I hardly ever look at the back part of my body.
(do you?)
So I never noticed the itsy bitsy spider that climbed up on the back of my knee.
It didn’t occur to me that one day I’d be looking for ways to get rid of spider veins.
One hot day, a strange burning-itching sensation sent me to the mirror. I looked at the back of my leg and was horrified to see a big bunch of ugly purplish-red veins on my inner knee.
I never saw this one coming. I dropped everything and started obsessing about how to get rid of spider veins.
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Key Takeaways – How I Got Rid of My Spider Veins in 2 Weeks
Here’s my spider-veins-busting formula:
- A 40-minute walk every morning (so much fun!)
- Mustard oil + Witch Hazel tincture topically twice a day.
- Oak bark compresses every other night.
- Horse Chestnut cream every other day
- Added 1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper, 1 slice of Ginger, and 1 slice of fresh turmeric root to my daily Green Juice.
- Elevated the foot of my bed.
- Used an Anti Fatigue Mat while cooking
After 2 weeks, my spider veins were hardly even noticeable anymore. This was 2 months ago and no new ones appeared (believe me, I check). I’m thrilled!
Read on to find the causes of spider veins, why I chose these specific remedies and a few easy lifestyle changes you can make to prevent spider veins.
What Are Spider Veins?
Spider veins (angioectasias) are tiny dilated capillaries, typically in red or blue-ish color.
They can be short unconnected lines or come together in a spiderweb-like pattern just under the surface of the skin.
Spider Veins (and varicose veins) are most common on the thighs, the backs of the calves, the insides of the legs, and the ankles, but sometimes they even appear on the face.
Most of the time, they come with no symptoms and do not pose any health risks.
But, they can cause some itching and burning.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Spider veins are often hereditary (but it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about them!) and are common in pregnancy, puberty, and menopause.
Other Common causes for Spider Veins:
- Prolonged standing, especially combined with over-weight.
- Obesity
- Taking birth control pills (and hormonal changes)
- History of blood clots.
- Wearing tight hosiery
- Circulation problems (poor circulation). (WebMD)
Spider Veins on Legs Natural Treatments
To eliminate spider veins naturally, you’ll need to boost your blood circulation in the affected area blood vessels and your entire body, maintain a healthy weight, and avoid some factors that contribute to the formation of more spider veins in the future.
There are also a few good home remedies you can use for spider veins:
Step #1 – Topical Remedies
If you have any kind of burning and itching, topical remedies that help ease the symptoms are easy to find.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, these remedies help shrink those unsightly little veins under the skin – effectively.
For best results, apply your chosen remedy twice a day – morning and night.
1. Horse Chestnut Seeds
According to an article published in the journal Advances in Therapy, topical applications of HCSE helped to reduce varicose vein symptoms, including leg swelling, leg pain, itching, and heaviness.
Horse chestnut is believed to help with spider veins by improving blood circulation and reducing inflammation. Some studies have found that horse chestnut extract can help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, making them less likely to bulge and form spider veins.
Combine ten parts distilled Witch Hazel with one part tincture of Horse Chestnut and apply this mixture externally to the affected areas, twice a day.
This is one of the most praised remedies by people with chronic spider veins.
2. Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is another effective circulation booster.
Apply a few drops of Mustard Oil blended with carrier oil to the area twice a day.
This remedy is quite popular and you’ll more than a few women reporting success with it.
If you’re willing to put up with the pungent odor, massaging your affected areas with mustard oil could be an effective way to treat spider veins in your legs.
3. Witch Hazel Tea/Tincture
Witch Hazel is a powerful astringent and will help shrink those spider-buggers faster than you think.
German pharmacological studies indicate that witch hazel strengthens veins and acts as an anti-inflammatory.
Tannins account for witch hazel’s astringent action which helps tighten distended veins and repair their normal structure.
Dip a few Witch Hazel leaves in hot water for a few minutes. Let cool a little and place on the veins, for at least 15 minutes, twice a day.
Alternatively, I recommend this witch hazel, horse chestnut, white oak, and myrrh cream:
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
Another spider vein natural cure is ACV, which helps to increase circulation to your spiderweb.
It can help diminish the appearance of the spider veins (if you commit to treatment).
Saturate a piece of cloth with apple cider vinegar and apply it as a compress directly to your spider veins.
Allow the cloth to stay in place for 15 to 20 minutes, and then remove it.
For sensitive skin dilute the cider first with water, and It’s always best to do a patch test before using it on a larger area of the skin.
Repeat twice a day for at least 2 weeks, or until you can no longer see the veins.
See more amazing health & household uses for apple cider vinegar
5. Oak Bark Tea
Oak Bark is so powerful that it can even help with the most severe cases of varicose veins.
For spider veins, the chances of working are higher.
In fact, according to Healthline, Hemorrhoids, or swollen veins around the anal area, are sometimes treated by bathing in water mixed with oak bark powder to dry out sores.
Soak 3 teabags of Oak Bark in hot water for a few minutes, then strain the finished tea.
Dip a cotton flannel in the tea and wrap it around your spider veins. Find a way to attach it to the area and leave it on for a whole night.
Repeat for a week and be amazed by the results.
6. Lemon Oil
Lemon oil has vessel-strengthening properties that can help fight varicose and spider veins.
Mix 2 to 3 drops of lemon essential oil with jojoba, avocado, or almond oil and massage the affected area.
Step #2 – Boosting Blood Circulation
The two best ways to boost circulation throughout your body are exercising (the right type of exercise) and taking herbal remedies that increase blood flow.
The Best Exercises for Spider Veins (& What to Avoid)
Low-intensity exercises, such as walking, swimming, and “gentle” biking are the best kind for spider veins elimination.
Why?
Because low-impact exercises strengthen the leg and calf muscles to help support your veins – without causing too much pressure on them.
Any exercise that involves sudden pressure on the veins (such as running, rebounding, or lifting weights) should be avoided.
Herbs To Boost Circulation and Strengthen Veins
A few extremely effective herbs to boost circulation, strengthen the “walls” of your veins, and make them more flexible – are nature’s weapons against spider veins.
But, as with any other remedy, natural or not, check with your doctor first if you take any other medication or have a chronic illness (such as hypertension, or diabetes) to make sure it’s safe for you.
1. Horse Chestnut Seeds – clinical studies have shown that horse chestnut improves circulation in the legs, decreases inflammation, and strengthens the capillaries and veins.
Look for an extract that provides a daily dosage of 50 milligrams of aescin, a key part that strengthens capillaries.
2. Other herbs that improve circulation and strengthen veins are Witch Hazel, Bayberry, nettle, grape seed extract, Cayenne pepper, ginger, and Turmeric.
The Vitamin B group is also known to help increase blood flow and strengthen veins.
3. Natural Care Vein Guard – I haven’t tried this herbal formula, but I’ve heard a few people claiming it really helps, especially with burning, itching, or pain.
Compression Stockings (Support Stockings)
Compression socks have been researched and found effective for treating varicose veins.
Compression socks, also known as compression stockings, are designed to promote gentle pressure on the legs, which can improve blood flow and reduce the risk of blood pooling in the veins.
This can help to reduce the appearance of spider veins and prevent the development of new ones.
For prevention use low-pressure socks. For treatment use higher-pressure socks.
You don’t need a prescription to wear a support hose but only your doctor will be able to tell you how long you need to wear them to reduce the appearance of superficial veins.
Step #3 – Lifestyle Changes
1. Elevate the foot area of your bed. An easy way to reduce pressure on your legs is to elevate them above your heart. You can easily do this by stacking 2 large books under each leg of your bed.
This way, as opposed to using a pillow, your legs are still elevated even when you toss and turn.
2. Try to avoid sitting or standing for long – If your job requires sitting or standing a lot, great solutions are out there.
For example, for prolonged standing use an anti-fatigue mat. You won’t believe how good you’ll feel, even after cooking for hours standing in the same place.
For prolonged sitting (due to office work perhaps) – consider switching to a balance ball chair (I did) or even a treadmill workstation (on my wishlist!).
3. Get Spicy – try to incorporate spicy foods into your daily diet, such as Cayenne Pepper, ginger root, turmeric root, onions, and garlic.
4. Be More Physically Active – I think that everyone can free up half an hour to go outside and walk.
But if you just can’t, try to be more active in other ways, like avoiding elevators.
5. Avoid alcohol – a notorious inflammation enhancer.
To your health and happiness,
Meital
Studies
Thring TS, Hili P, Naughton DP. Antioxidant and potential anti-inflammatory activity of extracts and formulations of white tea, rose, and witch hazel on primary human dermal fibroblast cells. J Inflamm (Lond). 2011;8(1):27. Published 2011 Oct 13.
Atik D, Atik C, Karatepe C. The Effect of External Apple Vinegar Application on Varicosity Symptoms, Pain, and Social Appearancedoi:10.1155/2016/6473678
Suter, A., Bommer, S. & Rechner, J. Treatment of patients with venous insufficiency with fresh plant horse chestnut seed extract: A review of 5 clinical studies. Adv Therapy 23, 179–190 (2006).
S.K. Kakkos et al.Acute effects of graduated elastic compression stockings in patients with symptomatic varicose veins: a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg (2018)
Thank you for your post!
Have you also tried or heard of the efficacy of home made garlic oil?
Secondly, do you know which ones of these remedies are safe in pregnancy?
Kind regards
Stephanie
Great article! It would be so easy to get rid of spider veins by following these simple steps. I will definitely follow your article. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Yes it is 🙂
the mustard oil in the pic on amazon
is that the exact one you used ?
Awesome! thanks for sharing this with us:)
The witch hazel worked on my face noticed a difference after two months now been 5 months and almost gone
You can, but I don’t know if that will be concentrated enough to be effective. Also, I advise you to combine with other therapies mentioned in the post.
Instead of lemon oil can I put lemon drops ( freshly squeezed ) ?
For under your eye I would only use coconut oil or castor oil. I’m sure that it’ll disappear soon.
Which of the remedies will work best for the under-eye vein? A couple of months ago a tiny vein popped under my right eye. Don’t really know why as I don’t have any on my legs. I would like to get rid of it as my face is pretty clear, and that vein is quite visible.
Thank you.
Hello! After I gave birth to my second child lots of spider and varicose veins started to appear on my legs. As soon as I could I asked for help and a friend of mine recommended me venorid treatment. The results have been amazing!
Smells amazing, goes nicely with venorid. Will definitely order again.
It doesn’t really matter, try using drops of coconut oil.
Thank you for your reply. How many drops of carrier oil do you use with your 4 drops lemon and 5 drops mustard oil? I think I’ll use coconut oil as the carrier.
i have a few spider veins on my legs which are due to me standing up for long periods of time. I’ve been using Venorid serum for about a week or so now and I have been following the directions, so I’m hoping to see the appearance of the spider veins slowly go away. I like the fact that the serum isn’t strong and is barely noticeable so I can apply it before leaving home instead of just using it before bed.
Mo,
You can mix the oils together with a carrier oil, and you don’t have to make it fresh, you make a mix and keep it in the fridge for about 4 days.
There’s no science here as for a recipe, I used about 4 drops of lemon oil and 5 drops of mustard oil.
Good luck!
Do you mix the lemon oil with the mustard oil and the carrier oil and do you mix it fresh every time you apply? Can you give us a recipe, fr example how many drops of lemon and how many drops of mustard seed oil and carrier oil? Thank you
Have been using DermalMD Varicose veins Serum and another one and I have seen some improvement. Will have to order more, never seem to be enough since you have to apply 2 to 3 times a day.
Deborah,
Avocado oil is a carrier oil, you can use as much as you need to cover the entire area, and lemon drops – at least 4-5.
Let me know how it goes, but I remind you – This alone may not work, you need to combine it with a few more of the suggestions above.
Good luck!
How much avocado oil and lemon oil do you mix together and do I need to mix any other oil with it?
I am Ready to try this, have tried lots of other things and nothing worked.
Juliana that’s awesome!! I’m thrilled! Thank you for updating us and have a great day,
Meital
I have been using the mustard oil and lemon oil and just started some red light therapy – Thank you!! I can see the red spider blotch is definitely getting smaller!! It’s amazing!
Seriously does anyone have photos of spider veins on legs going away in one to two weeks from venorid serum? Is it a scam or not? It’s expensive so trying to decide if it’s worth buying online. Thank you respond only if you’ve used them and have some pics if possible thanks
Juliana,
Yes, I think these remedied can help, I would focus on the mustard oil. Also, I would suggest you try red light therapy, which can be very effective for any kind of skin redness.
I hope this helps and come back and tell me how it’s going o.k?:)
I have a big spider vein splotch on my cheek, I have had it for about 15 years. It used to be puffy but for a long time has been totally flat. There is a big red dot in the center with the veins around it. Do you think these remedies could get rid of it? Which remedies would you recommend? I would like to get rid of all the red. Thank you!
You can use olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, any carrier oil really.
Hi, what kind of other oil I need to mix the mustard oil with?
Kris,
If you’ll look at all the comments here, one of them includes the list of ingredients. I hope it helps.
Just wondering if Kristen is having any luck with the Venorid? I see a lot of people leaving good comments about it on other blogs but really want to know if it is worth the 40.00 including the shipping. The website is very vague and missing information like the ingredients etc. Kind of looks like a scam site? Thank you
Kirsten,
Thanks for removing the mystery for us…
As we can see, this is hardly natural, so it’s up to you and everyone else whether to use it.
Thanks again!:)
Here are the ingredients for Venorid (I purchased it and am applying it) … Also to note, the directions say to apply to the area where bruising is occurring or is thought to appear (most likely b/c it saves from directing against a “diagnosis” such as varicose or spider veins) ……
Distilled water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea butter, Glycerin, Glyceryl stearate, Stearic acid, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Rosehip seed oil, Sunflower oil, Glyceryl stearate citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, MSM, Potassium sorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Arnica oil, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride, Xanthan gum, Retinyl palmitate, Cholecalciferol, Sodium ascorbyl phosphate, Sodium bicarbonate
I have used Dermalmd Varicose Veins serum and really works perfectly! My skin is much better now and the difference is very appreciable. I will keep using this product because the comments of my friends have been very positives. My look has changed a lot from before. I will recommend this product to all of my friends and family.
Normally I’m not one to focus on the looks of my body, but I was not able to get passed these varicose veins that are taking over my lower leg. Thanks to venorid serum: The Varicose and Spider Vein Solution for allowing my calves to look much more attractive. I literally saw results within the first two weeks of using this. More importantly, I had no hesitation whatsoever considering I was practically trying the product for free. If I wasn’t satisfied with this product, I knew that I could get my money back. Fortunately, venorid serum has worked tremendously and I can’t wait to tell my friends!
I tried raw apple cider vinegar by soaking a cloth and wrapping around spider veins twice a day for a couple months and it made no difference. I will definitely try a couple of your suggestions and look at buying the venorid as well. Thanks for the great info!
How can I get venorid? I am having to have sclerotherapy once it gets cooler. The natural remedies did not work on my veins 🙁
After having my baby, my legs just looked absolutely awful, venorid serum really helped just in time for summer shorts and dresses too. It took a couple of weeks before I noticed a difference, but it was definitely worth the wait. I feel way happier about my legs now.
Kristen,
Both things can be found at some grocery stores, but in case you don’t find them, see the links for them in the post – You can find anything on Amazon as well…
Good luck and let me know how it works for you, o.k ?:)
Hi Meital,
I’ve just found your post and am going to try your regime starting today! Can you tell me where I might find oak bark tea bags? Would a regular grocery have them?
And can I just buy mustard oil at the grocery store or do I need to order a fancy one?
Thank you so much!
Aimee,
As for the oak bark, you simply use the tea bags. You soak them in some warm water and place on area for about 30 minutes, every day.
As for veneroid, I don’t know, never tried it, but some people have had success with it.
Good luck!
I’ve used every product known to man to fight spider veins but no success. I will try the lemon oil and mustard oil. You mentioned oak bark compress, how is that done? Also can you tell me if venoroid has truly worked? I’m considering surgery at this point!
Sincerely,
Aimee
Thank you so much for sharing information, I had taken mother to get varicose veins out, it did not help her at all they still came back again and worse, thanks for information I been using this products on her she is feels better, also she been suffering camps on her legs and pain do you have anything for this. Please reply.
I had a very bad varicose inflammation which gave me constant discomfort. I bought venorid in some desperation but I`m glad I did because the inflammation subsided and the pain went away. I would recommend this cream to others suffering similar problems. In fact I have already done so with another person having similar problems. Definitely a must for varicose vein sufferers.
You can use venorid serum for remove spider veins naturally i am also using that same product and trust me i got amazing result.
Emily,
Unfortunately i didn’t think about taking before pictures, all I have is after…
I do suggest that you try theser home remedies before you do anything else, you may be surprised to find how effective they can be.
Let me know how it works for you, o.k?:)
Do you have any before and after photos? I’d be interested to see them. My spider veins shows up about 9 months ago. Went to the dermatologist and they recommended Sclerotherapy. I’d like to try natural remedies first, at least during the hot months. Thank you for this wonderful post!
I have small spider veins on my nose and have been using DermalMD Varicose Veins Serum for a couple of months now and they are considerbly less noticable. Its worth the money.
Denise,
Yes, you do. Just a drop of coconut oil or olive oil would be enough.
Do you mix the mustard and lemon oils with a carrier oil?
I have been using venorid for about a month. So far I have not noticed any improvement in the spider veins. The general redness has not improved either. I will continue to use this for another month to see if it will help. Thank you.
Hi Isadora:)
I don’t think that the fact that you have them for years makes them less treatable.
I definitely think they are worth a try before thinking about surgery. I would combine a few of them (not just applying lemon oil, for example) to get maximum results.
I shared my plan at the bottom of the post, why don’t you try it too? But you have to be consistent and do it for a few weeks, I think it will work!
Come back and tell me how it worked for you, o.k.?:)
Unfortunately, I have a lot of spider veins and I’ve had them for many years. I thought the only solution would be some surgery at some point in my life. 🙁 I’m not really a fan of surgery so I thought I would just have to live with them (and therefore long skirts and trousers) for the rest of my life.
Do you think I could reduce the appearance of my spider veins with these home remedies even after years or do they work only/best on fresh spider veins?
Thank you!
Amalia:)
I wish I could! I wasn’t smart enough to take a before picture so now all I can post is an after picture…
Would you please post before and after pics?
Hi Andrea:)
Thanks for your kind words, you’ve made my day!:)
I really hope these remedies help you out like they did me, come back and tell me your results..
Btw, love your blog!
First, I love your post! Your humor makes the article a very entertaining read Second, I love the natural remedies!! I have a couple malicious veins showing up on my thighs and I have been wanting to find a treatment, so I will be putting lemon EO on it, stat! Thanks for doing all the research and sharing on Natural Living Monday!
I am so trying this! Suddenly I have a few varicose veins and I am hating them! But hate surgeries even more! Thanks!
Great post. My Mom has spider veins and has been considering having some sort of cosmetic procedure done to help with them. I’ll tell her about your post. :->
I found you on Thank Your Body Thursday. My post is 50 Delicious Foods For Sculpting Your Body in the Kitchen. Here’s the link: https://noskinnies.com/blog/2013/3/26/50-delicious-foods-for-sculpting-your-body-in-the-kitchen.
Hope to see you over at http://www.NoSkinnies.com soon!
Thanks. Tammy