In this post I’m going to introduce you to what I believe is the best natural scabies treatment available today. I believe natural scabies treatments are an important part of curing scabies, and will only become more important in the future.
The treatments I’m going to talk to you about are all 100% natural, backed by science, and can be obtained easily from any supermarket or health store. This helped me greatly with my own scabies treatment and I hope it will do the same for you.
Why use natural treatments for scabies?
As scabies continues to spread around the world (we haven’t been able to get rid of scabies from our planet for several milleniums now) natural treatments are becoming more and more important. A study in Australia showed that some scabies mites are actually growing resistant to Permethrin – the standard prescription drug for scabies. This means natural scabies treatments are likely to come closer to the forefront of the battle against scabies.
In my ultimate treatment guide for scabies, I recommended complementing prescription scabies treatments with some of the established natural scabies treatments.
This recommendation was actually based on scientific studies (which I’ll share below), that actually showed some natural scabies treatments were more effective than Permethrin and Ivermectin.
How I used natural treatments for my own scabies
When I dealt with my own scabies nightmare, I spent a lot of nights reading about this little mite and how it’s terrorized us humans for so long (I was stuck at home anyway, with a mild bout of the ol’ scabies depression). I actually found it quite fascinating how resilient it was and spent many hours reading through the different treatments and studies.
Based on this research, I decided to formulate my own natural scabies treatment – almost like an “A Team” of scabies killers that I was sure no scabies mite would ever survive. That’s what I want to share with you today.
How effective was it at killing scabies?
While I used this natural scabies treatment daily, I also used the standard Permethrin and Ivermectin, so I can’t say for certain that it was only the natural scabies treatments that worked. But what I do know was I was cured of scabies within about 2 weeks, and my skin was completely back to normal after about 30 days. Everything in the treatment I’m about to show you has been backed by real scientific studies, so we know they work.
My advice to you is to do exactly the same. Use everything you can. If you’re suffering from scabies, you don’t want to mess around with trying one thing and then trying another and wondering if it’s working. You want to bring the onslaught and absolutely nail the infestation before it takes over your life and spreads to anyone else. Believe me – scabies is a horrible thing and you do not want to pass this to anyone, especially your family and loved ones.
What also makes the treatment below great is that it is safe for children (Permethrin is quite a harsh treatment and Ivermectin is definitely not safe for young kids) so you can absolutely use this to treat scabies in kids without worrying about toxicity. Most of the ingredients are also great for health in general, so you can use it with the peace of mind that you’re not damaging your body in any way.
Anyway, here is what you’re going to need for this natural scabies treatment. I call it the anti-scabies body mask, because that is exactly what it is – a mixture that you will be spreading all over your body. After my many hours of scabies research, this is the best natural scabies treatment I know of. The best thing is, you do not need a prescription for any of this. You can buy everything on Amazon or at your local health store/supermarket.
Anti-scabies body mask ingredients list:
To make the body mask, you can follow my instructions written below, or check out my Youtube video for a demo and walkthrough:
To make this natural scabies treatment you are going to need six different ingredients. Hopefully you have some already lying around the house. If not, you can get them all reasonably inexpensively from the supermarket or on Amazon. It will cost you around $60 in total to make this mixture from scratch – much cheaper than Permethrin and arguably more effective. Here’s what you need:
Tea tree oil ($10-$15)
A study in Australia showed that tea tree oil is an effective natural scabies treatment and in some cases better than both Permethrin and Ivermectin. This is very good news. Tea tree oil is not only readily available in most countries it is also great for your skin and has many great antiseptic, antifungal and antibacterial properties. The best way to use tea tree oil is to mix it with a body lotion or to drop 10-12 drops in a warm bath and soak for at least 30 minutes. Unlike Permethrin, tea tree oil is non-toxic which makes it the perfect natural scabies treatment.
This is the tea tree oil I recommend for scabies treatment.
Neem oil ($10-$15)
The neem tree is amazing and has natural insecticide properties that many ethnic communities have been using for centuries. A study in India showed that a mixture of neem and turmeric had a cure rate of 97% in scabies sufferers:
“The ‘Neem’ and ‘Turmeric’ was used as a paste for the treatment of scabies in 814 people. In 97% of cases cure was obtained within 3 to 15 days of treatment.” –see full study here.
That is a higher cure rate than both Ivermectin and Permethrin.
This is the neem oil I recommend.
Neem powder ($15)
We will use both neem oil and neem powder, as the skin absorbs these differently.
This is the neem powder I recommend.
Turmeric powder ($2-$3)
Based on the India study cited above (again here). We will be making a similar mixture, just supercharged with more proven scabies treatments to make something seriously potent. We want to hit these mites as hard as possible! You can use any turmeric powder from your supermarket, or get some here on Amazon.
Coconut oil ($10-$15)
There are no studies showing coconut oil is an effective scabies treatment. We are simply using this as a carrier oil (to carry the other more powerful oils into your skin). You can use any unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil from your supermarket, or get some here on Amazon. You can also use extra virgin olive oil, if you want.
Clove oil ($7-$10)
Yes, clove oil killed every single scabies mite they exposed it to.
The thing about clove oil is it is actually quite harsh on the skin, so as much as you would like to lather it all over you and dish out a scabies genocide, you need to be careful. It’s best to combine it with a carrier oil like neem oil or coconut oil, or add it to a warm bath.
This is the clove oil I recommend for scabies treatment.
If you would like more information on these ingredients, you can check out my article The Best Home Remedies For Scabies.
Anti-scabies body mask recipe
Now you’ll need to mix these ingredients into a body paste. There are some serious scabies killers in here as you’ve seen above, so when mixed together you have some pretty potent scabies kryptonite. Here’s the recipe that I use:
Anti-scabies body mask recipe:
- Half a cup of neem oil
- Half a cup of coconut oil
- 12-14 drops of tea tree oil
- 2-3 tablespoons of neem powder
- 4-6 drops of clove oil
- 1-2 tablespoon of turmeric
Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl. Obviously if you are treating more than one person you’ll need to mix up more. You can also add more neem oil or more turmeric if you wish, as these are not harmful in large amounts (tea tree oil and clove oil can be, as they’re quite strong).
How to use the anti-scabies body mask
Now that it’s mixed well, you want to strip down and stand in either a bathtub or the shower, or just on a bathmat in your bathroom. This is just so you don’t get the mixture on your carpet, clothes or furniture.
Lather the mixture all over your body. Get it absolutely everywhere! Scabies can live anywhere on your skin, so you want to get it everywhere, similar to the way you would apply Permethrin cream. Some places people commonly miss are:
- The armpits
- In between the fingers and toes
- Behind the ear
- Belly button
- Under the fingernails
- Under the toenails
- Between the buttocks
- The genitals (don’t worry, it’s safe!)
One thing that makes mixture great is that it’s safe to use on the scalp and face, unlike Permethrin, which is low-level toxic. So if you’ve been itchy there, go ahead and slather it on.
Once you’re done applying this natural scabies treatment to your body, you should resemble the incredible Hulk. If not, apply more! You want to get hit these scabies mites hard.
Leave the body mask on for 45 minutes – 1 hour
You want to leave the body mask on for at least 45 minutes. This will give it time to penetrate into the skin. Ideally you want to leave it on for several hours, but that is simply not practical.
Now you might be thinking, what the heck do you do for one hour with this stuff all over your body? You can’t put any clothes on, you can’t sit on the couch, you certainly can’t leave your house.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer. Just be patient and let the scabies treatment do its thing. What I do is just bring my laptop into the bathroom and watch Netflix for an hour or two (yes, standing up. It’s good for you!).
I also avoid applying to the soles of my feet so I can still walk around. Instead, I treat the soles of my feet at night with a mixture of moisturizer and oils (I’ll get to that soon).
Wash off the scabies treatment after one hour
After an hour, you can just jump in the shower and wash it off. The neem oil is probably going to leave brown and green streaks on the inside of your shower, so make sure you give it a good wash. Make sure you give your hair a good wash too.
Repeat!
Ideally you want to do this every day for about a week. However if you can only manage to do it once or twice, that’s great too. The important thing is that you leave it on long enough for it to work. It’s best to do it one day for an hour then four or five days for only ten minutes each time.
I did it every day for 3 days, and then on and off for a few more days. In total I did it about 7 times.
Post-treatment
The great thing about this natural scabies treatment is it’s actually quite good for your skin. The oils are nourishing and the coconut oil especially has been used as a skincare godsend for many generations all over the world.
However, it’s important to take triple extra care of your skin during a scabies infestation, as you’ve probably been scratching a lot and many people have allergic reactions to the mites and the faeces they leave under your skin.
This is where the moisturizer comes in.
Get any regular body lotion (something like this is perfect) and your bottles of tea tree oil and clove oil. Now squirt a bit of moisturizer in your hand, mix with a few drops of tea tree oil and single drop of clove oil and rub that all over your body. I did this every morning and every night, to ensure that I was attacking scabies on my skin 24 hours a day. In fact, I loved the feeling of having such healthy feeling skin that I still do this today, long after my scabies have been healed.
That’s it!
There you go – the best natural scabies treatment you can make at home, backed by real science and proven to kill scabies mites. The reason this is such a good natural scabies treatment is that it hits from several angles (clove oil, tea tree oil, neem oil, neem powder) and is also working 24 hours a day if you use the moisturizer as I recommended at the end. When dealing with scabies, and especially when using home remedies for scabies, it’s important to really hit the infestation hard. You don’t want to be doing lazy treatments for months and months because it won’t work and you’ll end up miserable while also wasting a ton of time and money. Hit it hard from the very beginning and kill your scabies mercilessly. That is the best way to cure scabies fast and get your life back.
Hope that helps and good luck with your treatment! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you asap.
Is the recipe safe to use in animals
Yes I would guess so, but I don’t have pets so I can’t say for sure.
Clove oil and tea tree oil are poisonous to cats. Neem oil is ok for cats if you dilute it with a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil (1 part neem to 10 parts carrier oil). I found this information on pet care websites. I did not look up information about dogs or other animals.
Hey there, thank you so much for sharing your remedy. I’m going to try it today, I wanted to ask about the moisturizer. Could I put a certain amount of Clove and tea tree in the Lotion bottle and mix it in there instead of mixing it for each squirt?
You could, but I think it’s better to put a bit on each squirt so you know how much you’re using. If you put too much in the moisturizer bottle you’ve messed up the whole bottle 😉 But it would work if you trust yourself to get the mix right.
This is an awesome blog and you’ve certainly done your research – much of what you say here I’ve found in my own research, too, but yours is the first I’ve seen put into a sensible and practical plan (body mask, skin care, etc). I’ve been fighting this nightmare since January 13 – I was nursing my daughter’s very ill 12-year old dog back to health and she slept between my legs for a month before she was diagnosed with sarcoptic mange on her belly on January 5. A week later, I developed a horrid rash and began treating first with just permethrin cream. My own five dogs plus my daughter’s dog were treated with Revolution starting January 5 for three two-week treatments – it’s been three weeks since their third treatment, with one more week to go before they’re treated again on their monthly schedule. None of my dogs have shown symptoms but are being treated anyway, and my daughter’s dog returned to my daughter’s family two weeks ago. Everyone in my household (three other adults) has been treated twice with permethrin and oral ivermection and no one but me has symptoms :-(. I have been like a tornado cleaning my bed linens, towels, floors, hairbrush, bathroom, clothing. Tonight I will do my second week of both internal/external treatment (permethrin and ivermectin), because just prior treatments with only permethrrin did not knock it out. I’m fighting hard not to be depressed, fearful that I’m fighting resistant mites, with two months of my life already taken away. My hope is that following your regimen will do in these tiny monsters. Any other tips are greatly welcome. Thanks – and I’ll try to keep you posted.
No other tips really – just hit it as hard as you possibly can, as far as your budget allows. For some people $100-$200 on treatment is nothing and for some it’s impossible, so if you’re fortunate enough to be able to afford going full throttle I say do it. And always moisturize your skin because the many treatments can be quite heavy.
I purchased Martin’s Permethrin SFR 36.8%. This is so potent it contains many warnings. If I were to mix this with CeraVE Moisterizing Lotion what proportions each would I need to give me 5%?
I would say 3 parts moisturizer 1 part permethrin. Test it on a small patch of your skin first to see if there’s any irritation.
Deenie…how did it go for you? I’ve been fighting this also since January. I got it from a hotel in Los Angeles and gave it to my dog and cat. All of us have it. But no one else in the family. I’ve been cleaning my house like a mad woman and doing laundry every day! I’m completely worn to a frazzle. Taken so many treatments of Permetherin but it doesn’t seem to work. I’ve applied it meticulously. I just don’t know what to do anymore.
Please let me know how it went. I’m getting ready to go this route now. Thank you for your time.
Hello Vee – I am so sorry to hear you’ve become afflicted with this. Be careful – there is some insane info out there, none of which I would attempt. What I WOULD try is permethrin simultaneously with ivermectin oral tablets – dosing is 200 mcg per kilogram of your body weight. It may very well work for you; you may need to do two treatments to make it work – and also Revolution for your dog and cat. Permethrin is extremely toxic to cats, so I’m sure you’ve been careful there; it’s safe around dogs.
As for me, I have had to take some drastic measures. I am meticulous beyond belief about this infestation, but I was really run down when symptoms finally appeared, and I also believe (as does my dermatologist) that I acquired a resistant strain. I ended up with strep throat and bronchitis after I wrote my above comment in March, but have finally recovered after nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. Again, none of my dogs have gotten it, but they’ve been on Revolution for a few years now, every four weeks without fail. My dogs haven’t slept with me since January, and I have barely been able to touch them, which breaks my heart.
I have done probably ten permethrin treatments and the last five were done simultaneously taking oral ivermectin tablets; did benzyl benzoate twice; did lindane once (savaged my skin).
Then three weeks ago, at the suggestion of my internist, began using Soolantra 60 gram tubes, which is a prescription 1% ivermectin cream for rosacea. It was so prohibitively expensive that my dermatologist wrote me a script which I sent off to Canada to get much less expensive tubes – it’s called Rosiver in Canada. I’ve applied it the same as the other treatments – from the top of my head to the soles of my feet – and left on for 12-18 hours. I just did my third treatment, and (fingers crossed) believe I have finally turned the corner!!! I had only two tracks after the second treatment, one an inch long, and one two inches long on my upper back, where it has been the worst. I truly believe one more treatment and this will be over. AND – see next paragraph.
Here’s what I have ALSO done the past three weeks: I purchased a twin Aerobed and have it covered with a polyethylene cover which I lint-roll, then use ammonia spray to clean every day after I get up and before I shower. I do not sleep on the same set of bed linens two nights in a row, meaning I do a lot of laundry – I have several sets of bottom sheet, top sheet which I rotate. I tried sleeping w/o a pillow, then bought ten $2 pillows at TJ Max and use them only once and throw away. Wash sheets in hottest water, then dry on hottest setting for a good 30 minutes or more after they’re completely dry. I purchased the cheapest men’s t-shirts and boxers I could find, wash them and wear them only once to bed and throw them away the next day. I spot treat any red bumps and those two tracks with the ivermectin 1% cream in the meantime.
I know this sounds radical, but it’s taken radical measures to finally get rid of this. I’m extremely fortunate because my internist and dermatologist have been exceptionally supportive. I’ve done the coconut oil/neem oil recipe Jon has given us here and it’s the only thing that’s kept my skin from getting any worse.
Sorry this saga is so long, but I hope this helps, at least a little. You will recover – and I wish you nothing but the best. Keep us posted as to your progress.
Best,
Deenie
Can I just apply the body mask at bedtime, sleep in old pajamas and bed linin that I do not care about messing up, and leaving the mask on overnight?
I definitely wouldn’t recommend leaving it on overnight – some of the oils are quite harsh on the skin if left too long. 30-45 mins is a good starting point.
I tried your recipe yesterday, and was disappointed that the turmeric has left some parts of my body yellow. If I use it daily, I may turn into a big orange!
Maybe try putting less turmeric, if it’s staining your body you’ve probably put too much. It’s not an essential ingredient, I included it only to mimic one of the studies I read (it’s linked in the article), so you can probably leave it out altogether if you don’t like it. Best of luck!
Hey Jon, well I’ve had these critters for 2 weeks now . i feel like im losing my mind. The itching is worse during the day. I’ve even cried , i’m 45 lol. I’ve used the cream. It soothes it a little. I’ve tried boiling hot water with vinegar and salt that was harsh. It made my neck scalely. I started yesterday with the sulfur soap first and then tea, clove and coconut oil. Wish me luck. I may need a doctor mentally ! I cant believe how much this itches and it does affect your life. My neck looks horrible. I’m so embarrassed., wish me luck any more pointers will be greatly appreciated!!
Hi Ana,
Did you read my guide? https://www.scabieshomeremedies.com/how-to-get-rid-of-scabies-guide/
Permethrin and ivermectin paired with natural treatments is your best bet. Most cases it should clear it up in 2 weeks or less. Let me know how it goes.
There are a whole lot of nonsense on the internet about scabies: especially from actually the so called professional Health sites. From what I’ve read from people’s experience, physicians are also bullish about their BS when recommending treatments.
No matter what you’ve heard before, the very best treatment is IVERMECTIN(coupled with an topical treatment, say Permethrine). The truth is this things are very hideous and takes just one surviving mite or egg for the infestations to start all over again and applying just topical agent will MOST likely not be successful ( especially if you diagnosed it late and it has spread to an extent).
IVERMECTIN being an oral drug means it gets circulated BY BLOOD. And the thing about blood is that it reaches LITERALLY EVERYWHERE on human skin. This single fact makes it a genuine preferable form of treatment as scabies are known to hide in some very hidden places in the body ( there was one inside my ear!; I could easily touch it with my fingers tho. Another was at the crevice behind my hear) . You may not take note of all this coz of the BS you’d see on most supposed informed websites that scabies are found only from neck down in adults with non compromised immune system. Nonsense!. Had them on my scalp, very much, and they were itchy as hell. Also had two burrows on my face that I had thought was pimples due to wrong infos I had come across.
Not to bore you with long write ups. My points are ::
– scabies can occur in places bar neck down in adults
– Oral Ivermectin along with a topical agent is your best bet as that was what finally helped me after months of torture.
– symptoms may persist for like 4 wks after treatment BUT YOU’D DEFINITELY NOTICE SOMETHING HAS CHANGED. In my case, new VERY FEW burrows that appeared disappeared themselves after few days without treating them. Amount of burrows that sprung up reduced drastically. New rash was almost non existent. The simple truth is, coupled with this changes, if you’d previously had reinfection of this mentally draining infestation, you’d easily notice there’s something different this time around few days after taking the treatment
-Lastly, why on earth isn’t there more research on scabies. Scabies is the closest thing to terminal sickness. Thing drains the shit out of your mentally.
In theory ivermectin should be totally effective, however most studies put success rate at around 70%. I think because the dosage is strict, as you can’t poison your blood too much. Therefore some patients might get an insufficient amount into the bloodstream.
Being in a home infested with bird mites and u name it I’m at a complte LOSS ! Had them for over a year spent 3400.00 with one pest c co and didn’t do one thing but make it Worse! Think leaving entry to attic every time they came to my home to check traps for squirrels really messed up!! Spouse won’t help or allow another Co
My 2.5 year old daughter is currently battling this mad itch disease. Would you think that mask be safe for a 2.5 year old toddler??? We’ve done our first treatment of Premethrin cream and are suppose to repeat in a few days but she’s just getting worse and it breaks my heart for her! She’s miserable! And so am I!
Hey Elsie, do a small test patch on her arm or back and see if it irritates her. It will most likely be the clove that does, if anything. If she has no reaction then I would say you’d be safe to try it, but remember I’m not a doctor!
I used 10ml of each oil and half tea spoon of turmeric powder.
Is the 10ml of each oil ok and safe???
It’s best to test a little bit on your wrist, wait for a few hours and see if you react. If not, it is likely safe for you.
This seems like a great and like it woyld work but do you have recommendations for what to do with the couch the bed I’ll just take all of my clothes blankets and sheets to the laundromat and wash them a couple times before going home
Leaving them in the sun is good. Otherwise wash on highest heat, or put in the dryer on highest heat for 15 minutes.
Is it possible to use neem pills as an internal only treatment and not need to use a body mask? I guess that would need to be clinically tested…
I’ve got no experience with those unfortunately, although I would imagine you would need a rather large dose for it to be effective. I’d say the oil is more effective.
thanks Jon for the info and remedies you’ve listed.
I’ve got many open wounds from itching and blisters that burst . Taking antibiotics. Think the body mask is ok for me in this condition? Or maybe there are certain ingredients I should omit from the solution at this juncture? So far I ‘ve done the cream prescribed by my doctor twice but that was a couple weeks ago and didn’t do a lot. But to be fair I was pretty far gone before I tried it. I started ivermectin yesterday and wanna start the body mask asap. As you know, I’m going insane! I thank God there are people like yourself out there. Thanks for caring. Please let me know your opinion about my sores.
Hard to say without seeing the sores. I would try it on a small patch of skin first, see if it irritates. If it’s okay then go ahead with the rest of the body.
Can anything be substituted for been powder like Diatomaceous earth?
Have not tried it, but read some testimonials that it worked for cleaning.
Thanks Jon, and the other commenters, I don’t feel so alone now. Have done the 2nd treatment of permethrin the doc prescribed ( w/o explanation of proper use), and awaiting my order of ivermectin. Bathing in teatree oil castile soap, then FULL coverage of neem oil. Have your other oils on order as well as the Martins permethrin. At the beginning had only found sulfur based cream and used that. I have in this third week noticed a bit of a change, once fully armed will begin the full on onslaught. Like you so eloquently put it; this is war, lets kill these bastards !!! Thanks to you all and God bless
I have been to see a fam medicare doc x1 and a derm 2x . None of them said I was suffering from scabies and I’ve been going through breakouts off and on for 3 years now.. always is worst in the fall. I’m miserable currently with my worst breakout yet with majority being on my face and neck. Rash on my face is so bad! I will not go back to see a doctor after already spending 700 + and just have steroids pills thrown at me and a steroid cream that does not help and makes it worse. Doctors are horrible! I am going to follow your tx plan and pray to God it helps me.. I am so sick of being told I’m crazy and that it’s not scabies or any mites or bugs!!! I can feel them crawling on me! I can see them w a magnifying glass under my nails … I have them everywhere! And I’ve had them a long time and no one believes me! My face and neck right now are the worst I’ve ever had them and it’s so embarrassing and UGLY! I JUST WANT MY SKIN BACK and my sleep and sanity!!!!THANK YOU for sharing all your work and pray it helps me!
Hey Stephanie i had the same issue derm says its not scabies but also has not tested for them. do you have any updates have you tried the body mask recommended by Jon? ive tried clove oil and it definitely helps my skin settle down, and sulfur works too but doesnt seem to go away. maybe try ivermectin/permethrin?