Shingles: 6 Ways to Treat the Itching

By Marianne WaitUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

After getting a prescription medication from your doctor, try some of these home remedies to soothe the itching and heal the blisters caused by shingles.

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1. Use Calamine Lotion

To help dry the blisters, apply calamine lotion as a treatment for the itching. As the wet solution evaporates from your skin, it also draws moisture from the blisters.

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2. Apply Aloe Vera

If you have an aloe vera plant in your home or garden, cut a leaf and smooth the liquid over your skin. The milky liquid inside the leaves may help soothe the blisters. Or use an over-the-counter aloe vera gel (make sure it’s 100% aloe).

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3. Use Baking Powder

A paste of baking powder and water will dry up blisters and soothe the itching. Add enough water to dry baking powder to create a paste, then apply it liberally to the affected area.

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4. Try Epsom Salt

Another remedy for drying blisters and soothing inflammation is a paste made from Epsom salt and water. Apply directly to the affected area. Repeat as often as you wish.

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5. Brew Some Tea

Brew a tea of lemon balm, an herb from the mint family that European studies suggest fights herpes viruses. To make it, boil 2 teaspoons dried herb in 1 cup boiling water. Use a cotton ball to dab it directly onto the affected areas. Some herbalists recommend bolstering the brew with rose oil or mints such as peppermint, spearmint, and sage.

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6. Rely on Every Day Cooking Ingredients

Reach into your pantry, where you probably have the ingredients for another shingles solution: vinegar and honey. Mix them together to form a paste and dab it onto your sores as a natural treatment for shingles.

Originally Published: August 30, 2011