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I suffer quite regularly from mosquitoes bites in my home because I live in an area with many places well suited for them to breed; Stagnant bodies of water.
Are there any quick and easy methods to relieve the itch from a mosquito bite using readily available house-hold items? I am aware that there are many commercial solutions for skin irritation but I'm more interested in alternative treatments.
I have found that heating a metal teaspoon and pressing it against the bite provides almost instant and permanent relief from the itching (the redness and 'bump' will remain while the wound heals).
The teaspoon should be hot enough to cause a slight stinging feeling on the skin but only for a split second; It should be as hot as you can stand it without burning you. If you are using boiling water, like me - be very careful not to burn yourself!
From what I gather, It's not too clear what exactly causes the itching sensation; It's either the mosquitoes saliva or the histamines that the body creates to deal with this foreign intrusion.
It is my understanding that the heat from the teaspoon inhibits the effectiveness/activity of both the enzymes in the mosquito saliva (Denaturation) and the bodies histamines.
Before doing anything you must clean the bite area with plain water or rubbing alcohol.
Before starting I would like to say that as there is a huge discussion related to this topic so I'll stick to some simple solutions. If you need more then try this link:
Putting Scotch tape (or a bandage) on the bite will help remind you not to scratch, especially at night. If you scratch too hard, you could break the skin and introduce an infection.
Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties, so this could help the itch
It has menthol, which cools the skin to help relieve itch.
It also works well as it can help you from itchiness.
Using ice for 10 - 20 minutes can help you and give relaxation.
But still avoid doing this as it can attract more insects.
If you really got nothing means really nothing then simply take one cloth and blow some air on your cloth to make it little bit warm and then gently apply to your bite area. There you can feel little bit relax and keep doing it for 4 - 5 times till it makes you feel good.
Open the freezer, find a bag of something that conforms to the bite area (frozen peas are awesome) apply this to the bite area. The itching should stop immediately. Remove the peas and place them back in the freezer.
The only downside is that you shouldn't overdo the contact time.
Lavender essential oil (it's a common household item in my house). Just a drop on the bit and the itchy goes away in a few seconds. It's definitely the best 'alternative' relief I've used and works for all sorts of other bites and burns as well.
I live in Northwest Florida and have a vast amount of experience with mosquito bites. I have found that running hot water over the bite, as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself, works well. It simultaneously washes some of the enzymes the mosquito uses to coagulate the blood that causes the histamine reaction and reduces inflamation which in turn reduces the itch.
Mosquito bites itch because your body is trying to destroy the foreign materil, i.e. the mosquito saliva. You need a quick way to draw it out to stop the itch. I have never tried it with a mosquito bite, but if you lick a Tums/Rolaid (I mean really wet it down) and stick it to a bee/wasp sting, the paste that it will make will draw the venom out of the sting as it drys. I would imagine it would work the same for a mosquito bite, drawing the saliva out of the bite.
A mosquito uses a blood thinning agent to have an easier time being a parasite. This agent is foreign to our bodies, and we create histamines to surround them. Histamines are itchy.
I get mosquito bites often, so I'm not as allergic add most people. However, for more serious bites, I use my fingernail to make an "X" on the bite.
This is not something I came up with, but I believe it works. I believe the idea is that making this "X" spreads the histamine out, so it isn't as itchy. At least, it spreads the itch out, so it isn't as noticeable. I go a couple steps further, basically just using my fingernail to break up the bite as much as possible. Note that I'm not breaking skin here.
There are plenty of anti-histamines on the market, and I generally recommend a Benadryl cream. This will also sooth poison ivy, which is something you might come across wherever you happen to be getting mosquito bites.
The simplest thing you can do, apply mustard oil to the itchy spot as an ointment. I use this technique personally to deal with rashes/itches in daily life.
