The copious proteins, fat, and amino acids present in milk help to soothe and hydrate skin, while honey acts as a gentle antibacterial and antiseptic. The latter is also packed with nutrients and enzymes that plump, nourish, and moisturize skin.
How to Make an Oatmeal Bath for Dry, Itchy Skin
This guide includes variations to make your bath even more nourishing.
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Olivia Young is a writer, fact checker, and green living expert passionate about tiny living, climate advocacy, and all things nature. She holds a degree in Journalism from Ohio University.
Updated December 16, 2022
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Oatmeal has been applauded for its skin-soothing properties for centuries and still, despite the sophistication of today’s skin care, an old-fashioned oatmeal bath remains the go-to fix for dryness and irritation.
The humble oat has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s an emollient brimming with beneficial fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Applied topically, colloidal oatmeal (oats that have been ground into a fine powder) cleans the skin, moisturizes it, and forms a protective barrier.
What Is an Emollient?
An emollient is any substance that softens, soothes, and increases moisture in the skin. Natural emollients include oils, beeswax, butters, and colloidal oatmeal.
Here’s how to make a milky, skin-soothing oatmeal bath, plus some optional ingredients you can add to elevate the basic recipe.
What You’ll Need
Equipment/Tools
- Bathtub
- Washcloth, bath brush, or all-natural sponge (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole oats or store-bought oat powder
- Warm water
- Optional additions, such as essential oils or milk and honey
- Fragrance-free moisturizer
Instructions
Prepare Your Oats
If you’re starting with whole rolled oats, make sure to pulverize them in a blender or food processor first to prevent lumps from forming in the bath. You should aim for a particle size smaller than your average ground oats but slightly larger than oat flour. (Note that oat flour is able to be ground so finely only because it doesn’t include bran, and regular oatmeal does.) The perfect bath-ready consistency can be difficult to achieve at home, which is why some choose to skip this step entirely and buy colloidal oatmeal instead.
Run a Bath
Besides the main (and potentially only) ingredient, the temperature of your oatmeal bath will largely determine its success. Hot water can exacerbate dryness and irritation, so turn the tap to warm—about 100 degrees Fahrenheit—and sprinkle in your colloidal oatmeal slowly while the tub fills up. Stir the water constantly to break up any clumps and prevent oats from settling on the bottom.
Soak
Soak in your warm oatmeal bath for only about 15 minutes or less. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology Association generally recommends that those suffering from itchy skin limit their bath and shower time to just 10 minutes. Prolonged exposure to water could strip the skin of its natural oils, causing it to dry out and itch even more.
Pat Dry
Skin is particularly vulnerable after a bath or shower, so avoid rubbing dry with a towel. Instead, pat your skin gently when you’re finished soaking, making sure to leave a thin layer of the colloidal oatmeal on your skin.
Warning
Colloidal oatmeal can make surfaces especially slippery, so take extra care when getting out of the bath.
Moisturize Immediately
Moisturizing after a bath is a step you simply can’t afford to skip. Your skin would benefit from the trusty “Soak and Seal” method, in which a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer is applied generously to skin while it’s still damp, within three minutes of bathing.
Repeat as Needed
You can take an oatmeal bath as often as twice daily, or even more frequently, for as long as needed or advised by your care provider. Your unused colloidal oats can be stored in a sealed container for up to a year.
Optional Additions
Jelena Irikova / Getty Images
This tried-and-true method is the most basic iteration of oatmeal bathing, but you can make the recipe as complex and customized as you wish. There are countless ingredients you could add to your soak to pamper your dry, irritated, and itchy skin. Here are some common oat bath accompaniments.
Milk and Honey
The copious proteins, fat, and amino acids present in milk help to soothe and hydrate skin, while honey acts as a gentle antibacterial and antiseptic. The latter is also packed with nutrients and enzymes that plump, nourish, and moisturize skin.
Add 2 cups of milk and 1/2 a cup of honey to your oatmeal bath for extra calming power.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are another beloved bath addition, although some can perpetuate skin problems rather than improve them. Lavender essential oil, being antifungal and anti-inflammatory, is generally beneficial. Tea tree, peppermint, and chamomile essential oils can be used, too.
Always perform a patch test first to make sure your skin doesn’t react poorly; if it doesn’t, add up to 30 drops of your preferred essential oils to the oatmeal bath soak.
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt, a magnesium-rich compound, is widely believed to relieve itchiness. Add about 1/2 a cup to your bath for an even more comforting soak.
Baking Soda
The antifungal properties of baking soda can relieve itching caused by a range of skin conditions, according to the National Eczema Association. The organization recommends adding a 1/4 cup to a warm bath for extra itch relief.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids that help soothe and moisturize dry skin. Just a couple teaspoons added to your oatmeal bath should suffice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between colloidal oatmeal and oat flour?
While oat flour is made just from the oats themselves, colloidal oatmeal contains both oats and bran. Therefore, the particle size of colloidal oatmeal is slightly larger (yet still smaller than most can achieve with a home food processor).
Can oatmeal clog your drain?
Bathing in regular rolled oats could definitely clog your drain. Oats can get slimy and stick to the inside of pipes or form clumps in septic systems. The smaller the particle size, the less likely you are to have plumbing problems as a result of oatmeal bathing.
Should you rinse after an oatmeal bath?
There is no need to rinse off after an oatmeal bath. Instead, gently pat your skin dry and apply your favorite moisturizer to seal in those soothing properties.
How to Make Your Own Oatmeal Bath
Stephanie Brown is a parenting writer with experience in the Head Start program and in NAEYC accredited child care centers.
Updated on August 19, 2022
Andrea Rice is an award-winning journalist and a freelance writer, editor, and fact-checker specializing in health and wellness.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
An oatmeal bath is a simple, effective, and inexpensive solution for a variety of skin conditions in kids. Oatmeal baths can be used for everything from soothing a sore bottom from diaper rash to hydrating dry skin and offering relief from eczema.
Oatmeal is not just good for children. You can also use it yourself for itchy or dry skin. The secret is that “colloidal” oats, which act as an emollient, work to soothe and moisturize dry and irritated skin.
Colloidal means ground into small particles. Regular oats become emollient when they’re ground up into a fine powder. Then the skin can more readily absorb the nutrients.
If your doctor recommends an oatmeal bath for a skin condition, you can buy a commercial product—or you can make your own at home for less than a dollar. All you need is one simple ingredient that you probably already have in your kitchen: Oatmeal.
Verywell / Kelly Miller
Oatmeal Bath Ingredients and Equipment
You can use quick-cooking, slow-cooking, or instant oats, as long as they are unflavored. They all work equally well. You will need:
- Blender, food processor, or coffee grinder
- Warm water
- 1 cup of oatmeal (for a full-size bath; 1/3 cup for an infant tub)
- Muslin bag, cheesecloth, or pantyhose as a bag for the oatmeal in the bath (optional)
Steps for Making the Oatmeal Bath
To unlock oatmeal’s healing properties, all you need to do is grind it into a powder.
- Blend or process the oats on the highest setting in your food processor, blender, or coffee grinder until you have a very fine, consistent powder.
- To test the ground oats to see if they are fine enough, stir one tablespoon of the ground oats into a glass of warm water.
- If the oats readily absorb into the water, turning the liquid into a milky-looking substance with a silky feel, you’ve blended long enough.
- If the liquid doesn’t turn milky, keep processing the oats to grind them even finer. Test again. Repeat until you get a milky solution with a silky feel.
If you are unable to grind the oatmeal fine enough, another solution is to grind it as much as you can and put it into a small muslin bag or tie it in a cheesecloth (you can also use pantyhose). If you find that the oatmeal doesn’t drain out of your tub easily, the bag is a good solution.
How to Give an Oatmeal Bath
Pour your homemade oatmeal into a tub of running warm water and stir the water with your hand several times to ensure even distribution. Feel along the bottom of the tub for clumps and break up any you find.
If you’ve used a bag to contain the oatmeal, run a hot bath and place the bag in it while the water cools down to an appropriate temperature for your child. You may want to set a timer; be sure that the water isn’t too hot before you give your child a bath.
Allow your child to soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes. Avoid using soap or other cleansers. This bath is to moisturize and soothe skin, not clean it.
You also do not need to rinse your child off after an oatmeal bath. You may even want to gently rub some of the oatmeal directly on your little one’s skin. You can give an oatmeal bath once or twice a day, or more frequently if your pediatrician advises it.
Be careful getting your little one in and out of the bath. Oatmeal will make the tub even more slippery than usual. Pat your child’s skin dry with a soft towel.
Skin Conditions Soothed by Oatmeal Baths
Parents and doctors alike have been turning to the skin-soothing powers of oatmeal for ages. It’s not surprising, then, that you’ll find finely powdered (colloidal) oatmeal listed among the ingredients in many body soaks, moisturizers, and soaps for kids and adult).
Oatmeal is a natural way to lock in the body’s moisture, protect the skin, and soothe any irritation or itching. Oatmeal baths can help with conditions including:
- Anal itching (often from pinworms)
- Baby acne
- Chickenpox
- Diaper rash
- Dry skin
- Eczema
- Insect bites
- Poison ivy, oak, and sumac
- Shingles
- Sunburn
- Windburn
A Word From Verywell
Oatmeal baths are great for your baby, but you may find them soothing for any itchy rash, or for sunburn, dry skin, or eczema. Now that you’ve mastered using it for your child, don’t hesitate to try it yourself. If your doctor hasn’t already suggested it to help treat your own skin issues, ask them about it at your next appointment.
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- Ilnytska O, Kaur S, Chon S, et al. Colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) improves skin barrier through multi-therapy activity. J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;15(6):684-690.
- Moncrieff G, Lied-Lied A, Nelson G, et al. Cost and effectiveness of prescribing emollient therapy for atopic eczema in UK primary care in children and adults: a large retrospective analysis of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. BMC Dermatol. 2018;18(1):9. doi:10.1186/s12895-018-0076-y
- Criquet M, Roure R, Dayan L, Nollent V, Bertin C. Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2012;5:183-193. doi:10.2147/CCID.S31375
- University of Michigan Medicine. Chickenpox: Controlling the Itch.
- White LB, Seeber BH, Grognan BB. 500 Time-Tested Home Remedies and the Science Behind Them: Ease Aches, Pains, Ailments, and More With Hundreds of Simple and Effective At-Home Treatments. Fair Winds Press.
- Fowler JF. Colloidal oatmeal formulations and the treatment of atopic dermatitis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2014;13(10):1180-1183.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Poison ivy, oak, and sumac: How to treat the rash.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. Shingles.
- Reynertson KA, Garay M, Nebus J, et al. Anti-inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) contribute to the effectiveness of oats in treatment of itch associated with dry, irritated skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2015;14(1):43-48.
Additional Reading
- American Academy of Dermatology. How to relieve itchy skin.
- Polcari I. When diaper rash strikes. American Academy of Pediatrics.
By Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown is a parenting writer with experience in the Head Start program and in NAEYC accredited child care centers.
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