Stop itching: A few things to prevent and treat mosquito bites

garlic peppermint mosquito

Got bit? Cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub the cross-section over the bite. I just tried it on my 2-yr-old and after a mere 10 seconds she confirmed that the itch was “fixed.”

Avoiding the bugbites in the first place is of course, far better. Eating 1-2 cloves of garlic the night before exposure has corresponded to me being bit less than my comrades — but not reliably. There seem to be multiple factors involved in one’s appeal to the little bloodsuckers.

So I try to have a bottle of essential peppermint oil with me when out in nature. They hate the smell and will avoid you for the most part, however if persistent enough to find a patch of unanointed skin, they will go for it. So I put a few drops on my hands, rub them together, and then rub my hands over any exposed areas. BE CAREFUL around your face. Peppermint oil, even just the fumes, will STING your eyes. So I’ll rub my anointed hands around my neck, and a little at my hairline, but never closer to my eyes than this.

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