16 Effective Home Remedies For Boils

Home Remedies For Boils

Boils are often a sign of infection. Boils are raised pustules on the surface of the skin and are caused by the staphylococcus bacteria. Boils can occur due to an infected wound or an infected hair follicle. Very rarely, do boils need medical intervention and can be easily treated at home. Here are some simple home remedies for treating boils.

Home Remedies For Treating Boils

1. Poultice

A simple poultice made at home can help to drain and heal the boil. Take soft gauze and make a paste of ½-teaspoon turmeric, honey and water. The paste should be thick. Warm it on the gas so that it is moderately hot. Now put this paste on the gauze strip, apply it on the boil and bandage the gauze so that it remains immobile. The honey turmeric paste should be sufficiently hot but not that hot that it burns your skin. Sleep with this poultice. By the time you get up in the morning, the boil would have burst and would have started to drain. Once it has fully drained, you can clean it and it will soon heal. This remedy can only be used once the boil has developed a head and is ready to burst.

 Poultice

2. Tea Tree Oil

Like other skin infections, tea tree oil can be used to burst and heal boils. Wash the area of the boil with warm water and antiseptic soap. Now apply the tea tree oil and cover the boil with a band-aid. After a few hours, your boil should burst and should start to drain to facilitate cleaning. Always test tea tree oil for allergies.

Tea Tree Oil

3. Warm Compresses

Mild boils can be easily treated by applying warm compresses around the boil. This helps to soften the head and helps the pus to ooze out. If the head of the boil is still to be formed, wait for a day or two extra before applying the warm compress. The warm compress also helps to reduce pain and redness.

4. Castor Oil

Castor oil can also be used to clean and drain the boil. Just take some castor oil, apply it to the boil and cover the boil with a gauze strip. If all goes well, your boil should start to drain and heal in a couple of days.

Castor Oil

5. Iodine And Baking Soda

Make a paste of baking soda and add some iodine ointment to this paste. Now apply this thick paste over the boil and patch it up with band-aid. The iodine disinfects the boil while the baking soda helps to draw the pus out. This is an effective home remedy.

6. Salt Water

If the boil bursts on its own while you are sitting or due to friction, immediately clean the wound and the pus with salt water. The salt will help to disinfect the wound and prevent the infection from recurring. Keep washing the wound with the salt water until the wound is completely clean. Make sure there are no remnants of pus remaining. The wound should ideally start bleeding. Once the wound has been cleaned, apply an antiseptic ointment like Neosporin to the wound. This promotes healing.

7. Vitamin A

If you are very prone to developing boils, this could indicate a weakened immune system. Make sure you take a vitamin A capsule after speaking to your doctor. This should prevent repeated incidences of infection and boils. You can also take vitamin C or a B-complex capsule after speaking with your doctor.

8. Astralagus Tea

Astralagus tea helps to enhance the immunity from within the body. Make sure you take a cup of astralagus tea everyday in the morning.

9. Calendula Ointment

Calendula ointment applied in the initial stages of the boil can reduce pain, swelling and redness and prevent the boil from worsening.

10. Garlic

Start eating a lot of garlic especially if you are suffering from a boil. Garlic has natural anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties that help the infection to clear up. Sprinkle garlic in your curries and salads or take garlic capsules every day.

11. Warm Tea Bags

Tea bags have tannin that helps to soothe burning, swollen and irritated skin. It also helps to arrest the infection. Apply some warm tea bags to the surface of the boil every 1-2 hours. This should help some of the pain and swelling to subside.

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12. Cucumber And Tomato

Cumber slices and cold tomato have a cooling effect on infected boils. Rub the slices of a cold cucumber and cold tomato and you will immediately feel relief.

13. Diet And Fluid Intake

Take a lot of fluids in the form of water and vegetable juices like carrot juice and beetroot juice. These help to detoxify the body and flush out harmful toxins from the body. You also need to monitor your diet. Make sure you take in plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables as these are good for the health and well-being of your skin. They raise your immunity and prevent infections. You can also have bitter gourd juice, as this too is very effective against boils.

14. Drink Hot Water

Make sure you take enough hot water if you are suffering from boils. Hot water flushes out the harmful bacteria from the body by increasing the production of sweat.

15. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is said to be an effective home remedy against the treatment of boils. Pour the apple cider vinegar directly on the boil. It helps to draw out the infection from the boil and deep clean the boil. You can dilute the vinegar in water otherwise, the vinegar may burn your skin.

16. Onions

You can use some fresh organic onion. Cut a slice of the onion and place this around the perimeter of the boil. This will help to draw the pus to the surface and enable the boil to drain. Once the pus drains, you will feel relief and will be free from pain. Boils are easily treatable at home with simple home remedies. Make sure to always keep your hands clean and follow good personal hygiene to prevent the infection from spreading to other areas of the skin.


Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.