I think I have chigger bites, but I was wondering how can I get rid of them. Any suggestions? I have tried clear finger nail polish, but I scratch it off. If you have any suggestions please post them.
Holly
My grandmother's remedy was to put two capfuls of bleach into the bathwater. It has worked very well over the years. (07/07/2005)
By poet
Your local pharmacy or Walmart should have a cream called Chiggerrid. It works to relieve the itching or take Benadryl also to help.
(07/07/2005)
By CEIL ACHS
I had tried this remedy on mosquito bites and it works very well. Meat Tenderizer, mixed with water, to make a paste, put on your chigger bites. Continue using it until it stops the itching. This works on most insect bites, including wasps.
You will be amazed how the itching stops and goes away very fast.
(07/07/2005)
By Dee
We used a salt water bath immediately after being exposed to chiggers. I don't know if it will work on them now, but it's something you can keep in mind next time it happens. (07/07/2005)
By Jo
If you don't want to bathe in bleach water, just dip a cotton swab into the bleach bottle and dab it on each bite. It may sting if you've scratched the bites a lot, but the itching will stop and the bites will dry out. (07/07/2005)
By Cheryl from MO
You can control the itching by putting a piece of scotch tape over the bite area. Trust me, it works. (07/07/2005)
By Sandie
I use the clear fingernail polish with liquid band aid on top, because I am more likely to scratch if they just itch a tiny bit. Renew every day. (07/12/2005)
By suzi homemaker
May daughter had very bad ones and I found on the internet that a paste of baking soda and water would help the itching and keep them from getting bigger. Hope this helps. (07/23/2005)
By Rose Mary B
I bought that Chiggerex the other day for mosquito bites and it was a wasted $3.59. Next time I will read the bottle, and if it says apply as much as you want it means it doesn't work. It didn't do diddlysquat. And we are on a limited fixed income. Our oldtimer friend said to mix a paste out of vinegar and baking soda to put on the bites.
My son has chigger bites and the doctor told us to put Ambesol on them. Yes, that's the teething stuff. It contains benzocaine which will numb them and stop the itch. If you get a bunch of bites, she said to take some Benadryl. Hope that helps everyone out.
(07/11/2006)
By Kelly
The best thing I've found that works for me and the kids is stick deodorant. This seals the pores and I think the chemicals in the deodorant act like a pesticide because it works. It stops the itching right away. Good luck. (07/16/2006)
By toolfish
People, I found the solution, I have tried everything, but couldn't stop them. I finally used Clorox bleach spray. Spray it on, wait 3-4 minutes, wash it.
In 10 minutes no itching, healing is fast. (08/14/2007)
By Brian
Try pure, clear aloe vera gel. (Not the green-colored kind marketed for sunburns.) You can get it at natural food stores and some specialty grocers, and it feels even better if you chill it in the fridge before putting it on. (FYI, once the protective seal on the aloe vera is open it must be refrigerated. It keeps for a long time.) Simply apply some of the aloe vera on irritated skin with your bare hands and let the liquid dry. I have found that this method is pretty effective for me and my young nieces and nephews. Plus, it's all natural and far safer (for you and, especially, for young kids) than bleach. Good luck. Hopefully this will work for you, too.
As far as a repellent goes, you can try natural remedies for this as well. A simple and effective recipe for insect repellent follows, and yields about 4 oz:
(use any three of the following essential oils:)
Mix the selected 3 essential oils in a 4 oz spray bottle. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of either the jojoba or sweet almond oil. Fill the remaining space in the spray bottle with witch hazel. Replace the cap and spray nozzle and gently shake to combine all ingredients. To use, spray liberally on skin and clothing, focusing especially on ankles, forearms, armpits, and the pelvic area (especially if you intend to be out sunbathing in a swimsuit.)
The bug repellent can be stored in a cool, dry area. It doesn't need to be refrigerated. The liquids and oils will separate naturally, but alleviating this only requires another gentle shake before use. The witch hazel in the mix will prevent the repellent from feeling greasy or too oily, and the jojoba or sweet almond oil will help moisturize your skin at the same time.
If you suspect that chigger larvae have worked their way into your skin or are still present, a hot shower should kill them and remedy this. After the shower, go ahead and apply the aloe vera.
Here's to a chigger-less summer.
(08/28/2007)
By P
My husband just got over it and he says that Absorbine Jr. worked the best to get the itch to go away, he kept it handy and just put it on when the itch started up again. The welts will go away in about a week. (10/05/2007)
By Susie
Chiggers only bite in the juvenile stage. They drop off shortly after gorging them selves on mammalian fluids (you). Contrary to popular opinion they do not embed themselves in your skin, so do not use nail polish or bleach as it is only adding toxins to toxins. Chiggers inject a small amount of an antiseptic material to numb the area that they are attacking and they are generally not detected until long after they have fallen off.
You can, if you are particularly sensitive, notice a small tickle sensation as they attach, but it is barely noticeable. Some responders are right in warning: "Do not scratch" as this can lead to secondary infections, possible scarring and open portals to some very nasty bacteria (MRSA aka flesh eating bacteria). My advice is to use a product called Mitigator Sting and Bite Scrub. It has baking soda, papain (meat tenderizer to absorb toxins), and walnut shell granules to open the pores.
Scrubbing with your fingertips substitutes for scratching with your fingernails and since it has no harsh chemicals or foul odors it can be reapplied as often as needed. You can find it at Longs Drug stores or on the web at: www.mitigator.net. (03/11/2008)
By Patrick
It's surprising, I scanned through all the previous posts and no one mentioned the one "cure" that worked on my little boy. I popped him into a tub filled with an Epsom salt bath; let him play for about 1/2 hour. When he was out and dried, pj'd and fed, I gave him Benadryl and the next morning he was major better. Moral: Epsom salts aren't just grandma's cure-all. It worked. (05/21/2008)
By doodles
I know if I make a paste from oatmeal and put it on my skin for 30 minutes once a day for 3 days, my poison oak was cured. It pulls out the poison from the skin. I wonder if it would apply to chigger bites. I used Caladryl for the itchiness in between.
Good luck. (06/24/2008)
By none
I have used GIMP by Link Laboratories, it is a mixture of camphor oil and iodine. It relieves itching quickly and in about 3 days they are gone. (06/29/2008)
By Mark
The best thing I did when I had chiggers was I went swimming. I honestly didn't know that it would help till I got out of the pool and everything was gone and no more itching. So I guess the chlorine helps. So just go swimming and see if that helps for you. (07/03/2008)
A couple of postings have already stated this, unfortunately, the itch won't be totally gone until your body has reabsorbed the "feeding tube" it created when the chigger bit your skin.
If you've been outdoors, be sure to shower soon afterwards to remove any leftover critters, and wash your clothes too, as soon as practical.
If you've been bitten, popular anti-itch lotions, topical analgesics and/or antiseptics, and in extreme cases the use of prescription medications, plus time, are the only relief available. You can use nail polish, but its not a cure mostly a reminder not to scratch the welt. As already mentioned on this site, though chiggers do not carry disease, scratching the affected area may lead to a secondary infection, something you want to avoid. So, wash up well, apply OTC products to alleviate the itch, and see a physician if the bites are extremely bad, or are really bothering you.
Having grown up in central Missouri, playing outdoors in the woods and tall grasses was a daily event. Before going out, mom would douse our clothing (leg, waist, and arm openings) with powdered sulfur (also known as "flowers of sulfur"). You don't need to eat matches, folks, but sulfur works; ask any hunter. But be forewarned, sulfur stinks. Powdered sulfur is available at pharmacy stores.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has a good article on chiggers, their bites, prevention, relief, etc. - recommended reading for those unfamiliar with the chigger mite. mdc.mo.gov
Good luck.
(07/09/2008)
By Sally
I worked on MODOT and the thing I found out was to "dry out the skin". Bleach really dries out the skin. Also the same applies to Poison Ivy and such. I also found just washing yourself with soap, like anti-bacterial Dial will help a lot. After a while, just washing myself with Dial took care of the problem. (07/17/2008)
By Doug
Lucky me, I have had to deal with poison ivy and chigger bites 2 years in a row. Well, last summer, week 3 into the poison ivy after trying everything, my mom mentioned "Ivy Dry". We looked it up and it's still available. Well, it works wonders on poison ivy. But, what I'm getting to is Ivy Dry works well on all kinds of bug bites as well. The only bad thing is wherever you spray it, that skin will get dried out and the spray stings like crazy when you first spray it on. But I promise you, this stuff works great. It's about $10 and you can find it at CVS and Kroger and there's more, but those 2 are where I have purchased it from. Hope this helps.
Here's a picture. (07/31/2008)
By Margaret
I also use Vicks, a couple applications and the itch and bite are gone. (08/07/2008)
By Carmen
I tried this stuff called Chigger Tox get's rid of the itch fast. (08/13/2008)
By Paige
Chigger bites are the worst. I have found that preparation H works well on the bites. Try the cooling gel Prep H. I also put paint thinner on them and that seemed to relieve most of the itching. If they have been scratched it will burn, but the burn is not as bad as the itch.
Tammymag (07/10/2009)
By tammy
I just came back from VA beach, and found myself to be covered with chigger bites. I have just started a couple of treatments. The Neosporin didn't really do anything. I am now trying to take Benadryl and also I read that Listerine mouthwash can feel really good. So I took a scalding hot soapy bath, and then poured the mouthwash all over me, making sure to get it everywhere, and then let myself air dry. I have immediate relief, and the bites seem to have gone down in size immensely. I am going to keep the treatment up once a day and I will let you all know how it goes. I also washed all my clothes and bedding on the burning hot cycle of my washing machine, just in case. (09/01/2009)
By Sarah Powell
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Spent 2 weeks at the beach house in Clearwater Fl and we got bit all over our legs by Chiggers. Yes, sand chiggers. People are bringing firewood from deep inland and the chiggers catch a ride on the wood so now for the past 3 years, we are getting eaten up with bites. My girlfriends skin is super sensitive and when she gets a chigger bite, the red inflamed area stays on her for months.
This year I dabbed a drop of straight eucalyptus oil on all her bites (and mine) and the itchy, inflammed bites started to disappear in record time. My stopped itching instantly and were gone in 2 days and hers about 4 days. So now you know. Put Eucalyptus oil in the travel first-aid kit!
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