Oatmeal is a classic home remedy for all kinds of skin woes, particularly poison ivy, bug bites, rashes, eczema, sunburns, chicken pox, and general skin irritation and redness. Aveeno makes many soothing skin-care products with an oatmeal base, but you can easily make an oatmeal paste at home that you can use to soothe irritated skin. You can use this paste as a spot-treatment for bug bites, which will reduce swelling and redness, and help keep itching at bay. You can add a half-cup of the paste to a warm bath for a rash on the body or to sooth a sunburn. You can also use the paste as a facial mask to help soothe redness and irritation and give your skin a healthy refreshed glow. The paste even makes a great spot treatment for an annoying red pimple underneath the surface of the skin. It won't treat a pimple as effectively as salicylic acid, but it works well to treat redness and inflammation for those pimples that haven't quit hit the skin's surface. You can also use the paste as a refreshing mask for the feet, which helps soften callouses and soothe blisters.
Start with 1/2 cup milk and microwave it for one minute on medium-high power. Then dissolve two tablespoons of honey in the warm milk, stirring well. Next, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup oatmeal to make a paste. You want it to be thick enough that it is sticking together and all the liquid is absorbed, but not at all dry. How much oatmeal you will ultimately use can vary depending on the type of oatmeal you use (old-fashioned, 5-minute, instant) and what type of milk you use (fat-free, whole, soy, almond). I prefer to use a milk with at least a little milk-fat like a 2% and a stove-top oatmeal rather than the instant stuff. But you can use anything you have on hand. Just add more oatmeal by the spoon-full if it's too wet or more milk by the spoon-full if it's too dry. It should have the texture of a moist somewhat sticky paste, definitely thicker than a bowl of oatmeal for eating. You can use it as is or at a teaspoon of an oil like lavender oil for extra soothing or tea tree oil for acne. Olive oil is a good one for the feet.
For a spot treatment for bug bites or acne, simple apply a liberal amount of the paste to the affected area and let it dry for 45 minutes. As a mask for the face or feet, apply generously and allow to dry for 45 minutes. If you're applying it to the feet, I would suggest pulling on some cotton socks so you can be mobile while the mask dries. Then rinse with warm water and a washcloth, no soap necessary. Your skin will be soft and smooth, and it should feel a lot less irritated.
If you have a larger affected area, like a sunburn or poison oak or a rash on a large portion of your body, it's best to use this in the bath. Simply take a 1/2 to 3/4 cups of the paste and run it under warm bath water. Soak for at least a half-hour. This will require some clean-up afterward, so even though I like to have the loose oatmeal so I can rub it into any particularly bad spots while I bathe, it is a chore to clean up. Especially if you're already sore with a sunburn, etc. To avoid clean-up, simply take the paste and put it into a sachet bag to hang on your faucet and let the water run over it. You'll get most of the same benefits. If you don't have a sachet bag handy, you can make one at home with a coffee filter and just use a rubber band to tie it closed and a second rubber band to hang it on the faucet. A little sieve from the kitchen would also do the trick.
This little home-remedy may not work the same miracles as the latest $75 anti-aging serum, but it's a great easy-to-make concoction that is affordable and effective, particularly for irritated and/or inflamed skin. If you prefer to purchase the pre-made oatmeal treatments, check out Aveeno's long list of oatmeal and milk-based products.
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