Written by 2:21 pmInsect Repellent

13 Home Remedies for Mosquito Bite Relief

A close-up image of a mosquito on a skin sucking blood, blood seen accumulating in its stomach.

We all know how annoying mosquitoes can be and seeing as you’re on this page right now I’m assuming you’ve been bitten. Itchy right? Well, this article goes over a few ideas for mosquito bite relief.

When you look at the anatomy of a mosquito and how they suck our blood, it’s actually pretty freaky. Seriously, after this, you should focus on taking more precautions to prevent mosquito bites in the future.

Why do mosquito bites itch?

Mosquitos have a protective shaft that sticks into our skin. Once this shaft retracts you’ll find 6 long needles. They all serve different purposes, for example, one is to suck blood, some are to widen the area, and one, in particular, is used to inject a chemical that stimulates the bloody.

However, sometimes, this chemical has some deadly diseases attached to it too. Other times it will just make your skin itchy!

Now if you get bitten it’s either going to be manageable or it will drive you insane. We strongly believe that the best way of managing this is by preventing it from happening in the first place.

Stop Scratching Your Mosquito Bite

The mosquito bite will itch, your skin has just been injected by a mosquito! The mosquito injects a chemical into your blood that stimulates blood flow.

This is really itchy and causes inflammation. If you start scratching this, the skin will become even more irritated and you’re going to end up in a cycle where all you’re doing is adding fuel to the fire.

By scratching you also increase the risk of breaking the skin and causing an infection too.

Immediate relief for mosquito bites

If you do unfortunately get bitten, try some of these:

Oatmeal

Oatmeal contains special compounds that have anti-irritant qualities, these can help relieve itching and swelling. Simply make some oatmeal paste by mixing water and oatmeal together. Then paste this mixture onto your bite. Leave it there for around 10-15 minutes. After this wipe the area clean and hopefully it will feel better.

If you’re covered in bites, you could try an oatmeal bath. Just make a bath as you normally would but this time add a cup of oatmeal in. A 20 minute soak should help.

Onion

Onion juices can be pretty potent, you know what it’s like when you freshly cut an onion bulb in two. The juices that cause our eyes to water can actually reduce the sting from a mosquito bite.

Onions have a natural antifungal property which helps reduce the risk of infections.

Cut an onion in two, squeeze the juices over your bite or rub the onion over the bite gently.

Crushed ice

I’m sure you’ve tried this already but if you haven’t you should know that cold temperatures will reduce inflammation. The cold ice will essentially numb the skin and provide short term relief. Just grab some ice, wrap something around it like a napkin or a washcloth (this will protect the skin).

Basil

Basil is well known for its powerful healing and healthful properties. It is a herb that has been trusted around the world for hundreds of years. It’s also a big favourite by many italian chefs, hence why your favourite recipes will often use basil.

So chances are you’ll have some basil in the cupboard which is great because it can double up as a mosquito bite remedy!

There have been many studies done on Basil and one, in particular, suggests that basil contains a chemical compound called eugenol that can help relieve itchy skin.

So boil 2 cups of water and add some basil leaves to them. I’d recommend about half an ounce of dried basil leaves.

Baking Soda

Found in pretty much every kitchen, baking soda is very useful. Baking Soda has many uses, it can treat heartburn, whiten your teeth and even soothe mosquito bites. You can make a thick paste by using baking soda and water.

Once done just rub it onto the bite and it will help. If however this just irritates you, stop immediately and wash the bite with water.

Lemons

Lemons can be used to stop an itchy bite too. The citric acid in lemon will numb the wound and prevent you from getting any infections too. Try do it before the bite itches because if you itch the bite and scratch it open, you’ll now have a tiny cut. Adding lemon juice to this will just make it sting. If you can get passed a few seconds of stinging though, it will get rid of the itchiness.

Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is a good solution too, try swabbing some apple cider vinegar onto the bite. This can help balance the pH levels of the infected area. If your absolutely cover in bites, you could add a few cups of vinegar to a bath and soak in it. This can help the itching significantly.

Aloe Vera

I’m sure you’ve used Aloe Vera for sunburn before but it can actually be used to help soothe the itching from an insect bite. I’d recommend getting some aloe vera gel that can be found in most pharmacies or shops.

Garlic

Garlic is a well-known remedy for a lot of things. Did you know that garlic can also help an irritating mosquito bite too? You should know that cutting some garlic and placing it on the bite will cause some burning and stinging.

We recommend mincing it up and creating an ointment with some coconut oil.

See a doctor for your mosquito bite if…

Some people can react badly when exposed to certain things. Unfortunately, this can cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. This reaction can be really severe and requires immediate medical attention.

Most of the time this reaction is caused by things like a bee sting, food allergies but can be caused by mosquito bites too!

Symptoms include a rash, a break out in hives, wheezing, low pulse, difficulty breathing or feeling like their throat is closing up.

This is a life-threatening reaction and will require an EpiPen injection. It’s a rare reaction to have from a mosquito bite but it can happen.

Other serious symptoms that can happen as a result of a mosquito bite are:

  • Blisters
  • Lesions
  • Hives
  • High fever
  • Swelling in joints

How long does a mosquito bite last?

A mosquito bite will typically only last a few days. However, this is dependent on the size and severity of the bite. It’s also worth noting that if you have a poor immune system, you are likely going to take longer to recover.

Itching or scratching the bite will only extend the length of time your bite lasts too.

What do mosquito bites look like?

It’s hard to say, mosquito bites normally look like a white, puffy, reddish bump. It depends though, it could also look like small blisters or dark spots that look like mini bruises. More severe reactions can happen too (especially children and people with immune disorders).

Try some of the above tactics and you’ll find something that provides relief. However, it’s worth noting that the best way to tackle mosquito bites is to prevent them from happening in the first place, this, of course, can be done by using a bug zapper or some home mosquito prevention tips.

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