Hot Water for Itches

I have found that hot water provides immediate relief for mosquito bites. In addition, it provides temporary relief from itching caused by poison ivy.

I bought the first book you wrote (Joe) and found the hot water treatment for moderate itching quite satisfactory. Once when my husband had an itch he couldn't get wet, he used a hair dryer with the same effect. Of course the same advice about how hot and how long still apply.

I get poison ivy at least twice a year when I am careless while weeding. I always use the hot water treatment and can expect itch relief to last for several hours.

I read this, I need to add that my daughter had a very bad case of hives she itched so bad. I put her in the bath along with a oatmeal bath. About five minutes later she yelled for me. Her hives had doubled in size and had three times the amount before she had the hot bath. I ended up taking her to the Emergency Room, I was told the hot water is what caused this reaction.
I was putting her in the hot bath because she itched so bad. To my surprise this is the worst thing you can do.
Tracy Pavan

Histamine is the chemical that causes a reaction, an itch, in a person with poison ivy, bug bites, etc. When you almost scald your skin with hot water, a great amount of histamine rushes to the site and it temporarily itches more. At a point, the histamine flushes from the site and voila--no more itching until the histamine builds back up at the site.

The hot water treatment works for athlete's foot too, and for any itching in the toe area. It took less than a week of applying very hot water (the hottest I could bear) for 1-2 minutes at the beginning of my showers and sometimes throughout the day, to get rid of the problem completely, without using any ointments.

I have had severe cases of hives, and a hot shower always made it worse, but cold helped the discomfort. This was before I read the article about hot water for bites, itching, etc. It does work and I have used it ever since and have told my family all about it.

I also give my husband mustard for cramps, for almost instant relief. Read that here too.

The mom is right, hot water opens the pores and causes hives to spread dramatically. There is a huge difference between hives and a mosquito bite! Hot water for bite, yes, hot water for hives, NO!!!

I have seasonal allergies--a few weeks each spring and fall. At times, if outside a lot--which i am--I will also get "allergic" reaction on skin--often between toes or fingers. I have used hot water for years--as hot as I can from the tap without scalding. It has worked every single time.

I haven't tried the hot water method but I am allergic to posion ivy and the like. I have always had success with a hair/blow dryer on high heat, using the same methods above. It has taken away the itch for hours at a time and also seems to dry the moist rash and clear it up sooner.

I suffer from severe eczema. The cream doesn't help because it is just rubbed into the dead skin on top and it has thinned my skin so badly from use over the years. By accident I found one day that if I ran hot water on the problem that it was the only way to get some relief and I was able to get sleep.

If your itch is on an easy-to-reach skin surface, save some water and use a cloth bag or heavy cotton sock filled loosely with white rice (so it will drape a little) and warm it in the microwave oven. The size is up to you, and you'll have to experiment with the time to heat it up. You can relax while your itches fade away.

When I have poison ivy or sunburn, even the hot water from my shower makes the area itch unbearably. The only thing that stops itching for me is ice.

When it gets cold outside, if I go out even with coats and sweaters, I get a very fine rash that itches, on my upper legs and hips and arms, sometimes it speads over my back and chest if I stay out long enough. Would hot water/shower help that?

I suffered from excema, and nothing really helped. One day I was making bread by hand, and all the itchiness disappeared. This was very successsful and happened every time I made bread.

I used to use hot water to relieve contact dermatitis on my wrists when I worked in a greenhouse about 25 years ago. It definitely was the only thing I found that stopped the itching. One warning, however, is that if my itching was intense the hot water felt so good that it was difficult to resist using water that was too hot. I sometimes scalded my wrists. However, even the scalded skin felt better than the itching.

I now have a small electrical device that can be plugged in or run on batteries that stops itching. For me it is safer than the hot water.

Heat definitely works, but as people have warned, using hot water can be dangerous. What works for me is to apply hot heat from a common HOT HAIR DRYER. This way I can treat little areas even if I am in bed or sitting in my chair.

I found the home remedy for itching at the website many people have found. I used www.itchcontrol.com

A caveat about hot water on poison ivy... it works well for me, really provides relief... but I learned the hard way that you must first wash the area to remove the poison ivy oil, or at least wait to see if blisters form.

Use a soap that's formulated to remove urushiol.

Shortly after hearing of the hot water trick, I stupidly tried it at the first sign of tingling on my arm, and I'm convinced I made things worse by not washing my arm carefully first. Either the hot water spread the oil around more, or opened the pores so more got into my skin--or something--but at any rate that became the worst case I've ever had--one of the blisters grew to the size of an egg. Wash the area first!

My father was extremely allergic to poison ivy, and whenever he'd go outdoors to where there might be some, he'd lather up the Fels Naphtha soap and put the lather on his arms and legs and let it dry, then go about whatever he wanted to and then come in and wash off the dried soap. This worked well for him.

I have had several drug reactions that produced terrible hives. I remember taking a bath or shower as hot as I could stand and received some relief. It had been years since my last drug reaction (I avoid drugs like the plague) and 20 years or so since I last used the hot water bath method of itch control. Recently I had another albiet somewhat less intense outbreak of hives. I tried the hot water bath again with oatmeal but ended up taking benedryl which did eventually calm me down.

I used to itch miserably from poison oak until I discovered that a hot shower would make the itching feel intense for a moment, and then I was itch-free the rest of the day and the itchy spots soon disappeared. Nothing else relieved the itch.

As a child in the 1940's and 50's I suffered from eczema to the point of being hospitalized on several occasions. I had large bloody scales all over my body. They would have to tie my hands or glove them at night to keep me from scratching. They also smeared me with vaseline and wrapped me in cloth to relieve the itching. Sounds cruel but it was the only thing that could be done to prevent my scratching. If left on my own I would scratch the skin off. I went through every conceivable therapy and allergy test for years. Nothing worked to releive the itching except hot water, which I discovered as a teenager on my own.

Later, I found a doctor who also suffered from eczema. He had concocted a skin cream which contained granulated caffeine. This worked wonderfully. It was the only topical cream that ever actually relieved my itching. Sadly, the doctor is no longer with us, and I lost access to the formulation.

Stress can bring on eczema. Take a hot bath with epsom salts to get temporary relief. To my knowledge, nobody really knows what causes eczema but it is known to be hereditary.

I had a terrible case of poison ivy on my legs once, and this was the only thing that helped. The super hot water stings and itches at first, but then it goes away and feels a million times better.

I have had totally different effect...as I started thru menepause I had intense vaginal itching.....nothing on the market would help.
One night (always was worse at night) I knocked a glass of ice water into my lap. Instantly the itching stopped!!!! I used ice water there during this time in my life with the greatest results.

Hives: ALWAYS use cold water; literally try to freeze the area with the water. If you cant get running water that cold use an ice cube or ice pack; it reduces the swelling and itch from hives (i have life threatening allergies im used to hives and this is what gets rid of them without benadryl)

Anything Else: if you are heat sensitive use cold water and freeze the area like above. The heat makes things worse if you are heat sensitive to begin with and you will be much happier freezing the area multiple times than making things worse with hot water.

I have had hives for years from the cold, so the ice method mentioned would not be good for me. I used to take Benedryl but didn't like it because it made me drowsy. I just try to get as warm as possible and they go away. I would be interested in any advice for hives caused by cold.

I have also found this advice to be true for both mosquito bites and poison ivy. I experience almost complete relief from itching for 4-8 hours.

The Itch Stopper saved my life when I lived in Guatemala for two years. You can find the Stopper online. I was plagued with flea bites. The itching was horrible, lasting two weeks at times. The Itch Stopper sends an electrical stimulus that reaches cell level disrupting the histamine reaction, something that creams cannot do. The bites lasted only two days and didn't itch or turn into huge red lumps. Relief!

I have always suffered from itchy skin and found that a hot shower is very effective especially at night before bed.

But this is method seems to go against the "expert advice" that tells us to avoid hot water?

My conclusion is that these so called experts have never experienced the curse of severe itchy skin.

Hi All,

This problem and relief is much simpler than everyone has explained. BUY a HANDHELD shower head, and then use it anywhere on your body. This is a method I discovered over 20 years ago, and it still works. Also, be sure to apply a moisturizer lotion AFTERWARDS so as not to dry out your skin.

Gil

This hot water cure WORKS and is miraculous as far as I am concerned. A few months ago I had a terrible bout with insect bites: some I think were a severe allergic reaction to a bite, but some I think were bad spiders or some insect. I tried everything the pharmacy and my dermatologist had to offer, and then went to People's Pharmacy web site in total desperation and read about the hot water treatment. I couldn't believe it. At first you think it isn't working, but then you stop the hot water and realize the itching is gone. I use it on any bite now, and have told everyone I know. It is great!

I use hot water for relief of itching, but this makes my condition worse. If I can avoid the scalding hot water for approx 7-10 days My hives will normally go away. (No easy task though) I have tried ice packs
w/some relief but not the cure. (I'm still searching for some permanent relief)

Absolutely! As a teenager, I suffered from terrible eczema and dermatitis, along with occasional hives all over my body. I learned that standing in a near-scalding shower would give me amazing relief. For my itchy hands, I would just run them under very hot water a couple times a day. Haven't had problems for years, but this past week I had a skin reaction, probably from the NyQuil I took. (I rarely take any medications, which could explain why my allergies stopped when I moved out on my own!) I tried the hot shower method again, to blissful relief!

Absolutely! As a teenager, I suffered from terrible eczema and dermatitis, along with occasional hives all over my body. I learned that standing in a near-scalding shower would give me amazing relief. For my itchy hands, I would just run them under very hot water a couple times a day. Haven't had problems for years, but this past week I had a skin reaction, probably from the NyQuil I took. (I rarely take any medications, which could explain why my allergies stopped when I moved out on my own!) I tried the hot shower method again, to blissful relief!

I discovered about 2 years ago that if I took a shower with extreme hot water, my itching would subside for most of the day. I use a hand held shower head on a hose and target itchy hot spots. it feels great.

I had shingles 6 months ago and still have the itch which is associated with it. I tried many creams, hot water, nothing works. Does anyone have any suggestions who had the same problem?

The fast relief that came from using hot water on itchy areas seem to work really well for me. The hot water helped circulated blood throughout my body and help relieve the focus on that one itchy area.

A technique I also learned to do with a large area that is itchy was to soak in a warm bath filled with water and put oatmeal in it. This might also work for those who get hives.

Interesting take on itch relief, however I've always used ice or ice packs for itching, especially bug bites. My kids now run to the freezer anytime they have an insect bite without me even saying anything to them. Hot water can exacerbate dry skin, so I wouldn't think it would be advisable for eczema.

I first discovered the hot water treatment when I had chicken pox as an adult. A bath as hot as I could stand it every few hours stopped the itching.

I have allergies, eczema, autoimmune problems. If your skin is itching, how can more heat help? may feel better for the moment, but you are causing more inflammation. I have had eczema for 20 years.

I found out a few years ago the "poison ivy" I was getting was actually poison parsnip. It's water-based and there is no immunity from it. The effect is superphotosensitivity of the skin, so it's first a rash then forms blisters, activated by any exposure to UV light (indoor or outdoor). If your contact dermatitis ends up as yellow bubbles, there's a good chance it's this. Using sunblock will prevent it, or prevent it from getting worse! Anyhow, the hot water treatment is absolutely amazing on poison parsnip. I have had to run an arm, leg or hand under hot water just to get enough relief to get to sleep.

I have found hot water has worked for me on mosquito and fire ant bites. When I come in from working in the yard I sit on the edge of the tub and run hot water over my legs. I had a very bad itchy bite on my arm and did the same in the shower and it worked.

Hot water is by far the best treatment for athletes foot. I would suggest using a foot cream as well after drying your feet. I would suggest using running bath water with the drain plug open for feet, or a hot shower for anything else. Others mentioned a hair dryer which is what I originally tried but found it cracked the skin and made it too dry. The hot water treatment works great.

Wow!!!
i have been using extremely hot water for over 25 years. I Kept this a secret because I was afraid of being called "disturbed or "mental."

I stumbled across this blog today after wondering if maybe, just maybe I was not the only one getting relief. I have asthma, eczema, dermatitis off/on for 40 yrs. I have tried all creams, soaps, etc...$$$$$$$$$$

I found hot water by accident many years ago working in a restaurant kitchen.

IT WORKS!!!!!!!

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE:

Not everyone with eczema will benefit. BRIEF exposure (second or two at most) and NEVER hot enough to BURN!!!

Hot water for excema? Are you out of your mind? I have excema on my hands and feet. Hot water sends my excema into a bout of itching so bad I scratch until I bleed. I can no longer wear shoes or socks, either. Cool to cold works better; along with saline soaks.

I used almost-scalding hot water to treat my last bout of poison ivy, which provided amazing relief. I found rather surprisingly that I enjoy this extremely hot water on normal skin and have started taking very hot showers. This is very intensely enjoyable for me, but I don't quite understand why and I haven't been able to find anyone else having this experience. Perhaps it has something to do with drawing histamine into the skin (making it itchy) and then flushing out again?

Hot water is very effective and quite enjoyable way for itch relief. It works well for poison ivy and also itch related to dry skin in the winter (need to immediately apply a lot of lotion afterward though, because heat actually could dry the skin even more). There would be a rush of intense itch that actually gives you a "rush", followed by drastic itch relief good for at least 4-5 hours. A good, cheap way to avoid harsh scratching and more damage to the skin.

(Hot water is very effective and quite enjoyable way for itch relief.
gives you a "rush") Yes, I totally agree.

That is exactly why I looked this up, the dry skin of winter makes my legs itch and hot water relieves the itch and leaves me feeling almost euphoric.

I stepped in an ant pile while gardening last year and nothing I owned could help with the pain and itching I had. For some reason, I thought of ice water. My husband fixed a huge bowl of it and my itching stopped immediately. I simply soaked my feet in it until the pain stopped and if it came back, I repeated a few times until I had total relief.

I have hives and taking a hot bath helps dramatically, stops itching and the bumps fade away. On the other hand ice cold water has helped with sever bug bites. The treatment really depends on the person.

As an 80 year old man, I was finding a skin reaction to the blood pressure medicine I was taking. Some local eruptions were only helped by a strong prescription cortisone. However, over large portion of my body, especially the lower legs and hand, the hot water gives instant and long lasting relief. It helps with the effects of wearing heavy support hose as well. I found this out by accident.

I get eczema on my hands and feet. This treatment works for me every time. The water needs to be very, very hot...as hot as you can stand, for about a minute. I have scalded myself before by mistake so please be careful. Like other folks have said, it helps to use a shower head on a hose, start cool, and gradually increase the temperature. This is for allergy induced eczema...it sounds like it can make some other conditions, like maybe hives, worse.

I discovered this one day after walking barefoot across hot asphalt and seriously burning the bottoms of my feet. But my eczema went away...and did not return for months. I have used near-scalding hot water ever since, and like I said it brings relief every time.

Thank you for the explanation as to why the almost-scalding hot water technique always works for me. I was reluctant to use it in the aftermath of a bee sting on my instep with swelling and very severe itching over a fairly large area that failed to respond to all-day ice packs and cortisone creams never. In desperation, I tried the hot water spray, and thankfully, it immediately worked for several hours and allowed me to get some most welcome relief and sleep.

Hot water does work for hives. the opening of your pores is a good thing for it, because histamine is released when the hot water hits your skin. It itches a little more briefly, then it goes away. You have to take a long shower. 20 to 30 minutes of water as hot as you can stand it. If you have them all over your body, squat in the shower underneath the water and keep making the water warmer and warmer until it's almost too hot to stand. sit there and let it hit your body. It will work. I had an extreme case of hives, from head to toe and this was one of the only things that worked.

I have scabies and nothing in the world has ever itched like this. I've tried everything to stop the itching: alcohol, vinegar, cortisone creams, prescription medication for itching, benadryl tablets... nothing works. The only relief I get is from the hottest water I can stand.

Amazing bunch of people.... I am 64, male, and have had horrible itching for the last 7?? years. I grew up in poison oak country and for 50 years been a believer in the hot shower fix. My mom used to tell me I was spreading it with the hot water, but what did she know.... I was in heaven on a itch break while the hot water pounded my skin. When I got the itchy legs a while back, I again found out that really hot water made the itch feel fantastic... then a few years back my scrotum started itching all the time and guess what... scalding water again. I don't get it, and I have never heard anyone with the itchy scrotum thing, but I would hate the thought of taking my morning shower without the leg, back and ankle scald... and I swear this is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

I suffer from bad eczema mainly on my arms and have done for all of my life. I was sitting in the bath the other week and totally by accident I put really hot water from the shower head on my arms and it was such a huge relief!!! The water was so hot I couldn't let it touch any other part of my body but on my eczema it didn't it was like the best itch ever!! For me the hotter the water the better!!

I have a rash over most of my body for about 3 weeks. Am seeing a dermatologist this week. In the mean time I have gone to 3 doctors which resulted in a cortizone shot and other medications that only helped a couple days. The only thing that is working for me is a hot shower every 6-8 hours followed by slathering Sarma all over.

After reading comments here discovered I am not alone. Am going through menopause having stopped HRT in December and have very itchy rash all over my body which seems to be spreading daily! Like some others I honestly thought I had some deep dark secret because I use very hot water either in the bath or the shower to relieve the itch. It does work but I still have the rash so making a futile visit to the docs next week.

I must say I just had a bad eczema/hives break out and I decided to take a shower. Everyone says they make hives worse but I must say I am that exception. It feels SO GOOD. My hives don't double in size, they don't itch anymore for hours, and by then they disappear. I take an anti-histamine, get anti-itch cream and a hot shower. I'm not saying to go jump in a bath if it bothers you, but I'm the queen of sensitive skin (hives,eczema,hay fever, allergic reaction to mosquito bites) and hot water to GOD.

if any of you have been on steroid creams, please look into topical steroid addiction. Red, itchy rash caused by prolonged topical steroids.

Re hives & hot baths with oatmeal. I did the same and it got worse. Since I see several people also used the oatmeal, I'm wondering if the contributed to worsening hives? I also had bad reaction from using too much salts in bath water with hives. I, too, have good results from mild itching and hot shower. I had two consecutive episodes of hives that almost put me in the hospital, so I am now very careful.

Oh man...I've been using hot water for reactions to weeds, rashes on feet, etc. It provides instant (almost orgasmic) relief. I just came here to see if I was harming myself, but obviously not.
Thanks for the confirmation.
;-)

I discovered the hot water remedy for poison ivy itching by accident. I was in the shower, someone flushed a toilet, and by dumb luck / chance found relief! Haha. I'm glad to see I am not imagining this. I once told a friend the sensation while applying hot water was like itching and scratching at the same time. It is a bizarre sensation - but afterwards, the results are unmistakable - NO ITCHING!!!

This hot water treatment has been a godsend! I actually look forward to my poison ivy itching me since the hot water feels so good and actually lasts a few hours! Way better than Caladryl or Bactine!

I too have been using the hot water treatment for all kinds of itches including insect bites of all kinds (I'm a retired forester and spent a lot of time outdoors). I got great relief with this using running water as hot as I could stand without scalding myself.

Thank god I'm not alone in using very hot water showers for instant relief from eczema itching. I too discovered this by accident. A shower head with a hose is a must. Start off with warm water and direct it on to the itchy areas. Then slowly turn up the water temp until it is as hot as you can stand it [not so hot as to scald].

You get an intense [pleasurable] itch at first and then the itching disappears. I have itchy legs making it almost impossible to sleep unless I have the hot water treatment every night. I stay in the shower for about 15 mins playing the hot water over all the itchy areas again and again until my legs go pink but be careful not to scald. I then use a cream moisturizer to stop the skin drying out. A great treatment that I find really works for me.

I discovered this remedy years ago when I had a serious patch of poison oak on my arm. The thing I like about it is just before the hot water gets too hot, it feels almost orgasmic! Then the itch is gone for hours! Highly recommend!

It felt so good I think I burned my arm.
I don't know if I actually burned it, or if the rash got bigger.
I have an appointment in two days to see the doctor, so I can find out what I have.

The itchy site to be treated should be a small area. I also have found itch relief and speedy healing whether it be an insect bite, rash, or mildly infected area. Large areas, such as generalized hives or rashes, will not respond effectively.

I discovered the hot water trick for itches accidentally a few years ago, so far it has cured every itch I have tried it on from hives to wasp sting after-itch. I run the water at the hottest temp I can stand for about a minute. After around 30 seconds it is hard to tell whether the water is very hot or cold, I take this as a sign it is working. It has occurred to me that this technique could also be effective against certain jellyfish stings as well.

People's Pharmacy response: Hot water is great for itches, but not for hives or jellyfish stings. For jellyfish, meat tenderizer in vinegar is supposed to be helpful.

I have had a rash for 2 1/2 mos. now! I have seen 2 doctors and one dermatologist. I have been on antibiotics and creams, but have found the most relief in a hot shower. When I tell the doctors this... they don't seem to understand why it helps me? Puzzled in CO!