As dusk sets in, the idea of going for a stroll in the park, going camping, or simply relaxing on your front porch seems very pleasant, but the bug bites that come with these activities are just the opposite. No one is eager to spend the rest of the night scratching itchy, red bumps on their skin. Luckily, nature has blessed us with so many natural ingredients to help us prevent such bites in the first place. And even if you get bit, you can treat the bites with the help of natural remedies too. Here are some homegrown remedies you can use to prevent and treat bug bites naturally.
How To Prevent Bug Bites Naturally?
1. Try Aromatherapy
Mosquitoes and many other insects are repelled by certain scents. You can apply a drop or two of essential oils such as lavender, tea tree oil, citronella, or cedarwood topically on to your pulse points such as the inside of your wrists, behind your ears, behind your knees once every hour to keep nasty insects away. You can mix all these oils and put them in a diffuser to keep flying insects at bay. You can also rub aromatic plants such as rosemary, lavender, and artemisia on your body if you don’t have essential oils.
2. Modify Your Diet
When you are stepping outside, you should avoid consuming large amounts of sugars, alcohol, and fruit juices or you will be a target for all types of buzzing insects. Instead, you should pop a 500-mg garlic capsule 3 to 4 times a day to make yourself unappetizing for insects.
How To Treat Insect Bites Naturally?
1. Ant And Bee Bites
If you have already been bitten or stung by ants or bees, you can use some natural ingredients to bring you some relief. You can apply green clay moistened with water or vinegar, apple cider vinegar, cucumber juice, mud, lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, or a paste of baking soda and apple cider vinegar on the bites. These ingredients will neutralize the formic acid that gets formed in the insect bite.
2. Mosquito Bites
Mosquito bites can be very irritating and they can leave you scratching yourself for hours. You can apply witch hazel, moistened vitamin C powder, peppermint essential oil, apple cider vinegar, plantain leaf poultice, lemon juice, lavender essential oil, or tea tree essential oil to the bite.
3. Tick Bites
If you notice a tick on your skin, you should remove it very carefully so that no part of its body remains on your skin. If you are not confident about removing it on your own, you should get it removed by a doctor. Once you remove the tick, you should wash the area with an antiseptic soap and water and should dry it well. You can then apply a few drops of lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, or echinacea tincture on the bite to prevent an infection. You can also drink cleavers and calendula teas. Calendula has antiseptic properties so it will help prevent any infection deep within the body and cleavers will reduce fever if you have one because of the bite.
4. Caterpillar And Centipede Bites
If you notice a caterpillar on your body, you should try to brush it off from tail to head to prevent irritating hairs from remaining on your skin. You can then apply lavender essential oil to their bites. You can also use echinacea tincture internally or topically 3 to 4 times a day.
5. Wasp Stings
Wasp stings can be one of the worst types of pain imaginable. To treat them you should apply freshly crushed plantain leaf, green clay, mud, or a baking soda and vinegar paste on them to get some relief from the pain and swelling.
