8 proven cures for scabies
8 proven cures for scabies
A Youtube video showing how to make 1% ivermectin lotion using ivermectin powder
How to use 1% ivermectin lotion to cure scabies
How expensive are the options?
Four ways to make or buy 1% ivermectin
Where I got my supplies on-line
Why I choose Gold Bond lotion or baby lotion
In two studies (here and here) patients applied 3.4 oz (100 mL) of 1% ivermectin lotion or cream. It was left on for at least 8 hours and then washed off.
This was done once a week.
With adults it is usually applied from the jawline on down.
In some cases adults need to apply it to their scalp and face, too, if they have symptoms there. But for most people the head is not treated.
With babies it is often applied all over including their heads. You can put on booties and mittens so they don’t suck the lotion off.
As I describe in the scabies program, one can go for anywhere from 2 to 5 weekly treatments depending on how stubborn the case is. Most people are cured with two treatments a week apart.
In this study using 1% ivermectin lotion to treat scabies they gave each person 100 ml (about 3 oz) to apply all over from the jawline on down and left on for at least 8 hours, then washed off. This was repeated once a week for a total of 4 weeks. Everyone in the study was cured.
In another study “…six complete families with active scabies, consisting of 12 adults and 20 children ranging in age from 1 to 10 years, were treated with 1% ivermectin…All patients were cured, tolerated the medication well, and there were no side effects or signs of recurrence 2, 4, or 6 weeks after therapy.” Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
And in another study, “In our centre, we have used topical ivermectin…to treat 10 patients, with great success. … Our patients have not experienced any adverse effects and there have been no treatment failures. ” Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK; and Queen Mary University, London, UK
Just to compare, let’s assume you are going to use 3 oz of 1% ivermectin lotion to apply to your whole body (one application).
With Iveron Ivermectin Lotion concentrate you wind up with 8 ounces of 1% ivermectin lotion for $30. That’s enough for 2-4 whole body applications. That’s about $11 per application. This is convenient, available now and no complicated measuring is required.
With ivermectin powder it depends on the price and if you can find it. It tends to appear and disappear on the market. Right now (March 2026) I see 10 grams for $40 at horseprerace.com so you can make a quart (liter) for around $40 plus $20 for propylene glycol plus $10 for a gram scale. Or about $60 total. That is about $6 per application. But it does involve measuring and mixing and so forth.
With horse paste it costs about $40 to make 100 ml (3.4 ounces). About $40 per application. Expensive, but usually pretty easy to mix up.
Pre-mixed 1% injectable liquid (such as Durvet Ivermectin Injection) is $85 for 8.4 oz (250 ml). This sounds good, but it is hard to apply because it is so thin. Once you add lotion to thicken it, it becomes only 1/2% strength so you have to apply it twice. It winds up costing about $20 per application.
Iveron is an ivermectin concentrate. You add 6 ounces of your preferred skin lotion, stir it up and you have 8 ounces of 1% ivermectin lotion ready to use. So easy! You can watch a video of how to mix it up on YouTube. It is made in and shipped from the USA. It is $30 with free shipping in the USA and reasonable international shipping, too.
Alternatively you can mix it with hair conditioner for use on your scalp. Conditioner is a lot easier to apply and later rinse out.
By the way, it can be very hard to find powdered ivermectin (more about this below under Where I got my supplies online). So I think using the powder is cheapest and best, but might not be an option.
The formula is quite simple.
And it is easy if you have a good gram scale that has tenth of a gram accuracy.
NOTE: I realize pre-weighing stuff maybe be a bit overly cautious, but it often comes in handy as you go along.
Also, keep stuff clean. You don’t want to be introducing bacteria into your mixture. It might be wise to store the mixture in the refrigerator.
Weigh the container you are mixing it up in. Write down that weight for future reference.
Fold up a small piece of paper (maybe 3” x 3” and fold it in quarters. Weigh it on the scale and write down its weight. Then set it aside.
Unfold the paper, put it on the scale, and press the Tare button (to zero the scale).
Weigh out exactly 1 gram of powdered ivermectin onto the paper. Then set it aside.
Put the empty container on the scale and press the Tare button to zero the scale.
Measure about 25 grams of propylene glycol into the container. Just come close…you don’t have to be fussy (anywhere from 20 to 30 grams will work).
Pour the powdered ivermectin into the propylene glycol and stir it up thoroughly.
NOTE: If the scale is still on, proceed to step 8.
If the scale turned off while you were stirring, don’t worry. Mentally add the weight of the empty container (from step 1) to 100 grams. That’s the final weight you will want.
Example: if container weighed 26 grams, add 26 grams to 100 grams which equals 126 grams. So you turn on the scale (which will read 0.0) and place the container on the scale. Now you will aim to have the final weight (in the next step) come to 126 grams.
8. Place the container on the scale and add Gold Bond Ultimate lotion until you have a total of 100 grams in the container. Stir that up thoroughly. Put on the lid and store in the refrigerator between uses (to prevent bacterial growth).
You’re done!
Simplified recipe to make 100 ml (3.4 ounces) of 1% ivermectin lotion
More exactly it makes 100 ml of 1.02% ivermectin lotion.
Directions using a ziplock bag and a digital kitchen scale
Squirt 9 entire syringes of 1.87% ivermectin horse paste into a small plastic Ziplock bag
Put the bag on a digital kitchen scale
Add skin lotion until it weighs 100 grams or 3.4 ounces
Press most of the air out of the bag.
Mush the paste and lotion together thoroughly.
Done! You now have 100 ml of 1% ivermectin lotion.
OR
Using a measuring cup
Squirt 9 entire syringes of 1.87% ivermectin horse paste into a measuring cup that has a 100 ml mark on it.
Add skin lotion until it fills up to the 100 ml mark.
Stir it up thoroughly.
Done! You now have 100 ml of 1% ivermectin lotion.
Here’s my math:
9 pkgs (54.72 ml) + 47 ml skin lotion = 101.72 ml of 1.006% ivermectin lotion
47 ml = 3.1785 tablespoons (US) = 9.5 teaspoons (US) = 7.94 teaspoons (UK) = 1.66 ounces of lotion.
Noromectin (Ivermax) has two formulations: a “pour-on” and an “injection” type.
The “injection” type is injected under the skin of animals. It is also given orally. It contains 1% ivermectin, 40% glycerol formal and propylene glycol q.s. ad 100% (“q.s. ad 100%” means enough to make 100%). This is the same recipe as described in Merck’s patent. Of course, it will be a lot more runny or watery than my recipe, but it is the right percentage ivermectin.
Interestingly, this “injection” type is similar to the formulation of the topical 1% ivermectin lotion successfully used in this clinical study. So it appears the “injectable” formulation has many applications (injection, oral, and perhaps topically).
The “pour-on” medicine intended for only cattle, pigs, reindeer and American Bison only. “Pour-on” means poured onto the skin and allowed to be absorbed. It contain isopropyl alcohol so it is not for oral use.
The problem with the Noromectin is it is watery (very thin) so it would run off your skin if used right out of the bottle. The solution is to mix it half and half with skin lotion. I suggest Gold Bond Ultimate skin lotion because it is very thick. But baby lotion is easier to stir up.
For each weekly treatment one would mix 100 mL of 1% ivermectin with 100 mL of skin lotion (100 mL = 3.4 oz or approx. 7 tablespoons). This results in 200 mL of 1/2% ivermectin lotion.
One would take half of that and apply it all over from the jawline on down. Leave it on for at least 8 hours and then shower it off. Then one would repeat that by applying the other half immediately or the next night. This would be done each week for 4 or 5 weeks. That is why one would need a 500 mL bottle for 5 entire treatments.
Iveron Ivermectin concentrate
Ivermectin horse paste (many options)
Gram scale around $10 (mine has worked for 6+ years!)
Gold Bond Lotion $13 (and it’s all over in stores, too)
10 grams of powered ivermectin $40 (no mention of grade or purity)
NOTES: this is the only supplier of ivermectin powder I have found, but online suppliers seem to pop up and then vanish overnight.
NOTE: This ivermectin is often sold as “Veterinary Grade, 98+% Purity”. “Veterinary Grade” only means it isn’t Pharmaceutical Grade which doesn’t tell us much. Here is a reference indicating even pharmaceutical grade ivermectin is simply greater than 90% purity. Here is another company claiming 96% purity. And of course, the label saying “98+% Purity” is just a label the supplier printed…there is no proof of analysis by an independent laboratory. So be aware one is sacrificing something to get ivermectin for a few dollars a gram as opposed to $80 a gram.
Both the Gold Bond lotion and baby lotion mix well because they are mostly water. Look at the ingredients and you should see “Water” listed first. If water is the main ingredient, then it is called “water-based.”
Ivermectin powder is first dissolved into propylene glycol, which then mixes well with water-based stuff like skin lotion or hair conditioner. It will NOT mix well with oily stuff like Vaseline (petroleum jelly) or butters or oils.
Gold Bond is very thick, while baby lotion is thinner. I choose Gold Bond when I am mixing with a thin liquid because the resulting lotion is thicker, too. It is so crazy thick so it doesn’t become watery when you add it to the propylene glycol/ivermectin. But it can be hard to get it out of the bottle!
Baby lotion is easier to mix, but the resulting lotion will be thinner than if I used Gold Bond. I often choose baby lotion just because it is easier to pour out and mix up.
You can warm lotions to make them easier to pour by placing them in a bowl of hot water in the sink for about 10 minutes. This will make them temporarily thinner. After mixing they cool to room temperature and thicken up again.
I suspect you can substitute any skin lotion for the Gold Bond lotion but I don’t know that. I can’t test every lotion. Sheesh.
Some folks are having fits over propylene glycol lately…Wikipedia says “Prolonged contact with propylene glycol is essentially non-irritating to the skin.” It goes on to say it can be an irritant if you breathe it or shove it in your eye. So I suggest not breathing it or sticking it in your eye. Rinse your eyes out if you do.
PLUS if you look at the ingredients list for Soolantra here, you’ll see it has propylene glycol, too!!!
Why? Because Merck found ivermectin dissolves nicely in propylene glycol! It’s in their patent
Ivermectin is not soluble in water, so it is dissolved in propylene glycol first, then water and other ingredients are added.
Video: Making 1 Percent Ivermectin Lotion Using Liquid Injectable Ivermectin
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