Summer is drawing to a close soon and many of you are probably dreaming of fall and cooler weather, but those that are still working outside in the woods and brush in this dog days of summer heat may find this treatment for chigger bites helpful. If you are experiencing multiple chigger bites, you know they feel like the bane of one’s existence!
Since my first experience with chigger bites I have been relatively successfully at the prevention of chigger bites. However, from time to time we get a little rushed or absent minded and do not heed the preventative warnings that we know.
About a month or so back I was piddling in the yard doing some very light weeding and clean up. I was wearing simple little throw on canvas converse-like sneakers with no socks and loose fitting cotton capris. Then it caught my eye that along the borders of our back yard in the brush and woods the blackberries were ripening! So, I ran into the house and grabbed a bowl and trotted back out to pick some blackberries.
There is not a large blackberry thicket out back, but just a thin little border around the back yard and pasture. I’ve not had any issues with chigger bites in our yard, but trotting out to the edge in the bordering brush not wearing proper clothing was a real mistake! Of course, there were those few blackberries just out of reach where I had to step in a little further than planned, but still I never gave any mind to what I was wearing…there were blackberries!
By the next day I was beginning to break out in a few chigger bites around my ankles and lower legs. And because I was wearing loose capris they were able to traverse up my legs all the way up to more sensitive areas. Thank goodness for snug fitting undies!
I still stand by the treatments discussed in my original post. However, I found it more difficult to use some of those treatment methods up on my very upper legs and hip areas. I had an epiphany to try using clove essential oil. Clove is commonly used in dental hygiene cleansing and health and is known to also provide a numbing effect as well. Perfect! I wanted to numb the heck out of this vile itching!! With a cotton swab I dabbed undiluted clove essential oil over all of the chigger bites. After several minutes, I then covered them with clear fingernail polish as well. As an added bonus, as some of the bigger bites began to blister and ooze in later days the clove essential oil provided a cleansing effect to keep them from getting infected.
To learn more about what a chigger is, how to prevent chigger bites, and other treatment options visit my original post here. By all means, do try to prevent being bit by chiggers!!! But if you are unlucky enough to get chigger bites then give clove essential oil a try.
