From rubbing in the juice of onions or raw potato slices to lemon juice, there are some pretty silly sounding remedies for Chilblains.
Firstly the best thing to do is to keep your wee toes and fingers warm, wear warm socks, merino wool ones are great as they are not itchy. Simple things like leg warmers help to by warming the blood at the ankles, wear in and out doors. Pair them up with wrist warmers. When you do go out in the cold wear thick soled shoes/boots to keep you up away from the cold ground, make sure they are not tight so not to restrict the circulation any further.
In bed wear the warm sock as bare skin next to a hot water bottle is best avoided. Keep then out of extremes of hot and cold, so you may need to keep you feet out of the bath if a hot one. (Best temperature is body temperature).
Crochet leg wamers by Jewellery Bijou on Folksy – “Unique fashion for unique people”
Secondly Drink fresh ginger and lemon tea. Eat circulation-enhancing ingredients like chilli, ginger, garlic, onion, thyme and turmeric. Avoid to much alcohol.
Thirdly you can also try these simple home remedies that I made for my sister and they worked really well.
Chilblain Cream – Take 30ml (about a heaped table spoon) of a plain fairly thick unscented cream (preferably a natural one of course). Mix in well these 4 Essential oils: 4 drops of Lemon, 3 drops of Geranium oil, 3 of Marjoram and 2 of Ginger. To use the cream, massage it into effected areas twice a day, perhaps once early evening and then just before bed, followed by your warm socks! Massage will help to as it will boost the circulation.
Salt & oil soak – Get a 60ml jar, and some natural salt, I used fine Himalayan salt which is known for its therapeutic properties, to detox and heal, also helps improve circulation. You can use dead sea salt or any other natural salt (not table salt as it has had its good bit stripped out!).
Add the salt to the 60ml jar until it is 3/4 full. Then pour in organic Sesame oil until it just covers the salt, (you could also use Sunflower or Olive if you already have those in your kitchen). Then add the same essential oils as the cream: 8 drops of Lemon, 6 drops of Geranium oil, 6 of Marjoram and 4 of Ginger. Mix well (I put lid on jar tightly and shook it). Then top up with more salt if the oil level is above the salt. You could also try adding 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder to this remedy.
To use this chilblain remedy, its best used in the bath. Run a body temperature bath or keep you feet up out of the bath, perhaps rest them on the taps. Scoop about a tea spoon amount from the jar and gently pat and spread it over the chilblain area. Leave to soak into the area for about 5 mins, then wash of gently with body temperature water. Try to do this once a day for a week to see results.
For a home Herbal Remedy and further ideas on how to prevent Chilblains and details on Raynaud’s disease clearly outlined here Body & Soul website
I also found this ready made natural remedy that looks great available online:
Warm your Sole by Body Essentials contains antiseptic qualities to soothe and comfort skin.
Marjoram is also analgesic and fungicidal.
Ginger warms the area and is known to improve circulation while providing analgesic and anti-bacterial elements.
Geranium acts as an antiseptic and deodoriser. It is non-toxic, non-irritating and generally non-sensitising oil.
Lemon stimulates the white blood corpuscles, strengthening the body’s defence mechanism.