Question:
I've gotten several mosquito bites this summer. Somewhere I
heard or read that taking a hot shower relieves the bites.
Since I did not want to take a shower everytime I got a
bite, I decided to apply VERY hot water directly to the welt
from the bite. I boil a small amount of water in the
microwave, dip in a q-tip, wait a few seconds for the water
to cool a bit, then apply it directly to the welt. If it
starts to itch again, I repeat the application. I've never
had to do this more than twice.
I was amazed how well this works. Although it does hurt a
little bit when you put the hot water on the bite, it stops
the itching and the next day you can't even tell where you
had the bite.
Answer:
-Mosquito/flea bits make me itch like crazy - the kind of itch which
makes you willingly claw off your own skin to get it to stop. Someone
else with this same problem posted on alt.fashion a while back that
rubbing the bite with plain old bar soap works, and whaddaya know, it
does! When I get bitten, I just rub the corner of the soap bar over
it and voila, itch lessens to nothing in a minute or two. I've used a
couple of different brands of soap and had the same good results.
Stings for a second but I will gladly take that over the awful itch.
I do carry a tube of Bactine anti-itch gel in my purse though. I
don't mind the smell of camphor (it's relatively faint in the gel) and
a tube goes a long way.
-If the bite is on your hand or arm, it's easy enough to put it under
the faucet and run a thin stream of hot water on it. You can
control the heat by taking it in and out of the stream.
Otherwise a hair dryer works very well. Just swath the hair
dryer back and forth across the area, so it doesn't overheat
it.
