Natural Approaches for Scabies: Exploring Effective Remedies

Well, recently I came across information that much acne is caused by the Demodex mite. After hours of research, I deduced that this was my acne problem, as I had all of the secondary symptoms and it totally resonated with me. So, I immediately got in the bath (at 2 am), dumped in Epsom salts and tea tree oil, and upon getting out of the bath, I slathered myself in tea tree, neem oil and coconut oil. Well, that was followed by MAJOR itch and crawling sensations on my face and yoni. I wiped at a crawly area on my face and examined my finger closely under a bright lamp. Well, there was a little SOMETHING there, kinda grayish, barely visable, long and thin~ so I smashed it between my thumbs and flattened it out. I continued inspecting my face, and lo and behold~ they were everywhere! On my face, my hairline, even on my neck and chest as I guess they tried to escape. I could FEEL them and SEE them. I couldn't tell if they were dead or not, so I tried to squish them all. Many were an exact replica of the first one found~ many were different. I seemed to have 3 (maybe 4) distinct stages of them coming out of my skin. Some were more white and soft bodied (nymphs?), some were hard and crystally (eggs?). Some came out with fibers (I read somewhere that the mite uses fibers from your clothes to make a nest). These were not all different things I was seeing and just paranoid so mistook them for the mites. These were all identical to the others of the same stage. Needless to say, I was totally grossed out, but SOOO happy to FINALLY have an answer to my embarrassing acne~ as well as the itchiness and crawy sensations of my face, scalp and ears.

Well, then I had the idea to put the same concoction on my yoni (which was only mildly itchy at the time due to the bath). OMG~ the ITCH after putting the oils on her!!!! Crawling, creeping hell! I usually don't scrath down there, so I started to gently rub it for some relief and when I looked at my fingers, they were COVERED in the VERY SAME parasites!!!!!! I swear on my LIFE, this is the truth! I wiped my fingers on a towel, and did it again, focusing on where the itch was~ and same thing! This went on until 5 am, when I could take no more and went to sleep.

So, today I went out and bought some tinctures of black walnut hull, wormwood and clove and I am putting myself on a MAJOR parasite cleanse. I also added clove oil and the tinctures to my oil concoction (clove oil kills parasite eggs and the others kill the other stages of parasites). I took a shower and applied the brew to my face, and got the same visable results. I applied it to my yoni, and more of the same, and this time I also got crawlies on my thighs and when I looked at those spots there was invariably a grayish speck there, undoubtably trying to escape. I am now sitting in a borax bath as I type this. So, this long story is to say that YES you CAN see them! AND you can definitely FEEL them crawling on (and in) your skin. This is not something I would spend all this time on simply telling a tall tale to yank your chain. I am extremely busy, and this past month with this SERIOUS issue has TRULY eaten up my time and I have been MISERABLE. I want NOTHING more than to get back to "normal". I guess you should be very careful when you pray that "all impure things inside of me be released and cleansed". I do think I am going to be healthier than ever, and optimum, pure, radiant health is my highest desire. I am extremely happy that I don't have herpes, because I was really dreading having to tell my husband. He's been in Panama building our island home while I have been staying at my parent's (ordering sustainable home supplies, seeds, and all the things we need to be self sufficient) for the last 6 months, and I didn't want to cause him any reason to doubt my devotion and think I cheated on him (which I NEVER have). So, I guess this is better than that. But IT SUCKS!!!! I know on some level I agreed to take this on, and I hope someday I am able to help someone else who suffers from it (I also know ALL about herpes now! ). Thanks for listening, I hope this is useful to someone and I wish you ALL the very best health imaginable. Namaste.

I want to Thank this forum for finally getting my home back. My husband and I are completely rid of Scabies because of this forum.. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Here is our story and what we did to finally rid our bodies and home from these relentless critters.

We tried the prescription creams and even took the pills that doctors prescribed and scrubbed my house and washed the linens every day, only to have recurrences every 4-5 days. After 3 failed attempts doing it the doctor's way finally I headed to the internet and found this website. I read all the different posts for what others were using and having success. I guess you can say I gathered a mix of treatments. Here is what we did to finally rid our bodies and home.

1) Wrap the mattress and box springs in plastic

2) Wrap the couch in plastic

3) Steam Clean the Carpets -- We added 1/4 cup Chlorine free bleach, 3 Tblsp Dr Bonners Castile Peppermint soap and Zep Carpet Cleaner to mix with our water. Not only did this actually do a better job on our carpets then the cleaner itself ever did, but our carpets were minty fresh.

4) Take the bed linens off the bed every morning and straight to the washing machine. Add borax with your detergent. Then to the dryer until completely dry, I ran mine for 2 cycles. Spray the plastic on the bed with 50/50 Cholorine free bleach and Water, let air dry.

5) If you have pets, bathe them with the Peppermint soap made into shampoo. Use a nit/flea comb to remove any eggs that they are carrying. No the scabies don't infect them, but they do provide them with rides all over your house.

6) Remove daily clothing in the bathroom and place them directly into a plastic bag to transport clothing and towels to the washing machine.

7)Bathe twice a day, make the water as hot as you can take. Add Tblsp of each -Dr Bonners castile Citrus, Tea Tree and Peppermint oil soaps to the Bath water and soak. Then wash with one of the castile oil soaps which ever one you choose for the day and shower off. Towel dry and spray entire body with a 50/50 mix of the chlorine free bleach and Water. Place towel in the plastic bag with the clothing you were wearing and off to the laundry.

8) vacuum carpets every day.

9) each day spray every room in your house from floor to ceiling (everything- walls, doors, cabinets, floor.. Etc. ) with a 50/50 mix of chlorine free bleach and water.

In 10 days and we were completely free of scabies from our bodies and home. I say 10 days because we were clear of any outbreaks in 5 days, but we kept up the cleaning regiment for another 5 days just to make sure we didn't have another recurrence in the usual 4-5 days when we were following the doctor prescribed methods.

You have to be completely ready to stay with the routine, if you decide that you are tired and don't follow through with the cleaning regiment, I promise you will be sorry. Just plan on starting over as though it is day one all over again. Trust me you can't win the battle if you aren't fighting.

Once again Thank you everyone for posting your remedies, I hope passing along our success story will help someone else. Please pay attention to your body because the chlorine free bleach and soaps are not for everyone and I wouldn't want anyone to have an adverse reaction if you have allergies or sensitive skin to any of the ingredients used, then don't use them, create a mix of your own that works for you.

I then took baths in 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup epsom salt & 1 cup borax and they relieve the itching greatly. I soak in it for at least 30 minutes. I use liquid neem soap and add tea tree oil to it that also helps. I use a bar of sulfur soap as well. I put the neem and tea tree body lotion on immediately after I bathe or shower.

I bought a bag of sulfur powder and mixed some in the liquid soap and this seemed to help. I am still battling with these hellish things and wanted to share what I have learned as well in hopes it may help someone. I have considered taking Ivermectin orally but there are a lot of side effects and I prefer natural sources, I may try the liquid on my skin.

I also tried taking neem leaf capsules orally because they are good for so many things including digestive and immune support but had a reaction to it so I stopped taking it. I am going to try adding peroxide to my bath as well. I just read where washing soda and baking soda create peroxide I am considering trying that as well.

I am open to anything natural that may work. Cayenne pepper is too harsh for my skin so that is out for me. I have had so many issues since December and it is now Feb 24th, so it is going on 3 months now, I wish I knew a way to kill the eggs before they hatch. I appreciate the former posts because it helps to know I am not alone in this war.

I had over a dozen large crusted scabies spots on my arms and legs... Dozens more smaller ones. I did some landscaping for a friend and we dug out a flower bed no one had touched for 20 years. I got poison ivy too (or pehaps not since I had never been allergic to it before), but didn't realize the scabies for a few days... Thought it was all just poison ivy at first. I 've had scabies before so I knew what they looked like, but the crusted scabies, or Norwegian scabies, is just the same mite but many, many, MANY of them. My skin was raised up, or very swollen in spots, with some diameters much larger than a silver dollar.

I used the borax and peroxide baths, omitting the peroxide alot, since I had no income for a while. I lost 3 jobs because I looked so awful and didn't want to contaminate others. I put myself in quarantine for about 6 weeks. My kids got small spots but I killed those right away. I was taking 5-6 borax baths in a 24 hour period, scrubbing down with it in the hottest water I could stand (my tolerance went up considerably over 6 weeks) and letting it dry before soaking. I could tell it was helping but needed something else. I used essential oils also- lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus globulus, rosemary, orange, others... and pennyroyal, which is highly toxic. It can shut down your kidneys so make sure you cleanse with a detox tea after and only use it once a week. I had them so bad I felt sick, so I detoxed my liver and kidneys with herbal teas- detoxing also helps your body deal with the little buggers! Also MSM, since it contains sulfur, I took twice everyday. I figured that, like candida, they thrive in an acidic atmospere, so I alkalized with cucumber and lemon water. I ate alkalizing vegetables and cut out all meat, sugar and alcohol. I ate a spoonful of coconut oil everyday, and used it topically to help my dried-out skin. I also used a capful of bleach and a toothbrush and scrubbed the spots occasionally, but I could tell that was making me sick too.

So, I went back online seeking other cures. The more cures I used, the more results I got. I feel that the Epsom salts really put the nail in the scabies' coffin, so to speak. I alternated borax baths with Epsoms baths, eventually just using the Epsoms salts, scrubbing myself with the salts and letting it dry a while before soaking. That's when they really started to die off. They hate sulfur. Maybe magnesium too? The essential oils helped with killing the eggs so they'd quit coming back. When I got it in my eyes, I used hot, soaked green tea bags on them. I'm not sure if it was the heat or the tea but they left my eyes. Also swimming in the neighborhood pool that contained way too much bromine may also have helped! Hahaha

I also cleaned my house and bedding incessantly, like others suggested, placing plastic covers on everything, vacuuming everyday. It was exhausting, and I barely slept for 6 weeks.

Besides the physical ways of doing away with scabies, FAITH is absolutely the best thing I had going for me. Don't ever lose it!! Faith is EVERYTHING. Not religion, but a pure steadfast belief in what you want. It always works.

Hope this works for you as well!!! It was hell!! - but I have valuable experience now, and we all have trials to go through. Maybe mine was so I could help others, I don't know- but I truly hope you find your cure!! I have the battle scars to prove I WON!!!

Take care and God bless!!

USE BORAX!!! take a borax bath and soak for 20 minutes. Then, get a spray bottle and fill with water and lots of borax. Shake it up good and spray yourself. I also used castor oil/borax paste and put all over myself. I woke up this morning and everything has changed! The places are GONE and my skin looks almost normal!! I spent SO much MONEY on that other stuff! ALSO, I finally listened and wrapped my mattress in plastic (buy a drop cloth at Lowe's). I was washing so much and spraying the bed, but didn't encase it in plastic. The clorax helped at first with the places, but never killed the eggs. Plus, my skin was getting raw and sore.

The borax and hydrogen peroxide baths (or application of a solution of the same to the entire body) are also very helpful. Baths can help because going through this is exhausting and taking a bath can be a time to re-charge and rest which is so much needed.

It has been mentioned that instead of soaking in a bathtub where larger amounts of borax and hydrogen peroxide would need to be used (or bleach in this example), one can get a container that would hold a few cups of liquid and mix the ingredients being used there, apply the solution over one's entire body from top of head to bottom of feet with a small face cloth.

A carrier oil can be used with several drops of essential oils (like Clove, Peppermint, Orange, Lavender, Tea Tree) and the oil, again, applied to every square inch of the body (being careful not to get any in the eyes). Anyone who says the mites do not go to the head are ignorant.

Oil application can work for a while, but then the pores of the skin can get clogged. Clearing that off by washing with peppermint (or tea tree, for example) castile soap and then drying off and applying a solution of aloe vera juice (100% with nothing else added in the bottle from the manufacturer) or gel, mixed with the same several essential oils (a few drops each of clove, peppermint, orange, tea tree, for example in a cup or two, depending upon how large your body is) and apply that all over from top to bottom.

Aloe Vera will be soothing to the skin and healing. This can be repeated several days in a row if necessary.

Also, one can purchase a skin lotion (choose one that is easily absorbable into the skin that does not set up a greasy barrier), dilute it somewhat with water to make it easier to apply and so it stays wet longer, and put some clove oil into that. Such a skin lotion can be applied during the day to any spots that are itchy. Or you could cover the entire body with that at night before sleep for good results as well.

No one remedy alone may be best because the skin can only take so much of certain treatments. One has to find balance and soothe the skin while still treating.

One should know that any spots that are itchy are probably scabies larva or eggs and any sites that are sharply biting are adults. Apply the lotion with the clove oil (and some other essential oils if you like) to those spots when you can't treat the entire body. Pay especial attention to locations where skin folds are found, even tiny cracks on the feet or hands and rub the lotion in during the day, or as needed. (If you cannot tolerate clove oil, then use one of the others such as orange oil, tea tree, peppermint, lavender that help).

Keep it up. You will find relief, but reinfestation is the greater problem: cleaning the environment, changing the sheets, washing in hot water with borax and ammonia, etc are absolutely necessary. A solution of water with a little ammonia will kill any mites probably more effective than strong isopropyl alcohol solution, but either will work so long as you keep at it.

However, I honestly think the bleach cleanser (bleach and water) I tried one night was the actual cure. It stopped the itching immediately and after applying it directly to my skin for a couple of nights, the mites are gone. This has only gone on for a week for me. My heart goes out to those of you who have been dealing with it so long. I'm a health care professional and have been around scabies-infected people for years but never got it until now. I was infected with scabies from having sex with a man who does not have the symptoms. He must just be carrying it. Anyway, I don't care if the bleach is bad for your skin as long as I'm cured. This has been a nightmare. Good luck everybody.

Like the earlier post say, it probably is a little bad for your skin, since it does dry it out quite a bit, but using a lotion afterwards solved that.

I've only done it one night, but I can say it's working because my husband and I have been fighting it for countless months and this is the most effective new treatment we've found. I woke up this morning (AFTER THE VERY FIRST NIGHT OF SOAKING) with not one new bite. At least as of lunch when I'm posting this from my desk.

The true key is a reduction in the number of live mites in your environment.

4/1 water/bleach EVERYTHING. It is diluted enough as to not leave spots on fabric. When I say everything I mean everything, all the time, always. If you can imagine. Everytime you think about it spray something with the solution or wipe it with a disinfectant. One of at all times was carrying the bottle as we went about our nightly routine spraying and cleaning everything we touched. You will begin to realize why you haven't been able to get rid of it.

You have to keep with it, it is awful. You come home from one job, just to start another one.

Steps to follow if you can't come up with something else you think if better:

1) fill bath with hottest water you can stand, add 1 cup of bleach and 1/2 peroixde. SIT, RELAX, FEEL THE FIZZLE. 10-15 min

2) This step is optional, but if you worry about the drying effects on your skin I would considered adding this.

Take a shower with oatmeal soap, tea tree oil soap, aveeno, etc. Something you find that soothes your skin. This will help the skin heal from the bleach you just sat in. The peroxide does this while sitting in the bath. At this point I was not itch, except for my very top of my shoulders that I would not get in the bath tub cause I live in a small apartment with a small tub.

3) Air dry. While I was still wet and standing in the bathroom I sprayed my skin with the bleach/water solution to be left on over night. I think air drying keeps it off the towels. the little buggers are scurrying and dying so giving them a way off your bleached body is letting them live to fight another day.

4) I went to bed naked but I understand that's not for everybody. That way there was no where they could hide. I treated my bedding, mattress, box spring, and my body. Everywhere they crawled was treated.

When you wake up you will feel the difference and be way less itchy if you still itch at all.

I also wanted to add that before I ran the bath I sprayed by bed with the solution because I knew I was going directly to bed. It was really wet, but it dries by the time the whole bathing routine is done. Surprisingly, it didn't leave that much of a smell of bleach. At least not enough to make you not keep doing it. They are most active at night so if you can survive the night without getting any new bites you know you are killing them off.

You are winning!

Treating your house is what takes the most out of you. You have to vaccum everyday. Also spray your car and work environment if you can. But definately your car's interior with the solution. If you can help it sit on hard furniture that can be wiped down when you get up. We don't sit on the couch, we got 2 plastic chairs. TREAT YOUR FURNITURE WITH THE SOLUTION QUITE HEAVILY. Since you probably sat in the same spot everyday for months before and while you were infected before you started EFFECTIVILY treating.

Good Luck!

WASH HANDS OFTEN!

Some other things I did were:

- I used permethrin. Although it didn't completely work, it did lessen the problem slightly giving me an edge on it. I did two treatments overall in three weeks

- I washed everything I touched/wore with 1/2 cup borax and the regular amount of laundry detergent in hot water. I then dried clothing bone dry (very important).

- I kept clean laundry in separate containers from all other clothing and only used clean clothes. This may mean that you will end up washing everything in your wardrobe eventually, but it's better than having scabies.

- I put anything that couldn't be washed in the freezer for a minimum of 4 days or you could dry clean. I live remotely, so that's not possible here.

- I did not wear clothing more than once and changed sheets/pillow cases daily being very careful in how I handled everything, gloves are a good idea. Consider anything unwashed as toxic and deal with it accordingly.

- I did not sit on any soft furniture for minimally 3 weeks, I sprayed it with bleach water and covered it with diotamaceous earth. If you must use yours, try to sterilize it then cover it with a fresh sheet and change that regularly. I don't have a vacuum, so I will wait to deal with it when I believe all scabies are dead. I am only sitting on vinyl or wooden chairs at the moment.

- You may hear that scabies live for only up to 72 hours, but I think it is a good idea to assume they can live for up to 3-4 weeks and proceed accordingly. It's better to be safe than reinfect yourself the way I did.

- I disinfected bathroom and other surfaces every time I used them - don't forget the toilet seat, hard chairs, computer, telephone, driver's wheel, books, etc. Wipe down anything you touch regularly, even being careful with the toilet paper. Remember, everything you touch is a potential site for reinfection

- I covered my mattress with a plastic sheet which I sprayed down daily with bleach and let dry. I also sprinkled diotamaceous earth on it before sleeping there. In the morning I would remove all bedding and put it directly into the laundry basket and then go clean myself.

- I slept just with a sheet and a hot water bottle to ease laundry woes.

- I turned the heat up in the house. It helps with drying out the critters and also lets you wear less clothing, therefore less laundry

- I made a spray bottle with water and used a mixture of at least 3 essential oils: peppermint, citronella, tea tree, eucalyptus, oregano, neem oils (approximately 20 drops of each to a regular sized spray bottle). The ones most recommended for scabies are: tea tree, neem, orange, citronella, lavender, ginger, or black pepper. I just used what I could get.

- I bathed twice a day with approx. 10-20 drops of tea tree oil in my bath. make sure you soak your hair and head as well.

- I covered my skin and even my hair with diotomaceous earth at night before sleeping. I just sprinkled it on and rubbed it in while being careful not to breathe it in.

- I washed floors at least twice a day with bleach or vinegar water and also sprinkled diotamaceous earth around the floors.

- I rolled up and put outside all carpets. I will deal with these in a few weeks by sprinkling with diotamaceous earth, leaving them for a couple of days and then shaking them out, or preferably, vacuuming them. I will then wipe them down with bleach water or essential oils.

- Steam cleaning is recommended for carpets and furniture, but i don't have access, so I have to resort to other ways

- I sprinkled diotamaceous earth in my shoes and also sprayed them with essential oil mix or bleach water

- I also sprayed down all coats or put them in a hot dryer for 20 min

- I sprayed down curtains and anything i touched, ie light switches regularly

- I always wore clean socks and tried to keep all my skin covered to prevent reinfection from my environment ie long sleeves, long pants, long, thick socks

- I have been drinking 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar daily in order to alkaline my body, other suggestions are green tea, neem tablets, 8 glasses of water a day with a few drops of peppermint oil, cloves, garlic, onions

- I put neem oil cream or tea tree oil directly on my body wherever i felt an itch and at night I would use it all over my body.

- stay away from eating sugar

- take magnesium/calcium supplements

I have been EXTREMELY DILIGENT with all of this and it seems to be working. It has been a few days now of being pretty much symptom free. Wish me luck! I wish you luck. This is a horrible and very humbling thing to go through, but I do believe that it can be overcome. I sincerely hope this information will help you. Good luck.

In summary… -Ivermectin - I was recommend to take 10 days apart, but seemed that 8 days between doses was more effective. - 50/50 solution of boric acid and hydrogen peroxide. I used paper towels (too many unfortunately, but didn't want to re-use a cloth) to wipe over affected areas multiple times/day. Will dry out the skin- but my skin has recovered relatively fast after the mites left. - Sulphur supplement (1000mg 3xday) - Sulphur soap (2xday) - loads of turmeric in my food and as tea - acupuncture helped with inflammation and sleep - little to no processed sugar and minimal ultra processed foods - hot showers or bath (bath with boric acid & hydrogen peroxide was best). - also started using a (homemade) calendula oil with lavender and tea tree oil on my face and hair which my skin loved and seemed to ward off the spread to my face and head. Best of luck to everyone!!

I also shaved my head bald. I'm not kidding. I'm a woman and I figured I wasn't going out or seeing many people anyway. It helped alot but I know it's not for most people. I also drank diatomaceous earth in water daily. There are miticide foggers also that help especially cause your so exhausted mentally and physically. And dehumidifiers and heat used together with all windows closed for as long as possible (you have to leave the premises of course. Try just hanging outside.) Always keep any furniture a few inches away from walls from now on. Never have any furniture, knick knacks touching walls. I also stopped hanging pictures and other things on walls to prevent hiding places for pests, parasites. From now on lifestyle means less is more!

One last mention is to keep any clothes, shoes, pictures, memorabilia, anything stored or not in immediate use that you would like to keep seal it tight in plastic from now on. This is important as a rule of thumb. It cuts down cleaning and having to throw things out for many types of infestation like mites, bed bugs and roaches. I hope this helps.

Keeping your eyes closed, apply some of the liquid mixture and wait till the liquid dries before opening them (which should not take long), leaving just a residue of medicinal essential oil. How strong should essential oils used be? Strong enough that you feel some tingling, but not so that they burn you with their intensity.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0012079

On a side note, been dealing with scabies for many months and I have used lots of remedies, including daily use of Permethrin, high dose Ivermectin (1.8X dose every other day), sulphur, Neem oil, turpentine, DMSO, and the list goes on.

Recently I saw a few people say they had success with infrared sauna - so I started doing that at a facility several days ago and bought one too (arrives in a couple days), and after reading a lot of forums and comments over the last many months, just now am seeing the bleach/borax/hydrogen peroxide bath routine. Lots of success stories. So, I'm on it - but would love to know which brand of bleach everyone is using. As a natural living type of a person, I prefer the least toxic version.

The infrared sauna is helping, and it up regulates immune function and I have more energy. Not fully covinced though that it is clearing scabies, but, I feel better at least. Once the sauna arrives I'll be doing it morning and night.

I have had some success putting a mixure of tourpetine and DMSO (with a 5:1 ratio, respectively) directly on the scabie wounds using cotton tips, but it is not the end all be all cure, that's for sure.

I was gung ho about neem oil becase it is supposed to stop scabie reproduction, and it's been used successfully in India, but, after a few days I started to have a reaction.

My skin absolutely reacts horribly to tea tree oil.

I can handle small amounts of suplhur cream, but not a lot.

The Kleen Green I'm disappointed in - I used that for many weeks, starting at the 1:7 dilution, then to 1:5, then to 1:3. I stopped for a few weeks. Now I'm using it straight since I can't do neem oil. I figure that's better than nothing. (It's supposed to cause them to molt early, killing them indirectly.)

Weak immune function doesallow them to proliferate - I recommend Vitamin C IVs if you can afford them. Administered by naturopathic doctors or integrative medical doctors. They super charge the immune system - also needed to fight the scabies.

And of course, everything is washed every day; everywhere is vacuumed every day. The one area I'm neglecting is my car - I need to get on that.

This is an all consuming war.

This is what I did, and it worked.

The major problem was the scabies mites continued biting me and made it difficult to sleep. A minor problem was that I had other mites, ones that crawled in my hair, and others that crawled in my nose.

To kill scabies, I theorized that I had to keep something on my body all the time to kill the bugs and their eggs which hatch randomly, and it needed to be something non-poisonous and effective.

For me sulfur was the answer. I soaped my body with sulfur soap at the bugs' meal time, let it dry, coated myself with skin cream if my skin felt itchy and dry. Sometimes I did this twice a day, but I kept it on constantly. Sulfur has this advantage over permithrin, lindane, and ivermectin in that it has a comparatively low toxicity even though it does burn your eyes and makes you sneeze.

After four days, I felt only a few bites and little or no movement.

To aid the sulfur, I used tea tree oil full strength. I rubbed it on my hands and feet, legs and arms and anywhere else when I felt the buggers stinging me. Like clove oil, it has a short killing time. It doesn't last. However, unlike clove oil, it doesn't burn your skin at full strength and has a very low toxicity. Tea tree is a very effective "other" mite killer. It stopped the crawling mites at the first application. I used it in my hair, eyebrow (carefully) and in my nose (carefully).

Finally, I utilized a mix of hydrogen peroxide and borax to spray on furniture, bed, and floors to kill the stragglers. Just pour some hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, put in some borax, shake, and spray. It is an effective killer, but doesn't last long.

Sulfur is very good to put on carpets. It lasts a long time and kills the mites.

Also, I enclosed my mattress, box springs, and pillows with mite proof encasements. You must do this to succeed. I washed and dried bed clothes at high heat every other day. On the non-wash days, I dried them in the drier for a long time at high heat to kill the mites. I never wore clothes more than once without washing and drying them.

Finally, if I had a dirty laundry item I needed to wear immediately, I microwave them for 80 or so seconds. This is for emergency use only.

I wish you well.

Bro John

Sure, bleach will kill mites and also you, if you inhale it and have an unknown allergy to it..

...we already live in a world where our bodies have to cope with many external contaminants such as pollution, and commercial shampoos etc that are mini labs of chemicals designed " to clean your hair" etc. The pores on our skin are there for a reason...

Try to buy a large ( possibly 2 litres that we can buy here from local supermarket) bottle of ACV. It doesn't even have to be organic . Failing that , brown or white vinegar, will do..dilute 1 cup of vinegar to 4 cups of warm water, which should be a 2 litre bottle..a plastic bottle would be more practical where you shower than a glass bottle and can safely be reused, without breaking.

Try it on a small patch of skin to see if it is comfortable after a few moments, and if so add an extra cup of water and prepare to use it, after you have had a hot shower initially, then gradually reduce the hot water until it is still warm but cooler have and washed yourself thoroughly, hair included..lightly towel dry yourself and then whilst your skin pores are open, pour the bottle of vinegar/water, over your head and shoulders and everywhere else (and don't forget to close your eyes) ..a 2 litre bottle of mixture is quite sufficient to do a large adult and another for a child. and leave to a-dry on your body.If infestation is heavy, it can be done 3-4 times a day and should be gone within 24 hours- 36 hours

If all this sounds like a lot of work, it isn't. Doing this every time you have a shower is also helpful for your skin because it gradually alkalines your skin and makes you less suseptable to hosting mites.. They don't like living on skin that isn't acidic.

Before I got sick I used to do this every day and it cured a skin complaint that I'd had for several years and nothing had been able to cure it. But ACV in this proportion did, in just 2 weeks and in over 7 years it has never returned.. but as for bleach? ... great for sterilising bandages and cloth nappies and dog kennels but not on living things..

For some added protection you may wish to buy some solution for scabies, if you don't want to do the ACV everyday.

Go to your chemist or pharmacy and buy 5% Permethrin Cream, and Google scabies lotion online and it will show you step by step how to make the lotion for home use, to keep in case this happens again.

Hope this will be of help to you..

Jenn x

My evolution with mites went like yours and others that have posted. I did not post my whole story six months ago. I will because I think folks can cut to the chase by reading it. The mites first showed up on my right knee and then covered my body. Like you I went to the drug store and bought 1 % OTC Permethrim which is for head lice and useless. I then went to my MD and he prescribed 5 % Permithrim which is also useless. I then went to the Farm Co-op and bought 10% Permithrim that is used on horses. That did some good. At the same time I was doing the peroxide, borax baths and bathed with a sulfur soap. All this time I thought I had Demodex mites and it may have been. Dog mange is Demodex mites and I have cured many dogs and I can tell you that my cure is far better than Ted's. Anyway, that is the rational for using sulfur soap. I also bought the hottest Mexican pepper sauce available and coated my body while standing in my bath.

At the same time I was isolating my bed linens and washing with our hot water heater wide open. We covered my mattress with Diatomaceous Earth and totally enclosed the mattress in plastic cover. Things were getting better but not rid of the critters yet. I then went to a very good Dermatologist and carried him samples of both the male and females mites. We collected them with a lint roller. He prescribed an ointment , Triamcinolone Acetonide , 0.025% with instructions to cover my body morning and night.

All this time I had been useing my FIR Sauna daily. Read where heat of 120 F would kill them , so I upped my sauna temperature to 160 to 180 F. Went back to the Dermotologist in two weeks and he declared that the ointment had worked and just coat my body once a day. I never went back and stayed with my hot sauna's for two more weeks. He did not send the mite samples off for identification and said it was just a rash.

In hind sight, I think all these posts help, but I am convinced that it is the heat that truly rids you of these critters. For me, it seems ridiculous to think changing your diet will cure you of a skin parasite. Hope my long winded diatribe has given you good earth clinic folks a short cut to solving your mite problem. Ain't life interesting?

=========OLE ROBERT HENRY===========

Then in October (2 months later) I started having some red spots on my stomach which later started to itch. I tend to have sensitive skin so I just rubbed some lotion and hydrocortizone which did not help. Over the next week the rashes and red spots started to get extremely itchy and spread to my lower back. At this point if I scratched them they were small welts similar to that of a mosquito bite. At that time due to the Los Angeles trip the one thing that went to my mind was bed bugs. I went crazy cleaning the house and even wore a long sleeve shirt and tight leggings to bed to see if they would bite on the covered areas. I then started to have more rashes and bumps. For some reason when I was searching for information on bed bugs, scabies came up. All the symptoms lead up to scabies. I was mortified with all the information I was finding. There was a ton of information I didnt know where to start , in fact I went crazy purchasing any type of oils, borax, hydrogen peroxide, grape and coconut oil, acetone, sea salt. I first went to the doctor and she seemed like it wasnt important in fact I told her I felt it was scabies. She simply prescribed the permethrin cream 5%. I went out and got the cream but had my boyfriend use it since he has less patience than myself. I wanted to use the all natural treatment. Here is what I did:

In addition I took tumeric supplements and drank 1 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar (diluted in water) twice a day every day for 2 weeks. Supposedly this will adjust your bodys ph level/acidity and make your body not pleasing to the mites. Also refrain from eating sugar and chocolate, try to eat healthy.

As far as cleaning I did not go crazy like all the other posts suggest. After I did steps 1-3 I took all the bed sheets and washed it in hot water with my regular detergent and a cup of borax. I then put it in the dryer for at least 45 minutes in high setting. Washed all the clothing that was worn in the last 2 weeks (not the ones in the closet). Anything that couldnt be washed I put in garbage bags and made them air tight. I put those in the garage for 1-2 weeks. I sprinked borax all over the carpets, floors, and mattresses for 24 hours, then vaccuumed everthing. Before going to work in the morning I took a regular spray bottle and diluted 1/2 of hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 water, 50 drops of clove oil, lemon grass oil, orange oil, neem oil. I sprayed the mattress, pillows, couches, and everything I can I sprayed with the solution. I washed towels, clothing, and bedding used everyday for 5 days straight. After 5 days I sprayed the solution and vaccumed once a week. I did spray the solution on everything every 3 days and will continue to do so for the next 30 days. Large bedding and comfortors that could not be washed , I sprayed with the solution and put in the dryer for 45 mintues.

The aftermath and still hoping I am 100% scabies free. I started treatment/cleaning on Oct 23st, as of today it will be 3 weeks. The itching drastically went down after 1 week just out of no where it subsided but did not completely stop. The second week it gets better but you may think nothing worked but it actually is. Now into my 3rd week the rashes have started to almost completely disappear and the ithcing is at a bare minimum. The itching and rashes will continue in weeks 1-3 but dont freak out thinking you are reinfested as long as you keep with steps 1-3 and cleaning every couple days eventually the mites in your skin and surroundings will die off. Also be aware your skin will be extremely sensitive in some parts (for me my arms, legs, and neck) after 1-2 weeks from the natural oils ( I applied directly in many areas). ANytime I saw a new red bump I rubbed hand sanitizer and the oils directly on it. I thought I as reinfested but I got some form of eczema or skin irritation ( I just used plain coconut/grape seed oil with hydrocortizone in those areas and used a lesser concentration of oils).

By the way my boyfriend did the permethrin 5% treatment, he did it one time and I chose the all natural way. He had extreme itchiness the night he applied the cream, almost unbearable itchiness for the next 2 nights. On the 3rd night it subsided. I had him do steps 1-3 as well after the permethrin treatment just to be sure and his itching has greatly decreased. He isnt as diligent as I was with steps 1-3 but I know he is closer to being 100% cured as well. In addition I had my son who did not show signs of itching or rashes use the sulphur soap once a day and apply the oil in step 3 (minimal treatment just in case). In my 3rd week I dont see any new bumps, still random itching in certain areas but I think its from my skin getting sensitive with all the treatments. I only shower once a day in the sulphur soap, scrub with sea salt once a day, and apply the oil mix 1-2 times a day. I will continue to do this till all the redness/rashes/and itching disapear, I plan for 45 days as a precaution.

The biggest thing whether you are religous or not is to pray /pray/pray (trust me on this) ; stay diligent on the cleaning and treatments; just wait as you have no control over time. It will start to get better after 7 days. Goodluck, this thing can be beat, stay positive!