Hey, Hey!
It’s TUESDAY TALK, that day of the month when I team up with Fancy Ashley to chit chat about whatever’s on our hearts. Today, I need your help!
When this girly is outside, it’s like mosquitoes come from miles away to swarm her.
I guess it’s kind of a two-part question.
WHAT SHOULD I BE USING WHEN SHE’S OUTSIDE?
and
WHAT’S THE BEST THING TO PUT ON MOSQUITO BITES?
We’ve tried several different things but clearly I haven’t found the best solution yet. I’d appreciate any and all of your recommendations! And Britty thanks you too. 😉
THANK YOU!
XO
Oh I wish, wish, wish I had help for you!! I have alwyas been like that myself (and have one son who's just like that too!). To this day I get eaten alive when moquitoes are around. I even have at least one or two bug bites a year that swell up to like 8 times the normal size of bug bites and they are oh so itchy!! I put straight rubbing alcohol on my bites to take the itch away and I think that helps them dry up faster but that only works for me now as an adult because I don't scrtach otherwise it burns like crazy. As a kid I can remember using roll-on deoderant to help stop the itch but it really didn't work much better than calamine lotion.
We swear by bug bands, most stores including Target and amazon have them. We have tried a variety of brands and they all seem to work. We do often wear one on our wrist and one on our ankle. As for treating bug bites, witch hazel wipes are great and then of course cortisone as a last resort
I don't have a good answer. But have you seen that bew mosquito suction thingy going around on social media? I wonder if it works? Suppose to pull the poison out that causes itching instantly.
https://spartanmosquito.com/mosquito-control/
Get these to put in your yard, do exactly like the directions say!! We had them terrible in VA and these have worked great!!
I swear by the bug bite thing (google it). If you can catch a mosquito bite early, I think it helps about 75% of the time. My kids are slightly afraid of it because this section can be pretty strong, so get her used to it first. It’s a summer essential in our house.
We hung a dynatrap in our yard years ago and it helps ALOT! I used to be eaten alive until we had it! They are attracted to the dynatrap instead of people.
Try a thermacell!
Avon Skin so soft…old girl scout camping trick. Works wonders but I would also have your yard sprayed
I can't wait to read answers, bc my daughter and I are both like your poor Britt! I have had some luck with a salve called PRID (amazon sells it) seems to help take the swelling down a bit. As far a prevention, we have a service that comes and sprays our entire property monthly with a garlic based solution…but that only helps at home, would love to know if people have a good spray that actually works for travel!
The mosquito eradicator works pretty good in your yard. Give it some time to start working. My mom has noticed a huge difference.
I have the same issue!!! Looking forward to seeing everyone’s responses!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Dryer sheets help! Like rub a dryer sheet on her arms and legs, and then put one in her pocket!
My daughter has the same problem so I bought this off of amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QS11LY9/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=cassfreehspme-20&linkId=0f538aeaef9798971b1cd64648f5a391&language=en_US#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
We just got it yesterday and we are anxious to try it out. There are many raving reviews and I like that it’s an alternative to bug spray.
Hope you guys find something that works!
Try using Johnson’s Creamy Baby Oil. It is in a green tube and goes on like lotion. It smells great and keeps mosquitos away. I use Benadryl cream after a bite to help with the itch. Mosquitos LOVE me!
We use Benedryl gel for children when our kids get bit. Seems to take the itching away quick.
Ok, so this might sound crazy and I haven't bought and tried it yet but here in Canada there is some all natural garlic spray that you can buy and spray it around your entire yard. It keeps the mosquito's away. My friends did it and after the first day the smell goes away and we were in their yard a week later and there were barely any mosquito's in their backyard. I am going to give it a try but it's worth a look or ask at your local garden center!
Good luck. The bugs love me as well, so I feel ya!
Oh Britty girl I feel your pain! This has been a lifelong struggle for me. No bug spray is good, but you need to use and lather on. It will not prevent bites but without it you’ll get 600x more than you will with it on!!! Avon skin so soft bug guard is my favorite. I think it works slightly better and is just so much more pleasant to put on. For bug bites, Benadryl anti itch spray is the ONLY way to go. It changed my life. Don’t bother with anti-itch cream or after bite or even calamine lotion, Benadryl has the superior product. I also usually lotion with Sarna anti itch lotion every morning and night. Hope this helps….best I’ve come up with after 25+ years of struggling. Good luck!
"the bug bite thing" from shark tank. it's bizarre how much it relieves the itch!! cheap, easy, no chemicals, i take it with me wherever i go!!
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, or any more natural diaper rash cream with zinc oxide as the main ingredient stops the itch almost right away! And because it’s diaper rash cream you know it’s ok for littles with sensitive skin, we just dab some on and cover with a bandaid for our kiddos! Our friends laugh when we pull it out on hikes or camping trips but we’ve converted most of them!
I have had this issue for years and have found regular old Avon Skin So Soft (not the bug stuff) works best. Just spray it on and rub it into her skin before she goes outside. Benadryl cream does a good job with the itching if she does get bites. Interesting fact: I read that people with type "O" blood seem to attract mosquitos more than people with other types. Guess we're just the lucky ones!!
Plant Therapy's essential oil bug spray blend, Shield Me! It's from their kid safe line too!
https://www.planttherapy.com/shield-me-kidsafe-essential-oil?v=555&gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zhb1ylg3RBWZv7_NJOILNQa3sLCb1wK8bCN7-pQ3dQbSmVYS4eFC3qhoCKQUQAvD_BwE
I've made it into a spray and just used it straight with a cotton ball, either way it works! And it's safe!
We love the Thermacell portable repellers and lanterns.
This stuff is sent from above! I get bit like crazy and it really helps calm the mosquitos and gnats too. I'm not sure they have it in stores down in Texas, but here in Iowa it is a staple! And it smells amazing too 🙂
https://simplysoothing.net
Avon's Bug Guard Plus is very good and I also put Peppermint Oil on and that has really helped me. I know some will also use Tea Tree Oil too.
I second Johnson's Creamy Baby Oil with Aloe and Vitamin E (green bottle). I've used it for years and have even gotten my husband on board with it! It's great because it doesn't leave you feeling all gross like bug sprays where I feel I need to shower afterwards.
I've also used picaridin bug repellent from REI but prefer the baby lotion
Good luck!
I second the garlic spray, though beware as you are going to want to eat Italian food for a few days. Ha!
For relief from the bites, we put lavender and lemon oil in a roller ball bottle with some coconut oil and it provides fast relief.
I swear by the Johnson and Johnson (equate brand works too) Aloe and Vitamin E baby oil! I use it on all my kids and my husband swears by it too.
Nutritional yeast! Sprinkle it on popcorn or pretty much anything else that you want to taste a little cheesy and it apparently makes you smell horrible to mosquitos! I eat it on popcorn pretty regularly and almost never get bit, even in our yard, which backs up to a wetland. Bonus: no chemicals, and it's super good for you. If you Google it, a kid actually tested it for her science project and found that people who consumed it had 64% fewer mosquito landings. 🙂
I will be coming back to read all of the recs!!!!
Try straight vanilla extract. Don't use the artificial vanilla extract. Just dab the vanilla extract behind her ears and on her pulse points. You'll have to reapply it after she goes swimming or works up a good sweat. Best of all, she'll smell like cookies all day!
The Thermacell Mosquito Repellent is great!!!!!!
One of my sons get badly bitten. We get our yard sprayed once a month during mosquito season and I haven’t seen a bite on him in quite awhile! We use Off spray when going somewhere else.
My son has the same issue – it is terrible! We use Benadryl Cream and Fitish Tone Down spray and they both help a lot. We also use Erin's Faces Mosquito and Tick Repellent spray when we are out – it is non-toxic, so I don't have to worry about putting it on him. We also have our yard sprayed by Mosquito Joe, which helps to cut down the number of mosquitoes quite a bit.
We use these Murphy’s Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks whenever we're in the backyard and when we go camping! We create a perimeter around our patio (or campsite) and they really do keep mosquitos away:
https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Naturals…/dp/B0754LHVZR
I also use their balm if I want to stay DEET free:
https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Naturals-Anti-Mosquito-Plant-Based-Ingredients/dp/B07176PMK5
Pluse I a Thermocell with me whenever I'm outside because I’m a mosquito magnet:
https://www.amazon.com/Thermacell…/dp/B01BGHU7R6/
To help with the itching, this is the only thing that gives me and my daughters actual relief:
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Bond-Relief-Cream-Ounce/dp/B00P2V1CDG
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SBMTQL/ref=twister_B07G42R8R5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
We used this the other night and not one mosquito came near. My husband also uses them to hunt, and says they WORK!!!
I've been the same way with mosquitos my whole life. Truly, the only thing that worked was getting old enough as an adult to choose to just stay inside. It is worth it to me. I used so much deet based spray product without washing it off at the end of the day that in college I gave myself a deet sensitivity. Now deet makes me breakout with a rash. I use the Sawyer brand repellent now. The active ingredient is picardin and at the 20% strength it is just as effective as deet. I try to put on my pants and sleeves not bare skin. But I do put on skin sometimes and just make sure to wash that skin with soap and water in case any is left at the end of the day. Once I have a bite, I take benadryl to fight it from the inside because it is an allergic reaction I am experiencing. Then, you can alternate using an anti-itch cream with benadryl cream on the bite. After a bad reaction to a spider bite 10 yrs ago, my family doctor gave me a steroid cream. It cut the itching instantly. I explained my mosquito reaction and now she prescribes it annually for that. You can't overuse it because it can make your skin thinner in that location, but it works so well I don't feel like I need to keep applying every 5 minutes. I hope you find the right combo for her. My heart goes out to her.
Another vote for the spartan mosquito eradicator. It is not a perfect solution but it definitely helps!
Mosquito's love me too. I go the essential oil route usually. I use lemongrass on my skin when I'm out in the yard. If I do get a bite, I use lavender oil on the bite for the itch. This year I have purchased a DynaTrap. Will see how it works.
I don’t know if this is a thing in TX but mosquitos swarm me and it was preventing me from being able to enjoy the outdoors in IL..so we contracted a local company to come out and spray our yard ..they are environmentally friendly, come monthly and it’s been amazing. they actually came today and I was excited to see them! It works and is well worth it!
If you use essential oils, look up the "recipe" for mosquito or bug repellant. I am away from home for a few days and can't remember the exact oils you use, but, it works great. I mix it up, put in a roller bottle, and rub it on when I am outside. My grandson used to get huge welts every time he was outside and this has worked wonders. Natural, smells good, and works great!
Get the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator to put in your yard. I live in the country on an acre and we put these up about a month ago and now there are zero mosquitos. Try Rowe Casa Organics insect repellant and their stop the itch cream. They are safe and all natural and actually work!
I swear by Nu Skin epoch body butter. Mosquitos hate it and don't bite with it on.
Citronella essential oil works wonders for me! Combine one drop with one drop of a carrier oil (jojoba is what I use) and then dab it on wrists and ankles. Instant repellent.