What to Do If You Have a Lot of Mosquito Bites
My dad loves to tell stories about my family’s beach vacations when I was about five years old. We lived in North Carolina and got up very early to travel to the coast, which was about four hours away. As the story goes, my exhausted father at some point looked at me and thought: “Wow, a 5-year-old girl has very hairy legs.” When he looked closely; however, he realized that my feet were covered with mosquitoes and not hair.
We quickly left the beach, my brother and I vomited in the car on the way home, and we never went on a family beach vacation again.
Mosquito bites are one of those things that get used to where I lived and I. Every summer outdoor trip usually ended with at least a few snacks, although I have never had such an experience like a trip to the beach before school. My mom always tried to have a bottle of cortisone in her medicine cabinet (and I can’t say enough good things about an oatmeal bath when things get risky), but sometimes it wasn’t enough to solve the problem (or we’d be camping) and so we did a few more things.
If you are experiencing mosquito bites, here are some tips on how to deal with them:
Take your allergy medication
This is what I always did when I had a lot of pieces, but something people always overwhelm when I suggest it. Take Benadryl. An itchy bite is essentially an allergic reaction. Taking allergy pills can help calm you down and prevent the bite from scratching long enough for the bite to heal. It’s overkill if you just take a bite or two, but if you end up covered in a ton of bites, this might be the sweet relief you need.
Apply toothpaste to them
I think I learned this from the Girl Scout leader when I was in elementary school. When you’re on a hike and get nasty bites, applying a small amount of toothpaste to the bite site can provide some relief. Let it dry and the itching will be significantly less until you clear it. Bonus for me as a teenager: This trick works for acne too.
Highlight the aloe
Aloe is a burn remedy, but it can also come in handy for stings. Apply a little aloe to the bite to reduce swelling and itching and speed up healing. I recommend using aloe for this, not the gels you buy at the pharmacy.
Take some salt
Another good option if you are on a hike or away from civilization: Mix finely ground salt with a little water and turn it into a paste. Apply a thick paste directly to the bite site. If you’ve scratched yourself before, this might be a bit of a prick, but what follows is sweet, sweet, salty relief.