Top 7 Scabies Home Remedies

Scabies is a skin condition caused by the microorganism staphylococcus aureus through skin mites Sarcoptes Scabiei. It creates lesions on the skin that are often crusty and produces some discharges on the lesions. Scabies is a contagious disease and it can be transmitted through contact with the infected lesion or infected personal things of the person such as infected clothes, bath towels, blankets and the like. Scabies is also particularly present in individuals who don’t have good personal hygiene.
The bacteria that causes scabies is a normal flora of the skin and in the event of any cuts or wounds, it can enter the skin and cause infections; thereby those who do not practice good hygiene has the higher risk of developing it. Most people who get scabies also are hesitant at getting medical treatment because the presence of numerous lesions in the skin may affect the cosmetic appearance of the person. In this regard, home remedies may be helpful in managing the skin disease. Here are the tips on how to treat scabies at home:

Practice Good Personal Hygiene

In any skin disease, having a good hygiene is the key at preventing and eliminating the microorganisms that are causing it. Make sure to take a bath everyday with antimicrobial soaps to effectively eliminate the bacteria and hasten the healing process. Pat the skin dry after washing. Also, keep the surrounding skin well hydrated using water based lotions in order to prevent drying of the skin that may lead to cracking and spread of the lesions. Avoid frequent contact with the lesion to prevent further irritation. Cut your nails to avoid harboring the eggs or mites under the edges of the fingernails.

Cold Water

Cold water helps in eliminating the itchiness and other tingling sensations on the lesions. Cold water should be used in cleaning the area and consider soaking the lesions in it for a few minutes.

Peepu

Peepu is a dried bark that is commonly used to treat scabies. The bark is powdered and applied on the affected skin liberally.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is considered a wonder oil because it primarily manages most of skin diseases. Tea tree oil when applied to the scabies lesions exerts an antibacterial property, which is helpful in eliminating the lesion. It also has anti-inflammatory effect, which helps the lesions heal faster. Apply tea tree oil on the skin after thoroughly washing the area.

Calamine Lotion

Scabies lesions are especially itchy. This further aggravates the condition because people infected with scabies tend to scratch the area most of the time. Scratching also leads to further spread of infection because of the contaminated fingernails that contained the bacteria while scratching. To manage itching, apply calamine lotion on the edges of the lesions and on the surrounding areas.

Mustard Oil

Mustard oil is another effective treatment for scabies. Apply the oil on the affected skin in order to kill the skin mites that are causing the infection. Apply mustard oil in liberal amounts to make sure that the lesion is soaked with the oil.

Neem Leaves

Neem leaves are also effective in treating scabies. Mix the extract from the neem leaves with turmeric and mustard oil. Apply on the skin for an hour before rinsing. Also, you can boil the leaves and drink the decoction to have additional antimicrobial effects.

In order to prevent the transfer of scabies to other members of the family, be sure to clean the surrounding especially in areas where mites can thrive. Wash the beddings, clothes and other garments of the infected person in warm water. Use high heat drying in order to effectively kill the mites. In addition, be sure to vacuum the rugs and other areas that may potentially harbor the mites. Scabies tend to spread fast in other areas of the skin as well as to other members of the family so precautions should be instituted.