Itch-Relieving Oatmeal Baths for Hives

Hives

Also called urticaria, hives are red welts on your skin that are often quite itchy. They can appear anywhere on your body. Hives are typically caused by:

allergic reaction to a food or medication
insect stings
infections
stress
Oatmeal bath for hives

If you have mild hives, your doctor might prescribe an over-the-counter antihistamine such as:
loratadine (Claritin)
cetirizine (Zyrtec)
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
To help with itch relief, your doctor might also recommend self-care such as an oatmeal bath.

This treatment uses colloidal oatmeal that's finely ground for easy mixing into warm bathwater. Colloidal oatmeal can moisturize skin and act as a emollient. With the help of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it can also soothe and protect skin.

Along with the powers of oatmeal, soaking in a warm bath can help you deal with stress which can cause for hives in some people.



How to make an oatmeal bath

Fill a clean bathtub with warm water. Be sure the water isn't hot since temperature extremes can make hives worse. Pour about 1 cup colloidal oatmeal under the stream of water coming from the faucet this helps mix the oatmeal into the water. The amount you add may change depending on the size of your tub. Once the tub is at your desired level, give the water a quick stir to mix in all the oatmeal. The water should look milky and have a silky feel.

Soaking in an oatmeal bath

Your doctor will have a recommended length of time you should stay in the bath.
When getting into and out of the tub, keep in mind that the colloidal oats can make the tub exceptionally slippery. When you're done, use a soft towel to blot and pat yourself dry rubbing can further irritate your sensitive skin.

Where can I find colloidal oatmeal?
Colloidal oatmeal is available at most drugstores, pharmacies, and online. You can also make your own colloidal oatmeal by using a blender or food processor to grind regular oatmeal into a very fine powder.

Can I customize my colloidal oatmeal bath?
Some advocates of natural healing suggest that adding other ingredients to an oatmeal bath will improve the experience and suggest including:

sea salt
olive oil
Epsom salts
lavender
baking soda

These benefits of these additions aren't backed by research or clinical studies, so check with your doctor before changing the recipe for a standard oatmeal bath. Extra ingredients could aggravate your condition.



Takeaway

When experiencing the itchiness of hives, many people find relief by soaking in a colloidal oatmeal bath. Before trying this approach for itch relief, check with your doctor to make sure that the colloidal oats will help and not aggravate your condition.

If your doctor approves, you can buy colloidal oatmeal or you can easily make it yourself.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition that affects the skin, scalp, nails, and sometimes, the joints (psoriatic arthritis). The condition causes skin cells to grow excessively, adding patches of silvery, itchy skin on top of healthy skin.

These patches can sometimes crack and bleed.
Symptoms come and go.
Patch size and location can change with each outbreak, and vary from person to person.
Psoriasis is caused by the immune system attacking itself. Common causes of flare-ups include:

stress
drinking too much alcohol (over one drink per day for women, and two for men)
skin irritants, like sunburn or a poison ivy rash
infections that weaken the immune system
Psoriasis runs in families, and can be worse in smokers and people who are overweight. People who have it can experience depression, which can affect daily function and quality of life.

Treatments

There is no cure for psoriasis.
However, there are treatments and therapies that can lessen symptoms. Some prescription medicines change the immune system's response. Other treatments reduce inflammation and slow skin cell growth. Medicines that you can apply directly to the skin include salicylic acid, which removes skin layers.

Corticosteroids can aid healing, and moisturizers can reduce discomfort. Ultraviolet light therapy and vitamin D are also used by some people to help with symptoms.

These treatment options often do help with symptoms, but they may not work for all flare-ups.

Where oatmeal comes in

Oatmeal has long been known to soothe irritated skin not when you eat it, but when you apply it to the skin. There are many over-the-counter oatmeal bath mixes, lotions, and soaps. But all you need is plain ground oats and a bathtub to get the helpful effects.

You'll want to use colloidal oatmeal. This is a finely ground oatmeal that dissolves in hot water and won't clog your drain. You can buy it or make it yourself.

To make your own colloidal oatmeal, grind whole oats in a blender or food processor until the texture is a little grittier than regular flour. To see if you've ground it fine enough, mix a tablespoon in a cup of hot water. It should blend and stay suspended, with very little settling on the bottom.

Oatmeal has been scientifically proven to reduce skin swelling and itching. It contains fats like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are healthy for your skin.

Preparing your bath

Oatmeal is gentle on the skin, and is not known to cause skin allergies. However, you may consider using organically grown oats for your bath to reduce the possibility of irritants. Definitely do not use instant oatmeal.

If you're using home ground oatmeal, experiment with how much is right for the water volume of your tub. (The only downside of using too much is that you're wasting oats.)

It's best to start with 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of colloidal oatmeal and work up to as much 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces).

Infuse with lavender
An oatmeal bath should make your psoriasis (or most skin discomfort) feel better, but it may feel slimy. To counteract that effect, add some sweet-smelling lavender essential oil.

People have used lavender for a long time to calm skin conditions like psoriasis. It also reduces blood pressure and heart rate Trusted Source, which can lower stress a common psoriasis trigger. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil as you run your bath. There's no right amount, just add a drop or two at a time. Don't apply essential oils directly to your skin.

After your bath
Use extra caution getting in and out of the tub. Oatmeal can make the surface slippery. Pat your skin gently with a towel when you get out. Avoid harsh rubbing as you dry yourself.

Other oatmeal options
You don't have to get in a bath full of oatmeal to help your skin. In fact, you don't have to grind the oats. Make an oatmeal solution you can apply to bandages for your skin, or dab on with a cloth or cotton ball.

To do this, make oatmeal on your stovetop like you would for breakfast, but double the amount of water in the directions. When the oatmeal has cooked for the proper length of time, strain the oats off and save the liquid. When the liquid cools, apply it to bandages to soak the skin.

Eczema

Eczema is a condition that causes your skin to become red and itchy. It's typically a chronic condition that periodically flares up. Since there's no cure for eczema, treatment is focused on relieving symptoms.

Oatmeal bath for eczema

The idea of an oatmeal bath might bring to mind a bathtub full of the warm breakfast food. An oatmeal bath does include oatmeal and warm water, but the oatmeal used is ground into a fine powder called colloidal oatmeal. It's suspended in water and won't sink to the bottom.

According to a 2012 studyTrusted Source, colloidal oatmeal can protect skin and soothe the itching and irritation from eczema. The same study indicates that colloidal oatmeal can also act as a buffer to help maintain skin surface pH.

How to prepare an oatmeal bath

Oatmeal Baths: A Skin-Soothing Home Remedy

If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. What are oatmeal baths?

Since ancient Roman times, people have been using oatmeal for skin care. Today, special oatmeal formulations are used in a variety of skin care products, from lotions to bath soaps.

Oatmeal contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory and moisture-retaining properties. You can purchase ready-made oatmeal baths or read on to learn how to make your own to enjoy oatmeal's skin-soothing benefits.


How does oatmeal help skin?

In 1945, colloidal oatmeal compounds started becoming more widely available for treating skin conditions, according to the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Colloidal oatmeal is the oatmeal preparation that's commonly used in lotions as well as for baths. Specifically, it's oatmeal that's been finely ground or chopped and suspended in liquid.

Colloidal oatmeal has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This is thanks in large part to the presence of compounds that include vitamin E, ferulic acid, and aventhramides. The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology reports that aventhramides are the main antioxidant in oats.

Even in small amounts, the compounds found in colloidal oatmeal inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-8 release, which have been associated with conditions like psoriasis. These compounds also reduce itching.

In addition to these compounds, colloidal oatmeal contains starches and beta-glucan. These are naturally present in oats. They help to hold in water, which enhances the moisturizing abilities of oats.

Colloidal oatmeal also contains water-binding polysaccharides, which are a form of sugar, as well as compounds called hydrocolloids. These compounds also create a protective barrier to keep the skin from losing excess water.

Other benefits of colloidal oatmeal include:

acting as a buffering agent, which helps skin maintain a normal pH
providing antiviral activity, such as helping treat molluscum contagiosum skin rashes
reducing the rate of histamine release in mast cells, which are present in allergic skin reactions
cleansing the skin, thanks to the presence of saponins that have soap-like activity.

Colloidal oatmeal is a natural solution to many health concerns. For example, a 2012 study showed that colloidal oatmeal helped to reduce the use of corticosteroid and calcineurin inhibitors in patients with atopic dermatitis.



What conditions does oatmeal treat?

People use oatmeal to treat a variety of skin conditions, including:
atopic dermatitis
chickenpox
contact dermatitis
diaper rash
dry, itchy skin
eczema
psoriasis
reactions to insect bites and plants, such as poison oak

In addition, cosmetics manufacturers add colloidal oatmeal to shampoos and shaving gels to provide a skin-soothing treatment. These products are usually available without a prescription and are sold at most grocery stores, pharmacies, and online retailers.



Are oatmeal baths safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared that oatmeal baths are safe and effective treatments. However, it's still possible that a person could experience an allergic reaction to the components of oatmeal.

An allergic reaction to oatmeal would cause symptoms like itching, swelling, and redness. If this occurs, wash your skin with soap and water and discontinue the use of oatmeal-containing products.

Providing there are no signs your baby is allergic to topical oatmeal, bathing with colloidal oatmeal is usually safe. You could try a patch test prior to bathing your child in an oatmeal bath.

To do this, apply some dissolved colloidal oatmeal to a small patch of skin, such as the back of the hand. Rinse the oatmeal preparation off after about 15 minutes and observe your child for any signs of reaction.

You'll want to avoid any bath preparations that contain added fragrances, as they can be irritating to the skin. If you aren't sure if oatmeal baths are a good idea for your little one, talk to their pediatrician.

What products use oatmeal?

A variety of oatmeal products are available to moisturize, cleanse, and protect the skin. Examples of these products include:

bath products
face masks
face scrubs
face washes
lotion
moisturizers
shaving gels
skin scrubs
Many of these products are advertised for those with irritated or problem skin, such as those with eczema.



How to make your own oatmeal bath

If you're feeling thrifty or crafty, you can make your own colloidal oatmeal bath at home. Use the following steps to create this skin-soothing bath.

Purchase rolled oats. You can find these at most grocery stores or health food markets. The oats should be free of flavorings, chemicals, sugars, and salts.

Grind the oats into a fine powder using a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. You'll know when you've ground the oats finely enough when a tablespoon of oats dissolves easily in hot water.

Draw your bath with warm (but not hot) water. Start by adding a half-cup of oats to the bath. You can add up to one and a half cups to the tub for soaking.

Some people put the oats into a pantyhose leg tied at the top, which can make the bath less messy after a soak.

Limit bathing time to 15 minutes to avoid moisture loss.
Pat skin dry with a towel and apply moisturizer after getting out of the bath.
Avoid scrubbing your skin, which can further irritate it.

Conclusion

Oatmeal baths are a make-at-home remedy you can use to treat a variety of skin conditions from psoriasis to eczema. Oatmeal can be moisturizing, soothing, and inflammation-relieving for the skin.

Colloidal oatmeal can also be incorporated in a variety of skin care preparations.
While oatmeal baths can be skin-soothing, they aren't a treatment for all skin conditions. Talk to your doctor if your rash isn't going away (or is getting worse).

Dry, itchy skin may have led you to visit a dermatologist or try out home remedies for relief.
If so, somebody may have suggested you try using colloidal oatmeal as a treatment.
This article explains how to use colloidal oatmeal for skin conditions and whether it's safe and effective.

What is colloidal oatmeal?

For centuries, colloidal oatmeal has been a salve for itchy, dry, or irritated skin. This natural ingredient is readily found in cosmetic products like moisturizers, shampoos, and shaving creams.

Colloidal oatmeal is made by grinding oat grain, or Avena sativa, into a fine powder. It's considered an emollient a substance that softens or soothes the skin because it packs fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients shown to benefit the skin.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially categorized colloidal oatmeal as a skin protectant in 2003.



It also boasts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that benefit your skin. Antioxidants fight free radicals, which can damage your body through oxidative stress if their numbers become too high.

Oxidative stress is linked to conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as inflammation and certain skin diseases like dermatitis. It also affects aging, which can present as a lack of skin elasticity and moisture.

One study found that colloidal oatmeal's unique chemical profile diminishes cytokines, a group of proteins that cause inflammation in your body. These beneficial properties are due to avenanthramides, a group of plant chemicals found in oat kernels.

By blocking inflammatory cytokines, avenathramides inhibit the inflammatory response. As such, avenathramides are not only responsible for colloidal oatmeal's benefits to the skin but also the heart-healthy properties associated with eating oatmeal.

SUMMARY
Colloidal oatmeal has been used for centuries to soothe dry, itchy skin. Its content of unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant chemicals called avenanthramides boost both skin and overall health.

How it's used

Colloidal oatmeal is used to treat the symptoms of many conditions, including eczema.
Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a cluster of medical conditions that result in skin abnormalities like itchy, scaly, or patchy skin. It has various causes, including allergies, irritants, and stress.

While eczema tends to affect children, adults can also develop it. Colloidal oatmeal in the form of lotions or baths may be used as a treatment.

Colloidal oatmeal has likewise been used to soothe skin irritation or dryness caused by radiation treatments for cancer. Moreover, it may be useful for people with xerosis, or severely dry skin.

Xerosis is more common during the colder winter months and in older adults, as well as those who have experienced repeated exposure to harsh chemicals. It can also result from an underlying disease or be a side effect of certain medications.

Studies in both people with and without xerosis have observed significant improvements to the skin's moisture in those using a moisturizer containing colloidal oatmeal, compared with both untreated areas and those in a placebo group.

Further, it may help alleviate itching chickenpox- or burn-related itching. In these cases, it's usually used in combination with other medications, such as antihistamines.
Note that serious burns require prompt medical care to avoid infections, complications, and even death.

SUMMARY
Colloidal oatmeal is used to alleviate symptoms of a broad range of skin conditions, including eczema, severe dry skin, mild burns, and chickenpox.

Is it safe?

Colloidal oatmeal has been found to be safe in most people.
Allergic reactions are rare. In fact, zero allergic reactions were reported by 445,820 consumers of colloidal-oatmeal-containing personal care products within a 3-year period (2Trusted Source).

What's more, in a large study in 2,291 adults, only 1% of participants reported low-level irritation after wearing a colloidal oatmeal patch for 24 hours. Plus, most people experienced sustained moisture for an impressive 2 weeks after wearing the patch.

That said, those with a known oat allergy should not use colloidal oatmeal. If you experience unwanted symptoms after using colloidal oatmeal, such as burning, a rash, or stinging, discontinue its use and speak to your healthcare provider.

SUMMARY
While colloidal oatmeal is safe for most people, discontinue using it if you develop symptoms like a rash.

How to make your own

Making colloidal oatmeal is easy, quick, and might save you some money.
Simply follow these steps:
Add whole, uncooked oatmeal to a food processor, coffee grinder, or blender.
Pulse it until it resembles a fine, off-white powder.
To test if its ground finely enough, mix about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) into a pint (16 ounces or 473 mL) of water. The water should turn milky white. If not, simply grind the oatmeal further.
To make a bath, sprinkle about 1 cup (237 grams) of the powder into lukewarm water and soak in it for 10-15 minutes.

Be sure your bath isn't too hot, as this can cause more dryness or irritation. After bathing, pat or air dry if possible, then apply a fragrance-free moisturizer formulated for sensitive skin. This bath is suitable for both children and adults who have no topical allergies to oatmeal.

If preparing this bath for a child, make sure the water isn't too hot. A good water temperature for babies and children is around 100°F (38°C). If preparing the bath for a baby, you'll need less oatmeal only about one-third of a cup (43 grams).

Plus, if it's their first oatmeal bath, it's a good idea to do a patch test first. To do so, simply place a bit of the colloidal-oatmeal-water mixture on a small patch of skin, such as a forearm or back of a hand, then rinse after 15 minutes, watching for signs of allergic reaction like redness.

Oatmeal can make your bathtub slippery, so take extra caution when you or your child step out of the tub.

SUMMARY
Making colloidal oatmeal is easy and quick — simply blend raw oatmeal into a fine powder. This can be used to make a soothing bath for you or your child.

The bottom line
Colloidal oatmeal has been a salve for itchy, dry, and irritated skin for centuries.
It's made by finely powdering oat grains and added to common beauty products. What's more, it can easily be made at home and sprinkled into a soothing bath.

Research shows its unique compounds boast both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and protect your skin's moisture.

Colloidal oatmeal is safe to use for most people, including children, except those with a known oat allergy. It has brought relief to many, including people undergoing radiation treatment for cancer, as well as those with aging skin, chickenpox, or dry skin.

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is an inflammation of the epidermis or the outer layer of the skin. Eczema makes the skin red and inflamed, bumpy and dry, flaky and patchy. The blistered skin can thicken and become rough and cracked. This condition is extremely frustrating for many, as it can last for a person's lifetime.



Eczema most commonly appears on the knees, wrists, eyelids, scalp, knuckles, and elbows. However, it can appear anywhere on the body.

Causes of Eczema The causes of eczema could be internal as well as external. Possible causes and contributing factors include:

Use of certain soaps, detergents, shampoo, disinfectants, etc.
Viruses, bacteria, fungi and other free radicals.
Reaction dairy products, nuts, soy products, eggs, etc.
Exposure to extreme cold or hot temperatures.
Sweat and humidity.
Hormonal changes.

A family history of allergies or similar infections. Eczema is generally treated with prescribed steroidal moisturizers, which stop the problem from spreading but does not heal the skin internally.

Note: Do consult your dermatologist immediately once you see the flare-ups. If you are trying any of these homemade creams, make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients used in the recipes.

Eczema Cream Recipes

Using a DIY homemade cream will help your skin heal from within and relieve the pain and discomfort associated with eczema, without any side effects that might come with steroidal creams.
Here are Oatmeal recipe that use natural ingredients to get relief from eczema.

Method: Oatmeal Cream

Oatmeal has an anti-inflammatory property that calms the itchiness due to dry and flaky eczema patches. It is believed to have an antihistamine effect when applied to the skin affected by eczema.

It is also rich in antioxidants, which helps prevent pollutants and free radicals from damaging the skin. It actually stimulates the synthesis of the collagen and helps with the best possible metabolism of the fatty acids.

Using ground oats will release and expose the skin to its more active components. Oats are rich in beta-glucans and starch, which hold moisture in the skin, hydrating it from within. It consists of phenol compounds that also offer protection against the ultraviolet (UV) sun rays.

Coconut oil is very gentle on the skin and hence can be used for babies and adults with sensitive skin. It is very rare for someone to be allergic to coconut oil. However, you should perform a patch test to ensure that you're not allergic to it.

Shea butter has rich emollients, vitamin E that works as an antioxidant for the skin, fatty acids like cinnamic acid, which provides extra moisture and nourishment to the skin, and vitamin A that helps reduce the inflammation on the skin.

A therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil helps heal the redness and dryness caused by eczema. Also, it makes your cream smell pleasant.

Things you'll need:


Coconut oil, melted or soft ¼ cup
Pure Shea butter 2 tablespoons
Ground oats 2 tablespoons
Vitamin E  1 capsule
Lavender essential oil  2 or 3 drops

Step 1. Melt coconut oil and pure Shea butter in a double boiler



Set up a double boiler and put ¼ cup of extra-virgin coconut oil.
Add 2 tablespoons of pure Shea butter to the double boiler.
Melt the ingredients on low heat.

Step 2. Add ground oats, lavender essential oil, and vitamin E oil



Grind some dry, uncooked oats in a blender until you have a fine powder.
Measure 2 tablespoons of the ground oatmeal and gradually add it to the melted liquids, while stirring to prevent lumps.
Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.
Puncture 1 capsule of vitamin E and squeeze the liquid into the mixture.
Add 2 or 3 drops of lavender essential oil as well.

Step 3. Whisk everything together



Blend all the ingredients well using a whisker.
Transfer the cream to an airtight container.
Store up to a year in a cool and dark place.