Natural Home Remedies to Treat Hives
Your skin has various ways of reacting to external agents. In other words, it reacts when it thinks it’s under attack or in danger. Hives are one of these responses.
They can appear in one place or expand to different areas. Besides itching, another symptom is skin redness. In this article, we’re going to show you some home remedies to treat hives. Keep reading!
What are hives and what causes them?
This skin reaction called hives can be caused by allergic reactions to certain substances. It can also be caused by contact with toxic or irritating substances. Many people suffer from it when they touch poison ivy or poison sumac, for example.
Other triggers that may cause hives are:
- Bug bites.
- Swimming in cold water.
- Exposure to the sun in the middle of the day.
- Taking a steam bath.
- Climate changes (being in a hot area and then going somewhere cold and vice versa).
Some people have this reaction when they eat certain kinds of foods (especially fish, shellfish, and nuts). In addition, some people also get hives when they take certain medications (such as penicillin).
On top of all that, some people even have emotional skin reactions due to stress, depression, or anxiety.
You should also read: How to Deal With Irritability, Anxiety and Depression
Common symptoms
The symptoms that you need to keep in mind when it comes to determining that you have hives are:
- Bumpy or raised skin.
- Swelling.
- Burning or tingling.
- Itching.
- Skin reddening.
Home remedies to treat hives
The symptoms of hives usually disappear by themselves. It can take a few hours or a few days. But during that time, you’ll have to put up with the uncomfortable symptoms.
The good news is that some home remedies help treat hives, mostly to reduce the itching. Pay attention to the following:
Onion
Thanks to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, onion is great for treating hives. Although it may burn a little at first, then you’ll be thankful for the relief.
- All you have to do is cut the onion into rings and apply them to the affected areas.
- Hold them in place with a bandage and let it work for at least half an hour. If the area is very large, we recommend that your rub half an onion on it and don’t rinse it off.
Cold compresses
When your skin goes intensely red and starts to itch unbearably, a good way to relieve your symptoms is to apply cold water or ice cubes. This reduces the size of your blood vessels and blocks the release of histamine (which causes the irritation and itching).
- Remember not to put ice cubes directly on your skin or you’ll “freeze it” or burn yourself.
- If you want to, you can take a cold shower or even a bath if the hives have spread a lot.
Baking soda
For this remedy, you should use lukewarm water because it’s the easiest to dissolve baking soda in. However, you should be careful, as this option may worsen the irritation. It’s best to consult your doctor first.
- Fill the bathtub and add a couple of tablespoons of this indispensable product.
- Submerge the affected body part (or your whole body if you want). Then, let it soak for 20 minutes.
- Dry yourself off carefully. Use smooth strokes so you don’t irritate your skin even more.
Apple cider vinegar
Due to its properties, this widely-used condiment rapidly reduces inflammation and itching. In addition, it helps restore your skin’s overall health.
- If the hives haven’t spread too much, you can soak a cotton cloth in the vinegar and apply it like a compress.
- If the irritated area is larger, it’s better to soak in a tub with cold water and vinegar for at least 20 minutes.
Chamomile
In this case, you’re going to reap the benefits of this tea internally. If you don’t have chamomile, you can use valerian root or linden (other calming herbs) as home remedies to treat hives. This is a great recipe if you have a breakout related to nervousness, stress, anxiety, etc.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of chamomile flowers (20 g)
- 1 cup of water (250 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of honey (25 g)
Preparation
- Add the chamomile to the water in a pot. Bring it to a boil.
- Let it boil for five minutes and then remove it from the heat.
- Cover it and let it steep for another five minutes.
- Cool it and sweeten it with honey. Drink before it cools completely.
- Drink up to three cups per day.
Oat flour
Oat flour has anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the symptoms of hives almost immediately. In addition, it relieves the itching and helps the skin heal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of baking soda (200 g)
- 2 cups of oat flour (250 g)
Preparation
- Mix the baking soda with the oat flour.
- Fill your bathtub with lukewarm water and add the ingredients.
- Mix until they dissolve.
- Soak in the tub for at least 15 minutes.
Another option is to apply the oat flour directly on the affected area. If you don’t have oat flour, you can use corn starch or talcum powder.
Visit this article: Four Oatmeal Breakfast Ideas to Speed Up Metabolism
Aloe vera
Of course, we couldn’t leave out this great home remedy. After all, it works on many of the worst skin problems. Aloe vera reduces the symptoms of hives, encourages healing, and prevents scratching (that can damage your skin and cause infections) and redness.
- Simply cut an aloe vera leaf lengthwise.
- Then, extract all of the gel inside. You can apply this to the affected area.
- Leave it to dry.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Bansal CJ, Bansal AS. Stress, pseudoallergens, autoimmunity, infection and inflammation in chronic spontaneous urticaria. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2019 Sep 11;15:56.
- Buller Viqueira, Eva., Cabello Pulido, Juana., Buller Viqueira, Esperanza. (2016). Urticaria acuagénica. http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1699-695X2016000100011
- Dawid-Pac R. Medicinal Plants used in treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology. Junio 2013. 30 (3): 170-177.
- Deacock SJ. An approach to the patient with urticaria. Clin Exp Immunol. 2008 Aug;153(2):151-61.
- Enwemeka CS, Allen C, Avila P, Bina J, Konrade J, Munns S. Soft tissue thermodynamics before, during, and after cold pack therapy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Jan;34(1):45-50.
- Elsaie LT, El Mohsen AM, Ibrahim IM, Mohey-Eddin MH, Elsaie ML. Effectiveness of topical peppermint oil on symptomatic treatment of chronic pruritus. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2016 Oct 11;9:333-338.
- Fox LT, du Plessis J, Gerber M, van Zyl S, Boneschans B, Hamman JH. In Vivo skin hydration and anti-erythema effects of Aloe vera, Aloe ferox and Aloe marlothii gel materials after single and multiple applications. Pharmacogn Mag. 2014 Apr;10(Suppl 2):S392-403.
- Kurup V. P, Barrios Ch. S. Immunomodulatory effects of cur cumin in allergy. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. Septiembre 2008. 52 (9): 1031-9.
- Kulthanan, K., Tuchinda, P., Chularojanamontri, L., & Kiratiwongwan, R. Cold urticaria: clinical features and natural course in a tropical country. Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research. 2019; 11(4): 538-547.
- Loggia, R. Della, Traversa, U., Scarcia, V., & Tubaro, A. (1982). Depressive effects of Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rausch, tubular flowers, on central nervous system in mice. Pharmacological Research Communications. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-6989(82)80096-9.
- Mazzarello V, Piu G, Ferrari M, Piga G. Efficacy of a Topical Formulation of Sodium Bicarbonate in Mild to Moderate Stable Plaque Psoriasis: a Randomized, Blinded, Intrapatient, Controlled Study. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2019 Sep;9(3):497-503.
- Miraj, Sepide., Aleisaeidi, Samira.A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5074766/.
- Rajeswari, R., , M. Umadevi, C. S. R., & , S. Selvavenkadesh, K. P. Sampath Kumar, D. B. (2012). Aloe vera: The Miracle Plant Its Medicinal and Traditional Uses in India. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry.
- Reynertson KA, Garay M, Nebus J, Chon S, Kaur S, Mahmood K, Kizoulis M, Southall MD. Anti-inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) contribute to the effectiveness of oats in treatment of itch associated with dry, irritated skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2015 Jan;14(1):43-8.
- Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010 Nov 1;3(6):895-901.
- Vinegar, A. C. (2016). 40 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar. Swanson Blog.
- Vollono L, Falconi M, et al. Potential of curcumin in skin disorders. Nutrients. Septiembre 2019. 11 (9): 2169.
- VV.AA. (2006). Quemaduras por frío. Revisión de 10 años. https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-40262006000500005
- VV.AA. (2002). Plantas con propiedades antiinflamatorias. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0864-03002002000300012.
- VV.AA. (2018). Guía clínica chilena de urticaria crónica espontánea.https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-98872018001101334.
- Wang ZR, Ni GX. Is it time to put traditional cold therapy in rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries out to pasture? World J Clin Cases. 2021 Jun 16;9(17):4116-4122.
- Yagnik, D., Ward, M., & Shah, A. J. Antibacterial apple cider vinegar eradicates methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and resistant Escherichia coli. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1): 1-7.
- Rodríguez, Ileana, Et al., (2006). Beneficios del Aloe Vera l. (sábila) en las afecciones de la piel. Rev Cubana Enfermer v.22 n.3 Ciudad de la Habana jul.-sep. 2006. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0864-03192006000300004
