Tea bag compresses. The tea is soothing and drying and both help promote healing. I would normally use that prior to getting them into the vet -- then I'd see the vet for a good cleanup, antibiotics and a steroid shot. But I always preferred the tea bags over anything the vet offered to soothe the itch. And my girl always seemed to like it too -- it's the only thing she didn't fight me over.
DVM; I have never had any client be successful in helping a hot spot with anything over the counter, though I have had some clients make it worse.
Hot spots are not a normal occurrence. Something always causes them. I would recommend performing allergy testing to get to the root cause of the issue, instead of putting a bandaid of any medication on it, no matter if over the counter or prescribed.
Use a cone to keep them from chewing it. I also use Vetericyn spray from tractor supply. I’ve also seen people use antibiotic cream (Pain Relief Free!). Keep it clean and dry.