9 Home Remedies for Nettle Stings
Key takeaways:
Stinging nettles are weeds that can cause painful rashes and skin irritation.
Home remedies like oatmeal baths, baking soda paste, and aloe vera can help relieve the pain and stinging. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications — like antihistamines, steroid creams, and pain relievers — can also help.
Nettle stings usually start to feel better within 24 to 48 hours. It may take several days for a rash to completely heal.
Table of contents
Stinging nettles are weeds that grow across the continental United States. They’re also called common nettle or burn nettle.
The stems and undersides of their leaves are covered with small hairs. When touched, these hairs can inject irritating chemicals into your skin. These chemicals can lead to painful symptoms and rashes.
There’s no quick cure for nettle sting symptoms. But there are home remedies that can help relieve your symptoms while your body heals.
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What are the symptoms of a nettle sting?
Stinging nettles can cause several symptoms. First, you’re likely to feel a sharp, sudden pain where your skin touches the hairs of the nettle plant. Even a small nettle plant, just a few inches tall, can deliver a nasty sting. People pulling weeds have even been stung through cloth gloves.
Within a few minutes, you’ll experience additional symptoms at your sting site, like:
Burning
Itching
Tingling
Redness
Swelling
These symptoms are due to the chemicals from the nettle plant, which all cause skin irritation and inflammation. These chemicals can also trigger hives or a rash to develop around the skin where you were stung.
Although it’s rare, some people can develop anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, if they come in contact with stinging nettle. People with symptoms of anaphylaxis should seek immediate medical attention.
Luckily, most people recover from nettle stings within 24 to 48 hours. Nettle stings can be really uncomfortable, even if they only last a few days. Thankfully, there are several home remedies that can help ease your symptoms as you recover. Here are 9 remedies that can bring you relief.
Which plant is it? Not sure if you have poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac? Our guide can help you spot the differences.
Need relief from poison ivy? Our experts share how to get rid of poison ivy fast.
Not sure how to make an oatmeal bath? Try our oatmeal bath recipe.
1. Soap and water
Wash your skin with soap and water as soon as possible after a nettle sting. This helps gently rinse off any leftover stingers and chemicals.
Don’t rub or scrub your skin too much. If any needles are still stuck in your skin, rubbing and tugging can push them and their chemicals deeper into your skin. This can lead to more painful rashes that take longer to go away. If you don’t have soap and water nearby, you can use a clean cloth to gently wipe your skin instead.
2. Duct tape
Next, you’ll want to remove any needles still stuck in your skin after you wash with soap and water. This can help lessen how many irritating chemicals get into your skin. You can use a strong sticky tape to remove any leftover needles, like duct tape:
Lightly apply over your stung skin. Don’t press down as this can push needles deeper in your skin.
Leave it in place for about 5 minutes.
Peel it off quickly in a single movement.
If tape doesn’t work, you can try at-home wax hair remover. You can also use tweezers to remove the needles. But this method works best if you only have a couple of leftover needles in your skin.
3. Cool compress
Once you’ve removed as many of the needles and chemicals from your skin as possible, it’s time to try remedies that lessen inflammation. This can help relieve symptoms like itching, burning, and pain.
A cool compress is one of the easiest ways to lessen inflammation from nettle stings. Cool temperatures can also help ease symptoms like itching, burning, and hives.
You can make a cool compress by wetting a washcloth with cold water or wrapping ice in a towel. You can also use a reusable ice pack. Just make sure to wrap it in a towel or cloth first. Applying ice directly to your skin can cause a cold injury and worsen symptoms.
Use the compress for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, several times a day, to help relieve your symptoms.
4. Oatmeal bath
Research shows that oatmeal baths can help relieve minor skin irritation and itching caused by poisonous plants like stinging nettle.
You can make an oatmeal bath at home. To make one:
Grind about 1 cup of plain, uncooked oatmeal into a fine powder.
Add it to a lukewarm bath.
Soak for 15 minutes to help soothe your nettle stings.
You can also buy ready-to-use colloidal oatmeal packets for your bath at retail pharmacies and grocery stores.
5. Baking soda paste
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) can help neutralize the acidic chemicals released by stinging nettles. This may help ease symptoms like itching and burning.
Here’s how to make and use a baking soda paste at home:
Mix 1 tbsp of baking soda with a little water to make a paste.
Gently spread the paste over your sting.
Let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse it off with water.
You can use the paste several times a day for 1 to 2 days if your symptoms continue.
6. Aloe vera
Aloe vera gel has anti-inflammatory properties that help hydrate your skin. This can help relieve itching and burning from nettle stings. You can apply aloe vera gel to the sting whenever your symptoms bother you.
For best results, choose a product that lists aloe vera as one of the first three ingredients or has a concentration of at least 95% aloe vera. Not all aloe vera products actually contain aloe vera, so you want to avoid imitations.
You can also make your own aloe vera gel at home using an aloe vera leaf, which you can buy at your local grocery store. Just cut open the leaf, squeeze out the clear gel, and spread a thin layer over your sting.
7. OTC pain relievers
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) can help relieve pain and swelling caused by nettle stings. These medications won’t relieve itching.
Acetaminophen can take up to 45 minutes to start working. You can take a dose every 4 to 6 hours, but adults shouldn’t take more than 4,000 mg in 24 hours.
Ibuprofen usually starts in about 30 minutes. Adults can take it every 6 to 8 hours. But you shouldn’t take more than 1,200 mg of ibuprofen in 24 hours.
8. Antihistamines
Antihistamines are medications that block the release of histamine, a chemical your body can release when you get stung by a nettle. Blocking histamine release can help ease itching from nettle stings.
You can buy antihistamines over the counter. They come as topical creams, oral tablets, or suspensions. Research suggests that oral antihistamines work better than creams. So it’s probably best to choose an antihistamine that you can take by mouth.
There are many types of oral antihistamines. One common kind is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). It can cause sleepiness and sedation. So, it’s best to take it at night if itching is keeping you awake.
9. Hydrocortisone cream
Hydrocortisone cream is an OTC steroid cream that can relieve itching from skin problems like psoriasis, eczema, and poison ivy. It hasn’t been studied for nettle stings, but it may help relieve inflammation.
Steroid creams take time to start working. Most people feel better from nettle stings before the steroid cream has a chance to kick in. But they may be helpful if you’re experiencing longer-lasting symptoms.
You can use hydrocortisone cream twice a day, but you shouldn’t use it for more than a week.
What should you avoid after a nettle sting?
After a nettle sting, there are some things you should avoid.
Rubbing or scratching your skin
This can push nettle stingers and chemicals deeper into your skin. It can also cause the stingers to release even more chemicals. This can worsen your symptoms and make them last longer. Scratching can also introduce bacteria into your skin, which can increase your risk of developing a skin infection.
Heat
Heat can increase blood flow to your skin, making symptoms like redness, itching, and swelling worse. Don’t place a warm compress or warm pack on your nettle sting. Also, stay away from hot showers or baths for 48 hours after your sting. Use lukewarm water for bathing instead.
How long does it take a nettle sting to heal?
Nettle stings cause immediate painful reactions. But luckily they also go away quickly. Most people feel better within 24 hours, and most symptoms are completely gone within 48 hours. But a rash can take several days to fully disappear.
Some nettle species can release more toxic chemicals. It’ll take longer to recover from these types of stings. If your symptoms don’t improve after 24 hours, you should seek medical care.
You should also get immediate medical care if you:
Develop a rash over a large part of your body
Your symptoms are getting worse over time
You develop unusual symptoms like weakness
You have symptoms of anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction)
How can you prevent nettle stings?
The best way to avoid nettle stings is to avoid areas where nettles grow. These include overgrown paths in wooded areas or places with long grass.
If you need to go into these areas, make sure to wear clothing that covers your arms and legs. Always wear gloves while gardening to protect your hands. There aren’t repellants that can keep you from getting a nettle sting, so covering your skin is your best defense.
The bottom line
Stinging nettles are weeds that are covered with small hairs on the stem and the underside of leaves. When touched, these hairs inject chemicals into your skin that cause burning, pain, and itching. Home remedies like cool compresses, baking soda paste, and aloe vera gel can help ease symptoms. Most people recover from nettle stings within 24 to 48 hours.
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References
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