I’ve gotten a fair amount of questions lately as to how I manage my Hidradenitis Suppurativa (the link for an explanation of what that is can be found here). The answer for me is simple: I manage it as naturally as I can. I use herbs and oils to help keep flares to a minimum and soothe those that are just too damn stubborn to give in to the turmeric.
This natural path was my choice because the antibiotics my doc had put me on made other problems way worse. They actually CREATED problems that weren’t there before. But that’s a super gross story for another day!
Bath time for me is a time to relax. To let the pleasant smell of the oils fill my bathroom and the flicker of my candle carry me away. There are certain times, however, that a bath is more of a necessity than luxury. Those times suck because that usually means shit got out of hand, I missed my vitamins and ate a bunch of crap food. Granted, the warm water takes my mind off the pain, that is until I try to move. For my Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS for short) and the areas that I’m affected, baths are amazing. I have this craptastic stuff on my inner thighs, my hips and pelvic region, and my pits.
While doing research for which oils are best for your skin, great for inflammation and soothing to open wounds, I came across three that stood out above the others. Frankincense, lavender and rosemary! This combo smells heavenly in the bath, so it’s a win all the way around. Also if you add a few drops of bergamot it helps with anxiety and stress.
The big three listed above are all great for skin, they aren’t especially harsh, which is a bonus. You don’t want to be dealing with two skin issues at the same time.
Rosemary oil: antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antifungal properties.
Lavender oil: soothing, antibacterial, and may help with acne, and helps with scaring.
Frankincense oil: helps reduce appearance of scars, helps promote healthy skin cells, and is an anti-inflammatory.
Now even though these oils aren’t “hot” meaning they won’t burn you like cinnamon could if you don’t dilute it with something first, it’s still a good idea to mix your oils with salt (or a different carrier oil) You can use Himalayan salt or Epsom salt. Both have great benefits! I personally use Epsom salt for these baths. This salt cleans your skin and detoxifies your body.
My bath recipe:
1 cup Epsom salt
10 drops lavender
8 drops rosemary
8 drops frankincense
You can mix the salt and the oil together and then add it to the bath while it’s running. Or you can do it the way I generally do it which is wing it. I start the bath toss some salt in and then the oils. Let it run for a while so everything is all mixed up!
If you want to get real crazy with the detoxification, you can add 1/2 cup baking soda. as a Rule of thumb only stay in the bath for 20-30 minutes if you have oils and salt in there. I generally have the water as warm as I can stand it.
If the cyst is extremely bad and the bath helped, but didn’t take care of it completely, I use a turmeric hot pack. Or at least that is what I call it. It hurts like the dickens, but it helps!
Turmeric hot pack:
2 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup water
Boil for 5 minutes. Place on some gauze, apply to affected area, and scream all the profanities. I change this AT LEAST twice a day.
I hope this helps! For more information on self care, HS, or a mess of randomness, subscribe down below!
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