Mosquito bites.

[kimmerspixelated]

How to quickly heal and fade them? I have been using Benonite clay, but a suggestion has also come up for epsom salt baths, baking soda pastes, cortisone creams, coco oil, vit e oil...anything else??

[elleng]

1. IMMEDIATE alcohol application, then Benadryl cream (anti-allergy stuff) imo

:hi:

[glinda]

15. I am very allergic to bug bites and just found out that works. Per my mom.

[NuttyFluffers]

2. depends on how allergic you are to them.

i'm a helpless mess against them, so your mileage may vary.

lanacane w/ aloe or solarcane or a baking soda/oatmeal compress does nicely. however baking soda and oatmeal i reserve for the worst of rashes and bites, like spider bites and massive rashes.

when push comes to shove with bug bites, before the ER trip for the epinephrine shot, i reach for the benadryl.

ps: even better is not getting them in the first place. when it's high mosquito season (thankfully in the Bay Area mosquitoes are pretty uncommon and well managed), i switch to super duper menthol repellant. I mix 1 part Listerine with 1 part water, that's 1:1. So I mix that in a spray or drip bottle and apply it as a body splash. the menthol pisses off the mosquitoes like no one's business. wonderful stuff.

the other great repellant is tobacco. it explains quite a bit of the value of smoking in humid areas. in some places, death by cancer is bad, death by malaria is faster.

[Howler]

5. OHHHHHHH!

Thanks Nutty Fluffers! I'm gonna try that listerine concoction.
:hug:

[stellanoir]

3. Ssssting sssstopppp

http://www.amazon.com/Boericke-Tafel-Sssstingstop-Disc-2-75/dp/B00016QU6G

2-3 applications in quick succession does the trick.

[Lucinda]

4. I take one Zyrtec a day for allergies and they have stopped biting me

I hope you find a solution soon!

[WolverineDG]

6. here's what works for me

and I don't know why

once I notice I've been bitten, I go inside & wash whatever area is affected. But, instead of getting the skin wet & then applying the soap, I get the soap wet & apply it to the area. If I only have liquid soap, then I just apply it directly to the skin.

I might still need some calomine afterwards to take way the rest of the itchiness, but washing the bite first seems to take most of the brunt.

Also works with hives. (which is how I discovered this--as a kid, I got hives; can't remember how I stumbled onto the idea of wetting the soap & not the skin though)

dg

[WhiteTara]

7. I love tea tree oil

It is antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial and does not burn or sting and takes the pain of bites away.

[murielm99]

9. I'll second the tea tree oil.

I have used it on hives, too.

[Melissa G]

8. white flower oil from the chinese grocery. n/t

[Mist]

10. I read years ago that washing bites with hot water and a high-lye-content soap

such as Ivory can reduce the itchiness. Seems to work for me. I also use Bactine (the kind in a bottle, not the spray). I've also found Listerine good for reducing itchiness. I didn't know it could be used as a repellent--thanks for the tip NuttyFluffers!

[FirstLight]

11. what about this?

A long time ago, someone told me to use meat tenderizer (mix with water to make a paste) on a bee sting... I wonder if that would work?

[elleng]

12. I remember that, First, and used to keep meat tenderizer on spice lazy susan for that!

[FirstLight]

13. I was 14, and totally surprised...

went on a camping trip and got stung by a yellowjacket, my friends told me to do the mud thing, but i thought they were teasing me...
limped back down the mtn a day later with the group, and my friend's mom put tenderizer on it as soon as we got home...

instant relief! :) call the city-girl shocked!

[cate94]

14. Lots of good advice

in this thread.

I haven't had much success with the Listerine spray, but then the mosquitoes were really bad when I tried it.(We were up at the Mississippi River in WI.) Also I don't remember if it was mentholated so maybe it was the wrong type. However, if you aren't completely opposed to chemicals, the little Off fans work pretty well. I just clip it to my shorts or lay it at my feet.

Wet ones in the individual packs, the ones with alcohol in them, are great for while you are still outside camping or watching the fireworks. As previously noted the sooner the better with alcohol and this way you can keep it with you.

I read somewhere that mosquitoes and biting flies are attracted to the color blue, so I avoid wearing it when you might be exposed to them.

Both benedryl cream and 1% cortisone cream will help bring down bad bites pretty quickly. Someone mentioned meat tenderizer for stings but if none is available try cutting an onion in half and placing it where you were stung. It works pretty well.