Scabies? With a hair dryer?

Funnily enough, this seems to get asked quite a lot.

And even more interestingly, it’s not actually that crazy of an idea.

After all, we already know that heat can kill scabies.

In this study, it was shown that exposure to 49 °C (120 °F) for 10 minutes was lethal to scabies mites.

But how hot does a hairdryer get?

Well, obviously it depends on the brand, but many hair dryers these days can usually heat a surface up to around 60°C (140°F) and maybe more.

That means, if you put a hair dryer on your skin for more than 10 minutes, you should technically be able to kill scabies mites.

However, let’s look at it a little closer.

Applying a hairdryer to your skin might mean the outer surface of the skin reaches 60°C, but what about under the skin, where the scabies mites and eggs actually are? Because your body often regulates body temperature, it’s possible that area of the skin doesn’t actually reach that level of heat.

Moreover, you need to apply that heat for at least ten minutes. That is certainly enough to burn your skin and cause lasting damage.

So while in theory it may work, I’m going to have to give a strong thumbs down to treating scabies with a hairdryer.

What about treating bedding, clothes, mattresses etc?

Inanimate objects such as these are a different story.

Technically, yes, you can treat these with a hairdryer, and technically, yes, it would work.

However, is it practical?

Not really.

Ask yourself whether you’re really prepared to be holding a hairdryer over your bedsheet for ten minutes, possibly taking many hours to cover the entire area with heat for a long enough time.

Probably not.

A far more effective approach to heat treatment is to leave it in the sun, put it in a dryer on high heat, or put it in the freezer.

So what is the correct way to treat scabies?

If you’re currently suffering from scabies, novelty treatments like using a hair dryer are not the way to go.

Scabies is a serious condition, and only gets worse when left untreated, or treated incorrectly.

Scabies does not go away on its own.

You must treat it, and you must treat it properly.

The two established treatments for scabies are permethrin and ivermectin.

I have a guide to buying permethrin here, and also a very important guide on how to use it properly.

I have a guide to everything you need to know about ivermectin here.

I am also a big proponent of natural treatments for scabies.

In fact, in many studies I’ve read, natural treatments have shown cure rates significantly higher than permethrin and ivermectin. I have a summary of proven natural treatments here.

If you’d like to follow the exact treatment plan I used to cure my scabies in just a couple of weeks, it’s written in full detail in this guide here.

Remember – scabies is not difficult to treat, but it does take effort and diligence to treat properly. Follow the guides, and I’m confident you’ll be back to health in no time.

Wishing you back to perfect health soon.

Best,

Jon