Bugs burrowing under the skin and laying eggs can make the toughest of individuals queasy. Scabies--a condition marked by itchy irritated skin--comes from just such a thing. Small mites get under the skin and lay eggs which leads to the skin irritation. Aromatherapist and author Patricia Davis writes in her book, “Aromatherapy: An A-Z,” that the skin irritation can also develop into an infection. Scabies is treatable with medicine from your doctor or naturally with essential oils, such as lavender.

To attack the problem’s source, doctors and aromatherapists both prescribe creams to apply to the irritated skin. Patricia Davis writes that she often uses a cream with 5 percent lavender oil to treat scabies. Lavender, according to Julie Lawless in her book, “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils,” promotes skin cell regeneration and kills parasites, too. Davis recommends applying cream to the skin at least two times a day.

Add lavender oil to a bath to help speed the healing process. Patricia Davis suggests that the best time to apply the skin cream is after bathing. Draw a warm bath and add about five drops of lavender oil to the water. This will help soothe the skin and provide some relief from the itching.

Once the mites have been successfully treated the skin might still show signs of irritation. With its healing affect, lavender oil can help the skin recover more quickly. If normal medicinal creams were used to kill the mites, there will still be skin damage. Treating the skin with lavender cream can still be beneficial to healing the skin even if it was not used to treat the mites.

The scabies causing mite lives and thrives in clothing and sheets. To keep from contracting scabies, again all household and clothing products must be cleaned. Of course some things can’t just get thrown into the washing machine. Patricia Davis says mixing alcohol with lavender oil and camphor oil until each is in a 5 percent solution works well to clean mattresses and pillows.

Just one part of a natural approach to treating scabies, lavender oil does not effectively treat the condition on its own. “Aromatherapy: An A-Z” says that while applying skin creams to treat the skin irritation, alternating oils works best. Other oils to use include peppermint, clove and rosemary. Patricia Davis also says that in addition to using the creams she has her patients take garlic piles several times a day to also help kill the mites.