What's a Good Home Remedy for Itchy Skin?

This entry is about lasting relief of eczema-induced itching and rashes, but there's no doubt that if you have eczema, you want relief right now. That's why I have included some links immediately below and answered to the frequently asked question "Why do wounds itch when they are healing?" with a way of treating eczema in the ears.

Before I tell you what you can do for eczema, however, I’d like to tell you what not to do and why. Here it is in a nutshell:

Especially if you have eczema, if you don’t want to itch, don’t scratch. Generally speaking the answer to the question of why do wounds itch when they are healing is, people scratch them!

The reason people with eczema tend to scratch is it is a kind of self-treatment for skin irritation. The release of inflammatory chemicals at the base of the spine triggers an urge to scratch so the brain doesn’t feel the itching, only the scratching. Unfortunately, this reflex reaction is just a temporary fix, and wearing down the skin barrier can invite infection—and more itching!

So what is a good home remedy for itchy skin?

First of all, remove irritants from your home and work space. Don’t overheat your home. Sweat-induced dermatitis can occur in a stuffy, hot house or after a too-hot bath or shower. Scaly skin on nose and cheeks, however, usually recovers best if you avoid sudden cooling and cold drafts.

People who have eczema usually have asthma, or hay fever triggered by food, grass, or molds, or have family members who have allergies, asthma, or hay fever triggered by food, grass, or molds.

The symptoms of eczema don’t occur unless there is a combination of the genetics for atopic disease and an environmental trigger, such as allergic reactions to household cleaning agents, dander from cats or dogs, or sensitivities to foods, especially milk.

An itchy skin rash on face or neck and eczema symptoms on hands may be triggered by contact with household chemicals such as chlorine, dyes, plasticizers, or detergents, irritating clothing, contact with fiberglass, unusual heat or cold, dryness or humidity, physical exertion, thyroid problems, or psychological stress.

And for your can-do’s for what is a good home remedy for itchy skin, what are the remedies for neck rashes, in particular, consider:

Any skin lotion containing ceramides. Dry, itchy, irritated skin is depleted of ceramides that can be replenished by Dove Moisturizing Lotion (a lower-cost, slower-acting remedy) or CeraVe Moisturizer and Cleanser (about $12 for a 12-oz tube that should last several months).

Vinegar diluted one part of vinegar to five parts of water and used to rinse fungus- or yeast-infected irritated skin. Any kind of mild acid disrupts the growth cycle of yeasts and fungi without harming skin. Just be sure to rinse a second time to remove the vinegar, or you’ll smell like a pickle! In my experience, the cheaper white vinegar works as well as apple cider vinegar (and we never even considered rinsing with balsamic).

Pharmacists Joe and Teresa Graedon note that a vinegar rinse can be exactly the answer to the issue of how to treat eczema in ears and also itchy scalps. Just be sure to use warm (not hold or cold) water and flush the ear gently three times a day. Fungal infections usually respond in 2-3 days. This treatment costs less than $2 for a week’s treatment.

With a painful bug bite, rash, swelling, and inflammation often follow. Dab vinegar on the bite to relieve swelling, or try a mixture of 1 aspirin in ¼ cup (60 ml) of rubbing alcohol if the skin is not broken. Do not apply either home remedy is there is broken skin, and seek emergency medical help is there is shortness of breath, chest pain, severe swelling, or diarrhea.

Some parents write me that Noxema has changed their eczema-suffering children’s whole lives for the better. Redolent of the scent of eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol, Noxema is an inexpensive, safe, gentle, and often effective alternative to skin therapy with Elidel.

Allergy rashes, little bumps on skin, itchy spots on skin, eczema areola in nursing mothers, and minor cuts, scrapes, and burns often respond to aloe. The slimy ooze that forms when you break off an aloe leaf is clinically proven in not just one or two but in over one hundred scientific studies to relieve skin irritation. If you don’t have a plant at home, aloe gel is available in health products stores and groceries everywhere, usually for under $10.

Just remember that these suggestions are remedies, not cures!

Recent reader questions:

Q. Why do wounds itch when they are healing?

A. As normal circulation is restored and tissues begin to grow back, the immune system sends specialized white blood cells as a "cleanup crew." They release inflammatory hormones that restrict circulation to the "dead or dying" areas of the skin so they can be isolated and removed. These hormones also cause itch.

Q. What about small itchy bumps that appear at night? And the weird thing is, the bed smells sweet.

A. A peculiar sweet smell is a tip-off that the bumps could be caused by bedbugs. Try cleaning all your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in the hottest water that won't cause them to shrink and applying a disinfectant to the mattress cover. The water needs to be at 97 F (36 C). And wearing pajamas, keeping as much skin covered as possible, may also help.

Q. How do I stop chigger bites from itching?

A. Try Simicort, a licorice-based cream. The glycyrrhizin in the cream helps your skin maintain its own steroids (it doesn't contain any steroids). One of the components of licorice, glycyrrhetinic acid, potentiates the effects of the natural anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol by inhibiting the enzyme 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which converts cortisol to an inactive form.

You may also be interested in:

The Basic Facts About Eczema
Eczema Home Remedies
Eczema Treatment: Is Elidel Safe and Effective?