6 herbal remedies for common skin ailments

Instead of spending a fortune on medications to treat your boils and ringworm, why not make your own? You can use ingredients that cost just pennies, and you'll know exactly what you're using on your body.

This gentle treatment will help relieve the boil in a lovely, aromatic way.

• 20 ml (4 tsp) hot water
• 2 drops lavender, lemon, tea tree, sage or clove essential oil
• 1 cotton ball or gauze pad1. Put the hot water in a bowl. Swirl your chosen essential oil through the water, then soak the cotton ball or gauze pad in the solution.

  2. Gently squeeze out excess fluid and apply the cotton ball or pad directly to the area of the boil. Cover with plastic wrap and secure with a bandage or tape. Leave in place for at least an hour. Repeat twice a day.

This therapeutic paste works best if it is applied after putting a hot compress (above) on the boil for 15 minutes.

• 5 drops total tea tree, lavender and/or spikenard essential oils
• Slippery elm powder or green clay powder1. Mix essential oils with enough slippery elm powder or green clay powder to generously cover the affected area.

  2. Apply the moist powder to the boil and cover with a bandage for 24 hours.

This antibacterial oil treats the infection in a boil and helps stop it from spreading. You should, however, test it on a small area of normal skin first to make sure it's not irritating to your skin.

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) almond or olive oil
• 20 drops tea tree essential oil
• 20 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops thyme essential oil1. In a small bowl, combine the carrier oil with the essential oils. Mix well.

  2. Hold a hot compress (above) on the boil for 10 minutes, then apply a small amount of the antibacterial oil and cover with a dressing. Repeat every few hours.

Before seeking medical help, try this antifungal paste. If it's not better in a week, see a doctor.

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) mustard seeds
• Water
• 1 to 2 drops sage and/or thyme essential oil1. Crush the mustard seeds with a mortar and pestle. Stir in enough water to make a paste, then add the essential oil or oils.

  2. Apply to the affected area and cover with a light bandage. Reapply once a day until the infection clears.

Here's an easy wart remover straight from the backyard that won't cost you a thing.

• Freshly cut dandelion stalks or fig leaves1. Use the milky sap that exudes from the dandelion stalks or fig leaves and apply directly to the wart once or twice a day for several days or until the wart pulls away from the skin. Keep the sap away from the skin around the wart, and from sensitive areas, such as the eyes.

  2. If you are using this treatment on a child, cover the wart area with a bandage to prevent spreading the sap to sensitive skin.

Warts are mysterious — they come and go seemingly without reason. You usually don't need a dermatologist or an expensive patent medicine to make them disappear.

• 1 drop tea tree, lemon, clove, thuja or thyme essential oil
• 1 drop almond or olive oil
• 1 strip bandage1. Soak the wart in warm water for 15 minutes. Towel off excess water.

  2. In a small dish, combine the essential oil with the almond or olive carrier oil. Test this oil mixture on a patch of skin to make sure it isn't irritating.

  3. Apply the oil mixture to the wart and cover with the strip bandage. Reapply every 24 hours.