Home Remedies For Mosquito Bites

Home remedies for mosquito bites. One of the biggest problems that mosquito bites cause is itching and swelling. The itching prompts us to scratch which leads to more itching and swelling. To calm the itching of mosquito bites, there are many home remedies which one can use. They greatly reduce the itching and provide relief.

How does a mosquito bite look and feel ? 

Mosquito Bite is formed because of the saliva of the mosquito. Its snout pierces our skin and in response to the saliva injected, our immune system creates a bite structure. Mosquito bites are generally small, reddish, slightly painful but more itchy raised structures with a puncture like hole in the middle. There is one bite for each place the mosquito inserted its snout. When mosquitoes bite simultaneously at very close spots, it form a large, very itchy bite. This is common when camping outdoors because there mosquitoes are in uncountable numbers.

The bite area is small, but often surrounded by a large less reddish coloured region. If there are many bites in a region, these larger reddish parts can coalesce together to look one large inflamed region.

Mosquito bites are very itchy. If you scratch them, the seal on top of the puncture may break, allowing pathogens to enter into skin. This leaves skin at risk of dangerous infections.

The objective of home remedies is to reduce itching considerably, dull the pain a bit and reduce the bite size.

giant mosquito in a close up
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 Home remedies for mosquito bites 
1. Apply toothpaste
Dab some toothpaste on the mosquito bite : It really calms the itch and provides quick relief. But do not overuse it.
The toothpaste should not be the gel based ones, but the regular toothpaste.

Why it works ? 
Toothpaste often contains peppermint extracts or menthol. This substance has powerful cooling effect on skin which lasts for hours. The cooling sensation masks the itching and prevents the person from scratching the bite. Eventually it heals in a 3 - 4 day's time. Toothpastes also contain an ingredient , triclosan which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This helps to reduce the swelling.

toothpaste for mosquito bites
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2. Banana peel ( The best home remedy for mosquito bites )
Take the peel out of a banana. Place the inside of a banana peel on the skin. The itching may soon subside.It just takes 3 - 5 minutes for this work. When the itching has subsided, it doesn't return for a long time.
You can use this trick to get continuous relief from itching.

Peel off bananas and cut small rectangular sections of the peel using scissors. Place each section on 1 bite and then tie it with cloth or bandage. This controls itching in many bites, like when you are severely bitten by mosquitoes all over.

Remove the bandage after 4 - 6 hours for extended relief from mosquito bites. Reapply, if need be.

The banana peel remedy is the one which my mom used to apply to me. It is quite popular in tropical regions, where mosquitoes are also in large numbers. This always works, even for harsh and more painful mosquito bites.

banana peel for mosquito bites
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3. Ice
This is simple and easily available. Just get an ice cube and massage it firmly on the mosquito. The emphasis on "firmly" is for a reason. When you press a mosquito bite, it can depress a bit. This is exactly what we need to do. Take the ice cube and hold it firmly up against the mosquito bite, pressing the skin underneath. Within a few seconds, the mosquito bite slumps down.
It can swell up again, so you need to apply ice multiple times.

Ice also numbs the pain brilliantly, to the point that you do not feel anything.

People who frequently travel to the woods and other such locations outside the city often get bitten by mosquitoes and there the only remedy that they get is ice ( snow ) or cold water. Ice also reduces the redness of a mosquito bite, so the skin tone is evened out and mosquito bites are hardly visible. Otherwise, red bites are clearly visible on the skin, which screams at everyone that you have been bitten by mosquitoes.

ice for mosquito bites
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4. Apple Cider Vinegar
A solution of ACV in water helps to curb the itching. This adds to the long list of conditions in which ACV is a home remedy.
Add equal parts ACV and water at cool temperature. Soak cotton balls in it and rub the mosquito bites with them.




 5. Honey
Pour some honey on the mosquito bite. Leave it for some time and then wash it off. You just need a small amount of honey for each mosquito bite. Honey also helps in preventing skin infection in the puncture is reopened.
Honey promotes skin healing and therefore, bite heals faster than normal.

Generally, mosquito bites last 5 days, but if you keep applying honey regularly, it can vanish little faster, and without any itching.




6. Witch hazel
A solution containing witch hazel also soothes the skin and calms the sensation which leads to itching. Witch hazel comes in the form of aqueous extract. It feels cool and nice. Applying witch hazel directly to mosquito bites dries them up and reduces itching.

Witch hazel is a strong astringent. It quickly heals the skin by drying and exfoliating it. You can easily get witch hazel liquid and it works for long time.

You can also use witch hazel wipes, if available.




7. Aloe Vera gel
Apply the thick juice (gel ) that drips from Aloe Vera leaf on the affected skin. You can massage it into the skin to curb the itching feeling. Massaging with aloe vera relieves the itching and keeps it away for a long time.
Aloe vera prompts skin to heal faster. It feels very good and cool.

aloe vera for mosquito bites
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8. Pinch the Bites with your nails
This is remarkably easy way to curb a mosquito bite. When you feel the strong mosquito bite itch, place you fingernail across the bite and press it deeply. This creates an indented line across the bite. Create few more lines radially, avoiding the central hole. This relieves itching by causing pain and the bite subsides down.

As a kid I was told to do this and I did. This often works.

mosquito bites
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9. Epsom Salt Bath ( if the itch is too much )
If mosquitoes have bitten over a large area, and the itch is too much for you to bear, try this.
Rub moist baking soda on the bites. It changes the pH of skin from acidic to alkaline, making itching less prominent. After some time, wash it off and then lay down in an epsom salt bath. This relieves itching greatly.



10. Small Batteries
This is a nice home remedy for mosquito bites.

batteries for mosquito bites
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Remedies to prevent bites from even forming 

 If you somehow find out that mosquitoes have bitten you, then there is hope. You can prevent them from turning into red, swollen bites using natural substances.

Rubbing a cool  papaya slice or pineapple slice also has same effect as meat tenderizer because they have protein digesting enzymes, papain and bromelain respectively. 


Home remedies to reduce mosquito bite swelling : 

One can also use some natural mosquito repellents to keep mosquitoes away. 
citronella oil candle to drive mosquitoes away
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Citronella candles are great for keeping mosquitoes away, the natural way.

When dealing with mosquito bites, one should understand that itching increases the urge to itch. Severe itching can break open the healing scab, revealing a pore in the skin which may leave the skin prone to infection. Prevent the urge to itch by applying a home remedy quickly. Most of these remedies are suitable for kids and even babies. But, one should not use essential oils, like cedar oil on a baby.


In some people, mosquitoes can trigger a dangerous allergic reaction. The pattern and look of bites is quite different in these people. The bites can take any shape and there can be signs of allergy, often in the form of hives. These can be more common in babies as their immune system may react strangely to mosquito saliva.


In this case, it is important to get the person treated. He or she should be kept away from mosquitoes by application of mosquito repellents. Otherwise a mosquito bite can trigger life threatening reactions like anaphylaxis ( choking ). This is rare but should not be ignored.

Word of Caution :
If a mosquito bite does not respond to any home remedies, then it probably not a mosquito bite at all. There are certain insects whose rashes may look and itch like mosquito bite, but they are not. One of the them is that of burrowing fly, which burrows its way into skin. Initially one is unable to notice, but after some days, a clear hole is seen in the skin. A similar situation is caused by the mango fly.

The best thing for mosquito bites is a banana peel, but even better is avoid them completely. You can make proper use of insect repellents to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes, especially if you live in mosquito prone area , like Florida.