Grandma’s Home Remedies: Mosquito Bites

Ivy says:

My kids must be extra sweet because they are covered in mosquito bites, and I (luckily) have none. You know how kids can get when they’re itchy and uncomfortable- they whine a lot. And when they whine a lot, my patience gets thin, and then we’re in for a miserable day.

On Saturday, my daughter was upset about her mosquito bites but claimed not to be able to find the Benadryl cream. It was in the right hand drawer of my bathroom cabinet, which I told her, but you know how kids can get. A vague memory of my childhood resurfaced, and I told her to try scratching an X over the top of the bite, hard with her fingernail and then spit on it. Lo and behold, the itching stopped.

She and her little brother spent the rest of the day happily drawing Xes on their mosquito bites and then spitting on them. Hey, whatever gets you through the day, kids.

I also remember my mom putting white toothpaste on my bites and then telling me to blow on it. And my grandfather would put clear nail polish on his bites. I always thought that was for tick bites, but who knows. It seemed to work for him.

Is there actual science behind these home remedies? Perhaps. I read somewhere that there’s an enzyme in spit that causes the bites to itch less. The same may be true for the toothpaste. In the case of my grandpa and his clear nail polish, I suspect it covers the bite and keeps it away from air, causing the itching to go down. The X might draw the itchy enzyme away from the site of the bite.

Other things I have heard over the years is to take the hottest washcloth you can stand on your skin and put it over the bite. Also, a spray of vinegar is supposed to help the bite. Another one I’ve heard is to use a paste of meat tenderizer and water on the bite.

It seems there are a blue million ways to stop mosquito bite itches. What are your favorite remedies?