We’ve all been there and felt the pain…many times (damn crawlers!). No matter how much bug repellent we coat our bodies with, those sneaky creatures still manage to devour our skin. We have tried all kinds of sprays, towelettes and nets to keep the bugs out of our site, but sometimes even those preventative measures can’t withstand the pesky little devils. Because we’ve been defeated time and time again, we know exactly how to care for our itchy, red, swollen bug bites…all with products straight from our kitchens and medicine cabinets! And, well, luck for you, we’re sharing! 7 Home Remedies For Bug BitesA cool ice cube does more than numb us to feeling the itch. Rather, ice helps to numb the area, reduce the swelling and ease the itching of the bite. Get the most out of this easy DIY remedy by applying ice as soon as you notice the bite, in order to minimize the symptoms. 5 fun ways to get active outdoors! Salt & Baking Soda. Mix together equal parts of baking soda and salt before adding enough water to create a thick paste.
Apply it to the bite to relieve the itchy feeling and the red coloring of the bite.If you have a well-stocked vitamin cabinet, you likely have a Vitamin E capsule somewhere in there and, well, if you don’t you may want to pick some up next time you’re at the drugstore. Just puncture the capsule and apply the oil directly to the bug bite to moisturize the skin, improve scar tissue and, ultimately, fade the mosquito bite scar. The vitamins you need for beauty!Who would have thought, but toothpaste actually takes the itch out! Just smooth regular flavored toothpaste all over bitten area and let it dry.This is an age-old bee sting remedy but the fact is that it works on most types of bug bites! Mix powdered meat tenderizer with water to form a thick paste and cover the bug bit and irritated area for 10 minutes or so. It will neutralize the poison, relieve the itch and swelling and make your bite feel, well, tender, in just minutes!Rub the inside of a banana peel on a mosquito bite to take the itch out by reducing the inflammation and irritation!
Leave that bit of residue on to allow the banana peel to work its anti-itching magic!Another medicine cabinet remedy, but this one is all about stopping the itch! Just wet an aspirin tablet and rub it on the bite to relieve the “I’m about the scratch off my (insert afflicted body part here)” feeling stat – and reduce swelling too! 6 ways to smoother, sexier legs!Mosquitoes can put a real damper on enjoying the outdoors. When we were on our honeymoon, many years ago, we were camping in Grand Teton National Park. Even before we opened the car doors to set up our tent and camp stove, there were enormous mosquitoes hovering in large numbers to get a bite of our blood. There seem to be significant differences among individuals with respect to how attractive mosquitoes find them. Some people start slapping biting mosquitoes the second they step outside, while others are rarely troubled at all. suggests several factors that may help explain this curious phenomenon. It turns out that blood type matters, and so does body temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide a person exhales.
The microbial ecology of the skin may also have an effect on mosquitoes and their likelihood of taking a taste. Be wary at the backyard cookout: people drinking beer appear to be especially appealing to mosquitoes. Q. I am a gardener and have always been a mosquito magnet. I read about vitamin B1 and have been taking it for several days. I just went outside this evening and didn’t get one bite! Usually they are all over me. I will continue to take B1 until cold weather. A. There is almost no scientific research to support vitamin B1 (thiamine) against mosquitoes. That said, some readers report similar success. It may well be that thiamine works in conjunction with some of the other individual factors to make certain individuals less appealing. We heard before from an individual who had good luck like you do: Q. I have found vitamin B1 to be an effective deterrent for mosquito bites. I was recently in an area where I got multiple mosquito bites daily that itched unbearably.
I developed open sores from scratching in my sleep, even when I used Benadryl or hydrocortisone cream. In less than a week of taking vitamin B1 (500 mg per day), I have not had any more bites. I know there are studies that say vitamin B1 has no value for deterring insect bites, but my experience convinces me otherwise. A. Thank you for sharing your testimonial. Some other readers have also found taking vitamin B1 (thiamine) helpful against mosquitoes. The research we have found, however, indicates that this vitamin is not effective as a systemic mosquito repellent (Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, June, 2005). We could find no more recent research on the effects of thiamine against mosquito bites. Another reader used B vitamins as a repellent in quite a different way: Q. I was hiking high in the Canadian Rockies and the black flies were voracious. I didn’t have insect repellent with me because mosquitoes, fleas and other critters never bite me.
I think that’s because I take B-complex and garlic, among other supplements, and they don’t like that. Increasingly vexed by the black flies, I finally appropriated a B-complex 100 mg tablet I had with me. I smushed it up with some creek water, and then rubbed the bright yellow liquid all over myself. I admit, though, that I did look a bit jaundiced. What do you think about the efficacy of B-complex or other supplements in repelling bugs? A. We love your story, but we’ve never heard of anyone else using vitamin B pills topically. With no studies, we wouldn’t dare venture a guess about effectiveness. There was some preliminary research on thiamine, a B vitamin, taken orally to repel mosquitoes. Since it was conducted many decades ago, however, it would not meet today’s scientific standards and newer research has not confirmed the benefit. Nevertheless, some readers swear that this nutrient keeps mosquitoes from biting them. Individual body chemistry seems to have an important effect on whether and how well this remedy works.