Buy Permethrin 5 Cream Online in Kenya – Regenera Permethrin 5%
Permethrin 5 cream is the standard first-line treatment for scabies, and it works reliably when it is used correctly. It kills both the mites and their eggs.
The difficulty is that scabies treatment fails often, and it almost never fails because the medicine is weak. It fails because of how it is applied, who gets treated, and what people believe about the itch afterwards. This page is written to prevent that. At HealthAlone, a licensed, pharmacist-led Kenyan health store, you get the original sealed product and instructions that actually work — ask our pharmacist before you order if anything here is unclear.
How to Use Permethrin 5 Cream Properly
Follow the directions on your pack and any instructions from your doctor or pharmacist. This is the standard method for permethrin 5% in scabies, and the details matter more than people expect.
- Apply to clean, cool, dry skin. Do not apply straight after a hot bath or shower — warm skin absorbs more of it, which increases irritation without improving results. Cool down first.
- Apply to the whole body from the neck down, not just where it itches. The mites are not only where you feel them.
- Do not miss the places everyone misses: between the fingers and toes, under the fingernails and toenails, the wrists, armpits, navel, genitals, buttock creases and the soles of the feet. Cut nails short and use a brush or cotton bud under them.
- For babies, young children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, the face, scalp, neck and ears are included too — avoiding the eyes and mouth. Get a doctor’s guidance for these groups.
- Leave it on for 8 to 14 hours — overnight is simplest — then wash it off. If you wash your hands during that time, reapply to your hands.
- Repeat the whole treatment after 7 days. The second application catches mites that hatched from eggs after the first.
The Three Reasons Scabies Treatment Fails
- Not everyone was treated. This is the biggest one by far. Scabies spreads through prolonged skin contact, and someone can carry it for four to six weeks before they itch. If you treat only the person with symptoms, the untreated members of the household simply pass it back.
Everyone in the house must be treated on the same day — including those with no symptoms at all. That means partners, children, anyone sharing a bed, and house help who lives in. This single point is the difference between clearing scabies and passing it around for months.
- The cream was not applied everywhere. Applying it only to the itchy patches leaves mites alive elsewhere. Neck down, everywhere, every crease.
- People re-treat too soon because they are still itching — which brings us to the most misunderstood part.
The Itch Continues After Treatment — That Does Not Mean It Failed
After successful treatment, itching commonly continues for two to four weeks, and sometimes longer. This is normal.
The itch of scabies is an allergic reaction to the mites and their debris, not a direct sensation of the mites themselves. When they die, the debris remains in the skin and your immune system keeps reacting to it until the skin sheds and settles. The mites are dead; the reaction is not.
People who do not know this assume the treatment failed, apply more permethrin, and end up with an irritant dermatitis that itches just as much — which they take as further proof of failure. It is a miserable loop and entirely avoidable.
Manage the itch with a plain emollient and, if a doctor advises it, an antihistamine. Go back to a doctor if you are still developing new burrows or spots after the second treatment, which is different from continuing to itch.
What Scabies Actually Is
Scabies is caused by a mite that burrows into the top layer of skin. The classic signs are intense itching that is worse at night, and thin wavy lines or tiny spots, often between the fingers, on the wrists, around the waist and in the genital area.
One thing worth stating plainly: scabies has nothing to do with being unclean. It spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which is why it moves through families, boarding schools and shared accommodation. The shame attached to it is one reason people delay treatment and keep it to themselves, and that delay is exactly what lets it spread.
Key Points to Know
- Permethrin 5% is the standard first-line treatment for scabies, killing mites and eggs
- Applied neck down over the whole body, left on 8 to 14 hours, then washed off
- Repeated after 7 days to catch newly hatched mites
- Everyone in the household is treated on the same day, symptoms or not
- Itching continues for two to four weeks after successful treatment — this is normal
- Bedding and clothing are washed hot or sealed away for 72 hours
- Ask our pharmacist how much you need before ordering — a household needs more than one tube
Bedding, Clothes and the House
On the day of treatment, wash all bedding, towels and clothing worn in the previous three days at 60°C or hotter and dry thoroughly in the sun. Anything that cannot be washed hot goes into a sealed plastic bag for 72 hours — the mites cannot survive that long away from skin.
You do not need to fumigate the house or throw out furniture — scabies mites do not live in walls or carpets in any meaningful way. Vacuum the mattress if it makes you feel better; the bedding and clothes are what matter.
Who Is Permethrin 5 Cream For?
It is for people diagnosed with scabies and their household contacts. If nobody has diagnosed it, get it looked at first — scabies is commonly confused with eczema, allergic reactions and insect bites, and treating the wrong thing wastes a fortnight while the real problem continues.
Safety note: for external use only. Avoid the eyes, inside the nose and mouth, and any broken or weeping skin; rinse with plenty of clean water if it gets in the eyes. Apply to cool, dry skin rather than after a hot bath. Do not use on babies under two months, and get a doctor’s guidance before treating infants, young children, the frail elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system, as the areas to be treated differ. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or our pharmacist first. Transient stinging, burning, tingling or increased itching after application is common and usually settles. Do not apply more often or leave it on longer than directed — over-treatment causes an irritant dermatitis that itches like scabies and is regularly mistaken for it. Wash it off after the stated time. Keep out of reach of children, and keep it away from cats, for which permethrin is toxic. See a doctor if you develop widespread crusted or thickened scaly skin, if the skin becomes hot, swollen, weeping or infected from scratching, if you are still developing new spots or burrows after the second treatment, or if you have a weakened immune system — those situations need medical management rather than a repeat purchase.
Why Buy from HealthAlone Kenya?
Scabies is common, treatable and badly handled, and most of what goes wrong is information rather than medicine. HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led African health ecosystem, licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. Everything we sell is original, sealed and correctly stored, and you will see the current price right on this page, always accurate rather than a figure gone stale on a listing site or in a WhatsApp group.
Before you order, tell our pharmacist how many people are in the house. Treating a household of five once is not the same quantity as treating one person, and the second round at day seven doubles it again — buying too little is one of the most common reasons a family never quite clears it. We would rather work that out with you honestly than have you back in three weeks.
We deliver across Nairobi and all major Kenyan towns — Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Thika and beyond — and we serve customers across East Africa, including Tanzania and Uganda. You can also collect your order at our shop at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. Living abroad? Order online from the US or UK and we deliver to your family in Kenya. It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use permethrin 5 cream for scabies?
Apply it to clean, cool, dry skin — not straight after a hot bath — over the whole body from the neck down, including between the fingers and toes, under the nails, the wrists, armpits, navel, genitals, buttock creases and soles of the feet. Leave it on for 8 to 14 hours, usually overnight, then wash it off, reapplying to your hands if you wash them during that time. Repeat the whole treatment after 7 days. For babies, the elderly and anyone immunocompromised, the face and scalp are included too — get a doctor’s guidance for those.
Does my whole family need to be treated?
Yes, and on the same day. This is the single biggest reason scabies treatment fails. Someone can carry scabies for four to six weeks before they itch, so untreated household members pass it straight back to you. Treat everyone sharing the house — partners, children, anyone sharing a bed, and live-in house help — whether or not they have symptoms.
Why am I still itching after treatment?
Because the itch is an allergic reaction to the mites and their debris, not a direct sensation of the mites. After successful treatment it commonly continues for two to four weeks while your skin sheds and settles. This is normal and does not mean the treatment failed. Do not apply more permethrin — over-treatment causes an irritant dermatitis that itches just as much. Use a plain emollient, and ask a doctor about an antihistamine. Go back to a doctor if you are developing new spots or burrows after the second treatment.
Do I need a second application?
Yes, after 7 days. Permethrin kills mites and eggs, but the second treatment catches anything that hatched afterwards and is standard practice. Plan and buy for both rounds from the start rather than deciding at day seven.
Can it be used on babies or in pregnancy?
Not on babies under two months, and infants, young children, the frail elderly and anyone immunocompromised need a doctor’s guidance because the areas to be treated differ — the face and scalp are included for them. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or our pharmacist before using it.
What do I do about bedding and clothes?
On treatment day, wash all bedding, towels and clothing worn in the previous three days at 60°C or hotter and dry them thoroughly. Anything that cannot be washed hot goes in a sealed plastic bag for 72 hours — the mites cannot survive that long off skin. You do not need to fumigate the house or discard furniture.
Does having scabies mean I am unclean?
No. Scabies spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which is why it moves through families, boarding schools and shared accommodation regardless of hygiene. The shame attached to it is one of the reasons people delay treatment and do not tell their household — and that delay is exactly what lets it spread.
How much does permethrin 5 cream cost in Kenya?
You will see the current price right on this page, always up to date — we keep it accurate rather than publishing figures that go stale elsewhere. The more useful question is how much you need, because that is what people get wrong: a household is treated all at once, and the whole treatment repeats after seven days, so one tube is rarely enough for a family. Tell our pharmacist how many people are in the house and we will work out the quantity with you before you order.
Where can I buy permethrin in Kenya?
You can buy Regenera Permethrin 5% online at HealthAlone, a licensed Kenyan health store. We deliver across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Thika and the rest of Kenya, and we serve customers in East Africa, including Tanzania and Uganda. You can also buy it in person at our shop at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi, where our pharmacist can advise you directly.
