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Neem oil not working for scabies?

After fighting scabies for many months, spending hours each & every day on applying oils, creams, laundering, cleaning etc and trying about every natural & not so natural cure (none of them worked) I ordered an expensive bottle of neem oil from India. I live in Australia and neem leaves are not on sale here.

I've been applying it 14 days straight, morning & evening, mixed with some tea tree and eucalypt oil, a little lotion and/or water. The oil stays on the skin as a thick greasy layer, gets into all clothing and bedding and feels uncomfortable in hot weather.

The smells is so bad that I have to try and avoid any close contact (1-2m) with people, incl colleagues, friends, commuters etc as they tend to be very offended by the odour.

I used it for 14 days continuous, of which 8 days I wasn't home (holidays). Then I had to stop using it as I spent 6 days in a car & motels with 2 others and the smell was too much for them. Have reapplied it again now for 3 days. Of course, I still launder, clean etc. While travelling I slept in a different bed every night, which must have limited reinfection.

14 days of a strong neem mixture twice a day did NOT stop the mites from biting; every day again, lots of new bites, new itching and now that I've restarted neem oil they're even burrowing.

Why does neem oil not seem to have an effect on the mites?

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Neem oil not working for scabies?

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Neem oil for scabies not working?
by: Birgit

Upon reading your question I wonder... You said you "ordered an expensive bottle of neem oil from India".

Do you mean you actually imported neem oil from India rather than buying it in Australia?
If yes, where did you buy it?

I wonder if what you bought really was fresh neem oil with a high azadirachtin content. (It only lasts for about a year.) It probably was, I'm just making sure.

I do not recommend people use pure neem oil ever. Many people have skin reactions to the pure oil. Even if it's not an outright allergy, the additional irritation and strain on the skin would not help. It appears that the skin's innate immune system has a great deal to do with how well or not people cope with scabies mites.

Deeply entrenched scabies infestations are notoriously hard to eradicate. I don't know why some people are just so much more vulnerable to these mites than others, I just know that it is the case. And often a compromised immune system seems to be part of the situation.

It's also not necessary to use concentrated oil.
It's much better to use a well absorbed (and nice smelling!) carrier oil and add neem oil to that. That might also allow the neem oil to penetrate much deeper into your skin. I would try coconut oil.
And I personally would not apply it in the morning either. I'd only use it in the evening, and if needed I'd shower in the morning to get the smell off.

Another thing I would definitely add is tumeric. Neem plus tumeric is the classic Indian scabies treatment.

I can't tell you why you have experienced no relief whatsoever. I hope the above pointers help you to figure it out.
Neem Oil is Not Working - 2
by: Anonymous

Hi,

Thanks for your comments. I ordered it from a company in Australia, who in turn import it from India.

I don't use pure neem oil. I mix it up with tea tree/eucalyptus oil and lotion, water or conditioner. I've tried a range of combinations but I still have to find one which does not stay on the skin in form of an oily layer.

I've tried turmeric as well, but the stains on cloths is quite a problem. I tried it for several days but as I could see no result. I stopped because I didn't want to ruin the contents in my wardrobe (or better bagged clothes). I tried leaving it overnight but again, couldn't notice any effect. From past few weeks I've been taking it internally every day, but again no effect on the scabies.

It's been only a week that I've started using neem at night (not pure) but the mites are totally unimpressed. I still get bitten every day and even find several new mite burrows daily. Neem does not seem to have any effect on them.

I hope I'll find a 'cure' for this scabies soon. After 7 months with scabies I want my life back before I become really desperate!
Giving up on using Neem oil for scabies
by: Anonymous

As a continuation of my earlier post, I'm giving up on using neem oil as a remedy against scabies.

After using it for 14 + 10 days (5 day break in between, I couldn't use it because of the strong odour). I used to apply it twice daily in combination with tea tree/eucalyptus etc and recently I was applying it once daily but even after mixing it in a 50-50 ratio, I haven't noticed any results at all.

(And I spent half of this time away on holiday, moving each day / the other half with at least 3hrs a day of cleaning, laundering, disinfecting etc to prevent reinfection)

Not only do I get bitten still every single day, over the last 1+ week I've discovered at least 30 new burrows, like 4 this morning upon waking up even though my skin was covered in a strong oily neem/other essential oil mixture.

Unfortunately the mites don't respond at all to neem oil. $40 wasted and one of my last hopes to finally find a cure for scabies is gone.
Neem and scabies
by: Birgit

Something is off about the whole thing. Scabies are notoriously hard to fully eradicate, but I've never seen a case where people did not at least experience relief with neem oil.

I have no explanation or suggestions, unfortunately.

I still wonder though if using such concentrated oil is really a good thing. 50% is very concentrated. I would only ever recommend 10% in a light carrier oil with good skin penetration, like coconut.

Another thing that's beneficial to open the skin up and get to the mites is to soak in a bath with neem added to it.

Mind you, in your case I would still not expect much change. I do wonder if that oil you have is a good batch... Smell is no indication of active ingredients content. The active ingredients can degrade very quickly if oil is exposed to moisture, heat or UV light.

It's HIGHLY unusual, to say the least, for your condition to show no improvement whatsoever. It just doesn't make sense.

The classic remedy for scabies uses neem leaf paste, not oil. I know you can't access that. And I know that for other people neem oil works just fine. I think I will still try to look into the difference between the two treatments when I get a chance, and see what I can dig up.

I am sorry that you have found no relief at all.
Tea Tree Oil
by: Anonymous

I have been using neem oil for only a few days now after trying tea tree oil which was very successful but started to burn my skin. The neem oil seems much milder but it also seems like my symptoms have gotten worse as well. I am using a light ratio one to ten in a carrier oil and am also using neem soap. I hope this works. My husband and myself have tried Ivermectin and my children have done two cream treatments. I do not want to put any more pesticides in our bodies but I have been fighting this for over a month now and getting very tired of no real results! Not to mention neem is not cheap and I think I have cleaned out my health food store of it. Any suggestions on where to get organic neem oil in expensively. Any input on the kits you can purchase would also be greatly appreciated.
Frustrated
by: Anonymous

I've been using neem oil, pills, dry leaf/turmeric mixture, neem soap, everything, for months. At its worst point, my condition improved a bit, at the expense of my emotional and physical well being.

I believe I overdosed on neem. Now I've thrown all neem products away, anytime it is in or around me I have a very severe physical and emotional reaction.

The worst part; I've spent hundreds of dollars on products and still the mites are there. It's very upsetting. Don't know what to do, and the thought of having these things for much longer, and resorting to toxic medication just makes me downright depressed. I'm a pretty healthy person, I'm a high raw foodie, sober, I exercise, sleep well, and live a very nice comfortable lifestyle.

I truly hope neem works for the others who try. but please, please be careful with your application; this is a strong medicine.

Bliss!
Scabies Remedy
by: Anonymous

Scabies

Neem oil is a gentle and effective treatment for scabies infections. When you mix turmeric into a paste with neem oil and apply it to your hair and skin, it can rid you of a scabies infestation without having to risk side effects (unlike scabies prescription medications).
It Didn't Work
by: Anonymous

Sorry to say, but just like some other people are reporting here neem oil didn't do anything for me.

Not with turmeric, not with other ingredients. Even when applied for all night and all day.
Scabies on belongings
by: Anonymous

Just wondering if everyone who is using this is treating their house as well? Everything has to be cleaned and or bagged, etc.

If they are on your belongings and you are treating only your body, then you will not get rid of them.
Use 100% Pure Neem Oil For Plants
by: Anonymous

I also tried neem from the health food store. I went to the Northewest Seed and Pet store and bought pure neem oil organic leaf polish 100% natural 8 FL ounces to a bottle. You need to put the container in hot water because it gets thick by sitting. Now this stuff stinks.But it'll take care of your problem within 3 days. It is used to spray on plants to kill bugs. The brand name is DYNA- GRO. I've tried everything from tropical creams to ivermection which is in the form of a pill to borax bath with peroxide. A 8 ounce bottle is costs 13 dollars. This stuff not just kills scabies but also heals all sorts of bad skin issues. Try it once and you'll not be sorry. Use it to full strength.
Some Suggestions!
by: Anonymous

Suggestions: One this is that you can mix other essential oils into your neem solution (just be sure you are using enough neem to compensate) and that will deal with the smell. I use ylang ylang and lavender and that covers the smell right up. This can turn the experience into a pleasurable one, like a daily spa treatment!

Also, after successful treatments you will still have new bumps/rashes showing up. The reaction in your skin is to the mites dead bodies and waste. So when you kill them they will still cause an allergic reaction to your skin until your skin pushes them out.

It is very important in my experience that you do not take breaks in the middle of treatment.

It is also important the everyone you are sleeping with or living with is doing this treatment as well. Re-infestation is always possible and sometimes folks are not showing the rash at the same time you are but have the mites!

Also, be patient. I know it sucks but there is not safe quick fix for stuff like this. It's just a part of life. We are animals and we are going to get sick and infested and have to do stuff we don't want to do in order to deal with it. Just keep positive and be sure you have a good support system.
What Quantities?
by: Anonymous

Hi,

Would you please post the quantities of neem and other ingredients. I'm using neem oil, lavender for the smell, olive oil and tumeric. But I'm really in the dark about the quantities for this to work.

I don't doubt neem oil works. I've read all the information on the site. It's very promising, but without the exact quantities, how do I know how much neem oil is enough?

Tomorrow, I am going to my Indian grocer to see if I can buy some neem leaves, either fresh or dried. I'm going to try them in a bath.

My poor teenage daughter went undiagnosed for 6 months and now two more of us have scabies as well. Our infestation is minor to hers.

We have all taken two Lyclear treatments each. I DO NOT want to use that stuff EVER again. It messes with your skin and you can't tell what is causing the itching. Plus I don't want to poison ourselves.

Scabies have been around since Egyptian times at least...and there must be a way to get rid of the body of them.

In anticipation of your help.

B

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