Lavender Salt Sock (Natural Ear Infection Remedy)

Ear infections are rough, especially for kids who are suffering through one. We recently took a family trip to the beach and all of my children practically lived in the water for a week. I typically bring 3% hydrogen peroxide to use in their ears after swimming in the ocean but forgot it this time in the hustle of getting ready. Using hydrogen peroxide has helped us avoid any ear infections in the past and I foolishly thought we would be ok without it.

A couple of days after we got home, two of our younger children started displaying the classic symptoms of ear infection. I checked to make sure the eardrum had not ruptured and started using garlic oil and my other remedies.

Our daughter was hit with symptoms at 2 AM so I needed to find a quick way to relieve her pain so that we could all get some sleep… and this lavender salt pack did the trick!

Lavender Salt Ear Infection Remedy

This simple remedy combines mineral-rich sea salt (or salt crystals) with lavender flowers for an external hot pack that helps ease the pain of an ear infection. We’ve used basic rice heat packs in the past for body aches and illnesses, but those were in the room with the last of our sleeping children and I wasn’t willing to risk waking them to get one.

Gazing into our salt lamp while I held my crying four-year-old, I wondered if Himalayan salt would work like the rice in a hot pack but with the added benefit of negative ions. I made a quick impromptu hot pack with a cloth muslin bag and some salt crystals and tried it on her ear.

It provided almost instant relief! It also gave the garlic ear oil some time to work without her trying to dump it out.

Here’s Why It Works…

The heat of the salt pack offers relief from the pain. In addition, the salt itself is naturally drying and helps pull fluid out of the ear.

An additional benefit of Himalayan salt is the negative ions it produces when heated. Through a process of attraction and evaporation with water molecules in the air, negative ions have been shown to promote healing and can bind to pollutants and even bacteria.

Finally, lavender has many health benefits and is naturally antibacterial and helps soothe and reduce inflammation. The scent is also calming and helps induce restful sleep.

How to Make a Lavender Salt Ear Infection Remedy

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4.72 from 7 votes

Lavender Salt Ear Infection Remedy Recipe

A fast-acting and simple remedy for ear infection pain using common ingredients.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Yield: 1

Author: Katie Wells

Equipment

• 1 organic cotton muslin bag, (or a plain white cotton sock)

Materials

• ½ cup Himalayan salt crystals (or regular coarse ground salt)
• 2 TBSP dried lavender flowers (or 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil, added after heating)

Instructions

• Place the salt and lavender flowers in a muslin bag or sock and seal tightly.
• Carefully, heat the bag in a pan over low heat until warmed or microwave for about 30 seconds.
• Make sure the pack is warm to the touch but not hot enough to burn and place over the painful ear.
• Warm and repeat as needed for relief of ear infection pain.

Notes

Caution: While this remedy will help draw moisture out of the ear and provide relief through heat, it is not a complete remedy for an ear infection. Consider using other remedies and check with a doctor if you suspect the infection is serious. Signs of infection and/or rupture include a very high fever and/or fluid coming from the ear.

Equipment Note: These are the muslin bags that I like. Also, while regular coarse ground salt will work fine, the Himalayan salt crystals seem to hold heat better and don’t contain as much salt dust.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Ann Shippy, who is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and a certified Functional Medicine physician with a thriving practice in Austin, Texas. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

What do you use for ear infections?