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Beauty

Covered In Bug Bites? Try This Natural Remedy

Melanie St. Ours
Author:
Melanie St. Ours
Melanie St. Ours
By Melanie St. Ours
mbg Contributor
Melanie St. Ours is an author and clinical herbalist living in the Baltimore, Maryland area, who works with clients from all over the world through her private practice, Psyche & Soma. She specializes in both women's and mental health, and has been featured in Reader's Digest, Vice, and Parade.
Photo by Nabi Tang

If you're covered with itchy bug bites, good on you—you were outside and enjoying summer. But if you want to avoid cortisone creams, what do you do about the persistent desire to scratch yourself (aside from employing a hefty dose of willpower)?

A great remedy for both adults and children involves two simple ingredients: baking soda and lavender essential oil. The baking soda relieves irritation, and the lavender not only helps to soothe the affected skin, but it also helps children release some of the emotional upset that comes with a bad bug bite or bee sting. If you notice lots of heat or swelling or an unusual rash appearing around the site, consult a medical professional. If you experience rapid swelling, anaphylaxis, fever, or difficulty breathing, avoid this remedy. Also avoid if you have any known irritations to baking soda and/or lavender essential oil.

The recipe below yields one treatment. Keep in mind that you can make and apply more paste as needed.

Baking Soda and Lavender Paste for Bites & Stings

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 25 drops lavender essential oil

Method

  1. Place baking soda in a clean dish, then saturate with lavender essential oil. Stir, if needed, to make a paste.
  2. Apply to the site of the bug bite until the affected area is completely covered.
  3. Leave on 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Remove with a cool, damp washcloth using a dabbing motion to avoid irritating the bug bite and reactivating the itchy sensation through friction.

Excerpted from The Simple Guide to Natural Health: From Apple Cider Vinegar Tonics to Coconut Oil Body Balm, 150+ Home Remedies for Health and Healing by Melanie St. Ours Copyright © 2018 Adams Media, a division of Simon and Schuster. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Melanie St. Ours author page.
Melanie St. Ours

Melanie St. Ours is an author and clinical herbalist living in the Baltimore, Maryland area, who specializes in both women's and mental health. Her first book, The Simple Guide to Natural Health was published in 2018. St. Ours trained extensively in the U.S. and at Longhua Hospital in Shanghai. She has a bachelor's in drama from NYU, and has been featured in Reader's Digest, Vice, and Parade. She works with clients from all over the world through her private practice, Psyche & Soma.