Ant bite can bring such an itchy sensation, the bite can be painful but the itching is somehow more annoying. Even if it looks like a simple problem, an itching skin may drive you crazy. To stop it and also to stop you make it worse, here are several things you have to do with your skin after you feel the itchy sensation.
Do not scratch
The first move we want to do when we got ant bites is scratching it. At first, it feels like reduce the itching, but you have to know that scratching changes nothing, and it can cause a scar to form. Actually, it worsens your ant bites and leads to irritation. The injury caused by over scratching also bring more risk for the bite to be infected.
Wash the area
Instead of scratching it over and over, the first thing you should do is washing the skin. In order to lessen the risk of infection, it is important to clean the area before you do anything with the bites.
What to do:
- Wash it with cool water and soap, be careful not to scratch the bites during this washing process.
- Dry it with a clean towel.
- You also can pour some drops of alcohol, spread it over the skin and let it dry on its own.
Applying the anti-itch cream
After you make sure that the bitten area is clean and dry, you can apply the anti-itch cream.
Or if you want, you can use some well-known home remedies to stop the itchy sensation. The remedies are varied, so if you do not have one or you have an allergic reaction with one of them, you can use the others:
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Icing/ cool compress
Ice will help to stop the itching and also reduce the swelling.
What to do:
- You can take an ice cube and put it directly on the bite.
- If you have many bites, you can cover some ice cubes with a clean towel and compress it on the bites. And keep icing it for about 10 minutes.
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Using baking soda
Baking soda is well known as a neutralizer of any acid, and pH level, so that helps to soothe itchiness.
What to do:
- Make a paste:
To reduce the itching, you can combine baking soda and water into a small container, mix it properly until you get a good paste then spread it over the itchy area. Let it dry, then rinse with warm water.
- As a bath: fill in the bathtub with warm water, pour a half cup of baking soda to the water and soak in.
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Lime or lemon
What to do:
- You can extract one lemon or lime to stop the itching and apply it on the bites. (if your skin is sensitive, you can combine it with water or some drops of coconut oil).
- If you are feeling a burning sensation, that is normal because it means that the acids in lemon are working to the bites.
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Vinegar
Vinegar also helps to control the itching. It acts as an antibacterial to stop the itching and preventing some bad effects on the bites caused by bacteria.
What to do:
- Put a few drops of apple cider vinegar (ACV) to a cotton ball or if you got many bites, you can add some drops onto a small and clean towel.
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Oatmeal bath
If you are bitten by many ants and that bite you on some part of your body, so that you get many bites, you can take an oatmeal bath to cure the itchy sensation.
It is important to know that the oatmeal we have here is not the oatmeal which fills our bowl when we had breakfast in the morning. It is made from oats with good quality which have been made into a very fine oat powder.
Besides oatmeal, there are two more ingredients which are added to your bath: olive oil and baking soda.
What to do:
- Fill the bathtub with warm water.
- Pour 3 spoons of olive oil to the water
- Add ¼ cup of baking soda to the water
- Add a half cup of finely ground oat powder
- Soak in for 15 to 20 minutes.
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