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Home > Get Healthy > Home Remedies > Natural home remedies: Bug bites, hives and itching

Natural home remedies: Bug bites, hives and itching

From pesky mosquitoes to poison ivy, spending time in the great outdoors can wreak havoc on your skin. But before you spend a fortune at the pharmacy, try one of these natural home remedies for bug bites, hives and itching

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Excerpted from Homemade, Reader's Digest

Insect repellent

The best way to treat bites is to avoid getting bitten in the first place. But forget spraying poisons on yourself. The essential ingredients of this homemade insect repellent have been shown in numerous studies to keep stinging insects—notably, mosquitoes—far, far away. Keep in mind, however, that if you’re in an area with a high rate of mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as West Nile disease, you may need stronger protection.

Ingredients:
• 15-20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 15-20 drops lemon essential oil
• 15-20 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 15-20 drops citronella essential oil
• 2 tablespoons carrier oil (olive oil or any massage oil)

Directions:
1. In a small pitcher, mix the essential oils with the carrier oil.
2. Put into a spray bottle and use as needed. Do not use on small children or infants.

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3 Comments

You are quite right, mosquitoes are not stinging insects, but nor are they biting insects. They are 'sucking' insects, drawing blood from under the skin through a long piercing 'proboscis'. Just FYI.

Submitted by LeJib on Sun, 2012-08-05 10:40pm.

I posted last week a natural, very easy solution for poison ivy. It seems no one reads the posts, but here we go again. Boil leaaves from the 'touch-me-not' plant. Allow juice to cool and apply to affected area. Nature is always in balance, give poison, give treatment. The plant (touch me not) is usually found very close to the poison ivy or oak.

Submitted by Jim on Sun, 2012-08-05 5:45am.

Does the home made repellent stop bites from ticks? With Lyme Disease carrying ticks becoming more and more numerous it doesn't pay to take a chance. Even small amounts of DEET don't deter them.
By the way, mosquitoes are not stinging insects, they're biting insects.

Submitted by Kirk on Thu, 2012-06-21 2:20am.