There are so many products that claim to soothe the itching, but what really works? We tested a bunch so you don’t have to.
After serving as an all-you-can-eat buffet to some lucky mosquito (or a whole family of them), I was losing my mind from the itching. As much as you can tell yourself not to scratch, when there are so many close together, the itching is so bad it will wake you up throughout the night. I’m also not so good about listening to my smarter self.
I knew I needed to find something that really works – and quickly. I ordered everything Amazon suggested and then asked our social media followers for their recommendations, too. I tested them all.
The results I’m sharing are obviously specific to me. I’m sure other people can have different results using different products, but if you end up in my situation, at least you know where to start.
The Bug Bite Thing has a following, but because it needs to be used on a fresh bite, this was not helpful to me in this case. I’m holding onto it and will see if and when it works for me.
Let’s talk about these two types of patches. The Moskinto patches did nothing for me. And they also didn’t stay on well. The Quitch patches didn’t provide much relief, but they did prevent scratching. I’d say if you have one or two bites, this can help prevent the scratching that makes a bite worse.
Then there are the Benadryl and Cortizone creams. They have different allergy-fighting active ingredients, but I didn’t find them to really do much for me. (On a side note, taking an antihistamine medication like Allegra or Claritin is a good first step for calming the itching of a lot of bites.)
Old School Calamine Lotion did provide some soothing relief. (Expired lotion will actually not work – I tested that before the Amazon order arrived.) It’s messy but it does help. It’s best to apply it directly with your fingers and not with a cotton pad. It’ll give you better coverage.
And that brings me to my top three products. I used each of them in different ways so there’s no clear favorite–one of them will work for your needs.
The Beurer Insect Bite Healer seems bizarre. It’s an electronic device that you put directly on the bite and it heats up (ouch!) for 3-6 seconds. It somehow disrupts the itch signal and gives relief for hours. For real! But it is painful in the moment, so I would not use this on a child, and it’s also not realistic to use it on a lot of bites at a time.
The BiteMD pen is kind of like a Tide pen but for your skin. It’s very easy to use and provides some relief for a little while. Enough to take your mind off the itching. I kept this on my nightstand to use on individual bites that were bothering me.
The Dermaplast Itch Spray was what really saved me. It’s messy and a little bit smelly, but you can easily spray a whole area of bites and get enough relief to sleep for a while. If you’re spraying your legs, just stand on a towel while you do, so that the mess is absorbed. And while it did leave marks on my clothing, they came out in the wash.
So there you have it. Hopefully, you won’t need these too often, but it’s probably a good idea to have something in the house. And if you want some protection before the bites happen, this Proven Bug Repellent Spray is my favorite. No bad smell!
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