mari.ana (Sydney ) on 02/23/2023
I hope it helps!
https://www.healthline.com/health/geranium-oil#rose-geranium-oil
EB (England) on 12/29/2022
Last night I applied a paste of 50-50 baking soda and water. It BURNED TERRIBLY, washed it straight off, thought omg that was terrible thing to do.
BUT today was the first day when I had no feeling of itching or irritation all day! Cannot believe it and would do it again, being ready to wash off the paste when it burns. It obviously did something to neutralise the itch!!
Michael (New Zealand) on 03/18/2022
Sadly, I have recently experienced a flare-up of that awful and debilitating itchiness. which I normally get after cutting my tall hedge (long story there). Keeps me awake at night! Usually a bath or long shower, with thorough shampooing/rinsing and judicious application of 50/50 ACV and water spray afterwards does the trick but this time - no hedge trimming to blame however! What to do?
Maybe I just have an acidic body? I have been told I have to exchange my body for a more alkaline, user friendly and up to date model/version and I will be led to sweetness and light, golden, upland pastures!!
I have trawled through the Itch Section here on the E.C. website, and, whilst there are many useful suggestions therein, I would like to add my own contribution if I may.
We have a product down here at the bottom of the World that has the following ingredients in it: carrageen, jojoba, eucalyptus, turpentine, pine, (EV) olive oil, menthol, cinnamon, aloe vera, camphor, peppermint and acacia gum. They are putting the above ingredients into U.V. light-treated rainwater, along with a couple of other magical things and christened it as "Chronic Itch Relief" and touting it as being effective for dry, irritated, itchy skin. This one is for external use only and one must keep it away from eyes and other sensitive areas.
Well, the secret is out!! I tried it this evening and relief was immediate and am hoping the beneficial effects will last. Will try to keep you posted.
It's nice to know that help is at hand "out there" sometimes when one is most in need of it.
Cheers from Down Under
joanofark06 (S.Carolina, USA) on 12/07/2021
Pour as much baking soda as you want in a bath of warm water, and soak. Your skin will turn softer the more you do this.
Tony (St Paul, AB) on 02/16/2021
I found peppermint oil gave temporary relief. I was able to go back to sleep for the night.
One night I asked the subconscious for a clue and in the morning I was made to understand that my skin needed more sunlight exposure.
It's been nearly -40C for the last two weeks here so sunbathing was out of the question.
I do, however have a UV lamp I had recently purchased.
I did 2 five minute full body exposures three days apart.
The itching has totally disappeared.
Comfortable in my skin once again.
I'm posting this because I would never have thought of this solution on my own.
Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 12/30/2020
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.
Melany (Blind Bay, B.C. Canada) on 10/12/2020
I took a tiny bit of scab off a finger after 10 hrs and already had pink healthy skin beneath. I have a long way to go and now I have hope that I will see an end to this. It almost disabled me as my hands and arms were fully reddened and swollen and just before I started the boiron sulfur I noted that I had red dots ALL over my body. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You have saved my life and sanity.
Fan B (Pasadena) on 07/24/2017
Palal (Northern Illinois) on 03/14/2017
Justme (Lac La Biche, Ab) on 01/07/2017
I am going to try to make this short. I started to have itchy skin about 25 years ago. It was right after an evening shower, I still had my towel on and the itch hit me in my lower legs. I scratched so deep that I had left long red gouges in my legs and the itch still wouldn't stop!
After a long period of time, I had come to realize that I couldn't take any more showers and I had limited my baths, but I had no issues with baths....until about 5 years ago. After going to bed and having a bath earlier that evening, I started to have an itch and it intensified to the point where I felt like needles were being poked into my skin!
After trying "almost" everything; it was during another bath, I was doing my 5th or 6th attempt at "a rub a layer of bath salts' onto my skin and wait there for an hour until it stopped burning(...still didn't help) that if only I could get rid of this skin, so I grabbed my pumice stone and started rubbing my skin with it. After a minute of rubbing, I noticed that it was actually removing dead skin. EUREKA! This was the ticket! From then on unto today, I haven't had any, nothing, nada, itchy skin! PRAISE THE LORD, because he made me persistent!
So according to my observations, I had to remove that dead skin, and nothing else worked. I tried everything. 'THAT DEAD SKIN HAS TO BE REMOVED! ' Your good skin underneath needs to breath.
So, what I do is once a week, during one of my baths, I will soak for awhile, then I stand up, take my pumice stone and gently rub in small circles where I need it until the dead skin comes off. Sometimes it comes off right away, sometimes it takes a little longer (soak a little longer and then try again). Be warned though, if you rub too hard, you will scratch yourself....I have done it many times.
You can't do it inside the water, and it doesn't work for me in the shower...just not enough heat and moisture to softening the dead skin so that it can be easily removed.
I have plastered my self with all kinds of lotions from bad to good - coconut & olive oil..organic! ; itch creams; used all kinds of scrubbers, and a lava stone, but it was too rough for my skin. Nothing works like the pumice stone, nothing. My skin wasn't getting the benefit of the oils because of the layer of the dead skin.
I hope this will also be your remedy for itchy skin.
I thank my Lord and Saviour for guiding me.
Howard (Mesa, Az) on 10/26/2015
I had gone to a couple of dermatologists but got no useful diagnosis or cure. Then I went to a young dermatologist checking for skin cancer on my hands and mentioned the itching ankle problem. She looked at my feet and immediately said the problem was fungus.
I knew something had not been right beneath my big toenails but had not given it much thought. She prescribed "LUZU" (Luliconazole cream 1%). After a few applications the itching never occurred again. It has been a several months and I see that the new toenail growth looks much different than the older nail area. There is a clearly visible demarcation.
This might not be YOUR problem but it definitely was MY problem and was easily cured. It had been plaguing me for several years and has not occurred since the application of LUZU...
Just thought I'd mention it just in case it helps someone else...
Michelle (Melbourne, Australia) on 05/31/2015
Mild (Pleasant Grove) on 02/26/2015
Carolyn (Florida, US) on 12/29/2014
This is the only treatment (s) that I have found to be effective and long lasting remedies.
1. Use ice packs to calm the itch, I have slept through many nights with a bag of frozen peas on my arm.
2. The cure is body brushing. Use a natural bristle (as stiff as you can find) and start brushing your dry skin in an upward, toward the heart action. Start on the soles of you feet and work up the body, one section at a time. Really brush upward hard, make the skin red. On the itchy areas brush until you relive the itch. Don't forget to brush under the armpits.
Repeat this treatment as often as you wish. but daily, before bathing, is a must. You will find in the begining that you will do it more often.
In about a week's time the itch will be gone or mostly gone. But continue these treatments to maintain itch free skin.
I have tried everything, creams, pills, nothing works like ice to temporally stop the itch, and dry body brushing to eliminate the problem.
I believe that the itching is caused by toxic waste overload, the body brushing will send these toxins back through the blood to be eliminated in the liver. (my opinion)
This will work for you. Now go get brushing.
Peace and love, Carolyn
Devonviolet (Dallas, Texas) on 07/02/2014
Before I understood the benefits of alternative medicine, I went to an Allopathic (Conventional) Dermatologist, who told me I had Eczema. I questioned that, because I had none of the classical symptoms of Eczema. But, he insisted it was possible to have Eczema with none of the symptoms. I still question his diagnosis. He prescribed hydrocortisone cream, which did help until I stopped using it.
As a conventionally trained RN I knew the dangers of long term cortisone use, so stopped using the cream and the itching came back with a vengeance. Not wanting to use the cortisone cream, I continued to suffer, while occasionally using ice packs when the itching became unbearable.
Then, about three years ago, I was talking to a Chiropractor and mentioned my itching problem. She said she had always heard that itching on the arms were related to liver issues - more specifically a sluggish liver, most likely due to all of the chemicals in our environment. When our bodies are exposed to all those chemicals, they eventually end up in our blood, and get filtered out through our liver, which eventually gets clogged, and then doesn't function properly.
I think it is important to note that I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). I believe I have had symptoms for the past 18 years, but only learned about MCS in 2007, from an acquaintance. At the time she told me about her MCS I thought, how awful for her!
Then one day, I went into a clothing store and got really sick with very familiar symptoms: profuse sweating, heart palpitations, light headedness, headache and weakness. I finally left the store without buying anything. Then, as I sat in my car, waiting for the symptoms to pass enough, so I could drive home, I remembered a story I had once read. It was a magazine article that talked about how some women couldn't go into fabric stores, because the finishes on the fabrics, which make them look nice, were chemicals that these women couldn't tolerate.
As I sat in my car, I had an "AH-HA! " moment! The finishes on fabrics in fabric stores were the same chemicals they put on ready to wear clothing in stores! After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I HAVE MCS!
After much research, I gradually removed all chemicals from my environment - including personal care products (hair products, bath gel, lotions, makeup, toothpaste, PERFUME! And scents of all types), air fresheners (one of the most toxic chemicals! ), cleaning products (dish soap, laundry products, window cleaner, oven cleaner, floor cleaner, etc.), gardening products, home improvement products and the most difficult one FOOD! The list is too long to give here, but an online search should help you begin to eliminate chemicals from your life. One of the biggest hurdles, with MCS, is getting family and friends to understand the importance of eliminating chemicals for both you and themselves.
After learning that the liver was the culprit, of my itching, I started doing research about the liver not functioning, due to chemical overload, and found that, indeed, this could cause the profound itching of my forearms all these years! The result of my research, was that there are herbs that help the liver to function more efficiently.
Among the most effective and well known herbs, that improve liver function are: Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Parsley, Black Radish Root, and Burdock Root. There are also some supplements that aid in liver function: NAC (N-Acetyl-L Cysteine), ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid), and TMG (trimethylglycine). I checked my favorite online supplement company, and found that they had a combination product called Liver Essentials. If you do a web search for - Liver Essentials SWC017 - you should be able to find this product. I found that by taking twice the recommended dose, twice daily, my arms gradually began to itch less. As with almost all alternative remedies, it takes time to see a result. It has been a while, but I think after about 30-60 days, I was seeing a big improvement.
For the most part, taking Liver Essentials has made a huge improvement in my itchy arms. But, I found that there were times, that it was almost impossible to eliminate chemicals, from my life, and the itching would return.
After a while, I went looking for other solutions to my itching. I think it may have been on EarthClinic, that I saw someone mention that Peppermint Essential Oil (EO) helped their itching. I don't remember if they said how to use it, but I have experience using EOs and know that it is not wise to use EOs "neat" or full strength. So I got some of a "natural/Unscented, paraben free lotion, that I had in the house and put some Peppermint EO in it, until it had a pretty strong scent - maybe 15 drops in 2 ounces Of lotion. I found that if I put a small amount of this peppermint cream on my arms before I start scratching, and rub it in fully, it does help manage the itch. If I start scratching first, it takes a lot more effort to get the itch under control. Sometimes it takes 2-3 applications to get it under control.
I recently had to have repeated foot surgery over several months, and the anesthesia and antibiotic drugs given, brought the itching back with a vengeance! Nothing helped, short of sitting with ice packs on my arms all day.
Then, one day, I was looking at Homeopathic Remedies, in the health food store, and found Boiron SULPHUR - for "Skin Rash Worsened by Heat and Water". I was at my wit's end with the itching on my arms (which by now had moved to my upper arms as well), so I decided to try it. Imagine my surprise, when five minutes after taking it, the itching was gone! With Homeopathic Remedies, it is generally necessary to take frequent dosing in the beginning and then gradually decrease frequency. So, I started taking it once per hour for the first day, then as needed, for itching the next day, and now I take it 2-3 times daily, as I still have occasional itching. If the itching stops all together, I decrease the frequency and will eventually stop taking the Homeopathic Sulphur. It is not necessary to take Homeopathic Remedies to prevent a condition. So, once the symptoms are gone, it should not be taken anymore.
Gayle (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/29/2014
I then saw a naturopath who looked in my eyes and said he could help me. He still hasn't told me exactly what it is and said not to eat any gluten till next visit and has put me on a liver powder (1st visit) and month later two more medications. Not being a doctor person, I have not eaten gluten now for 4 weeks, and within a week, my itching - which was unbearable - has virtually disappeared.
Last night I was googling about this rash as I was eating chocolate - quite a bit as I am limited to foods now - and woke up through the night with an itch (bearable compared to what I had been having) and decided to google if chocolate has gluten and I found it has also - but you can get some without. One thing led to another and I came upon a site which said Dermatitus Herpetiformis and described my itch down to a tee. (Wikipedia) except my itch was on my neck.
Please please please readers, give up gluten (wheat flour cakes pastries etc etc.) look at labels, try and go gluten-free and I hope my information can help you. It is a lifelong diet, but also can help you lose weight. Some of the photos are much worse than I, but persevere and eat well and I am sure you benefit in the long run. Would love to hear if it helps anyone with the above skin rashes.
Mario (Dallas Tx) on 06/13/2014
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.
Karen (Calgary Alberta, CA) on 06/05/2014
Chris (California ) on 05/28/2014
David (Thailand) on 03/30/2014