Treat Itchy Bed Bug Bites Naturally Using Crushed Aspirin vs Fresh Aloe Gel vs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar ... and 8 more
Edited by Donna, Eng, sdutta
Bed bug bites usually begin looking very much like a mosquito bite, with a white raised center in the middle of the bite site that looks like a welt. Some people also experience areas that are a brilliant pink without swelling. Usually within 24 hours, the bite then starts swelling and there may also be bruising or a bit of bleeding at the site of the bite. It takes three to four days for the bite to shrink and as it heals, there is usual a little tiny pinpoint of a red mark that scabs over. This blood red bite mark indicates where the nasty bedbug spent three to ten minutes of its life suckling on your blood before it crawled on to lay at least 1000 more bed bug eggs.
Many people are also allergic to bed bug bodies, whether they be dead or alive, as well as their hatchlings and excrement. You can treat any welts or raised red bumps with these natural home remedies.
The itching and swelling of these bed bug bites can last as long as six weeks in some individuals, and can even scar if you succumb to scratching them. However, here are some inexpensive natural ways to deal with the pain, itchiness and inflammation of bed bug bites.
Method 1: Using Crushed Aspirin
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- 2Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory that reduces the swelling and that will relieve the pain of the itching.Add a couple of drops of warm water to the mix to form a paste and apply to the bites.
- 3You can also leave the paste on until it dries.Cover the bug bite with a bandage and leave on overnight for best results.
Method 2: Using Fresh Aloe Gel
- 1You can buy aloe gel at the store but it is not as effective. best to use the freshly cut plant leaf so that your skin can benefit from the disinfectant qualities of the gel. The extracted gel inside will help cool the bite. The aloe contains anti-inflammatory and disinfectants that help heal the tiny wounds and prevent them from getting infected. .Cut a frond of fresh aloe and slit it open.
- 2Some people use surgical tape to keep it in place. Aloe vera is also a natural moisturizer and it helps keep your skin from scarring from the bite, so the longer you keep it on the better.Leave the patch of leaf on your bug bite as long as possible.
Method 3: Using Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1Dab the apple cider vinegar on the bed bug bite.Apply a few drops of raw apple cider vinegar to a clean cotton ball.
Method 4: Using A Banana Peel
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- 2The natural sugars in the banana help draw out the toxins in the bite and soften the chafed, injured bite site. Hold it on the bite for a few minutes and then discard it.Apply the inside part of the skin to the bed bug bite.
Method 5: Using Baking Soda Paste
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- 2Swirl it around with your finger or spoon until it is a thick paste.Add two tablespoons of baking soda to the water.
- 3Leave the paste on the bite for about an hour. The baking soda will absorb the poisons from the bug bite and help the bite form a scab quickly.Apply the paste to the affected area.
- 4Pat it dry gently.Rinse the baking soda paste off of the bite.
- 5If you can manage applying the paste up to four times a day, your skin may experience great improvementRepeat this ritual twice a day.
Method 6: Using Cinnamon and Liquid Honey
- 1You can liquefy solid white honey by placing it in the microwave for a few seconds, but liquid golden honey is easiest to use. Honey is a natural antibiotic and skin moisturizer that will help remove any poisons left by the bed bug on your skin.Pour two tablespoons of liquid honey into a small glass or bowl.
- 2You can use your finger to simply swirl the ingredients together to make a paste. Be sure to use real cinnamon and not cassia, which is often sold as cinnamon. Cinnamon is a potent disinfectant that fights infection and the oils in cinnamon numb the itching.Add a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to the honey and mix it together well.
- 3Leave it on for about at least ten minutes. Do this up to four times a day to achieve relief from itching.Apply the paste to your skin.
- 4If you feel sticky, you can follow up by cleansing your skin with a bit of soap. Do this at least twice a day if possible.Rinse the paste off of your skin with warm water.
Method 7: Using A Cucumber Slice
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- 2Leave the cucumber slice on the bug bite for about ten minutes. For best results do this at least four times a day. Keep the chilled cucumber slices in the fridge all day so that they are always on hand.Apply the cucumber slice to the bug bite.
Method 8: Using A Fresh Lemon Wedge
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- 2This may sting slightly but the reduction in inflammation and quick healing that results later is worth it. Keep the lemon on the bug bite for at least five minutes. The longer you leave it on, the better this home remedy for bug bites will work. When you are done, discard the lemon. There is no need to rinse off the lemon juices.Apply the wedge of lemon directly on the bed bug bite.
Repeat this ritual as often as you need to during the day. Applying wedges of lemon to bed bug bites twice a day will go a long way towards helping them feel faster, especially big bites which can take as long as four weeks to heal.
Method 9: Using Ice
- 1This works because ice work to reduce inflammation. A pillowcase works well to encase ice packs as it allows just enough fabric to apply a suitable chill to the skin. Never apply the ice directly to skin as you can damage delicate skin cells.Wrap ice or ice pack in a very thin cloth.
- 2You can let the area rest a bit and apply the ice a second and third time if you like. Always remove the ice if you feel it is numbing your skin. You will notice that the bitten areas feel hot, and the goal is to keep the ice on and off of the bite until the skin no longer feels feverish.Leave this compress on for about ten minutes.
Method 10: Using Peppermint Toothpaste
Squeeze a dab of toothpaste onto your finger. Make sure it is peppermint, as peppermint toothpaste contains oils that can numb the itchiness and sting of a bed bug bite.
- 1You will have to ignore the fact that you are covered in messy white marks and that you smell like mint. The toothpaste will help reduce swelling and absorb any poisons.Apply the toothpaste directly on the bite.
- 2If you have a lot of bites that were covered, you might want to take a shower. Toothpaste is the kind of bug-bite remedy that you use when there is nothing else available.Let the toothpaste dry on your skin and then rinse it off.
Method 11: Using Witch Hazel Water
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- 2You only need to dab it on and leave it on. It has alcohol in it so it will dry on its own. Do this three to five times a day for best results.Apply the witch hazel to the bed bites.
Tips and Tricks
- Washing the area that is bitten well with an anti-allergenic soap and warm water can help remove some of the bed bug deities that may be causing the itch.
- Keeping your homemade bed bug remedies in the refrigerator makes them more effective at helping reduce swelling when they are applied.
- Two tablespoons apple cider vinegar can be added to warm bath water to soothe skin that has been bitten all over.
Questions and Answers
I am from Thailand, I want to buy apple cider vinegar?
I want to make food supplement.
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