Weird Home Remedies That Actually Work

No matter what problem you have, there is a home remedy out there that will cure it. Whether the problem be a headache, mosquito bite, or an upset stomach, we are sure there is a home remedy out there for any specific need you can think of! We hear these remedies from our grandparents, aunts, and friends that have been passed down through many generations. Mostly we laugh it off and don’t even consider following it, but you’ll be surprised at how effective some of these actually are! Some of them are quite out there, but there is a reason they stay alive – more often than not, they work! We have compiled a list featuring a handful of home remedies that you should definitely try when the need arises, and try to overlook at how bizarre they actually sound. Enjoy the list and thank us later.

Potatoes FTW

Potatoes can cure anything, be it your hunger or headaches! Sudden attacks from a migraine or an annoying headache that won’t go away can certainly ruin your day and put you in a bad mood. This little’s boy’s mother found the potatoes before she let that happen!

This bizarre but effective solution to get rid of headaches works wonders. Just cut a few slices of a raw potato and soak them in a thin cloth. Apply it directly to the forehead or temples and lie down for a while. It will take away your headache and leave you feeling refreshed and productive.

Yogurt for halitosis

If you suffer from bad breath, yogurt can greatly help you with this problem and give you the confidence boost you need.  There is usually not much flavor to this simple snack, and you’re probably wondering how something so simple can make a big difference.

There exists plenty of preliminary research and scientific experiments that support this theory. Apparently, there lives good bacteria (probiotics) in yogurt that helps to lower the levels of bacteria that causes bad breath. Yogurt helps get rid of this, and coupled with mint, it leaves you with fresh breath.

Duct tape to the rescue

Whatever problem you have, put duct tape on it and call it a day! It’s that effective. But to be precise, it has been proven that duct tape can actually help get rid of warts and blisters. It’s not applying or ripping it off like a band-aid, but apparently there are actual properties within the duct tape that eventually remove the wart from the skin.

For this, you will need tiny pieces of duct tape to cover the affected area. Leave them on even while you shower, until it falls off on its own. You can also replace it from time to time. By the third or fourth application, your wart or skin tag will be gone!

Krazy glue for krazy heels

When creams and lotions don’t work, heal a cracked heel with Krazy glue or super glue. It’s pretty simple to understand the logic behind it actually. The glue causes the skin to stick together until the crack fills up and heals.

However, the application is tricky and you should be careful with it to avoid infections. Make sure that you have properly soaked and cleaned your feet thoroughly. You can use the glue along with some moisturizer directly over the cracks and hope for the best!

Sugar for hiccups

Mary Poppins was right about many things. A spoonful of sugar is the sweetest way to get rid of hiccups. In fact, it is one of the most recommended ways to stop hiccups in children. Just a teaspoon of it does the trick.

As the sugar stimulates the vagus nerve, the body forgets all about those annoying hiccups by overthrowing those muscle spasms causing it in the first place. If you are not a kid though, don’t get too carried away as hiccups are much better than diabetes.

Coconut oil for smooth skin

We all know that coconut oil is loaded with beneficial nutrients that promotes a healthy body, and one of the most beneficial outcomes of using coconut oil topically or by ingesting it orally is clear and smooth skin. This is mainly due to the high amount of fatty acid that acts as a moisturizer for the skin.

Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, which helps fight acne-causing bacteria and dead skin cell build-up. However, be careful with it if you already have oily skin since it might not work for all skin types. You can also use it as a base with cosmetics and as a makeup remover!

Lemon juice and baking soda for a shiny smile

Before you invest your money on teeth whitening bleach kits, give this simple and effective home remedy a go. Mixing equal parts of lemon juice with baking soda works wonders for the teeth. This creates a paste in which you apply on the teeth for a few minutes.

Be careful though! Using lemon can potentially worsen an existing lesion or mouth ulcer due to its acidity. Also, don’t get too carried away as to replace it for your toothpaste! You still need it, buddy. Nobody wants to smell that lemon breath, no matter how shiny your smile is.

Onion in the sock, party round the clock

This is an ancient folk remedy for cold and flu if you don’t mind stinky feet early in the morning. Placing raw onion slices on the bottom of your foot covered by a sock can apparently heal your cold. This is because the onion has the potential to soak in all the toxins from the body.

It was used in the old days during attacks of influenza. However, it was more common to slice it in rings and place around the room rather than in your socks. Does it truly work? We hope! Let’s just say onions are much better in your hamburgers than under your feet.

Beets to ‘beet’ constipation

Beets might be your colon’s greatest friend. It is a vegetable that’s high in fiber content which helps food digest smoothly if you get what we mean. Enjoy a fresh cup of beet juice, or boil some beets into steamed cubes and eat them with your salad.

Beets help you eliminate constipation and they have a naturally bright red color that is an organic dye, so don’t panic if you notice a bright red color. It is just nature’s practical joke to mess up with your mind!

Aspirin for dandruff

If you are tired of dandruff, and no shampoo has given you the results you desire, try crushing a few aspirin. It is one of the cheapest ways to get rid of dandruff, as some hair products can cost you a lot to get rid of that snowy problem.

Most people already have aspirin at home, so it won’t even cost extra to get some.  The salicylic acid in aspirin helps fight dandruff and leaves the scalp healthy. All you need is about 3 crushed pills mixed with your regular shampoo and there you go! You are left with shiny, dandruff-free hair.

Toothpaste for skin

There are a lot of skin problems that can be cured with the help of toothpaste. The most common of these is applying toothpaste to a burn or a pimple because of the high amount of menthol present in toothpaste, which offers a cooling sensation.

However, its use with pimples is a bit tricky as it can irritate the already inflamed skin, eventually causing the pimple to shrink but leaving behind a dark patch. So, it’s best not to use it abrasively. Try mixing it with a little Vaseline.

Black licorice for smooth feet

Let’s face it, black licorice is the devil’s candy. It’s sometimes difficult to eat, and has a really specific flavor that some people can’t come to grips with. Nobody really needs that stash from Halloween last year, so we are here to help you put it to good use.

Your tongue may not love it, but your feet will say thank you to black licorice, especially if you suffer from calluses and corns. Estrogen is present in licorice which helps to smooth out the rough areas and soften the feet. Just grind them up and apply the paste on affected area.

ACV for hangovers

After a night of partying and fun, it’s hard to come back to your senses and sober up the morning after. Here’s when a shot of apple cider vinegar will jolt you to your senses. Let’s be honest, the smell itself can wake up anybody in a deep sleep.

For this reason, its highly recommended to mix with water! Dilute a tablespoon of it in a glass of water, and have it first thing when you wake up in the morning. It is a natural diuretic which helps eliminate toxins from the body. All of this greatly helps after a night of drinks.

A jar of olives on the drive

If you are some one that suffers from motion sickness and travels often, or are planning a long road trip, you should carry a jar of olives with you to help combat the problem. This may seem like a bizarre remedy, but it apparently really works.

Besides, you can always use olives for martinis if you decide to stop and have a party. The salty taste of them is good for an upset stomach and nausea, while the tannins found in olives dry out the mouth, decreasing salivation which helps with vomiting.

Herbal remedy

It might sound like a crazy idea for an upset stomach, but blending a few herbs and spices together can actually help with diarrhea. If you have the runs, instead of trying medicines that might end up constipating you, try experiencing the benefits of an herbal remedy first.

For this, you will need to mix honey, cinnamon, cumin and ginger blended well together. Have a teaspoon of it and drink it down with some water. However, keep in mind that everyone has a different reaction to spices, and in cases of severe dehydration or loss of electrolytes, it’s best to stick with conventional medicines!

Yams for menopause symptoms

If you are going through menopause and want to save yourself from some not so fun signs and symptoms of it, you should increase your intake of yams. Well, if you are familiar with the movie, Sex and the City, you might already be aware of this home remedy.

Let’s us shed some light for those who don’t. Yams are filled with Vitamin C and high in antioxidants, so they help with many symptoms of menopause, and might even help with your libido. They are also super delicious so you can prepare many meals with them too.

Garlic for sneezy days

Garlic has a distinct smell, so you’ll probably prefer to keep away from it when you have annoying allergies and a bad case of the sneezes. But it’s actually quite healthy for you, and is a proven remedy to cure a stuffy nose because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Garlic is a natural decongestant and should be kept in mind during allergy season.  If you crush the garlic cloves while smelling it, it helps release stubborn mucus that blocks up the nose, making it hard to breathe. Once you get better and recover, keep it around to scare off vampires. 

The tennis ball roll

It could turn in to an awkward dance move, but we allow you to go crazy with it. Rolling a tennis ball under your feet actually helps foot pain after a long day of standing or walking around. It is kind of like a mini foot massage to relax your feet.

Besides the occasional foot aches, it is also helpful in more serious conditions, such as plantar fasciitis, which is an extremely painful foot condition. All you need to do is place a smooth tennis ball under your feet on a flat surface, and roll it around to release pressure.

Oil up those nails

If you have brittle nails that are prone to breakage and can just never grow out, get some vegetable oil and see its magic work on your nails. This tip is for you if you want a deep moisturizer to prevent further breakage.

Vegetable oil naturally softens and strengthens the nail which helps them grow long and strong. Apply vegetable oil directly to your nails and cover them with gloves overnight. You can also soak your nails in a bowl of vegetable oil for a few minutes every day.

Treat yourself with ice cream for pizza burns

Our tongues are quite sensitive to hot food, and the most common way to burn it is from hot cheese dripping over a  fresh pizza. Yes, pizza has betrayed us many times no matter how much we love it.

One of the ways to continue to treat yourself after a bad pizza burn is having some chilled ice cream. The cold from the ice cream can help soothe a scorched mouth and prevent blistering. It also helps you ease into the betrayal while still enjoying an unhealthy treat.

Pencil for headaches

No no, we are not talking about stabbing yourself with a pencil, although a bad headache can really make you want to do that to yourself. This remedy is used for tension headaches that are due to stress and anxiety, and is especially helpful for those who tend to clench their jaws together.

One way to relax your jaws is by biting down on a pencil. It creates a space between the jaws so that they are not crushed together and can catch a break. Do this while taking a few deep breaths and maybe listening to some country music, you’ll lighten up in no time!

‘High’ raisins for arthritis

Here’s a combination you need in your life:  Golden raisins soaked in gin. This combo can really help with joint pain and arthritis. This is due to the highly beneficial nutrients of the raisins, including vitamins and minerals combined with anti-inflammatory properties of gin.

They combine to form a kind of superfood that’s great for arthritis, as it targets both the swelling and pain to provide ultimate relief. It will also help you lighten up a bit, and make for a great evening snack.

Baking soda and splinters

Oh how we hate the annoying splinters under the skin that are so stubborn and painful.  Not only are they dangerous and inconvenient, but they can cause even more problems  if left inside the skin for too long.

When applied to the skin for a few minutes as a paste with water, baking soda helps to “swell” the skin enough to bring the splinter to the surface and make it easy to remove. You can also apply the paste and cover it with a band-aid and leave it for a day if it doesn’t work the first time.

Smelly feet, smelly feet, what are they feeding you?

Feed them vodka! Foot odor is often a source of embarrassment wherever you go. You can’t dare take off your shoes or socks to relax a bit around others. If you have some vodka lying around, you can take care of this problem.

Vodka takes away that icky smell of the foot and removes the odor. The high alcohol content kills bacteria and also dries up excess moisture, leaving the foot dry and fresh. You can apply it with some cotton or put the vodka in a spray bottle and spray it on your feet.

Oatmeal and eczema

Oatmeal is great for breakfast. But did you know it is great for skin health as well? We don’t kid, there are many oatmeal facial masks and even body massages that help with a number of skin problems.

For those of you who suffer from eczema, oatmeal is a natural home remedy that helps improve itchy skin patches. All you need is two cups of oats mixed with a cup of milk. Warm the mixture up a little bit. Once it has cooled down, you can massage it on the problem area and leave it to work its magic for a few minutes.

Salt water and tonsillitis

We are often advised to gargle and rinse our mouth with saltwater when our gums are inflamed or painful. But the benefits of saltwater go far and beyond that. It also helps to soothe the pain and swelling caused by tonsillitis.

This mixture also helps with a sore throat and a number of respiratory tract infections. High salt content in the water reduces inflammation and pain, eventually subsiding the infection. All you need is half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of lukewarm water to swish and gargle around your mouth.

Cloves for pearly whites

Toothaches are often so brutal, they have the potential to bring a grown man down to tears. This is when having cloves around the house can really come in handy. They are a proven home remedy against toothaches and other dental problems, and you might even notice some in your dentist’s office next time you’re visiting.

Cloves contain the chemical eugenol which acts like an anesthesia to ease the pain. They also have antibacterial properties. You can apply the clove oil on your tooth with a cotton swab, or chew down upon a few whole cloves. Just don’t swallow!

Stinging nettle for hair loss

Hair loss and baldness can be a real tragedy for some. When it comes to hair loss, you may have heard about several home remedies that usually never work. However, stinging nettle is one of those home remedies that has actually proven to work.

While it may not be able to grow the lost hair back, it can greatly slow down the process of hair loss. Whether you apply it to your head, or drink the stinging nettle tea a couple of times a day, it has a great effect on hair health.

Honey lips

Ditch the generic Chapstick and apply raw honey on your lips. They are a great moisturizer and loaded with healing properties, natural nutrients, and plant-based components. Honey helps with chapped lips, giving you smooth and soft lips in no time.

Raw and organic honey helps with chapped lips and gives you a smooth and soft skin in no time. Rub it on the affected area couple of times a day, you will be amazed at the sweet surprise. Honey is also good for cracked and acne-prone skin and even the hair. Just stay away from the bees and you’re good to go.

Tea bags after a good cry

We all know people place cucumbers over the eyes as a refreshing past-time and spa treatment, usually coupled with a relaxing facial.  But did you know tea bags are way more effective for eye puffiness and tiredness! It’s true.

That puffiness can magically disappear by regularly applying tea bags over the eyes. You can also store them in the fridge and use them to cool down burning eyes whenever you need. Caffeinated teas that contain tannic acid also help to reduce puffiness and make you feel fresh.