How to Naturally Treat Hives

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Hives are a common ailment that affects many of us. It also goes by another name – urticaria. Hives are not always considered to be a serious condition but they are definitely an annoying one. Constant itching can severely affect our quality of life and the red bumps are not an appealing sight. So how do we get rid of them?

Unfortunately, treating hives is tricky. As with a lot of other similar ailments, we usually focus only on treating the symptoms rather than the cause. That’s because hives can be caused by many different things and it’s often hard to discern which one is right.

What Causes Hives?

Most often, hives are caused by an allergic reaction. If you get hives in the same spot regularly, you could try testing yourself for allergies or try and see if you were doing something similar each time when your hives appeared (for example, wearing the same sweater). If you know that your hives are caused by an allergy then your doctor will most likely recommend you antihistamines. While antihistamines work great to treat allergic reactions, some people experience unfortunate side effects, such as sleepiness or grogginess. So they cannot really be considered a perfect cure for allergy-caused hives.

What else can cause hives? Plenty of other conditions sometimes exhibit symptoms in the form of hives. Autoimmune diseases or acute viral infections are linked with the appearance of hives in some cases. Hives can also show up after your skin becomes irritated due to friction or pressure. Sunlight and being outside in extreme temperatures can also result in hives. It’s often hard to pinpoint the exact cause of hives. In most cases, if hives last for less than six weeks then the cause is usually allergy or temporary skin irritation. However, if you suffer from chronic hives (lasting form more than six weeks) then the cause is most likely non-allergic (source)

Soothe the Hives

But before you run to the doctor to get some tests done or rummage through your house in search of a potential allergen, you’ll probably want to soothe the hives themselves. And that can be done at home with fully organic products and no antihistamines. The following are just some of the things my family uses when we get a sudden onset of hives:

  • burdock root tea: burdock root is a great purifier. It has plenty of health benefits, the most well-known of which is digestion aid. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that help with skin issues.
  • turmeric: turmeric works similarly to burdock root as it also helps with inflammation. Add one teaspoon to your burdock root tea once a day to enjoy its full benefits.
  • apple cider vinegar: dab some directly onto the hives and let it dry. Apple cider vinegar helps with soothing itchiness and will let you forget about your hives for a moment.
  • coconut oil: coconut oil has soothing properties and it’s effective against viruses and bacteria so if your hives are caused by an infection, coconut oil is the way to go. It will help with calming your skin.
  • peppermint essential oil: it cools reddened skin and soothes the affected area. It’s a good idea to dilute peppermint oil in coconut oil to combine the two and avoid further irritation due to active ingredients.
  • lavender essential oil: lavender oil is great for soothing irritated skin. Again, use diluted in coconut oil.
  • peach and calming essential oil blend: this blend is perfect for soothing and calming irritated areas on your body, it will also help with the itchiness. There is no need to dilute it as it’s already ready for use as it is.

My full Routine for Treating Hives 

  1. I dab apple cider vinegar on the hives first and then leave it to air dry.
  2. I combine coconut oil with peppermint and lavender essential oil into one mixture. I use 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and about 20 drops of each of the essential oils. I then rub the mixture on the hives.
  3. I make burdock root tea, add a spoonful of turmeric and a dab of raw honey. I enjoy my tea while waiting for the oil to soak in.
  4. If needed, I repeat the process the next day.

That’s my hives routine and in my case, I can usually see the results in a few hours. If you also struggle with hives, try it out and let me know if it worked for you too!

Find Peace and Calming in the Peppermint and Lavender Essential Oils

There’s essential oils for everything you might need to treat common ailments at home. Essential oils that will effectively replace your home medicine cabinet with organic substitutes. I also highly recommend this peppermint lip balm. Perfect to soothing cracked lips and it can also be used to treat your hives if you’re in a pinch.

My hives have been with me since I was a child and my parents or doctors could never figure out the cause. I got tested for allergies but they never indicated anything that could possibly be linked with hives. Nevertheless, we still treated with antihistamines, even though they definitely weren’t an effective cure and they caused me to become distracted when studying. My parents simply didn’t know how else to treat my hives. To this day, I have no idea what causes my hives so I simply focus on soothing them as soon as they appear.

That’s why I am so glad I found an organic hives treatment that works for me. I can deal with my hives without any unfortunate side effects and I don’t have to worry about ingesting too much of modern medicine!

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