Chigger Bite Remedies

If you're planning a camping trip, read the chigger bite remedies mentioned in this article. They'll definitely come in handy if you get bitten.

All of us like to take a break from our daily schedule. We want to get away from the maddening rush of our hectic lives and escape into the wilderness for some peace and quiet. But if we don't take the necessary precautions, we could end up hurting ourselves rather seriously. One of these precautions is against the different insect bites that we could fall prey to in the woods. One of the most common insects that prey on human skin in the wild, are chiggers. Given below are some symptoms and chigger bite remedies that you can use in case you are bitten by chiggers.

What is a Chigger?

Chiggers come form the family of trombiculidae mites. They are the larvae of these mites and look a lot like spiders. Their bodies are red in color and they have six legs. They live in vegetated areas like grass, trees, parks or marshy areas near a water body. They feed on human skin. How they do it - they inject an enzyme by inserting their feeding structures into the skin. This hardens the surrounding areas and a feeding tube (stylostome) is formed. The chiggers feed through this stylostome. The favorite spots of chiggers are in the areas where the skin has folds or wrinkles. For instance, behind the knees, armpits, etc.

Symptoms of Chigger Bite

Given below are some symptoms that a person who may have been bitten by a chigger may exhibit. These chigger bite symptoms may manifest themselves within a day or two of being bitten.

Itching

Redness in the bitten area

Bumps on the skin

Some may develop a mild skin rash

Red spots and welts on skin

Pain in the bitten area

Swelling and irritation due to chiggers rash

Remedies for Chigger Bite

Here's some information on how to treat a chigger bite. These are some great chigger bite cures that you can whip up even at home. Read on....

Water and Baking soda: Take baking soda and add some water to it. The quantity should be according to the number of areas affected by the chigger bites. Make a paste of the baking soda and water. Apply this paste on the chigger bites. It will soothe the itching and is a great chigger bite treatment.

Castor Oil: Applying castor oil as a salve is a great chigger bite remedy. It helps in reducing the itching and irritation of the skin.

Toothpaste: Yes, that's right. Believe it or not, applying toothpaste on the chigger bites works wonders.

Mouthwash: One of the best chigger bite remedies is a mouthwash. But not all mouthwashes. You must look for a mouthwash that contains benzoic acid and has an alcohol-water combination.

Vicks and Petroleum Jelly: Vicks contains methanol, which is great to soothe itching. Petroleum jelly also helps to soothe the irritation and swelling caused by the chigger bites.

Ace Bandage: Tying an ace bandage around the area bitten by chiggers will not allow any air to enter it. This in turn will reduce the occurrence of itching.

Bacon Grease: Bacon grease will also act like petroleum jelly as a chiggers treatment to soothe the irritation and reduce the swelling caused by chigger bites.

Nail Polish: Nail polish reduces the itchy scratchy feeling that the chigger bites cause. So apply a drop of nail polish on every chigger bite that you can see. Even if the person wants to scratch, he won't be able to.

Ointments and Balms: There are many over the counter ointments and balms available, which help to soothe inflammation caused to the skin, especially by insects bites. Use these as chigger bite remedies, but only if prescribed by a physician.

These were some easy chigger bite remedies that you can use to treat the discomfort caused by chiggers. Most of them are everyday use items, so you don't have to worry about shelling out too much money. Just make sure you carry them the next time you're going on a trip into a woody, grassy area. And if you live around an area that has a lot of vegetation, try different ways to get rid of chiggers, so as to prevent the occurrence of these nasty chigger bites.