Jock Itch Remedies

I agree with Gene above on the Rubbing Alcohol 100%! I must say it will burn at first, but actually sooths the issue after the quick discomfort. Just rubbed some on with a cloth twice a day and in no issue after 2 days. Again, just rub some on your crotch or anal area and be prepared for a quick joust. Healing occurs quickly though. I am the type to turn up the heat, so Im not afraid to use as much as I think I need. That goes for any healing remedy for that matter. As a healer myself I've always told people to go this website for answers on health challenges. Now my first health issue I didnt solve myself in many years. Gene's story assisted me after a few other remedies didnt work. Thanks Gene and EarthClinic!

I have used rubbing alcohol for a month and nothing went away. The only thing the alcohol did was make me in more pain every morning when I woke up and had been scratching at it in my sleep.

Gotta give this a firm yes. It's been my cure for years. As a somewhat overweight man, I have had on and off bouts of 'crotchrot' where skin around the scrotum and inner thighs meet, resulting in unpleasant dampness and foul odour.

A healthy swipe of rubbing alcohol in a pad will do two things: #1 Burn like hell for about 20 seconds, and then #2 fade away, usually taking the problem with it. A second application the next morning is sometimes needed as well which will burn far less, and then that's all she wrote!

Glad to see this is a known thing, but I'd like to see it known wider yet so people don't have to battle embarassment and/or waste money on doctors or powders. Just grit your teeth and take it. You'll feel much better once the burn is done, and smell it too!

I was using steroid cream to get rid of jock itch, and while that worked, after a couple years of doing this I noticed stretch marks at the very top of my thigh. So I stopped using the steroid. Then I tried every anti-fungal cream, powder, and spray that I could find but nothing worked. In the shower, I was scrubbing the area with diluted bleach and then leaving the rag there for no less than 2 minutes every day. That did not work. Rubbing alcohol worked like a charm for me. I pour some on a makeup removal cotton pad, swab both sides of my groin, and then leave the pad on the problem side, wedged there till I get through my morning routine. I remove the pad and then put baby powder all over before putting my jockies on.

Rubbing alcohol 100% worked for me. I applied with cottonball saturated in in rubbing alcohol morning, noon and night. It burned a little with the first application, but for me it was not that bad at all. After first application I believe the fungus was gone (it stopped burning and appeared white and flaky, apparently dried up) but I am continuing to apply three times daily for a week or so to make sure I am cured. I am also treating my feet, (although I can't see any athlete's foot) just to ensure I knock this out once and for all. I read that most people with jock itch also have athletes foot and it could be the source for jock itch. Additionally, I am changing clothes frequently and laundering everything I wear daily. Treating shoes and socks for athletes foot as well.

I have been battling this for five months on and off and at last feel I am almost done with this thanks this site and rubbing alcohol, cheap and effective. The over the counter creams worked but as it kept returning I think I was missing areas. The alcohol being fluid covers more area faster, easier and neater. I prefer it over a cream and like the fact that it is so inexpensive as well. Thank you so so much to the people above for taking the time to post your experiences.

After dealing with jock itch for 1.5 years, I have to give the rubbing alcohol remedy a big YEA. Here is my story detailing everything I tried along the way, perhaps it will benefit others that are afflicted with this fungus.

By the time I relized I had jock itch (tinea cruris) I was about 2 months in and had a pretty bad case by then. I puchased some anti fungal cream as recommended @ $10 per ounce at the drug store.

Anti fungal cream :::

Don't waste your money. After about 3-4 weeks of faithful application twice daily I thought the problem was cured, but 2-3 weeks later the infection was back with a vengance. After repeating this cyle for 3 more tubes of cream I realized that the cream was merely keeping the infection "at bay" and not killing the fungus off. My mindset was, kill the fungus, problem solved.. I read many posts that merely address the symtom, they say I used X and the problem (itching) went away. I can tell you it doesn't work that way. I figured if I killed the root of the problem (the fungus) I would be cured and back to normal. Not so, in my experience..... I now believe there is no "cure", only prevention.

BORAX :::

After giving up on the anti-fungal cream I came across earth-clinic and decided to give something else a try. Borax WAS effective however I found it difficult to administer I used it for about 3 weeks. The day after the first application I noticed what looked like red spider veins further down my thighs on both sides in what was virgin skin.... The fungi were actually running away from the borax.... A good sign!!! The best way I found to apply the borax solution was just to wet down the crotch and anal area, but then you have to wear wet shorts after... I imagine some type of small tub that you could sit and soak in may have worked but I didn't get that far. The blistering and oozing of the skin continued during the borax treatments but things were getting better. I began using rubbing alcohol as well.... borax before bed and alcohol during the day and thats when things really started to improve.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) :::

The Apple Cider Vinegar burned my skin .... After about 2-3 days I quit that.... Skin was very sore and tender to the touch ( 1st degree burns )

Rubbing Alcohol :::

The holy grail..... Easy to apply, odorless, evaporates..... Yes, there was quite a bit of stinging for the first couple weeks, but now my skin is healed. I have not had any eruptions (blistering / oozing) for over 4 weeks now I have been wiping down using a cotton cosmetic pad 1-2 times per day.

Conclusion :::

Per Mayo Clinic "Jock itch is caused by fungi called dermatophytes. These microscopic organisms are normal inhabitants of your skin, and their growth stays in check as long as your skin is clean and dry. But on some areas of the body where skin is more likely to be moist and warm, such as the groin, the fungi grow and thrive, resulting in a fungal infection. "
I stated earlier there is no cure... So what caused this infection in the first place? since these fungi normally exist on our bodies. The only logical explanation is that the immune system can not deal with it for some reason (perhaps weakened due to age) Therefore the only logical way to deal with these "normal" fungi is to kill them off in the moist areas where they thrive. Rubbing alcohol is the easiest simplest and cheapest way to do that.

I read this earlier today, took a shower, air dried, took a couple of cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol, wiped the affected area & then placed it on it for a few minutes, i let dry, then i put baby powder to keep fresh & dry, i looked at it abt 2 hours later & guess what? its practically gone! i'm going to continue to practice this routine till its completely gone! i had also used listerine but alcohol showed immediate results!

This worked like a CHAMP. Thank you to those before me who recommended this. The initial sting lasts a brief second, especially if you've been scratching prior to use. After that it is an oh so wonderful feeling of relief. Multiple days of use have shown no more flare up and itching. I applied right after a shower with the alcohol dabbed onto a cotton facial pad, also called makeup removal pads. This is cheap, and it works.

Thank you for the tip - I was pleasantly surprised!! After 2x daily application, I have amazing relief. I add baby powder for additional relief. I would highly recommend this cheap but very effective therapy - thus enormous value. Give it a try - I was suspect at first but the results have been great.

It stings, but it works. I saw the 8 yeas for Rubbing Alcohol and decided to give it a go. The creams weren't doing anything and I wanted a quick fix so I gave RA a shot. Burned like the dickens the first few applications on the raw spots but after only two days everything is starting to heal and things are lookin up in my world! Thanks Earth Clinic!

what type of rubbing alcohol to use ethyl or isopropyl? i've been battling this jock itch for about 3 years now... Nothing really works what to give rubbing alcohol a try.

I too have had rot for a few days and had been using creams and spray but it wouldn't go away. I tried the rubbing alcohol and while it stings like a b---ch the first time you put it on, I have to say it worked wonders overnight. Thanks Earth Clininc!

Have to say after dealing with Jock Itch for 6 months and using every imaginable OTC and prescription cream from my dermatologist. The rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) did the trick in less than a week! I was truly amazed. Thank you EarthClinic!

Hi Wine guy, Rubbing your own urine on cures it within a day & costs you nothing.

Ok, so I have been trying the Cider Vinegar, and it works slowly, but it leave me itching way more, so I used epsom salts to cure that.. Just tried the selsun blue shampoo ( has an anti fungal in it) , then applied the isopropyl.. Whoa! I swear I saw the guy from the Hellraiser movie appear in my bathroom! Be prepared to call the name of your maker when you do this. I counted the longest 24 seconds of my life and the burn was gone. now we shall see if this is just some cruel joke or if it actually works.

I tried everything listed plus probotics, garlic, candida cleanse, avoiding sugar, coconut oil - absolutely nothing works against this fungus. Who knew jock itch is indestructable? Good God, someone contact the Pentagon! Well I'll now give this a go. If no luck, then I'm on to Grape seed extract. Manuka oil from New Zealand is in the line up after that...

I want to thank everyone on this thread, because I had given up on over the counter remedies ( I. E. Lotramin) that did not work. When I read the comments here and tried rubbing alcohol on my jock itch, it disappeared almost immediately. I still am applying the alcohol as a safe guard, but my skin looks perfect now and I have no more itching and red bumps. Thanks again!

Which type of alcohol?

Hey I agree I just started yesterday and already have seen improvement, hopefully I'm not speaking too soon

Could you kindly let us know where you went for your treatment? So we can stay away from that pool!

My results were not so much swimming in a chlorinated pool as they were bathing in a chlorinated bath. I added about 1/4 cup of bleach to a bath and soaked in it nightly for around 1/2 an hour for two weeks. Briefly relieved itching, but did nothing for symptoms.

My hard-won insight is that, after all, it seems the operators of chlorinated public swimming pools do have some clue as to what controls fungus.

Over the course of several weeks I'd tried alcohol, vinegar, Lamisil, Vaporub, tea-tree oil, Canesten (clomitrazole). I gave each a fair time to show clear improvement, and all did have some seemingly good effect. But after those weeks of experience it seemed none was clearly winning the battle - there was no sense of a complete and proper solution at hand.

An allergy to tea tree oil caused an actual flare-up of the infection (as a side-effect it seems to the skin irritation the allergic reaction caused); five days of Lamisil showed not enough improvement when the tube label claimed seven days in total should be all that was necessary; the alcohol followed by vinegar was helping but wasn't promising to fully clear the infection.

Having seen others mention bleach, and one person the public swimming pool, the thought came ... Chlorine? it really does kill most things doesn't it? Sodium hypochlorite bleach producing free chlorine in solution. I also found claims that bleach baths worked not only for fungus but on conditions like eczema as well. And they were recommended for babies with persistent skin irritation so the bleach couldn't be too harsh, right? Then, when I smelt the bleach, came back memories from childhood of swimming training in chlorinated pools, and it seemed the stars were aligning to suggest that chlorine had been the obvious but overlooked answer all along.

For me at least - so it proved. After the first bath in bleach at about 1 part per 1000 - say just 50ml in 50l of bathwater - and about 20 minutes of gently washing the bathwater over the skin, the problem began clearing immediately and by the next morning was looking and feeling much better. I repeated the one bath per day for five days but also continued to apply Canesten (clomitrazole cream) to the hotspots. After five days what had been a persistent, entrenched, widespread problem was all but entirely gone, just a couple of small red spots remaining.

From my experience then I feel chlorine bleach to be the simplest, most effective, most obvious solution to fungal infections of the skin ... And anyone who like me has in the past spent significant time around public pools could probably have come to this conclusion far sooner than I did. That's all, good luck everyone!

Bleach in bathwater is effective. It wouldn't cure it completely though. I used many treatments in addition to bleach. both kinds of vinegar. Also visited the lotrimin website for information and photos to help determine which kind of infection it was. Jock itch seemed to match the best. So purchased Lotrimin ultra in the yellow packaging for jock itch and also the spray powder. Lotrimin claims the ultra penetrates deeper than other remedies. Still it couldn't quite cure it completely. Next I used a hair dryer to dry the affected area before applying the Lotrimin ultra, then again after application to try to melt it into the skin. That seems to have worked and finally finished it off.

I remember having jock itch and using hydrogen peroxide and using a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. I would spray under my ball-sack and it would burn like crazy for almost a minute. It would flake off and then come right back.

Someone told me to go to a local swimming pool, it was winter, so I chose an indoor pool. I swam for a good hour or so and for many years now it has been GONE. Just one time at the pool. I endured all that pain with spraying alcohol for nothing.

I now have what looks like jock itch / ringworm / eczema / psoriasis (one of these if not all) under my eyes. They have the typical round ring under both eyes. It started under just one eye and at first I just thought it was dry skin so I used castor oil and aloe vera gel (using the same finger like a dummy) under both eyes. It spread from one eye to the other. Now both have that same red ring under the eyes and if I scratch when it gets itchy, it'll be inflamed and red again for another day or two. It will then start to flake off and repeat.

I'm gonna go to the Swimming Pool again when they open on Memorial Day 2023 and report back if it clears up these rings under my eyes. I have high hopes.

Hi Crosel, Best remedy for your problem is to apply your own urine & problem solved in 1 day.

This happened to me exactly, took itch away so I thought it was getting better, but made it much worse.

so i have a question..... i used tea tree oil to get rid of jock itch but i noticed that it dried out the infected area. is that normal? if so, how long does it took for you get rid of your jock itch? please reply fast this thing is killing me...

Try using eucalyptus oil, won't burn, but will dry skin a bit and takes 1-2 days to work and very cheap. It is completely safe to use this product.

After treating skin infected for jock itch using tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and/or isopropryl alcohol, then spray the crotch area of your under garments with diluted hydrogen peroxide 35 and soak in vinegar prior to washing them to get rid of the fungus in the clothing.

Read my post on Oxine. They put it under tonail fungus, but this stuff says it kills fungi, mold, bacteria, virus--just about everything. You could mix up some of this to run your contaminated clothing thru, that would kill anything on the clothing and not harm the fabric as bleach does. It says its 200 times as powerful as bleach as a disinfectant. http://www.prohealthmicrobials.com/Oxine103S.jpg is a list of what it kills and the kill rate.

Tea Tree Oil does not cure my jock itch. However it does provide relief from the itch for about 4 hours. It's great if the itch wakes me in the night and it settles down the itch so I can sleep without scratching. How degrading is this? Why haven't the (expletive deleted) health professionals found a cure for such a seeming simple problem? The specialist I went to had no (expletive deleted) idea.

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