15 Home Remedies for Impetigo

Impetigo is a kind of common and contagious skin infection that mostly affects young children and infants. The infection appears as sores that can occur around the mouth, nose, hands, and feet.

If you see a doctor, they will most likely prescribe your child with an antibiotic and tell you to keep the child home from school or other activities for at least 24-hours.

Symptoms of Impetigo

Impetigo shows itself with itching red sores on and/or around the aforementioned areas. The infection is very easily spread to other parts of the body with fingers or fabrics.

The sores burst rather quickly and will ooze and harden with a yellowish-brown scab-like crust.

The infection can also appear on the butt of the child and this is called Bullous Impetigo. Bullous Impetigo is very similar to general Impetigo except in that the sores can be large, pus-filled, and lead to ulcers.

Home Remedies for Impetigo

While it’s best to see a doctor for an antibiotic, you can use these remedies to further help your child.

1. Aloe Vera

Chances are if you have a skin condition, aloe vera can be helpful in some way, shape, or form. Aloe is known to help with anything from minor burns and bug bites to acne.  To use aloe vera to help Impetigo, simply gently apply the gel to the sore like using your finger or a cotton swab.

2. Honey

Honey, for a very long time throughout history, has been used as an anti-bacterial. This sugary golden glaze can be used one of the sores for just that reason. Raw or Manuka honey works best for Impetigo. To use, you should put the honey directly on the sore and let it sit for twenty minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

 

3. Preventive Measures

If your child does not yet have Impetigo and you’ve been hearing about it going around, there are easy things that can be done to help keep your child from getting the infection.

You can make your own antibacterial soap using a tablespoon of coconut oil, 30 drops of tea tree essential oil, 10 drops of peppermint essential oil, ½ cup of castile soap, ½ cup of distilled water, and a teaspoon of Vitamin E oil. You put the concoction in a soap dispenser and use it as you would usual soap.

Slightly changing your and your child’s eating habits is a good way to build the immunity system of both you and your child. By including more fruits and veggies into your diet, you’re getting more vitamins and minerals that can help exponentially to fight off Impetigo as well as other illnesses.

Many harmful things like bacteria and germs live under fingernails. The short fingernails are, the less chance there is of the germs and bacteria causing health problems.

 

4. Green Tea

Green tea is another ageless remedy for many things. This type of tea can help to stave off bacteria and germs from collecting within the body. With Impetigo, you can apply a few drops of warm tea to the sores or the tea can be drunk like it usually would. Green tea, while it can kill bacterias is also remarkable for building immunity systems.   

 

5. Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil contains lauric acid, which keeps the skin from being a good host of bacteria and other pathogens. You can use the oil like a lotion on the areas that Impetigo has affected, dab on a cotton ball with a drop or two of lavender essential oil (another antibacterial and antiseptic),  or you can find ways to add it to your diet (this helps with the third paragraph of suggestion three) by putting on toast, crackers, popcorn, or other recipes containing coconut oil.

Coconut doesn’t only help with Impetigo, however. When eaten, it builds your immune system, helps to detoxify your body, and it battles off bacteria, germs, and fungi.

 

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is another cheap over the counter helper. This is used for detoxification, skin care, calming acid reflux, and nasal congestion. Apple cider vinegar, when dabbed on Impetigo sores can calm inflammation and bacteria.  

7. Garlic

Garlic is another one of those ancient illness fights that families have been adding to their food or taking supplement pills for ages. Impetigo is no exception for this bacteria fighter and immunity builder.  

There are a couple different ways to battle Impetigo with garlic. As mentioned, you can add it to your diet as a spice or seasoning;  alternatively, peel and crush garlic and add two tablespoons of olive oil to form a paste to apply to itchy skin. You can also crush garlic with a mortar and pestle and apply to sores multiple times a day.

 

8. Echinacea

This beautiful purple-pink flower of a herb can be ground up in water and applied to the Impetigo sores and rinsed off after fifteen minutes to help fight off bacteria.

 

9. Lemon

Lemons are packed full of Vitamin C and antioxidants, which are major killers of harmful bacteria. To use lemon in a way that isn’t overpoweringly bitter, try putting a few slices lemon in water or green tea with honey and a squeeze of lemon juice. Drink one of these beverages each day to treat Impetigo symptoms.

 

10. Pineapple

While this tropical fruit is delicious and juicy enough to already be worth your while, the juice inside the pineapple is a goldmine for fighting bacteria that attack the cells around the mouth and in the throat. Simply eat a serving of this fruit once a day to benefit from this home remedy.

11. Oregano Oil

Oregano oil is an extract like the vanilla you buy for baking. It can be used for helping with a plethora of things like viruses, bacterial infections, allergies, and inflammation.

If the Impetigo is particularly bad on the hands and feet, you can make a soak with the oregano oil. You can put a few teaspoons of the oil in water and soak your child’s hands and feet or you can dab the mixture on the affected skin.  

 

12. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a commonly owned baking ingredient that stops infections and bacteria from growing around the mouth. Using baking soda to help with Impetigo (or other skin conditions) is really rather easy. You take ½ teaspoon of baking soda and just enough water to make a paste. From there, you rub the paste on the affected area twice a day and wait for it to dry. Once it’s dry, you rinse it off with warm water.

 

13. Warm Milk and Turmeric Powder

This is another mixture that’s easy to make but instead of a rub, this one is a drink. You mix ½ a teaspoon of turmeric powder into a cup of warm milk and drink it. The turmeric is anti-bacterial and fights inflammation while the milk’s lactic acid can assist in keeping your child’s skin smooth.

 

14. Epsom Salt Soak

Epsom salts draw the bacteria from the sores that the Impetigo causes. To make this soak, ¼ cup of Epsom salts is mixed with 500mL of warm water and gauze is soaked in the mixture, wrung out, and wrapped around the affected area for anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes. This can be repeated once or twice a day as needed.

 

15. Thyme Essential Oil

Thyme is used to stave off fungal and bacterial infections. Now, two or three drops of this oil is to be mixed with two tablespoons of the aloe vera that was mentioned earlier. These two, once combined, are to be applied to the affected for half an hour before being rinsed off with cold water. It is advised to use this once a day as needed.    

 

Which of these home remedies are you most likely to try? Comment below!

  

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/impetigo/symptoms-causes/syc-20352352

https://www.healthline.com/health/home-remedies-for-impetigo#home-remedies

https://www.curejoy.com/content/home-remedies-to-treat-impetigo/#echinacea

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/7-foods-that-fight-bacteria-and-kill-germs-naturally-1735704

https://naturalife.org/natural-remedies/best-natural-antibiotics

https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/home-ingredients-to-cure-skin-infections/#gref

https://cnx.org/contents/5CvTdmJL@4.4