Got bit by chiggers?  Well, thankfully you have come to the right page. This article will give you ten homemade remedies for the treatment of Chigger bites.  But, before we delve in and probably waste time on something of no use to you… Let’s talk CHIGGER.

What are chiggers?

Chiggers are tiny, hairy, red colored mites which belong to the arachnid family, and are cousins to spiders and ticks.

Where do they live?

They live in tall weeds and grass, in berry patches and in wooded areas, and any place with thick vegetation.

What do they look like?

Chigger OPC

Identifying a chigger

Chiggers are microscopic organisms. Therefore, they’re not easily seen with the naked eyes.  The larvae are red, have six legs and have no wings measuring approximately 1/150 of an inch in size.

How do they bite?

Only the larvae bite humans.  They normally choose warm, moist areas of the body.  They use their tiny claws to grab onto the skin, and then attach its mouth and inject saliva.  This saliva contains an enzyme that breaks down skin cells to liquid form.  The skin then hardens creating a tube through which the chigger sucks dissolved skin cells.  Bites often times appear in groups and get larger for several days to a week.  Chiggers behave quite differently than other insects.  Insects bite exposed skin as opposing to the chiggers that tend to like biting in the folds of skin and in places where clothing fits tightly on the skin.

Most chigger bites generally occur around the ankles, behind the knees, crotch, armpits, etc.

Symptoms of chigger bites

Chigger bites

Chigger bites

Since you’d not have felt it when the chigger latches on to your skin, and chances are you did not even feel it when the chigger bit into your skin, you will only know that you have

been bit

hours after the bite, and this is when you begin to notice the:

  • Reddish bumps, with a bright red dot in the center
  • Clustered rashes
  • Intense itching

HOMEMADE REMEDIES

…that are tried and proven:

  1. Trim your fingernails closely so as to avoid scratching the bitten area
  2. Get half jar of Vicks vapor rub, add two teaspoons of regular table salt to it and mix to get the salt evenly distributed. Once the mixture is complete, lightly rub the affected area/s in a circular motion trying not to break the skin as this will cause an infection.
  3. Apply essential oils such as lavender, tea tree oil or thyme essential oil (immediate relief)
  4. Mix some olive oil with tea tree oil and apply to affected areas
  5. Combine the fresh Aloe Vera gel mixing it with a few drops of peppermint oil, olive oil, and vinegar( when this mixture is applied to the affected area or areas it reduces swelling)
  6. Use alo vera gel to relieve discomfort

    Use aloe vera gel to relieve discomfort

    Use an antihistamine or topical hydrocortisone cream to relieve itching

  7. Apply ice pack or cold compress to the area to stop the itching
  8. Use the head and shoulder shampoo as a body cream and apply it all over allow it to sit until it dries after an hour take a shower
  9. Soak in baking soda and water; this neutralizes the Ph balance of the skin. Another effective bath can be made with cornstarch and you soak in it as with the baking soda, (this will effectively reduce the soreness).  Epsom salt is another excellent option for making a bath for soaking to reduce swelling and itching.
  10. Use arm and hammer toothpaste by applying a small amount to each bite.

I sincerely hope that you will find at least one if not all of these remedies and suggestions useful.  One crazy but tried and proven suggestion was to use your spit and of course that makes perfect sense since this too has the ability to neutralize the Ph balance of the skin, and of course, this is your own spit so you really have nothing to lose here.  Just apply the saliva to the affected area and massage gently and you would be surprised to see that it works just as good as or even faster than many of the aforementioned remedies or treatments.

 

 

 

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