in treating my eyes which is an alternative to the heated solution and eye warmer when not dealing with an infection.

So in conclusion, it takes 2 things, persistence and patience to deal with this condition as I have learned through experience. If you keep up with the condition of your eyelids, then you will not have to deal with embarrassing styes or chalazions when the stye gets to a larger size and takes much longer to heal. Incidentally, using the above method I have been able to heal chalazions in the same way, it just takes much longer. But with patience, you will eventually completely heal the eyelid.

Blepharitis Triggers
Posted by Jessica (Va) on 03/29/2016

The dry eye/blepharitis market is a 4 billion dollar industry and growing. Considering that it is possible to contract the bacteria that causes some forms of blepharitis is it possible that patients are contracting blepharitis during eye exams? This would also explain the dramatic increase in the prevalence of the problem. I never had any symptoms associated with blepharitis until approximately two weeks after my routine eye exam. From that point on I have been suffering with MGD/blepharitis. As I recall that day, I did not see the physician, nor assistance wash their hands. They also used the same bottle of drops to dilate pupils on several patients. I am convinced that I, and many others contracted blepharitis at the hands of our health care professionals.

Hand Wipes
Posted by Susan (Albuquerque, Nm) on 02/02/2016
★★★★★

Like most of you, I have struggled with painful blepharitis for years to no avail. Doctor after doctor, medications.... Thanks to your stories, I came across something that worked for me. I first tried the manuka honey which did well for the inflammation on the eyelid, but was not totally effective. I then purchased hand wipes (containing benzethonium chloride) and they have worked effectively and completely! No inflamation or itching. At this juncture, I use them about every third day, wiping them on the eyelashes and leaving on for only about 30 seconds, then rinsing with warm water.

Your stories and suggestions have saved my sanity. Please know you have made a huge difference in my life through the sharing of your hard-earned experiences.

Thank you!


Hand Wipes
Posted by Judy (Anaheim, Ca) on 06/10/2015
★★★★★

I have had blepharitis since 2009. My tear ducts plugged with yellow waxy substance and were inflamed, red, painful, and runny. I daily removed strings of pussy mucous from my eyes. I just wanted to close my eyes and not open them again. I read Posted by Ophelia (Dana Point, CA) on 08/07/2014 about Wet Ones wipes and followed her advice. Today after 4 months of using them I went to the ophthalmologist. Seven or eight times he used words like pristeen and stellar when describing the condition of my eyelids now. Midway I did go through a crisis that it wasn't working. But I stuck to Ophelia's recommendation to treat my condition for a full 4 months with these wipes and diluted baby shampoo washes. I did find that I needed to moisturize my eyelids and surrounding areas once a day. But from what was a great suffering to being apparently cured, I am so grateful for the advice to use them. My doctor told me to just go to cleansing my eyes with the shampoo once a day. He didn't see any need to do any more. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am 73 years old, what a relief! $6 cure! Judy


Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Charlotte (Brooklyn, Ny) on 10/24/2013
★★★★★

I tried a million different treatments for blepharitis and dry eye for many months and this was a real b-----. I tried warm compresses, tea bags, supplements, still more misery. But here is something that worked for me. I did some research and found out about "Demodex mites" that infest the eyelashes ( I know it's gross but you can look it up and see if it matches your symptoms). The remedy for these is tea tree oil. Of course it would hurt like hell if you put it on your eyes "straight" but bc I don't like to use petroleum products (for ecology reasons, but especially near my eyes) I got some Waxelene and put one drop of tea tree in a bit of it, then applied it to my lid margins with a wet q-tip. It stung a little, but actually when the proportions were right produced a kind of warm pleasant relief. Did my eyebrows too, and also as recommended I started washing my hair with tea tree oil infused shampoo every day too. Also wash your face with a tea tree soap ( I just put a few drops in Dr. Bronners eucalyptus liquid castille soap.) Kept doing this procdure, no warm compresses, nothing else. Voila--much relief!

Antifungal
Posted by Barefoot (OR) on 07/27/2023
★★★★★

I AM CURED!! My 10 year long blepharitis battle is over!!!

Clotrimazole and Betamethasone Dipropionate Crean 1%/0.05% has CURED my blepharitis! I've waited a couple months to post this because I wanted to be 100% sure it was not going to come back, and I can confidently say I am completely CURED. I wanted to make a fresh post so it could be seen clearly, because this is really really important for anyone looking for a cure. Not just a treatment of symptoms, but a real CURE! It is possible your blepharitis could also be caused by the same fungus. It is a fungus we all have on our skin but it can get out of balance. My husbands ear infections were caused by this same fungus imbalance, and this cream has cured his ear infections also. It seems doctors always think "bacteria", and only one doctor has ever considered "fungus". Thank goodness he did, because now we are both cured of our chronic infections. Please do yourself a favor and try this if you are fighting blepharitis, or other infections. This cream is also treating the crusting and cracking behind my ears, and inside my nose. I use the tiniest tiniest amount on a qtip and the results are so rapid and major even after the first use. I also put on lotion or my homemade olive oil beeswax salve afterwards to keep the skin moist and aid in the healing process. It also seems to help spread the medication. I hope this cures someone else! Not helps, but cures! If it works for you too spread the word, I couldn't be a happier person. Blepharitis is torture. If by chance it stops working for me, I will be sure to delete this and update, but as long as this post is up with no update, you know I am doing fine:)!

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by One Red Bug Eye (Van, Bc) on 09/10/2015
★★★★★

Blepharitis:

10 min ACV EYE BATH 3x/day for 3 days: Submersion: 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar in one large salad bowl of warm water.

Put side of face in water bowl to keep breathing through corner of mouth, submerse eye, blink open while looking different directions to cover all areas.

Cured red bug eye with pussy node at bottom of eyelash sandy feel at tear duct. Eye was glued shut in AM from crust.

Note: Wore eyepatch to alleviate nocturnal scratching.


Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Cured (Ireland) on 12/26/2014
★★★★★

So to start off I was using my computer a lot and my eyes became itchy and progressed to being very bloodshot. I had no idea what it was and after trying to clean my eyes every day for a few months with the condition worsening and getting a little better sometimes I went to the doctor. By this point it was very bad and I was prescribed an anti-biotic. The first anti-biotic did nothing and the eye drops didn't help either so I went to a specialist where I was finally told it was blepharitis. I was given Maxitrol which is an anti-biotic which slightly helped but made me extremely sick for about 2 weeks and eventually didn't cure me either. The specialist told me to apply sodium bicarbonate (mixed with water) to my eyelids every day also which I did and continued to do and I must say it does help a bit.

But the biggest problem I had was my eyes were dry still and would return to being very bloodshot if I was looking at any screen. 6 months after I first felt symptoms I found this site and say the suggestion of tea tree oil and decided to try it. Massive success..! It can sometimes sting but its been 5 days since I started applying it and I don't even need to put it on anymore..my eyes lubricate again don't itch when looking at screens. After 6 months I was desperate and I'm really glad I tried:)


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