Scabies Home Remedies: List of Non-Medication Options - Verywell Health
Scabies spreads through close contact. It can affect anyone but is most common among people living in close quarters, like dorms, nursing homes, or prisons.
Prescription skin cream is the first-line treatment for scabies. It is applied at night and rinsed off in the morning. While this treatment is necessary to kill scabies, home remedies can help control and prevent their spread.
This article explains home remedies for scabies that can help you feel better soon.
1142890683/Getty Images
What's Better, Home Remedies or Medication for Scabies?
The only way to get rid of scabies in 24 hours is to use a prescription cream. These creams are called scabicides because they kill scabies, and they contain permethrin 5% cream, ivermectin, and sulfur ointment. When a person is diagnosed with scabies, all of their household members and sexual partners need to be treated.
In addition to prescription creams, you can use home remedies to help control the symptoms of scabies and keep an outbreak from spreading. This is important for comfort since the itching from scabies can continue for two to four weeks, even after treatment has killed the mites.
Scabies Home Remedies
When you see a healthcare provider for scabies, talk to them about home remedies that might help you control symptoms and contain the outbreak. Home remedies for scabies include over-the-counter medications, essential oils, oatmeal baths, Vaseline, and more.
Over-The-Counter Medications
In addition to prescription scabicides, you can use over-the-counter medications to help with symptoms like itchiness. These might include:
- Antihistamines to help control itching
- Pramoxine lotion to relieve itching
- Steroid creams to relieve swelling and itching
Tea Tree Oil
Laboratory research shows that tea tree oil can, in theory, help treat scabies, but its effectiveness in people still needs further study. To use tea tree oil to treat scabies, apply an ointment containing less than 5% tea tree oil to your skin. You can make this by mixing a few drops of tea tree oil into a lotion or coconut oil. Apply this daily while you're experiencing symptoms.
Oatmeal Bath
An oatmeal bath is a great way to soothe itchy skin by reducing inflammation. Because of that, it may help control itchiness associated with scabies. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that it will cure scabies, but it can help you feel more comfortable until your symptoms subside.
Baking Soda Bath
As an alternative to an oatmeal bath, try a cool bath with 2 ounces of baking soda. This can help soothe skin and alleviate itching.
Cold Compress
Putting a cool compress on your skin can reduce itchiness. Try sitting in a cool bath, or putting a cool, damp washcloth on areas of your body that are particularly itchy.
Even when scabies treatment works the first time, you can still experience itching for two to four weeks after the mites have died.
Vinegar
You may have heard that you can control scabies by applying vinegar to your skin and rinsing it off a few minutes later, but there's no proof it works, and it could be irritating to your skin.
Skipping Soap
Soap can further irritate your skin when you have scabies. Wash with water, and avoid soap or scented lotions while your skin is inflamed.
Other Ways to Reduce Spread
In addition to treating yourself and your loved ones, it's important to clean your home or living area to reduce the transmission of scabies.
- Wash bedding and clothes you've worn within the past seven days on the day you begin treatment. Use the hottest setting on both the washer and dryer.
- Bag things that can't be washed, like pillows, in a plastic bag for at least one week. This will kill the mites.
- Vacuum your whole house, including furniture, on the day that you begin treatment.
- Treat the whole family since scabies can be asymptomatic. It's important to treat all household members as equal partners, even if they don't have symptoms.
Summary
It's normal to look for natural home remedies for scabies. Unfortunately, the only proven way to kill scabies and treat symptoms is with prescription ointment. However, natural scabies treatments can help control your symptoms and reduce the risk of transmission.
A Word From Verywell
Scabies is a common condition that can affect anyone. You might feel embarrassed about having scabies, but the condition is no reflection on your cleanliness—it's just something that can happen. If you have symptoms, be proactive about talking to your healthcare provider and any close contacts who need to be treated.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/BurchHeadshotOutdoor-215a575f7ef34c52a908676f88bd9acb.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment