{"id":23327,"date":"2013-07-09T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T07:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=23327"},"modified":"2016-07-15T14:40:30","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T21:40:30","slug":"ways-to-stop-mosquito-bites-from-itching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/ways-to-stop-mosquito-bites-from-itching\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Stop Mosquito Bites From Itching"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pf-content\"><div class=\"highlighter\">Scott asks: What are the best ways to get rid of the itch from mosquito bites?<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/mosquito.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-23618\" src=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/mosquito-340x226.jpg\" alt=\"mosquito\" width=\"340\" height=\"226\" \/><\/a>Mosquito bites.\u00a0 They itch and itch and itch until you just can\u2019t take it anymore.\u00a0 Itching solves one problem, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2010\/08\/why-mosquito-bites-itch\/\" target=\"_blank\">yet scratching releases more histamines in the body, which makes the bite itch more<\/a>.\u00a0 Those histamines are released by the body to fight off the foreign substance, the cocktail that is mosquito saliva. This ultimately results in the bite area swelling into a raised, red bump.\u00a0 (Also called a <i>wheal<\/i>.)\u00a0 One bite is annoying, several can be miserable, hundreds over the course of a few months can actually help you build an immunity to their saliva, but probably not the best way to get rid of the itch, due to the mosquito&#8217;s wonderful ability to spread many diseases.<\/p>\n<p>So how can you get the itching to stop without contracting malaria? Trying to choose from the many commercial products, such as ibuprofen, hydrocortisone cream and anti-histamines can be overwhelming and who has time to run to the store to pick such things up anyways?\u00a0 If you can wait it out, most bites stop itching within 24-48 hours.\u00a0 But, why wait when you don\u2019t have to?\u00a0 Next time you become a mosquito\u2019s target, look no further than your home for a natural remedy.\u00a0 Here are some surefire ways to stop the itching from mosquito bites:<\/p>\n<p>The kitchen has a few weapons to end the itchfest caused by mosquitoes, so best to start there.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dr. Oz says a dab of honey applied to the site can sooth skin because it is a natural antibiotic. (More info in the related links below.)\u00a0 It can also prevent infections if you have scratched your bite open with fingernails that aren\u2019t clean.<\/li>\n<li>Apple cider vinegar also has anti-itch benefits due to the acidity in the vinegar.\u00a0 Once pressed against the wound, the acidic liquid will reduce swelling and take away that huge urge to scratch.<\/li>\n<li>Garlic is a proven remedy due to its chemical properties, though you can also make matters worse.\u00a0 Rubbing a clove of garlic directly on an open site can result in severe stinging and burning.<\/li>\n<li>Sounds strange, but doctors also say using the inside of a pulpy banana peel can be an appealing way to get rid of the itch, when applied directly on a bite thanks to the peel&#8217;s oils.<\/li>\n<li>That baking soda in your fridge? \u00a0A small amount mixed with water can be used as a paste. \u00a0Apply the paste to the wound and the itching will soon disappear.<\/li>\n<li>No baking soda? \u00a0Use crushed Tums mixed with water.<\/li>\n<li>Open that freezer and apply some ice.\u00a0 It should be noted though that many Doctors say that there is not a lot of proof that this common method truly stops itching. Rather, it simply is soothing and reduces swelling temporarily.<\/li>\n<li>Another paste to make is a paste from any meat tenderizer that contains papain. \u00a0Mix it with water and spread it on the bite. \u00a0The papain breaks down the proteins found in the mosquito saliva, which will help reduce your body\u2019s reaction to the saliva.<\/li>\n<li>Use some of the flexible membrane inside a chicken egg shell to cover the bite. \u00a0As it dries and contracts on the bite, it will draw out some of the mosquito\u2019s saliva.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re striking out with these items in the kitchen, head to the bathroom:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What you&#8217;ll be looking for first here is alcohol. \u00a0(You won\u2019t be pouring yourself a glass of wine.)\u00a0 We&#8217;re talking rubbing alcohol, here.\u00a0 Or anything with a high concentration of alcohol, such as the mouthwash under your sink or even hand sanitizer.\u00a0 The alcohol evaporates, and evaporation creates cooling.\u00a0 The cooling sensation helps overpower the itching.\u00a0 As a great bonus, it also disinfects the bite.<\/li>\n<li>Toothpaste is another trick to take the itch out of mosquito bites.\u00a0 A small amount on the bite can provide hours of relief due to toothpaste\u2019s anti-inflammatory properties and ingredients like menthol and baking soda.<\/li>\n<li>A bar of wet soap may be your new best friend if you\u2019re itching. \u00a0The chemicals and fat in soap can be soothing, dry out the bite and reduce the need to itch. \u00a0Rub it over the affected area and wait a few hours before removing.<\/li>\n<li>Or grab that roll-on antiperspirant for a quick fix.\u00a0 The aluminum chloride salts usually found there will help absorb the fluid in the mosquito bite, and itching goes away.<\/li>\n<li>Clear nail polish works in the same way, as a shield.<\/li>\n<li>Vick\u2019s Vapor Rub is also a proven go-to home remedy for individuals because it has menthol and camphor oils as ingredients.\u00a0 Both help to stop itching.<\/li>\n<li>Many people remain on the fence when it comes to calamine lotion.\u00a0 Most of our parents used the pink stuff when we complained of mosquito bites, but the Food and Drug Administration announced in the early 90\u2019s that calamine lotion is not an effective cure for itching. \u00a0Doctors continue to recommend it, though some say it serves as more of a drying agent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another interesting home remedy that many swear by?\u00a0 Apply a small piece of Scotch Tape to the bite.\u00a0 From here some find it works best to leave it on for a few hours-\u00a0 something about closing off the air to the site reduces itching- while others simply very gently remove it directly after applying, which helps remove some of the mosquito saliva that is the heart of the itchy problem.\u00a0 Best to do this as soon as possible after receiving the bite.<\/p>\n<p>So those are good ways to get rid of the itch, but what about just not getting bitten in the first place?\u00a0 The obvious answer there is just put on some mosquito repellent and install some screens on your windows, but I&#8217;m guessing you want more.\u00a0 First, what are the chances you will be bitten?\u00a0 Hard to believe, but only 1 in 10 people are highly attractive to mosquitoes for biting, though of course mosquitoes aren&#8217;t averse to sucking blood from those of us who&#8217;re less attractive&#8230; from their perspective.<\/p>\n<p>Mosquitoes particularly target those who produce a large amount of certain acids, such as uric acid and octenol.\u00a0 If you are a large person, your luck decreases.\u00a0 A larger person gives off more carbon monoxide, which is attractive to mosquitoes.\u00a0 Those mosquitoes are smart, too.\u00a0 In close range, they have the ability to sense movement and heat and when you&#8217;re moving on those hot summer nights, you get hot and your sweat glands are bound to be working, making you potentially a prime target.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond mosquito repellent, light those citronella candles to repel the blood suckers.\u00a0 A more natural way to keep the mosquitoes away from your home is to invest in some choice landscaping.\u00a0 Plants such as lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, marigolds, mint, and others are all repellants because mosquitoes hate their smell and in some cases, such as with mint, it can actually kill the mosquito if they come in contact with the oils in the plant.\u00a0 Naturists also say you can crush the plants&#8217; leaves and rub them over your clothing, just not directly on your skin.\u00a0 Certainly smelling minty is much better than smelling of DEET.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to keep the mosquitoes away is to get rid of any and all standing water around your house, if you can, that includes that bird fountain you love.\u00a0 Mosquitoes have four stages to their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. \u00a0During the first three stages, they live entirely in water. \u00a0During the larva stage, they feed on algae and other microorganisms and must frequently bob to the surface of the water to get air. \u00a0 During the pupa stage, they do not eat, but do sit at the surface and breath air through two small tubes. \u00a0At the end of the pupal stage, the mosquitoes transform into adult mosquitoes and, after crawling to a dry place to rest and dry off, leave the water.\u00a0 Thus, if you get rid of any standing water around your house, you&#8217;ll drastically reduce your local mosquito population.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the methods above that are proven to be successful, there are others that just sound plain ridiculous. My fave is using one\u2019s fingernail to create a \u2018X\u2019 mark over the bite, and voila, the itching stops&#8230; but not really.<\/p>\n<p>If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-brainfoodshow\/id1350586459\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/36xpXQMPVXhWJzMoCHPJKd\" target=\"_blank\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&#038;isi=691797987&#038;ius=googleplaymusic&#038;apn=com.google.android.music&#038;link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Insimdi4g6puyyr4qbt6tup5b6m?t%3DThe_BrainFood_Show%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Google Play Music<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/feed\/brainfood\/\" target=\"_blank\">Feed<\/a>), as well as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/honey-can-be-used-for-a-variety-of-medicinal-purposes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Honey can Be Used for a Variety of Medicinal Purposes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2010\/08\/why-mosquito-bites-itch\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Mosquito Bites Itch<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2012\/07\/why-does-itching-a-mosquito-bite-make-it-worse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Does Scratching a Mosquito Bite Make it Worse<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2012\/01\/why-cats-like-catnip\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Cats Like Catnip<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2012\/05\/how-to-treat-a-jellyfish-sting\/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Treat a Jellyfish Sting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span id=\"bonusfacts\">Bonus<\/span> Fact:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only female mosquitoes bite. \u00a0(I\u2019m sure most men enjoy that little tidbit.)\u00a0 They don&#8217;t actually do it for food; rather, they need it to be able to produce eggs. \u00a0Once the female has safely\u00a0acquired\u00a0a \u201cblood meal\u201d, she will rest for a few days while her body develops the eggs from digesting the proteins and iron in the blood, producing amino acids which are used as the building blocks for the synthesis of the egg yolk proteins.<\/li>\n<li>Mosquitoes annually transmit diseases to over two-thirds of a billion people or around 1\/10th of the human population. \u00a0About two million of these people die from whatever disease they\u00a0received\u00a0through the mosquito bite.<\/li>\n<li>Mosquitoes can detect the various compounds on your body that attract them from as far as 150 ft. away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id69f03dee79a61\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Expand for References\"    >Expand for References<\/span><div id=\"target-id69f03dee79a61\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/06\/20\/natural-mosquito-bite-treatment_n_1610186.html\">Natural Treatments for Mosquito Bites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2007\/07\/27\/AR2007072702155.html\">Remedies for Those Pesky Mosquito Bites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mosquitotraps.com\/mosquito-bites-101-how-to-survive-the-itch\/\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Y<\/span>ou Itch? \u00a0How to Survive<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/06\/22\/your-mosquito-bite-remedies_n_1619585.html\">Bitten? \u00a0Ways to Stop Itching &amp; Swelling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/HEALTH\/library\/mosquito-bites\/DS01075.html\">Easy Fixes for Mosquito Itches\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.organizedchaosonline.com\/2013\/04\/25\/hey-mosquitos-suck-this-bite-prevention-remedies\/\">Show Mosquitos Who&#8217;s Boss<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scott asks: What are the best ways to get rid of the itch from mosquito bites? Mosquito bites.\u00a0 They itch and itch and itch until you just can\u2019t take it anymore.\u00a0 Itching solves one problem, yet scratching releases more histamines in the body, which makes the bite itch more.\u00a0 Those histamines are released by the body to fight off the [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":23618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2308],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-answers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23327"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48118,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23327\/revisions\/48118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}