If you've never used home remedies before to help with bug bites or mosquito bites, you may be skeptical like I was. But after I tried white vinegar I was pleasantly surprised just how much it helped my bug bites. Another remedy I would like to try in the future is lavender essential oil, but I think from here on out I'll be spraying bug spray on my body if I'm ever near a lake again.

YOUR BEST BET

Lavender Essential Oil
For immediate relief, lavender essential oil does the trick best, says Petly: “I keep a small vial with me while hiking, camping, and gardening and use it for stings, scratches, burns, and poison ivy. Two of the active constituents, linalool and linalyl acetate, help reduce inflammation, pain and itch. Lavender also speeds up tissue healing and is antimicrobial.” It’s a must for every first-aid kit.

SOMEWHAT HELPFUL
Apple Cider + White Vinegar
Many people swear by their trusty bottle of vinegar for dozens of home remedies, including bug bites. According to Petly, vinegar might cause irritation when you first apply it, but it’s an antibacterial and an antihistamine, so it should take away the itch and help bites to heal after that initial sting.

Epsom Salt
If you’re covered in bites after a day in the woods, taking a bath with Epsom salts can give you quick relief. It reduces swelling around the bites, which stops itching because it keeps your body from producing the histamine that triggers the itch.

Mud
Mud isn’t the most practical method for finding itch relief in most situations. However, if you’re out hiking in the woods, miles from your car or home, and getting eaten alive, you might want to consider it. Mud will cool the bites and reduce swelling, and it may even protect you from getting more bites.

THE JURY’S OUT

Honey
Petly says honey could theoretically help to heal bug bites because it’s an antibacterial, but it’s not exactly practical. You wouldn’t want to use it outside because there’s a chance the sweet stuff would attract more insects to you. Even if you only used it indoors, it would still be highly uncomfortable, especially if you had a lot of bites and slathered it all over your body. You’d be leaving a sticky trail everywhere you went, and you’d quickly be coated in an outer layer of dust, lint, and pet hair. We’ll stick to the lavender oil.

Banana Peel
You may have read that rubbing a banana peel on mosquito bites will give you instant relief. Petly thinks there’s a chance it could work by inducing a cooling sensation, but it’s not something he’d necessarily recommend to a patient when there are many options that are more effective. That said, if you’re out on a hike and the only thing you’ve got is the banana peel from your lunch, you may as well give it a shot.

The article suggests using apple cider and white vinegar as a combo, but white vinegar worked just fine for me. It stung the bites for a few seconds and even made them itchier at first, but then the itch calmed down and actually went away! Let me tell you, it was nice to get some sleep. I've been applying white vinegar religiously after that and even though I still have some scabs from itching too much, it definitely has helped ease the redness and itchiness that comes with the territory.

I can see why honey wouldn't be the best thing to try. It's super sticky and it would get all of your clothing! And who would try a banana peel?! Maybe if you're desperate but I think I'll stick to what I know what works for me. For more natural remedies that can help with mosquito bites head to Organic Life.