Contents
Overview
Shingles (which is also called herpes zoster) is a kind of disease that produces many painful spots in our skin. It is often caused by a viral infection named varicella-zoster virus. Many people confuse shingles with chickenpox, a disease that is also caused by the infection of the varicella-zoster virus. However, shingles is a more serious disease because it can cause a fever and tiredness. It is more dangerous if you do not treat the chickenpox completely; the virus will still stay in your bodies, re-act later and cause shingles pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in America, 1 in 3 residents get trouble with shingles in their lives. There is no exact treatment for shingles. When you see the doctor, they may give you some anti-viral medicine to help you get rid of shingles as soon as possible. Therefore, people, who are scared of taking medicine, often choose home remedies for shingles that work naturally and safe. By applying these ways, they can relieve the pain and treat shingles gradually. You should keep reading our article today on Beauty Talk to know what other people do to get relief from shingles on scalp, face, and body naturally and fast at home.
14 Best Natural Home Remedies For Shingles Relief On Scalp, Face And Body
1. Home Remedies For Shingles – Take A Cool Bath
If you keep your body clean every day, blisters, the main symptom of shingles, will be prevented from spreading. A cool bath is always good advice for a patient of this disease. Cool water will help you to relieve the pain and itchiness. Taking a bath with cool water regularly can help to soothe your skin and reduce the burning and rash from shingles. You can optionally add 1 or 2 cups of cornstarch or colloidal oatmeal to increase the effect. For this remedy, you need a bathtub full of water, add one of the above ingredients to it and then soak your body into the water for about 20 minutes.
For the localized shingles, instead of taking a bath, you can apply a cool compress. This tip is even easier. What you need to do is taking a clean cloth, dip it into cool water and then apply it on the shingles skin area after wringing the water.
2. Home Remedies For Shingles – Honey
After researching, Professor Randall Cohrs and Dr. Aamir Shahzad announced the benefits of honey in treating shingles. According to these scientists, both manuka honey and clover honey are good for shingles treatment. They are said to have antibacterial and antiviral properties, which are powerful enemies of the varicella-zoster virus – the main cause of shingles [1]. Therefore, they help to prevent the infection very well. It is so easy that you can directly apply honey to the affected skin area several times a day to treat the shingles pain and itching.
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Read more: 11 benefits of honey with lemon on health, hair, and skin
3. Home Remedies For Shingles – Diet Plan
Diet plan plays an important role in treating shingles. And, of course, you should pay more attention to the foods, which have antiviral properties so that you can prevent the virus from developing. Those foods are often:
- Food with a high level of B vitamins: These foods, such as dairy, chicken, fish which are caught naturally, and grass-raising beef, can assist your nervous system, which is affected by the varicella-zoster virus, very well.
- Food with a high level of C vitamins: They are orange, vegetables, and fruits. Consuming these foods can be useful to your immune system, a vital way to keep you away from fatigue, which is a consequence of shingles.
- Onion and garlic: The allicin in garlic and onion can support your immune system and prevent the development of bacteria and virus.
- Water: It is said that you should drink at least 4 ounces of water per hour to remove the virus from your body.
Besides the ones that you should consume more, you should avoid the following foods to make sure that your shingles pain and itching do not get worse. These foods may contribute to reducing the white blood cells and make your body less strong before infection.
- Caffeine and carbonated beverages
- Fruit juice
- Sugar
- Fried food
- Foods which are rich in arginines such as nuts, chocolate, and gelatin
4. Home Remedies For Shingles – Essential Oils
Remedy 1: Home Remedies For Shingles With Tea Tree Essential Oil
If you get trouble with the red and irritated skin around the blisters, tea tree oil will help you to solve this problem. The anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree oil make it a powerful treatment for shingles pain and itching. If you use this essential oil regularly, you can both reduce the infection and prevent the scars caused by shingles. For this remedy, you can follow the directions below:
Directions:
- Firstly, you mix several drops of tea tree oil with olive oil to make a massage lotion
- Secondly, apply the above lotion to the shingles skin area
- And, combine with gently massaging the shingles
- Do this several times per day to get the best result
Remedy 2: Lavender Essential Oil
Besides tea tree oil, you can use lavender essential oil to soothe and pain and itching of shingles. Being considered as an antiviral agent, lavender essential oil can ease and treat shingles very well. Moreover, it has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, which can help to reduce the redness and itching very quickly. When being combined with tea tree oil, it makes up a perfect treatment for shingles and a good prevention of shingles scars. Applying this remedy 2 or 3 times per week helps to remove the blisters very quickly. Here are the directions for you:
Directions:
- Mix lavender essential oil with tea tree oil
- Apply the above mixture to the infected skin area
- Gently massage to get the best result.
Remedy 3: Home Remedies For Shingles With Chamomile Essential Oil
Using chamomile essential oil is considered to be one of the best natural home remedies for shingles pain and itching relief. This ingredient is rich in benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, and benzyl benzoate, which are all famous for its antiseptic properties. Therefore, regular use of chamomile essential oil can help to treat the bacteria, fungi, and infection. This remedy is useful for almost diseases which are caused by a virus, including shingles. You can mix several drops of chamomile essential oil with lavender essential oil; then, you place the above mixture to the infected skin area, gently massage your skin to soothe the itchiness and pain.
Remedy 4: Peppermint Essential Oil
Because shingles sometimes cause redness and burning feeling, you need a cool recipe for it. In this case, peppermint essential oil is a good suggestion for you. Thanks to the appearance of antiseptic and cool properties, this essential oil can effectively soothe the pain and itching. Moreover, the shingles spots will also be reduced if you apply this remedy regularly. Please follow our directions below to treat the shingles with peppermint essential oil completely.
Directions:
- Firstly, clean and then dry the infected skin area with shingles spots
- Then, directly place peppermint essential oil to that skin area
- It is better to apply this remedy 4 or 5 times per day in a week.
Remedy 5: Home Remedies For Shingles With Bergamot Essential Oil
If you need an essential oil to balance your health and also your mind, bergamot is a good choice. This essential oil is considered to be a wonderful natural remedy that you can use to relieve your pain without worrying about its side effects. One of the special effects of this ingredient is to stimulate the hormone secretion to release the painful feeling. Moreover, bergamot oil has antibiotic and antiseptic properties so it can prevent the growth of bacteria, virus, and fungi, which cause beauty issues such as shingles. Here are the directions for the best bergamot recipe that you should follow:
Directions:
- Firstly, you have to prepare 30 grams of aloe vera oil and 12 drops of bergamot oil
- Secondly, add bergamot oil to aloe vera and mix them well
- Apply the above mixture to the shingles skin area
- To get the best result, you should apply this remedy once per day.
Remedy 6: Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a natural ingredient, which is not only good for our health but also our beauty. It contains 50% of lauric acid, which has antibacterial properties so it can help to effectively reduce the diseases caused by viruses such as shingles, blackheads, and psoriasis. There are two ways to use coconut oil for shingles treatment. Firstly, you can directly apply to the affected skin area and then massage it gently. Or, you can put coconut essential oil to a cotton pad and then rub this pad to the shingles skin area.
Study more: Revealed: 10 simple ways to use coconut oil for stretch marks
5. Home Remedies For Shingles – Apple Cider Vinegar
To treat shingles, you are advised to dry the blisters first. In this case, apple cider vinegar is a good suggestion for you. This magic ingredient has acidity, which can quickly remove water in the blisters and soothe your skin by reducing the itchiness [2]. You can follow our directions below:
Directions:
- Prepare a bathtub full of cool water
- Add to this 2 – 4 cups of apple cider vinegar
- Then, soak your body into this water as long as possible.
Note: Although apple cider vinegar is good at drying the blisters, you should not use it for broken skin.
6. Home Remedies For Shingles – Marigold
Marigold (which is also called calendula) has special healing properties. It has anti-inflammatory properties, which can heal the skin diseases and improve skin condition very quickly. Moreover, marigold oil or gel can help users to reduce the itchy feeling and treat the blisters, which are caused by shingles or chickenpox, very effectively. This calendula oil also contains flavonoids, which contribute to nourishing your skin. You can directly apply marigold oil or gel to the affected skin area and gently massage it to soothe the itchiness and boost the shingles treatment process.
7. Home Remedies For Shingles – Fuller's Earth
Besides apple cider vinegar, fuller's earth is a wonderful choice to dry the blisters caused by shingles. Moreover, the inflammations, as well as shingles itching and pain, will also be treated by applying this remedy. In order to get rid of the shingles as soon as possible, you can make a poultice of fuller's earth and then apply to the shingles skin area according to our directions below:
Directions:
- Firstly, you have to mix fuller's earth with water at a suitable rate to create a thick paste
- Then, you spread the paste on a clean cloth and use a gauze to cover it
- Finally, place the above cloth to the affected skin area with the cloth touching your skin
- You should apply this remedy twice per day to get the best result
8. Home Remedies For Shingles – Baking Soda
Using baking soda is a wonderful way to relieve the pain and itchiness. It can help you to remove the bacteria and harmful micro-organisms which are available on your skin. You can mix baking soda with water and then apply to the affected skin area or directly place it on the blisters.
Get more: 7 best tips to use baking soda for dandruff treatment
9. Home Remedies For Shingles – Garlic
As we all know, garlic has antiviral properties, which can effectively prevent the development of bacteria and virus [3]. Using garlic can help to reduce the shingles symptoms such as pain and itchiness before they get worse. For this remedy, you only have to choose fresh garlic and then consume some raw cloves per day. However, we have to notify you that garlic has an uncomfortable odor; it is so pungent, so not many people like it. Also, be careful because garlic can sometimes cause stomachache. Therefore, do some mock tests before deciding to apply this remedy. It is really necessary.
Above are the best natural home remedies for shingles and itching relief on scalp, face and body that you can easily apply at home. If you have any other way or question, you can leave your comment under this article. We are very pleased to hear your comments. For other home remedies for skin problems, you can visit our category Skin Care to get more information. All content provided are for informational & educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you.