12 Quick And Safe Ways To Get Rid Of A Stye

Styes are irritating and painful and every person suffering from one of these red bumps on the eyelid quickly searches for a treatment to take it away safely and fast. It is important that any treatment you try is safe, as styes are so close to the eye. Avoid anything that doesn’t seem safe, no matter how effective it sounds. Your eyesight is worth a thousand styes. These bumps are usually caused either by stress or when an oil gland becomes clogged with excess oil, dirt and/or bacteria. With this in mind, the first thing to do is keep your face clean and do not apply makeup until the stye is gone. You may even want to replace your eye makeup in case any forms of bacteria are lingering on the brushes. Here are 12 safe and effective ways to get rid of a stye that you can try at home. (Remember, even though these are safe to try, always avoid direct contact with the eye.)

1. Tea Bags

Soaking a washcloth in warm water and applying it over the eyes has been the most often repeated remedy for a stye, but why not add the antioxidants of tea to make it more effective? You can use green tea or black tea for this treatment and since everyone has tea at home, you will not have to go out to buy any ingredients.

1. Boil water and let it cool until you can handle it on your skin
2. Dip your teabag of choice into the water and apply to the affected eyelid
3. Hold the teabag against the eyelid firmly for 10 minutes
4. Repeat 5 times per day

2. Coconut Oil

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Although coconut oil has turned into a beauty and health trend, and everyone has heard about it too much over the past couple of years, it is still an effective treatment for skin issues such as styes. This oil is antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It will help to heal your stye and also reduce the pain.

1. Put a half cup of coconut oil into a clean container (this is to keep it separate from the rest of the oil – if you use it for cooking, you certainly don’t want to mix it with anything you apply to your stye)
2. Wash your hands and face (including the stye) and once everything is dry, apply a small amount of oil to the stye
3. Let it sit and sink in – do not wash it off
4. Repeat as many times as you can, but give the oil time to sink into the skin between repetitions

3. Chamomile Leaves

If you have loose leaf chamomile tea at home, you can try this remedy. If you want to try the chamomile leaves but don’t have any and don’t feel comfortable going out with a stye, you can use a regular chamomile tea bag instead.

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of chamomile leaves in a cup of hot water (herbal tea should not be added to boiling water)
2. Let it sit for 15 minutes and strain
3. Take a clean washcloth and dip a corner into the tea water
4. Apply to the stye area until the cloth is dry
5. Repeat, using a different area of the cloth as many times as you like
6. Do not re-use any part of the cloth that has touched the stye

4. Turmeric

This spice does not only add color and flavor to recipes, but it also takes away inflammation to skin problems such as styes. Turmeric has been used as a healing spice for many years, and it is a very effective and safe way to get rid of a stye. If your stye is too close to your eye to use the paste comfortably, you can make a tea out of the powder instead.

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of turmeric with enough water, coconut oil or castor oil to make a paste
2. Wash your hands, clean the stye with warm water and wash hands again
3. Apply the paste to the stye area and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water
4. Repeat up to 4 times per day
5. Or mix 2 teaspoons of turmeric into 1 cup of hot water and make sure it is cool enough to touch on skin
6. Dip the corner of a clean washcloth into the mixture and apply to the stye area until it is dry
7. Repeat, using a clean area of the cloth up to 5 times per day

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

If you want to try this stye treatment, any apple cider vinagar will do, but the best choice is Bragg’s, organic apple cider vinegar. ACV is known for being antibacterial and antiseptic, which will help your stye to heal faster.

1. Mix 1 part ACV with 2 parts filtered or cooled, boiled water
2. Put in fridge to cool for 3 hours
3. Apply to the stye area using a clean cloth or makeup pad
4. Hold on the stye until the cloth or pad is dry
5. Repeat up to 5 times per day

6. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a very powerful essential oil that has helped many people to eliminate all kinds of skin and fungal issues. This oil will also get rid of a stye, and it can be used on its own or as an addition to any other treatment on this list. If you don’t have tea tree oil at home, this one is worth going out for, even with a stye.

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of 100% natural and pure tea tree oil with 2 tablespoons of filtered or cooled, boiled water
2. Place in fridge to cool for 2 to 3 hours
3. Using a clean cloth or makeup pad, apply to the stye area and let it sink into the skin
4. Repeat 3 times per day
5. If you want to try other remedies on this list along with tea tree oil, just add a few drops of the oil to any other solution

7. Coriander Seeds

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Using this spice properly will help to reduce swelling and help your stye to heal faster. It is recommended that you use this treatment along with at least one other on this list, such as a warm compress or tea bags.

1. Add 1 tablepoon of coriander seeds to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil
2. Take off the heat and let the seeds soak for an additional 30 minutes
3. Strain and let the water cool
4. Apply to the stye area with a clean cloth up to 3 times per day

8. Salt

Salt has healing properties that will help your stye to go away faster. It will also reduce any pus that has gathered in the stye, which will cause the swelling to go down. You can use any type of salt, but Himalayan or sea salt are the best choices.

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of ground salt into 1 cup of filtered water and stir well
2. Dip a clean cloth into the water and gently apply to the stye
3. Repeat every couple of hours

9. Aloe Vera

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The aloe vera plant has many healing properties and is used to help sunburns, heal cuts and wounds and is also an effective treatment for styes. This plant is antibacterial and will reduce swelling and redness brought on by a stye. It is best to take the gel straight from an aloe plant, but if you only have access to bottled gel, you can use that as well.

1. Squeeze the gel out of an aloe leaf into a clean container
2. Apply a small amount of the gel directly to the stye
3. Let it sit and sink into the skin
4. Repeat up to 4 times per day

10. Homemade Antibacterial Cream

There are many natural ingredients that are full of antibactierial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Some of these are mentioned individually here, but you can also combine a few of them together to make a powerful, antibacterial cream for your face. you can apply this both as a preventative measure and as a treatment for styes.

1. In a bowl, combine a half cup of coconut oil and a half cup of either olive oil or jojoba oil
2. Add 10 to 15 drops of tea tree oil and an optional 5 drops of lavendar oil for added benefits
3. Mix together, then add a binding agent such as arrowroot powder or beeswax until the mixture forms a cream-like texture
4. To use it as a preventative measure, apply this to the face a couple of times a week
5. To treat a stye, apply it to the affected area 3 times per day and let it sink into the skin

11. Oil of Oregeno

Depending on the cause of the stye, it may keep coming back, even long after it goes away. Some people have experienced recurring styes for years. The reason for this is usually an infection that needs antibiotics to go away. If you are looking for a natural antibiotic, studies have shown oil of oregano to be as powerful and in some cases, even more powerful than medical antibiotics. This oil will not kill off good bacteria like the other antibiotics do, and it is safe to take.

1. Adults, put 3 drops of oil of orgeno under the tongue and hold it there as long as you can (up to 5 minutes) before swallowing
2. Repeat 3 times per day until the stye is gone
3. Alternatively, you can add 3 drops into a tablespoon of water and swallow

12. Warm Compress

As mentioned before, warm compresses are the most widely used treatment for styes. It is the safest and easiest way to get rid of a stye, so if you don’t have the time or the energy to put together the other remedies, you an try this one. The warm water will help to reduce the swelling and your stye should heal in 4 days at most.

1. Heat filtered water by a stove or a kettle until it is warm
2. Soak a clean washcloth in the water and wring out excess water
3. Put the cloth over your eyes and relax for a few minutes
4. Repeat as many times as you like

Featured photo credit: Oleg Malyshev via shutterstock.com