Home Remedy for Mosquito Bites

As many of you know, I am an independent distributor for Treasure Scents. In order to expand my customer base, I participate in an outdoor vendor market on Saturday nights at the Ak-Chin Multi-tainment Center. (It is the new state of the art movie theater with a bunch of other attractions just a short drive from home).

I have been at this market almost every Saturday night the last few weeks and most of the time, I don't even bother with bug repellent because the mosquitoes haven't been a problem. BUT, this past Saturday night, they were ALL over and they were HUNGRY! I had on an "all natural" mosquito repellent on and it did NOTHING. They were ruthless. There were multiple mosquitoes landing on me at any given time. Yikes!
Thankfully, someone took mercy on me and let me use their bug spray. Ya know, the kind with deet meant for deeply wooded areas. I sprayed myself like crazy  and finally got some relief but the damage had been done. On my right arm alone I had 10 mosquito bites, not to mention what they did to my other extremities. They seemed to especially enjoy my calves and my feet.

SO, last night, I awoke around 1:00 am itching like mad. I was desperate for some quick relief, so I did a search on my phone and came across this: http://www.home-remedy.org/home-remedies-for-mosquito-bites.html
This webpage lists 14 different home remedies to relieve mosquito bites. Below, I have shared the top 4 on the list.

Home Remedies For Mosquito Bites

Salt

This seems to be the quickest of all home remedies for mosquito bites. Simply moisten the bite area and then rub table salt on the moistened area. Itching should cease immediately.

Apple Cider Vinegar

To relieve the itching, rub apple cider vinegar directly on the mosquito bites.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is another one of the fastest home remedies for mosquito bites. Just dab a bit of toothpaste onto the mosquito bites and the itching should stop very quickly. Peppermint toothpaste is by far the best.

Calamine Lotion

Apply calamine lotion to relieve the itching caused by mosquito bites.

As I lay there in the middle of the night I went through my options, the first two were possibilities since I have plenty of salt and vinegar in my kitchen pantry. Calamine lotion was our "go to" for itches when I was young, but I have never bought any as an adult, so that option was a bust. Toothpaste seemed a bit out there, but I had plenty right in my bathroom just a few feet away. Proximity was a strong factor in choosing my solution. So, I got up and proceeded to rub dabs of toothpaste onto ALL of my bites. I haven't been able to bring myself to count them, but it is probably in the 30-40 range. 

This is the toothpaste I used. Within a couple minutes I felt some relief and was able to fall back asleep. It looks like I need to buy some heavy duty bug spray before I spend more time outside, so that I can avoid late night toothpaste rub downs. What home remedies have you used to relieve itches or mosquito bites?

The No-Poo Challenge

So, in my first ever blog post I talked about my dry shampoo recipe that came from this page: I don't use shampoo. The main focus of this gal's blog post isn't even dry shampoo, it is actually all about not using shampoo. Instead of shampoo she uses a mixture of baking soda and water. And, instead of conditioner, she uses a mixture of vinegar and water.

Be sure to check out her original blog post because she gives a ton of tips and important info, but her ingredients and basic instructions are listed here:

Baking Soda
Vinegar (White or Apple are fine)

Put one tablespoon of baking soda into a squeeze top bottle along with one cup of water. Shake until the baking soda is dissolved.

Combine 2 tablespoons of vinegar and a cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake.

What you do: Thoroughly rinse your hair with water. Add the baking soda mixture to your roots and massage thoroughly. You’ll notice a slightly slimy feel…kind of like shampoo. The baking soda breaks up any sort of residue buildup you may have from hairspray or other hair products. Thoroughly rinse the baking soda out of your hair.

Then spray in the vinegar mix through the length of your hair, paying special attention to your ends. Keep it in your hair throughout your shower until you’re about to get out.

Today I took this challenge and I would like to share my initial impression with you. I followed her ingredient list almost exactly. I used the baking soda and water mixture in a squeeze bottle (the one I got from the hospital after having my daughter that had, since my postpartum days, become a bath toy). And, I used the white vinegar mixture in a spray bottle I had left over from a dry shampoo experiment that was so impractical it is not worth discussing. I also added a couple drops of  grapefruit fragrance oil to the vinegar mixture just to make sure my hair wouldn't smell like vinegar afterwards. You could probably use a couple drops of essential oils as well. (If you don't know where to buy fragrance oil or essential oil, you can purchase some here. There is also a link to my Treasure Scents page on the top right of this blog where you can order some). 

Once I got out of the shower, I combed through my hair. Amanda (the one who wrote this recipe) said it takes a few minutes for her to de-tangle her hair without conditioner, but for me combing my hair wasn't any different. I'm not sure if this is because my hair is shorter (above my shoulders), finer (my hair is VERY fine) or because of the fragrance oil). Whatever it was, I am glad I did not have the de-tangling issue. 

After I combed and toweled off my hair, I styled it like normal. I use a little leave in conditioner, some stuff that is supposed to protect my hair from heat damage and a root booster for volume. I blow dry my hair and then straighten it. 

Once I was all done, I would say my hair looks and feels just like it does when I use regular shampoo and conditioner. It also doesn't smell weird. The most obvious smell is from my root booster, which is normal. I do think there is a little more volume/body (especially on the top of my head). 

So far, I am SOLD. This kind of hair cleaner is WAY cheaper than real shampoo/conditioner, and I love keeping my money in my pocket. And, with this method, you don't have to wash your hair as frequently and it may even help your hair grow faster/healthier. I think I will keep at it for 30 days and let you know if I still think it is a winner!

Now, I need to work on getting rid of those blemishes! I have heard tea tree oil can help. Maybe I will make that my next 30 day challenge.