Bedbugs or Cimex Lectularius are invasive insects that invite themselves into our rooms and push us to find solutions to eradicate them. However, they are today becoming a real public health problem due to their strong resurgence. The contamination is such that it even affects hotels, university residences, nurseries and hospitals. Whether in Toulouse, Marseille or more recently in Limousin, the infestation is raging! And of course, even if they are not disease vectors, it is never pleasant to have them in your home… especially when this bloodsucking insect (which feeds on human blood here) targets us. So, if you have bedbug bites, here are some natural grandmother’s remedies to quickly make them disappear!
Bedbug bites: dangerous or not?
In general, bedbugs bite people who give off the most heat. Also, they favor fragile and thin skin. In fact, women and children are its preferred victims to suck its blood! And greedy as they are, these little ogres can sting more than 90 times in one night. Thus, we can have numerous red spots in lines or grouped on the arms, legs, back or thorax testifying to the fact that we have been served as a feast! Reactions to bites – and especially to anesthetic and anticoagulant saliva injected by the bedbug during the bite – are various:
- Often, the reaction is very mild and painless with red marks disappearing quickly and slight itching.
- On the other hand, if the person is sensitive, allergic reactions can be more severe and harmful. For example: sleep disturbances due to unbearable itchingviolent scratching, inflammation, swollen rashes and itchy blisters painful.
- More rarely, bedbug infestation can cause anaphylactic shock or edema in the event of a strong allergic reaction.
Make way for natural solutions in case of bedbug bites!
1) The first reflex: clean the bedbug bite
This could be enough to treat minor bites and limit the risk of infection. To do this, use warm water and mild soap. Lather it well on the skin. Then just leave it on for a bit and rinse. If this solution isn’t enough, it’s probably because your skin reacts badly to bites. If the symptoms are serious, quickly treating the bedbugs is more than recommended in your home.
2) Baking soda or white vinegar
Mixed with water to make a paste then applied for a few hours on the bedbug bites, the first one will reduce itching and calm inflammation. You can combine it with a witch hazel infusion or capsule to replace the water and provide a supplement. Indeed, this plant has useful properties against skin inflammations (astringent, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory). Otherwise, to quickly cure irritations, use white vinegar. This natural antiseptic and disinfectant antibiotic can be applied simply with a compress.
3) Toothpaste or mint
Menthol has no equal for stop irritation and calm itchinghence its common use in dermatology. In fact, you can put toothpaste in a thin layer on the skin redness and let it dry for a few hours. Otherwise, use a few drops of peppermint essential oil diluted in aloe vera gel. Moreover, this gel analgesic and anti-inflammatory can also be used alone to calm inflammation and pain, and accelerate the healing of small wounds left by these parasites!
4) Kitchen solutions against bedbug bites: lemon and banana
Astringentlemon juice is also a antibacterial and anti-inflammatory useful for local application on minor allergies and skin problems. To soothe the skin, use its juice alone or mixed with St. John’s Wort on a compress. As for the banana, we can rub its skin on ours to benefit from its natural analgesic effects. Perfect for irritations and tingling!
And bonus: Do you have calamine lotion? Perfect: antipruritic and antiseptic, it can also help calm itchy skin and inflammation.
Related articles: