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A boil is a deep, tender lump that hurts when you sit, walk or even brush against fabric — and the tube you reach for decides how fast it comes to a head. What you actually want is a drawing ointment that pulls the infection toward the surface so it drains on its own instead of under a knife, and five options below do that job differently. Some calm the pain; others pull hard and smell strong doing it. The crowd favorite here holds 4.5+ stars across 900+ ratings, and it is a two-pack drawing salve rather than a numbing ointment.
This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
You will see which ointments pull hardest, which one numbs the throbbing first, and which suits a splinter versus a full abscess. Read on for the honest breakdown of the drawing ointment for boils that suits your skin and your patience level.
Top Picks
How To Choose The Best Drawing Ointment for Boils
A boil is a pocket of infection sitting under the skin, and the tube you buy has to do one of two jobs: pull that pocket upward so it drains, or quiet the pain while your body does the draining. Knowing which job you need stops you buying the wrong tube twice. The five ointments here split cleanly along that line, so start with what your boil actually looks like right now.
Drawing agents versus numbing agents
A drawing salve uses ingredients that soften the skin over the boil so the trapped material moves toward the surface — that is the “bring it to a head” effect people talk about. A numbing ointment does the opposite job: it does not pull anything, it blocks the throbbing so you can sit down. If your boil is already forming a visible white center, a drawing salve is doing the work you need. If it is a hard, red, painful lump with nothing to drain yet, a numbing layer takes the edge off while you wait.
Read the active-ingredient line first
This is the one line on the box that tells you what the tube actually does. An ointment listing Benzocaine 20% is a pain reliever, full stop — that number is the maximum strength sold without a prescription. An ointment listing 2% iodine is an antiseptic: it works to keep the area clean rather than to numb it. A salve with no drug active at all is usually a traditional drawing preparation, and one built around allantoin is aimed at skin repair. Match that line to the job before anything else.
Texture, stickiness and cleanup
Drawing salves are famously tacky. That stickiness is part of how they stay put on a moving, curved patch of skin, but it also means removal takes a little work. If you have sensitive skin or you are applying near hair, expect to soak or exfoliate the residue off rather than wipe it. Creamy, squeezable tubes are easier for daily reapplication; firm salves stay where you put them overnight.
How much tube you actually go through
A boil gets a thin layer, not a thick coat, so a small tube goes a long way for one spot. Buy for the size of the area you are treating and how long you expect to keep at it, not for the biggest tube on the shelf. Two-packs make sense if you are treating recurring spots or want one at home and one in a bag.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Model | Best For | Active Type | Size | Listed Weight | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyland’s Homeopathic Pride Drawing Salve★ Best Overall | Traditional drawing and splinters | All-natural drawing salve | 18 g (pack of 2) | 1.27 ounces | Amazon |
| Boil Ease Pain Relieving OintmentBest for Pain Relief | Numbs a painful boil | Benzocaine 20% | 1 oz (2 pack) | 0.99 ounces | Amazon |
| Dr. Gordshell’s Skin Cream | Boils plus rashes and bites | Soothing topical cream | 1 oz | 3.21 ounces | Amazon |
| Baar Yodex Topical Antiseptic Ointment | Keeping the area clean | Iodine 2% | 1 oz | 3.21 ounces | Amazon |
| terrasil Skin Repair Ointment | Sensitive skin and broad skin repair | Allantoin plus Activated Minerals | 1 oz | 1.13 ounces | Amazon |
Detailed Reviews
1. Hyland’s Pride Drawing Salve 18 Gram Pack of 2
Our pick — 4.5+★ from 900+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
A tacky little tin that pulls a months-old lump to the surface by morning.
The reason this one sits at the top is simple: it draws, and it draws to a depth the others do not. That is an all-natural formula rather than a drug, so there is no numbing agent inside — the work happens on the surface of the skin, pulling trapped material upward rather than dulling the throb underneath. You are buying two 18 g tins, which means one lives in the bathroom cabinet and one travels in a bag. Each tin carries a listed weight of 1.27 ounces, so it slips into a pocket without a second thought.
What wins people over is the drawing itself, and it is the thing praised more than anything else in this category. Buyers report using it on abscesses to bring them to a head, and reviewers describe stubborn blind pimples surfacing overnight after a single application. One reviewer notes a bee sting on a fingertip never even swelled after the salve went on. Reviewers also use it beyond boils — swelling, redness and eczema itchiness all come up as reasons people keep a tin around.
The honest catch is the texture and the smell. This salve is genuinely sticky, and getting it off takes soaking or gentle exfoliation rather than a quick wipe. It has an odd, medicinal scent that people notice immediately. There is also a durability note worth flagging: a handful of users find the tins dry out or lose their consistency over a long stretch in the cabinet, so buy it for a spot you are treating now rather than stockpiling.
Why It Earns First Place
- Pulls deep lumps to the surface, including blind pimples and old cystic bumps
- Two 18 g tins, so one stays home and one goes in a bag
- All-natural drawing formula with no numbing drug inside
- Works on splinters, ingrown hairs and cystic acne as well as boils
What You Tolerate For The Result
- Very sticky and takes soaking or exfoliating to remove
- Noticeable medicinal smell
- Tins can dry out if stored a long time
Reach for this if: you want a boil, splinter or blind lump pulled to the surface and you can live with a tacky, smelly salve overnight.
Pass it over if: what you need right now is pain relief — this tube has no numbing ingredient in it.
2. Boil Ease Pain Relieving Ointment, 1 Ounce (2 Pack)
The one that quiets the throbbing instead of pulling anything out.
Here is the split in this category made concrete: the salve above draws, and this tube numbs. Its active ingredient is Benzocaine 20%, the maximum strength you can get without a prescription, and that is a different job entirely. It is for the hours when the boil hurts too much to sit still, not for the hours when you want it to surface. The 1 oz tube is creamy and easy to squeeze, which matters when you are applying it gingerly to a tender spot. You get two tubes in the pack.
Owners reach for it as a first line of comfort and a second line of drawing — the review pages describe a boil coming to a head with it as well as the soothing effect. The most-discussed strength is simply that it works, with the pain relief and the boil-easing effect close behind. Owners mention it as a product worth having at home for the moment you need a little extra relief. Reviewers also mention a pharmacist recommendation, and one account uses it on over a hundred mosquito bites plus spider bites under a bandage.
This tube does one job, so do not expect it to replace a drawing salve if your goal is drainage. The creamy texture is pleasant but it is not a stay-put overnight salve, and it is for external use only. If your boil is already forming a head, pair it with a drawing salve rather than swapping one for the other.
The pain-first pick: maximum-strength Benzocaine 20% in a squeezable 1 oz tube, sold as a two-pack, for the days when the boil hurts more than it drains.
You want this when: the boil is a hard, painful lump and you need the throbbing to stop before anything else.
Keep looking if: you are specifically after a draw-out salve — this is a numbing agent, not a pulling one.
3. Dr. Gordshell’s Skin Cream Soothing Topical Application 1oz
One small jar that covers the whole messy list, boils included.
If your boil came with company — a rash spreading next door, a bug bite you cannot stop scratching, a bit of eczema flaring on the same arm — this is the jar that treats the whole neighborhood rather than one address. It is a soothing topical cream in a 1 oz size, and the label covers eczema, boils, rashes, bug bites, itching and burns. The listed weight is 3.21 ounces, the same as the iodine ointment further down, so it is a substantial little jar in the hand.
This one earns its place on breadth rather than a single dramatic draw. It is the pick for someone whose skin is reacting in several ways at once and who does not want four tubes on the shelf. Where the Pride salve goes deep on one stubborn lump, this cream spreads its usefulness across the irritated patches around it. That makes it a sensible first purchase if you are not yet sure what you are dealing with.
The trade-off is that a multi-purpose cream is rarely the strongest at any one job. If your only problem is a single deep boil that needs pulling, a dedicated drawing salve will do more focused work. Think of this as the general-purpose jar for a reactive skin week, not the heavy artillery for one abscess.
Best suited to: skin that is reacting in several places at once — boils alongside rashes, bites, itching or burns.
Think twice if: you have one deep boil and want the most focused drawing action available.
4. Baar Yodex Topical Antiseptic Ointment, 2% Iodine, 1 oz
The iodine classic that keeps the area clean while it heals.
This is the tube you want when the boil has already opened or when the skin around it looks angry — the job here is keeping the area clean, not pulling or numbing. The active is 2% iodine, and the formula is built so the iodine gradually separates from its carrier while it sits on the skin. In plain terms, it keeps releasing the antiseptic the whole time it is in contact. The base is a smooth blend of oleic acid, paraffin and petrolatum, and the maker notes it is a non-antibiotic ointment that does not contribute to antibiotic resistance. Application is straightforward: cleanse with mild soap and warm water, rinse, rub the ointment in until the color disappears, and cover with a light bandage if you want.
The application note about rubbing until the color disappears is the tell — this is a staining iodine product, so you work it in fully rather than dabbing it on and walking away. That is a small ritual, but it is what keeps the color off your clothes. On the weight question, this ointment is listed at 3.21 ounces, while the Boil Ease tube comes in at 0.99 ounces — a real difference in how substantial each one feels in the hand.
Owners describe it as an old remedy for infected sub-dermal cysts that shortens both the infection and the drainage time. Effectiveness is the quality people point to first. What it is not is a pain reliever or a drawing salve, so it sits alongside those products rather than replacing them.
Where it fits: an antiseptic step for a boil that has opened or skin that needs keeping clean, with 2% iodine doing the work and a non-antibiotic formula as the selling point.
Pick this up for: keeping a draining boil or broken skin clean, especially if you want to avoid antibiotic ointments.
Do not expect it to: numb the pain or draw a closed boil to a head — it is an antiseptic and nothing more.
5. terrasil Skin Repair Ointment 1oz
An allantoin repair cream built for skin that reacts to everything else.
Sensitive skin is the reason this tube exists. It is fragrance-free, dye-free, alcohol-free and paraben-free, and it is listed as dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic approved — the kind of formula you can put on skin that flares at the slightest thing. The active ingredient is allantoin, paired with what the maker calls Activated Minerals and natural jojoba oil and calendula. Listed weight is 1.13 ounces, so it is a genuinely light tube to keep in a bag.
What it does is repair and calm. The label covers a long list of skin complaints — boils, folliculitis, angular cheilitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, ingrown hair and more — and the approach is soothing redness and irritation rather than drawing anything out. Reviewers report fast relief; one buyer’s inner-thigh rash from fabric rubbing cleared after two nights, and several say it saved them a trip to the doctor. The catch worth naming is the tube size. This is a small amount of cream for the money, and regular users find it runs out quicker than they would like.
Compared with the Pride salve at the top, this one is the gentler pick: less pulling, more calming. Use it when the skin around the boil is inflamed and reactive, or when the boil sits somewhere delicate. Use the drawing salve when the goal is to bring a closed lump to a head. Use this one when the goal is to settle everything down and let it heal.
The gentle repair route: allantoin plus Activated Minerals in a fragrance-free, dye-free tube, aimed at boils and irritated skin that needs calming before it needs drawing.
Go this way if: your skin is sensitive and the boil sits in a delicate spot where a strong drawing salve feels like too much.
Weigh it up if: you are treating a large area — the tube is small, and regular use goes through it fast.
Know the Specs
Active Ingredient Percentage
The percentage on the box tells you how strong the active is. Benzocaine 20% is a maximum-strength numbing agent, so the tube is for pain. Iodine 2% is an antiseptic concentration, so the tube is for keeping an area clean. An allantoin-based cream with no percentage drug claim is a repair formula. Read this line before you read anything else on the package.
Tube Versus Tin, and How Much You Get
A squeeze tube is easier for daily reapplication; a tin of salve stays where you put it overnight. Size matters less than you think, because a boil gets only a thin layer — a small tube can last a while for one spot, but a large area will drink it up. Buy for the area you are treating.
Common Questions
Can I put a drawing salve directly on an open boil?
How long does a drawing ointment take to bring a boil to a head?
Is a numbing ointment better than a drawing salve for a boil?
Will the iodine in an antiseptic ointment stain my clothes or skin?
Is the Pride drawing salve safe to use on children?
Why do drawing salves smell so strong?
Which of these works on a splinter as well as a boil?
Can I use a drawing ointment on hidradenitis suppurativa or folliculitis?
How do I remove sticky salve residue from my skin?
When should I stop treating a boil at home and see a doctor?
The Bottom Line
The strongest pick for most people is the Hyland’s Pride Drawing Salve, because it does the one thing you buy a drawing ointment to do — pull a deep lump to the surface — and it comes as a two-pack with a listed weight of 1.27 ounces per tin. If pain is the problem rather than depth, the Boil Ease ointment puts maximum-strength Benzocaine 20% on the job in a squeezable tube. And when the skin around the boil is angry and reactive, the fragrance-free terrasil cream is the gentler route.
How we choose
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of October 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
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