Itchy bug bites are driving me nuts! How do I make it stop?
Okay, I’m kind of losing my mind here. I love hiking and spending time outside but it feels like every mosquito in the state wants my blood. I’m currently covered in mosquito bites and I feel like my skin is on fire. I’ve already tried anti-itch creams and they just aren’t cutting it. What can I do to make the itching stop? Please help!
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So with a mosquito bite, what's happening is that your body's defense system (the histamines) is reacting to the mosquito’s saliva. Mosquitoes have a local sort of anesthetic material in their saliva so that you don’t feel the bite as it's happening. It's a localized numbing agent. Your body is reacting to that saliva, so it's the histamines that are making the bites annoying. I know you said you already used a cream, but was it calamine lotion? In my experience, calamine lotion is the best. If that didn’t work, I’d actually recommend going to see a dermatologist. They can prescribe some heavy-duty creams you can’t get in the store.
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To me, the best feeling in the world is just holding an ice cube over an itchy mosquito bite. It won’t permanently solve your problems, but if you’re trying to stop the itching sensation, just hold an ice cube over the spot for 15-20 seconds. Trust me!
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Get a metal spoon really hot (but not so hot that it'd burn you) and press it against the bites. I get mine hot by boiling a kettle of water and holding the spoon in the steam. That works for me!
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I use a hair dryer for heating up my bites and that makes the itching go away for me.
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Put a band-aid over the bite so you're not as tempted to scratch it! That's what I do and it serves as a reminder not to pick or scratch every time I look at it. It also protects the bite and if you put any lotion or rubbing alcohol on it will keep the lotion/alcohol fresh longer.
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I see how ice cubes would feel good but what I do is actually the opposite! I like to take a nice hot shower and the heat makes my bug butes feel soooo much better. Then when I hop out I add calamine lotion, like others have mentioned. Makes it a lot better!
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The comments about slapping the bite and using an ice cube are really good hacks, but Kevin nailed it with the calamine bit. In my experience, calamine lotion is SO much better than the steroid and hydrocortisone stuff. It’s just so much more soothing and it lasts so much longer.
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It sounds silly, but try slapping the bite. Use the back of your hand or a rubber band to hit the little mosquito bump and you’ll temporarily get rid of that urge to scratch.
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Reader Tips from How to Get Rid of Bug Bites
Rubbing alcohol prevents the big bites from getting worse, and also dries them out. Apply rubbing alcohol to the part of a bandage that is used to hold blood from a cut. Now put the bandage on the bite with the alcohol-soaked part directly on the bite.
A hot spoon will help make the bite itch less. Use hot water to warm a metal spoon, dry it off, and set the back of the spoon against the bite.
Reader Tips from How to Get Rid of a Mosquito Bite
This might sound weird, but rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your mosquito bites really helps! I woke up yesterday with 14 bites on the my left foot which hurt and itched badly. Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the bites made it so much better.
Put minty toothpaste on it and cover it with a band-aid. Don't try this with the gel version of toothpaste, you'll need the paste. The mint in the toothpaste will numb the itch, and the band-aid will prevent you from scratching or irritating the bite.
Vick's Vapo Rub will take away the itching in a few seconds.
Reader Tips from How to Get Bug Bites to Stop Itching
Put apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball, put it on the bite, and then bandage it to your skin so you don't have to hold it with your hand. If you're covered in bites, take a bath and add some apple cider vinegar to the water.
Aloe vera relieves the itching, but it won't reduce swelling. For swelling, rub some honey on the bites. Combining aloe vera and honey will make your bites more tolerable until they go away.
