# Hot water soothes an itch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201 "2003-12-27T01:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/1 "2003-12-27T01:44:15Z")
Unfortunately I have a bad case of athlete’s foot. While on holiday I forgot my medicine and it was driving me nuts. As it was Christmas, I was doubtful that I would find a store open. I got on the ol’ internet to look for home rememdies. I stumbled across a site that recommended very hot water. The method is to start with warm water and slowly, very slowly, make it hotter. I tried it and damn! it felt really really good. Better than scratching. Even better, the relief lasted for HOURS. The site claimed that the hot water naturally releases anti-histamines which calms the itch. Although I’m grateful for the relief, I am skeptical about the claim (although I have no idea, either.) Has anyone heard of this? How does it work? Please, if you do try this, be VERY VERY careful. You could burn yourself severely with hot water. ---
**Author:** ![Grumple\_Grommit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9fc348/32.png) [@Grumple\_Grommit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumple_Grommit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/2 "2003-12-27T01:53:57Z")
That would be a surprise to me, because my skin becomes more irritated under hot water- although for athlete’s foot it might be different. Do a Google search and you might find something about it. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/3 "2003-12-27T01:54:27Z")
I don’t know how it works but I do know it works for most any itch including poison oak. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/4 "2003-12-27T02:01:44Z")
I read about using hot water for poison ivy a few years ago, and I can tell you that for me it works wonders. I’ve not yet tried it for other itches, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/5 "2003-12-27T02:21:00Z")
Another home remedy for poison ivy is vinegar and salt. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/6 "2003-12-27T02:35:03Z")
Baking soda is also good for itchy skin-although I don’t know if it would have an effect on athlete’s foot, or even if it would be harmful. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/7 "2003-12-27T02:38:52Z")
What I’ve heard about this (sorry, no cite) is that when you do this, the sensation of “hot” overrides the sensation of “itchy”. IOW, your brain can only interpret one sensation at a time in a certain area of your body. Imagine having a small cut on your cuticle. Hurts, don’t it? Now, imagine hitting that same finger with a hammer. You won’t feel the pain from the cut any more, guaranteed. The sensatio from the hammer overrode the sensatio from the cut. This is how the hot water cure has been explained to me. Doesn’t explain why it would last for hours, though. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/8 "2003-12-27T03:24:37Z")
The hot water thing is more than just one sensation overriding another. It is an amazing cure, and it lasts for a good 8 hours or so. Well, at least for me. One of the MD’s on the boards says that it may exaserbate the problems in some flolks. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/9 "2003-12-27T03:27:46Z")
That’s a good one to know. Another one that is good for less drastic itching such as bug bites is deoderants. A doctor’s wife told me about that one and it has come in handy more than once. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/10 "2003-12-27T04:10:24Z")
Hot water basically “burns out” your pain receptors, the same ones that fire for itching. After a lengthy spray of hot water they are out of chemicals and can’t “fire” for a while. That’s why you feel releif for an extended period of time, while the pain receptors are recharging. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/11 "2003-12-27T04:51:13Z")
I wish I could report it worked for me, but I confess that even brutal applications of hot water to my poison ivy this last year did not result in any reduction in itch. So I suppose YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/12 "2003-12-27T14:40:12Z")
I have stumbled on to this myself w/ poison ivy. The hot water seems to somewhat increase the intensity for a short time but in a way that is satifying (like scratching) and has a long lasting effect, for me it’s more like an hour or 2, but that’s w/ PI not AF. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/13 "2003-12-27T16:46:03Z")
I can’t believe that the subject of Athlete’s Foot has come up without this link popping up soon after, hehe. [http://www.thespark.com/science/stinkyfeet/](http://www.thespark.com/science/stinkyfeet/) ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-soothes-an-itch/221201/14 "2003-12-27T18:33:14Z")
One of my college roommates used to “kill” mosquito bites with matches. He’d light a match, let it burn for a moment, blow it out, then touch the match briefly to the bite. Killed the itch, often permanently. I don’t know where he learned it, but it worked very well for me. Don’t try this on fire ant bites, though, as it makes them worse.