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How Do I Choose the Best Calamine Lotion?
When choosing calamine lotion, read the label to be sure there are no added ingredients to which you may be sensitive or allergic. Although calamine lotion comes in a bottle, you might prefer a cream that comes in a tube. Tubes are more convenient for traveling or packing away in a purse. Alternately, you can make your own homemade calamine lotion using a few simple household ingredients.
If you're choosing calamine lotion or cream for a minor rash or itchy skin, you probably won't require additional ingredients. If your skin is very inflamed or peeling, however, choose calamine with an antihistamine. The antihistamine will reduce skin inflammation and swelling due to insect bites or poison ivy. Do not use topical antihistamines if you are allergic.
For very dry, irritated skin, consider a calamine cream or lotion that contains natural aloe. The aloe will soothe and protect your skin from further damage and irritation. For best results, buy a lotion that contains pure or organic aloe. In addition to hydrating your skin, the aloe contains healing properties.
You should be able to purchase calamine products that contain extra lubricating ingredients for severely dry or sunburned skin. Mineral oil may be added to calamine for a moisturizing effect. Some calamine lotions also contain petroleum.
Most calamine contains camphor and alcohol, so keep this in mind if you have sensitivities to those ingredients. When using calamine, read the directions carefully and do not use the product longer than recommended. If symptoms recur or worsen, you should stop using the lotion and consult your physician. Calamine products also contain zinc oxide. This ingredient is known to be toxic when ingested. For this reason, always keep calamine out of the reach of small children and pets.
If you prefer calamine for bathing, you can make your own calamine soap. In addition to the calamine lotion, You'll need glycerine as a soap base, and vitamin E capsules to hydrate your skin. Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. After the ingredients are melted together, pour the mixture into a mold and allow it to cool.
You can also make substitute calamine creams with baking soda and oatmeal. You'll need enough waster to make a paste, and you may add other ingredients if you wish. Oatmeal is generally safe for all skin types and is a good choice if you do not have calamine on hand.
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![A bottle of calamine lotion.]()
By: homydesignA bottle of calamine lotion. -
![Calamine lotion with antihistamine can be used to treat poison ivy rashes.]()
By: librakvCalamine lotion with antihistamine can be used to treat poison ivy rashes. -
![Calamine lotion is often used to treat sunburns.]()
By: Rostislav SedlacekCalamine lotion is often used to treat sunburns. -
![Mineral oil may be added to calamine for a moisturizing effect.]()
By: Africa StudioMineral oil may be added to calamine for a moisturizing effect. -
![Calamine creams can be applied directly to acne or other blemishes.]()
By: red150770Calamine creams can be applied directly to acne or other blemishes. -
![Calamine lotion with antihistamine can be used to reduce skin inflammation due to poison ivy.]()
By: marilyn barboneCalamine lotion with antihistamine can be used to reduce skin inflammation due to poison ivy. -
![Some calamine lotions contain aloe, a skin-soothing agent and popular folk remedy.]()
By: joanna wnukSome calamine lotions contain aloe, a skin-soothing agent and popular folk remedy.
Discussion Comments
For maximum relief, put Calamine Lotion in the fridge to keep cool (not iced). It gives such relief on shingles scabs and sores. You will be pleased with the results for it is instantly soothing!
I buy calamine lotion with aloe in it for our camping trips. My family is very light-skinned, and it seems that no matter how much sunscreen we apply, we end up pink by the end of the day. We also are the target of hungry insects.
The aloe in the calamine helps soothe and heal our sunburned skin while easing the itchiness of bug bites. Regular calamine lotion dries out the skin a lot, but this kind is made to moisturize it.
For some people, bugs and sunburn would be enough reason not to go camping. For us, it’s just the price we pay to have such a good time, and with the calamine lotion, it’s not so bad.
I keep a tube of calamine lotion cream in my house at all times. I buy the kind with antihistamine in it, because I have lots of wasps and bees on my property.
I got stung by a red wasp on the nose. I’m not particularly allergic to them, but I feared because of the location of the sting, it might swell to the point that I couldn’t breathe very well. So, I used my antihistamine calamine lotion.
It did swell some, but the air still had enough room to circulate through my nose. I think it would have been a lot worse without the antihistamine calamine cream.
I take calamine lotion with me in my purse when I go to cookouts in the summertime. Mosquito bites are inevitable, and I like to be prepared.
As soon as the bite starts to swell and itch, I put a small amount of the cream onto it and massage it in for a few seconds. I’m always amazed at how quickly the itch goes away.
Everyone always has citronella candles around their cookout areas, but these don’t keep all of the mosquitoes away. They do enough to keep me from having to cover myself in calamine lotion from head to toe, at least.
When I’m really itchy from bug bites, I don’t have the patience for a cream. It takes too long to squeeze out of the tube and spread around.
I use the liquid form. All I have to do is shake it up, and it will pour out of the bottle as easily as water would.
If a large section of my arm or leg is covered in bites, sometimes I just pour the calamine lotion onto it. It dries in seconds, so I don’t even have to rub it into my skin.
If I only have a few bites, I will daub it on with my finger. It’s so quick and easy to apply, and it starts to work right away.
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