Amidst a well decorated interior and heartwarming ambiance of your home, you’re constantly surrounded by unwanted little intruders. No matter however hard you try, they find one corner, one nook of your house to stay with you every time. These little creatures don’t mean harm to you but in their defence end up proving to be a huge inconvenience for you. And a tastefully decorated home turns into an overhaul of unhygienic place. One such organism is a common ant you often spot around sugar. Black, red, sometimes fiery yellow – there are more than two hundred thousand of species of ants on this earth alone. Next time you see them eyeing on your sweets, know that you’re seeing a unique variety of industrious individuals.
Ants are an important part of earth’s ecology. They work day and night to maintain their ecological niche but while interacting with humans, they end up biting us in their defence of a potential attack. Ant bites often result into a burning sensation, itching, and redness over the affected area. This is due to the release of formic acid in our skin by the stink of ants. A formic acid is a mild methanoic acid, a form of carboxylic acid. It does not cause long-term harm unless you’re allergic or have sensitive skin but it essentially causes excessive itching and redness on the area affected.
But do you really have to be worried when all your remedies are right there in your kitchen stock? With inexpensive kitchen essentials, you can prevent yourself from falling prey to such mild yet major itchings. Let’s look upto some of the most easy hacks right here.
List of Home Remedies For Ant Bites Swelling – Best Natural Treatments:
- Honey Skin Pack
- Clay Skin Pack
- Cucumber Juice
- Raw Milk Paste
- Herbal Tea
- Green Tea
- Olive Oil
- Corn Starch
- Onion Slice
- Potato Juice
- Tea Tree Oil
- Lavender Oil
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Lime Juice
#1. Honey Skin Pack
Honey is an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory agent for milf skin complications. It not only hydrates the skin but helps it keep moisturised. When bit by an ant and in case of severe itchins, apply some honey as a mask over the affected area and leave it for some time. Follow it up with a wash in cold water and pat dry. It will help soothe the skin and remove infection caused. It will fasten up the healings and will also prove to be beneficial in adding a new glow to the skin. It immediately stops the annoying itch, cools the inflammation down and infuse anti-bacterial property to help the skin recover from the ant stink.
#2. Clay Skin Pack
In addition to the honey, clay also has medicinal properties for minor inflammations. You can also add honey to this mask if you like. Take some clay and wet it using water or honey and beat it till it forms a consistent paste to be applied over your ant bite affected skin. Apply it gently with the help of your fingers and let it dry for half an hour. It removes the swelling caused by ant stink and helps it recover through the burning sensation. Due to the hardening of this clay mask, you also get the added benefit of removal of dead skin cells, thus discovering the new gentle layer of skin underneath.
#3. Cucumber Juice
Due to an excellent soothing and astringent agent, cucumber is the most ideal candidate for countering an ant bite. It is easily available in your kitchen to avoid you any delay in the treatment. Cut a slice of a green cucumber and put it directly on your ant bite affected skin. You can also grate the cucumber and staring the juice using a muslin cloth in a steel bowl. Apply the juice over your skin and you’ll instantly feel relieved of the burning sensation. It will cool off your inflammation instantly and provide you with a soothing experience. Cucumber is a perfect remedy for this mild infection.
#4. Raw Milk Paste
Milk is basic in nature having some of the best ingredients to counter attack the acidic nature of this bite. When raw, it also has cleansing property to activate self cleansing of your skin and get rid of the formic acid out of your skin. Due to its cool nature, it also immediately soothes your skin. Since ancient times milk is used in various medicinal therapies. One of them being getting the skin treated for any kind of inflammation and skin diseases. On case of sensitive skin, this remedy works best for you due to its mild nature. It not only helps recover skin from the ant bite but also helps your sensitive skin maintain its pH level. Thus, casing no further aide effects of this treatment. All you have to do is apply some milk over the area, preferably raw milk, and let it work on the skin. You’ll be surprised to see the magic.
#5. Herbal Tea
Herbal Tea is a selected mixture of medicinal leaves used for beverage purposes. In addition to its healthy benefits of drinking this tea, it also acts as a great skin toner for your skin. It soothes, cleanses and heals the skin out of any infection caused due to insects. It’s medicinal property works best for every skin type, dry, normal and even oily. Oily skin types getadditional benefits of removing the oil from your skin pores including the formic acid injected by the ant stink. All you have to do is add some of the herbal tea leaves in a pot and put some water with it. Let it come to a boil and the essence of tea leaves be fully soaked in the water. Let it cool and wash over your ant bite affected skin. Repeat the process in short intervals and you’ll find your skin relieved of the swelling and redness. This method works best for instant removal of any signs of inflammation including the recovery of the skin from the acidic bite
Read More – Best Moisturizer for Men with Oily Skin
#6. Green Tea
The catecholamines of green tea are very beneficial for skin ailments. When a part of the skin is affected by an inflammation or any insect bite, green tea can come to an instant rescue. All you have to do is bring a teaspoon full of green tea to a quick boil in half a cup of water and wash the skin when it is mildly warm. This cools off the skin and removes the left over acid after the stink. You can see the redness and swelling gone after a repetition of the process on very short intervals. You don’t even have to repeat twice in most of the cases. Green Tea is an anti-inflammatory and anti – bacterial agent proven to be great for skin ailments. You should definitely try it the next time you are affected by such unavoidable insect bite.
#7. Olive Oil
Do you really need an evidence of how beneficial olive oil is for your ant bite affected skin? Olive oil is used for numerous skin related problems since hundred of years. It moisturises, hydratesand helps the skin remain in the best of its health. When bit by an ant, the skin retaliates with a swelling and redness all over the surface. Below the skin surface, it gets itching sensations and burning feels around the area. Olive oil helps the redness cool down due to the inflammation and nurtures the skin back with radiant glow. The dryness caused by the injected formic acid is dealt with the moisturising ability of the olive oil. When affected, you can quickly grab a few drops of olive oil, virgin of you prefer, and dab it over the well rinsed zone of affected skin. Let it work for a while and leave it for a healthy skin. You will be surprised with its after effects.
#8. Corn Starch
This kitchen ingredient is the master of all Jack’s in case of insect bites and beauty treatments. As a paste, it forms a basic nature of solution. When applied to an ant bite affected skin zone, it quickly neutralises the acid and work around the inflammation. This never let’s you down in a day to day home remedy treatments. In case, you’re attacked by a group of big yellow ants, you should apply it all over the area for over 5-6 times a day for best results. An ant bite never will leave its trace when this remedy is applied dedicatedly.
#9. Onion Slice
An onion has a wide range of medicinal properties due to its richness in anti-inflammatory ingredients. Time and again it has been used as a source of skin healing ingredientfrom your kitchen. It not only takes away the tingling sensation of the bite, it works against the withering of your skin due to high concentration of formic acid accumulated on your skin. After an ant bite, your skin is most vulnerable to side effects of formic acid. You can prevent itbuilding further by cutting a slice of an onion and placing it over your infected area. Keep it there for a few minutes and rest back. You will see your sensations on skin gone just after few seconds of this procedure. You can realest it multiple times in a day.
#10. Potato Juice
Potato is a rich source of starch and works like an astringent. It works similarly as cucumber when put for the use of skin related conditions. When an ant bites you on your skin, you can apply some drops of potato juice an let it cool off your inflammation. Take a potato and grate it on a grating machine. Strain it with a help of strainer or a muslin cloth. You can also use a clean cotton cloth in case the above is not available. Take out the juice and dab it over the akin with huge help of your fingers or a cotton swab. It will give you a cooling sensation and soothing effect in just few seconds of applications. Repeat for the reduction in swelling and redness of the skin. This remedy helps in recovering the skin very fast and keeps it nurtured.
#11. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is an essential oil most often stored at home for skin related remedies. It is one of the best medicinal ingredient easily found in our kitchen cabinet. It can be used in combination with the other remedies mentioned here for ant bite. Take a cotton swab and put it in the container of tea tree oil. Dab the swab on your skin and gently massage tk infuse it inside your skin pores for a better recovery. It will also cool off your affected area making you instantly relieved.
#12. Lavender Oil
Similar to the tea tree oil, lavender oil is easily found in the beauty and kitchen store. With its quick relieving factors, it is one of the best known remedies for an insect or ant bite. You can apply a drop of lavender oil with the help of a cotton swab or cotton pad and leave it there for five to ten minutes. It will relieve you from any kind of development of infection and soothe your skin quickly. If you won’t have it in kitchen stock, I recommend you to buy and store it. It will never disappoint you in case of home remedies and beauty treatments.
#13. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus tree is one of the ancient tress used for Royalmedicines in China and Middle Eastern countries. It was used in case of animal attacks and weapons containinganimal poison. For mild ant bites, it can be used as a major relief for skin irritation. It can be applied similar to tea tree or lavender oil. Use a cotton pad to absorb some oil and place it on the affected skin. Leave it for twenty minutes and you’d not even recall if you were ever bit by an ant. Such is the power of eucalyptus oil.
#14. Lime Juice
Lime juice is a brilliant agent of anti-bacterial and inflammation reducing properties. It not only helps in eradicating the side effects of formic acid but helps you in acting against the inflammation. Due to its mild acidic nature, it may feel a bit tingling in the start but keep patience, it will prove to be one of the quickest method of getting relief from an ant bite. Squeeze a lime and take the juice out. Keep it over your affected skin zone and sit back for five minutes. You will find the infamy gone in less than half an hour. You can also use lemon instead of lime and it will give you the same result. Thank us later for the tip.
With these organic ingredients in hand, you’re never going to run out of home remedies for a simple ant bite. But let us remind you that your house still has a number of undiscovered potential ingredients for a quicker treatment. These easy methods in form of some of the daily used chemical agents will help you overcome a number of in meet notes including the ant notes of different kinds.
Some of the Daily Used Chemical Agents
- Peroxide
- Aspirin
- Meat Tenderizer
- Worcestershire Sauce
#1. Peroxide
An easily available oxidising agent, this double hydrogen double oxygen compound helps you recover your skin faster than any other ingredients. Doctors recommend-it for cleansing the skin when affected by any kinds of wounds or infections. All you have to do is open that peroxide bottle stored in your bathroom cabinet and wash your ant bite affected skin with this. In a matter of a couple of minutes, it’ll help you get rid of skin irritation, skin swelling and inflammation. It will cleanse all the formic acid over the surface and purify your skin pores from any bacteria that may have come as a result of ant attack on your skin. Believe it or not, peroxide is your go to solution for such urgent cases.
#2. Aspirin
Aspirin is the most common medicine stored in your first aid box for every kind of inflammation and including headaches after the worst of hangovers.it is also used for acne inflammation on your face. You don’t have to swallow it up for a mere insect bite but you need to use it in a different way. Take an aspirin tablet and crush it with the help of a kitchen hammer or a mortar and pestle. Add a drop of water and mix it till it becomes a consistent paste to be applied on your skin. Dab it over your skin with the help of your fingers and spread it well over the affected area. You need to leave it for ten minutes and then wash it off with cool water. It works as a quick medicinal paste for such small infection caused by an ant or an insect. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to avoid using it with a person allergic to it. Ask the affected person of this allergy before administering the paste on his/her skin.
#3. Meat Tenderizer
It has some proteolyticenzymes which helps in giving the skin the much needed therapeutic effect after an ant bite. You can apply a paste made of half a teaspoon full of meat tenderizer and a teaspoon of water. Beat it till it forms a thick consistent paste and apply it all over your affected skin zone. It quickly takes away the burning sensation due to forming acid and helps your skin gain back its initial state.
#4. Worcestershire Sauce
It is not an easily available kitchen ingredient but if you’re into cooking something continental, you may have it stored in the kitchen cabinet. It has amazing cooling properties. If you’re looking forward to a quick relieving cooling agent, Worcestershire Sauce is your best possible option if you’ve it stored. It can easily give you the much needed comfort and relieve from. The itching pain that you may have caused by scratching the surface of your skin. Just apply a couple of drops and let it work, you’ll be good with the after effects of ant bites.
These remedies can also be added up with some therapies done at home. These therapies essentially involve treating your skin with mildly raised or colder temperatures to give your skin a shock treatment and make it recover faster.
A Couple of Quick Administering Therapies are –
- Ice Compression
- Hot Water Therapy
#1. Ice Compression
An ice compression as significant by the name includes of applying an ice pack over the affected skin surface. It reduces the swelling similar to those in the case of spasms and quickly soljeces the irritation causing agents. Grab a few cubes of ice and put in an ice pack bag or you can cover it up with a cotton cloth. Fix it tightly and keep applying it over your affected zone. Along with removing the burning sensation and irritating agents, it helps you cool off and constructs the blood vessels to help you feel less of the discomfort. You also need to be careful of not scratching the area. This will take away your pain in a matter of moments.
#2. Hot Water Therapy
Bring a boil to the the water at such a temperature that you can tolerate and put in a hot water bag. A hot water bag is easily available in you house and it can be done without any requirement of any otheringredient. Keep it over you affected the skin and let it take away the discomforting sensations it will first take away itchy feelings and then work towards healing your skin. The temperature helps to normalise the action of formic acid, thus making it a quick and easy way of treating an ant bite. Even the most terrifying swelling and itching can be put to test if they are dealt with hot water. All you need to take care is of the temperature of the water. Keep it below the boiling temperature and you’re good to go.
We hope these twenty best and effective, quickly applicable remedies will work for you. So, the next time you see an ant habitat developing in your corner of the house, you don’t have to be scared of ant bite while removing it. Keep these remedies just in your hand reach and let us know of your experiences in your feedback. We are always glad to hear from you.
