★★★★★
I have suffered with extremely itchy skin for probably the last twenty five to thirty years and it is worst in hot humid weather or sometimes in cooler weather if I have too many clothes on. It starts around my elbows and then spreads to the rest of my arms sometimes my back , neck and hands. I have seen many doctors and tried many different creams, soaps, tablets etc. Then around a month ago I started taking Krill Oil for my arthritis and miraculously my itch has gone.
★★★★★
I use pure cornstarch daily to help with my skin itch. The cornstarch has also helped to heal my rashes.
Probiotics
★★★★★
The back of my scalp itched for almost three years; I've been taking probiotics and can honestly say that the itch stopped soon after beginning..... Might be worth a try!
Linda
Apple Cider Vinegar
To L N (Suffolk) re: Itchy Skin treatment-
Yes, apple cider vinegar will relieve the itch, but if you want to both relieve the itch quickly and heal the skin, buy a tube of Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil & Neem Toothpaste Wintergreen flavor and apply a layer of this to the affected area of skin. Ideally, leave it in place for 4 to 6 hours or even overnight and then wash off. Yes, this is very unconventional but it works. I found this product a few years ago when I had severe itchy skin which I thought was fungal in nature and was looking for a safe neem product to try. The Tea Tree Oil component was a bonus and they work very well together. Itchy skin is either bacterial or fungal in origin and both the Neem and Tea Tree Oil in this toothpaste are antifungal and antibacterial. They both treat the cause and heal as well. Being in a toothpaste results in a product that can be spread easily on the skin for this purpose. Of course this can be messy in application but it dries in place fairly quickly and can be easily washed off later without any staining or residue. You can buy this product on Amazon UK and of course use it as toothpaste as well. Let us know if you try it.
Grandmother Guffy Remedy
★★★★★
This is incredible and it worked to stop my itchy skin and cured my chronic dry skin. I am grateful to no longer shower in tap water as well. Thanks for sharing. Have you got some Grandma Guffy advice for shampooing the hair?
Borax Foot Scrub
★★★★★
I'm insulin resistant, so I have alot of the same problems that diabetics do, including rough feet. I've tried so many scrubs and files and lotions in hopes of softening my feet. I suspect that I also have a systemic Candida infection, so I thought Borax would be good for my itchy feet. It worked wonderfully! My feet were so soft after I got out of the shower and have not been itching since. Once you get your feet nice and soft, you'll want to follow with a good moisturizer: that's where my next project lies.
Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
I've often wondered why scratching an itch feels so good and I THINK it's purpose is to break the skin to trigger the generation of H2O2 that either cleans up the reason for the itch itself or triggers the immune system to come and take care of it!
It makes perfect sense now! That has ALWAYS given me fits! I KNEW there was a reason it feels so good and I think this is, in all likelihood, that reason! FINALLY! That has bothered me my whole life as one of the curiosities that sparked my interest in alternative medicine! Since I was a kid and told to "stop scratching" every time I got a skeeter bite or anything else that felt so good to scratch!
We had a neighbor when I was a kid - Gwen. She was an older woman and a missionary who was always "off to Guam" - "The Gwen of the Guam". She could make homemade bread out of just about anything - or just about anything out of practically nothing at all and knew all sorts of things about herbs and plants. I wish I could tell her this as she agreed with me that it appeared universally so that scratching feels good and must have a purpose.
Borax, Hydrogen Peroxide
(Mpls., Mn) on 01/30/2014
Hey DrCBartley!
Ted's Mange remedy [borax/hydrogen peroxide solution] is as follows:
Ingredients:
- Borax laundry booster - the plain stuff with NO scent.
- 1 -16 oz brown bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
I get both of these from the grocery store.
Process:
Empty hydrogen peroxide into larger bottle - I use an empty 1 gallon vinegar jug. Add to this 32 oz filtered or distilled water - I just refill the hydrogen peroxide bottle twice - and dump into the jug. What this does is change your 3% hydrogen peroxide into 1% hydrogen peroxide.
Next add 1 cup of the borax crystals and shake. There should be some undissolved crystals in the mixed solution - this is just right. I try to use hot water from the kettle on the stove, that or sit the jug of mixture in the sink full of hot water while I bathe the dog.
NEXT:
Bathe the dog - use whatever shampoo and rinse well. Squeeze out excess water and make sure the tub is drained. I then plug up the tub. Now pour the mixed up solution over the dog. I use a small sponge to soak up the solution from the bottom of the tub and squeeze it out onto the dog again and again, making sure I get the head and underneath. Keep squeezing solution over and over onto the dog for about 15 minutes - 30 minutes is better. Then pull the stopper from the tub and let the excess drain. DO NOT DRY THE DOG OR RINSE THE DOG. The solution has to remain wet as it is still working. Allow the dog to air dry. I just pop mine into their crates and I remove any absorbent bedding.
If you are worried about poisoning your dog keep in mind that borax has the same toxicity as table salt. The solution doesn't seem to hurt the eyes or sting any sores on the skin. Some dogs feel instant relief!
Now, the above remedy is Ted's remedy for mange, but its a good start for troubled skin. Most dogs feel immediate relief right out of the tub, but if that doesn't seem to be working [try 3 baths every other day to start] and things do not look better you can make a topical skin solution for the troubled spots.
Ted's Anti fungal/staph skin solution - you will need:
- Milk of Magnesia [magnesium hydroxide]
- Epsom salts [magnesium sulfate]
- Borax [sodium tetraborate]
- 1% hydrogen peroxide solution
METHOD:
Mix 1 tbsp of MOM with 1 tbsp epsom salt and 1 tbsp borax into 1-1/2 cups of 1% hydrogen peroxide. Apply and do not rinse. This solution should knock out any staph infection or yeast infection going on in the skin. I have many dogs and when allergy season hits I mix this up in gallon jugs and follow the mange procedure, letting the solution 'work' on the dog for 10 minutes or so in the tub, and then no toweling off, just crating and allowing to air dry.
Now, other remedies may factor in as well. To paraphrase Ted's advice on an earlier post:
Sometimes we are dealing with internal/systemic yeast or an internal fungal infection - and sometimes despite the best nutrition out there we will experience an individual that for some reason is deficient in a mineral such as boron. If the dog is low in magnesium quite often allergies will arise. If you are dealing with yeast try adding 1/16 teaspoon of epsom salt in 1 liter of drinking water for 2-3 days - max; this is not intended for long term use, just to nip a break out in the bud. When you stop the epsom salt in the water you can then start adding 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 liter of water; do this for 5-7 days. This is a 'break out' or crisis dose. After a week you can cut it back to a maintenance dose of 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water. If you suspect a fungal component you can add 1/16 teaspoon borax along with the baking soda in 1 liter of water. In acute and extreme cases 1/4 teaspoon of borax in 1 liter of water is indicated. Many humans take 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon borax in 1 liter of water daily as a detox and antifungal/antiyeast, so long term use is not an issue, however all these remedies are something you should 'play by ear' and should be adjusted as you see fit. The water additives address mineral deficiency issues and these should be addressed first.
Essential Oils
If you think you're being bitten by something at work, take a 9"x11" cake pan or similar pan to work with you & fill it with soapy water (just add a little dishwashing soap to some water & fill the pan about half-way full). Place this pan of water right below you nearest electrical outlet. Keep other electrical plugs away. Plug a nightlight into the outlet & make sure it stays on all the time, including at night after you go home. If your office has a flea infestation, you will find dead fleas in the soapy water the next day. The fleas are attracted to the heat of the light & when they jump towards it they fall into the soapy water. The soap removes their protective coating & they drown. Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (original) is the best brand to use. You might make a gift of a small bottle of it to those employees who have pets telling them that it works great killing fleas as a pet soap for dogs & cats.
Severely Itchy Skin Remedies
In all your tests that you had done, were any of them for metal allergy? My problems are similar and my reaction is to nickle. What if yours is to titanium.
Borax, Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
Borax, Hydrogen peroxide!
Whew. What a relief! I have been perplexed as to me and my children's ailment for over a month now. Started with intense itching after getting into bed one night. Then my children started exhibiting signs. Took them to dr first, as my dermatologist was booked until Feb 7. Their doctor said "folliculitis" and then took daughter again for a cough, doctor said "impetigo. " Then when I showed her my hand, she said "could it be fleas or scabies?" I freaked out! I really hoped it wasn't. To make a long story short, checked house and cleaned for fleas. No response with a home remedy check for fleas. Tonight while researching, found this info. Kids are asleep, but I mixed borax with hy. Peroxide. Mixed in a bowl and poured over body. Total relief. I have also been using tea tree oil mixed with coconut oil for a few weeks now, so I think that's why it wasn't getting worse, but wasn't getting better either! Tomorrow, my kids get the bath and we will continue to do mounds of laundry! Can't wait for this to be over!!!! There is relief in site for those of you looking. All the best!
I wanted to comment on intense itching all over. If you are experiensing this, please check what kinds of medications and over-the-counter medicines you are putting into your body. I went through a period of about 2 years (maybe more) of CRAZY itching all over my body without being able to get a doctor to tell me what was wrong with me (the diagnosis was eczema, which just means your skin itches--duh). I developed a secondary staph infection on my shins and nipples. After arguing with doctors about the cause of this mystery eczema I finally decided to insist that they take me off a bunch of oral meds I had been prescribed for blood pressure and an assortment of issues associated with kidney disease. I was taking TEKTURNA, AZOR, AND SENSIPAR. I, I, I finally determined that I was ALLERGIC to all this crap I was being made to take. None of my doctors would say that I was allegic. I have to be the one to tell them that I am allergic, being evidenced that I get the hives. If I don't remind them that I am allergic to these medications, they would precribe them to me all over again. The biggest point I am trying to make is that you must be an advocate for your own health. Not saying that doctors don't care, but they have so many things on their minds; you're not their only patient. Please inform yourself as best as you can so that YOU are the one telling your doctors what you are going to allow them to do to you.
Baking Soda
★★★★★
I had some itchy spots and I mixed some Baking Soda with water and wiped it on the spots. It soothed the spots for me. I also tried Milk Of Magnesia on the spots and it seemed to do the same thing. I hope this helps.
Hot Water
If anyone is looking to relieve an annoying itch I have the solution. When the itch is really intolerable, put it under hot HOT water from the sink tap or bath tub depending where infection area is, start with warm and gradually turn the tap hotter and hotter, the feeling is incredible. A million times better than actually relieving the itch by nail scratching, you actually get goose bumps from the relief.
Krill Oil
★★★★☆
Along with various other health issues, I've had chronically itchy skin for the past 2 years. The area affected is mainly around my torso. This is not a dry-skin itch. Scratching makes it worse. Sometimes there are tiny bumps or pimples, but often there is nothing noticeable at the site of the itch. I've switched soaps, shampoos, lotions, laundry detergents, the food I eat, etc. I shower with luke-warm water and don't use soap at all on that part of my body. I've also tried Apple Cider Vinegar, witch hazel, tea tree oil, you name it and I've tried it. Nothing really helped. Then about a month ago I started taking krill oil because it's supposed to be good for muscles and joints. Supposedly it has properties that ordinary fish oil doesn't have. I haven't noticed any difference with my joints, but within just a few days of starting the krill oil, almost all the itching and pimply rashes around my waist disappeared. I haven't stopped taking the oil so I don't know if it just medicates or if it eventually cures the problem. Either way, it's a big sigh of relief to get rid of the itch without using topical drugs. Take one krill oil softgel twice a day. Be sure to get 100 percent krill oil. Some brands are better than others. Check the list of ingredients on the bottle to make sure it isn't mostly fish oil.
EC: Excerpts from Wikipedia's entry on Krill Oil here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krill_oil
"Several studies have shown toxic residues in Antarctic krill and fish..."
Ecological Concerns
..."The harvesting of antarctic krill is relatively new. At present, no limits have been placed on the amount of Krill that can be harvested. This has caused a number of Marine biologists to express concern over the lack of research into the effect that such exploitation of Krill may have, not just to the long term survival of several species of baleen whales and the Adelie Penguin; but also in terms of other animals further up the food chain. In this regard, Antarctic Krill is fundamental to the survival of almost every species of animal that lives in the Antarctic or sub-Antarctic waters and island groups .[5]
★★★★★
.... Wow, this is the routine I myself worked out many years ago, after noticing that a dab of coconut oil put in the bath water doesn't just condition the skin, but cleanses better than soap.... so I just omitted the bath part and kept the coconut oil-dry towel regime.
I do take fast showers with home made soaps, but that's secondary to the coconut oil cleansing.
Definitely stops itching, and improves skin texture.
(fluoride in water is also known for rapidly aging the skin, aluminum in commercial soaps drys skin out... What else is in tap water... We have no idea)
I'd also recommend dry brushing (see bamboo drybrushes at Amazon) with essential oils (lavender, geranium, petitgrain, orange, anis, chamomile... I like lavender anise) against itching. Dry brush instead of morning shower or after you are dry (and already itching :)
Grandmother Guffy Remedy
I love that story. I have been using Dr Bronners baby soap and I add Grapefruit seed extract, Tea Tree oil because I had MRSA three times on my face and am so afraid of getting it again so I wash my face with it twice a day. And I then follow with Aloe gel and my own face cream. I make my aloe gel stripped from my own aloe plant. But my face gets itchy and I get worried so I keep using it. But it causes dryness which I know is part of the itchy. Thank you. S
General Feedback
my skin used to always feel dry and tight after a shower with soap. however, since i have stopped using soap on my skin it no longer feels as dry or itchy. what i do now is soak in an epsom salt bath (1 to 2 cups epsom salts and 9 drops of lavender oil) and i just scrub my wet skin with a loofah or scrub brush. afterwards i put virgin coconut oil onto my still damp skin. soap is not really necessary unless you are extremely greasy or dirty. i have been doing this for years and i've also found that since i stopped washing my underarms with soap that my sweat smells less stinky - i could probably go without deodorant! but i use a crystal deodorant stone just in case...
good luck
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
I tried bathing in Apple Cider Vinegar, as suggested by others, and had luck. I added just a 1/4 cup of the raw ACV I always keep in my refridgerator to my bathwater and laid in it for about half an hour. I felt immediate relief after getting out of the tub. I still have just a slight itching today, but it is remarkably better.
Vitamin E With Naturals
I think its the same thing I had a few years ago. My Dr. offered me prescription ointment which she said had a lot of chemicals, but also said that I could instead apply Vick's vapor to the body would also cure it. I was hesitant about the vapor rub but applied it right before bed and by the second night I was cured. Something in the vapor rub kills these bugs.
Baking Soda
★★★★★
BAKING SODA! It really helps itchy skin. If you put just a little bit (1/4 cup) of baking soda into a warm bath, it can really decrease your urge to itch! I've done this for years!!
★★★★★
Today I told my mother about putting honey on her eczema. She applied some and left it on for ten minutes. She had been taking antibiotics for quite some time but nothing had stopped the itching. Immediately after applying the honey the itching was gone. Now we'll just have to see if it heals it completely.
New Zealand Skin Cream
Hello Louise of DC,
The "Chronic Itch Relief" you mention is made here in NZ by a trained herbalist: Malcolm K. Harker M.H.D. of "Harker Herbal Products Ltd" www.malcolmharker.com.
He calls it "Formula number 988" and contains (among many other ingredients) cinnamon, camphor and peppermint - "A soothing lotion for irritated and dry, itchy skin" OR "A soothing, cooling, moisturizing lotion to help relieve dry, itchy skin conditions".
My wife is happy with it, so there's an endorsement of consequence, as she is not easy to impress!
Malcolm Harker also makes a product to help one sleep better but we will see how that one pans out - early daze yet and I will no doubt be reporting back in due course.
Maybe you could check out his website?
I hope this is helpful.
Cheers from Down Under (where the storms are currently raging)
Anti-Chlorine Itch Spray
Cayenne Pepper
★★★★★
To Vitoria from San Diego who posted in the ACV section:
07/15/2009: Victoria from San Diego, CA: "I've had what I think is brachial radial pruritus for about 6 years. I first noticed while living in Thailand during my pregnancy. It is extremely itchy, especially at night and has some relationship with heat and/or humidity and may be related to problems with the cervical disk..."
I have similar itching like you, the only thing that work temporarily is get cayenne pepper powder, the strongest you can get, over 100 H.U "HOT UNITS". You can find this on the internet... with a little water, make a paste, and apply locally. Sometimes you have to repeat the next day or hours but it eliminates the itching. I find relief for a year now.
Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil
I tried everything under the sun for an extremely itchy skin condition that started out in what appeared to be hives. Suffered 6 months until a skin specialist in a retail health/ beauty store told me that I should use Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil on the affected areas. She said it would also fade the scars over time. She said they would fade naturally anyway in 1-2 yrs. This is what finally helped me. The itchiness started to be relieved right away. She said that I can also mix some of the seed oil with another oil or with skin cream to make it last longer. Also safe for kids. Can be used internally. Good for all types of skin conditions like rosacea, dermatitis etc. This has been a lifesaver. Important: Make sure to use the sea buckthorn SEED OIL for skin conditions. NOT the sea buckthorn fruit oil.
Check for Soap Allergies
Make sure the rinse water is clear, then try adding a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse.
Vitamin C
★★★★★
Apple cider vinegar baths work to get rid of the itching but I had it crazy insane itching burning after research, This is how to neutralize toxins and stop itching fast and naturally, I took megadoses of high quality vitamin C it worked right away I mean fast I could sleep. I continued taking high doses and after a three days the itching stopped, I ordered the nanaparticles vitamin C and just kept taking it for one month, The itching was similar to what I had when I took antibiotics and I had fungal overgrowth. I was put on a potent anti fungal and I went on the anti candida diet until it was under control then I went a natural candida elimination formula that the clerk said killed candida along with oxygen drop, Cell food, to ensure all candida overgrowth was killed
Melanie, Did you remove sugar, dairy and processed food from your diet for a number of days to see if you had a food allergy - when I eat too many processed foods, I start itching like mad. Doing some dietary homework may be the key!
Essential Oils
If at work or any location infested with fleas/bugs use this to naturally harmlessly kill the pests. Diatomaceous Earth. Sprinkle lightly around. Go to baseboards and these areas. Get food grade! This way if any pet would happen to lick or get on feet and lick no harm. The DE will kill the pests. Use care as u don't want much down or don't breath the dust! Just barely Sprinkle. May also be used internally for pets to rid them of fleas and internal parasites IE worms. Use canned pet food and Sprinkle a small amount proportionally to amount of food. IE 1 heaping tsp spoon of can food use about 1/4 tsp DE for bout a wk.