Essential oils make everything smell better – and are also effective at soothing bug bites. From rosemary and peppermint to lavender and lemongrass, essential oils are great as bug repellents. A natural alternative to antihistamines and or topical corticosteroids, essential oils are generally safe for use. Take the misery out of bug bites with essential oils.
How To Use
Extracted from plants, essential oils are essentially concentrated plant extracts. To prevent allergic reactions, always mix essential oils with carrier oils. Thereafter, apply few drops of the mixture on the affected area and gently massage in a circular motion to soothe the itch and or pain.
HYSSES’ recommends using either jojoba oil or Witch Hazel, a plant with powerful medicinal properties that can ease inflammation and soothe bug bites, to mix with essential oils.
Five Best Essential Oils To Soothe Bug Bites
- Peppermint
Peppermint essential oil comes from the peppermint plant that is commonly found in Europe and North America. An extremely versatile oil, it is often used for relieving pain and swelling. When applied to the skin diluted in a carrier oil, it exerts a cooling sensation, thus relieving one almost immediately of the itchiness, sting or pain inflicted by bugs. Peppermint essential oil also contains antimicrobial properties that can reduce the risk of bug bites from becoming infected.
- Rosemary
With its distinctive woody fragrance and myriad of applications, rosemary essential oil is both effective as an insect repellent and topical analgesic. According to an article published on healthline.com, rosemary essential oil has several potent anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, which means it can quickly relieve the pain and swelling caused by nasty bugs.
In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, Rosemary essential oil is also steeped in antimicrobial properties that can significantly reduce one’s risk of a life-threatening skin infection. And its effective against certain strains of listeria, according to the 2009 scientific report ‘Antimicrobial Activity Of Rosemary Extracts Against Different Strains of Listeria’. At the same time, the sweet and floral scent of rosemary essential oil will perk you up.
- Lavender
Containing both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, this floral, calming essential oil known to stop bleeding, according to Advanced Tissue. Drip several drops of lavender essential oil to the wound to stop the bleeding and or prevent infections.
- Lemongrass
A sharp, intensely lemon-like scented essential oil, lemongrass is a true miracle worker. Extracted from the leaves and stalks of the lemongrass plant, lemongrass essential oil is rich in antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce one’s risk of contracting insect-borne diseases. Drip few drops of lemongrass essential oil on the affected to relieve the pain and or itch. Heal your bug bites with lemongrass essential oil and keep insect-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya away.
- Chamomile
Known as a calming plant, the essential oil distilled from chamomile helps in relieving physical pain and reduce emotional distress. Chamomile essential oil contains anti-inflammatory properties which are effective in stopping the itch, burns and or swells caused by bug bites.
Chamomile essential oil is also more effective than some over-the-counter treatments for skin irritation. When a group of researchers compared a chamomile compress to one-per cent hydrocortisone cream, they found that twice-daily chamomile treatments significantly sped up the healing of lesions, while also reducing pain and swelling.