Natural home remedies: Blisters

Natural home remedies: Blisters

The eternal dilemma: Should I drain this thing or leave it alone? Follow these natural home remedies to relieve the pain and itching and speed healing of those annoying blisters

Natural home remedies for blisters

You’ve most likely rubbed your skin the wrong way... literally. The most frequent cause of blisters is excessive friction on moist skin. As a blister forms, clear fluid accumulates in a pocket between the layers of the skin. Sometimes a small blood vessel in the area is damaged, and the fluid in the blister becomes tinged with blood. These types of blisters are generally found on the hands and feet, but can occur elsewhere too. Other potential blister causes include poison ivy and oak, sunburn and other burns, and eczema and other skin conditions.

What you can do

• Keep the blister clean with soap and water. You can dab on petroleum jelly or some other emollient to minimize further friction.
• Cover the blister with a clean bandage that you change at least once a day.
• Protect the blister with a piece of moleskin—a soft, adhesive cushion that’s sold in pharmacies. (Don’t worry—no real moles have been sacrificed to make this product.) Leave it on for two days, and remove it carefully so it doesn’t tear the fragile skin beneath.
• Apply calendula ointment, a product made from marigold. It’s traditionally used as a soothing wound healer. To keep the ointment clean, cover it with an adhesive bandage or a gauze pad. At night, remove the bandage so the blistered area is exposed to air.
• No calendula? Smear some aloe vera gel on the blister and cover it with a bandage to help it heal. But be sure you use the pure gel of the plant. Some processed products contain ingredients, like alcohol, which have a drying effect.
• Relieve pain and itching with a wet washcloth. Soak the cloth in cold water, wring it out, and lay it over the blister.

A natural boost

• If it pops by accident... wash it with soap and water. Cover it with a bandage. Four times a day, remove the bandage and treat the raw spot with a mixture of one part tea-tree oiland three parts vegetable oil. The tea-tree oil will help kill bacteria and prevent an infection.
• Apply a mixture of vitamin E and calendula ointment to help your skin heal faster. Vitamin E comes in gel capsules. Slice open a capsule, mix equal amounts of the vitamin and calendula oil, and smear the mixture on your blister. Reapply as needed for up to a week.

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