Things I like about summer: feeling the sunshine on my face, holiday planning, sitting on my balcony until the sun sets.
Things I don’t like about summer? One word: mosquitoes.
Pesky little blood suckers.
I’m happy to donate some of my blood. And I don’t mind the red bump as much. It’s the itch that’s killing me.
That damn itch.
Luckily I’ve discovered a household remedy for that.
Activated charcoal is amazing to draw out toxins from your skin.
It might not seem like a common household staple. But I can’t imagine NOT having it in my cabinet to be honest.
Things I’ve used activated charcoal for before:
– whenever my stomach feels upset
– in a DIY face mask
– to whiten my teeth
– to make black bath bombs
And now I can add a DIY bug bite salve to that list!
When I was looking for a natural alternative to those over the counter lotions for mosquito bites, a black drawing salve crossed my path several times.
I found out that a DIY drawing salve made with activated charcoal is a common natural remedy to extract splinters from the skin and is used to even draw out the venom from bug bites, like spiders and mosquitoes.
Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner.
I found a lot of complicated recipes online. But since the active ingredient in these salves is mostly activated charcoal, I made up a recipe that suits my needs a little better.
That is, a lotion I can whip up whenever I need it with ingredients I already have at home!
The first time I used my own concoction I was schocked. The. itch. just. stopped.
Now whenever I’m in need of instant itch relieve from any bug bite I just make a quick batch of this drawing salve and go about my day itch free!
- What you’ll need:
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 activated charcoal capsule
A band-aid
Open up the capsule and pour the content in a small bowl. Make sure you use pure activated charcoal in powder form. If you buy your activated charcoal in bulk: 1 capsule equals 1 small teaspoon, more or less.
Add about half a teaspoon of coconut oil to the powder. I use coconut oil at room temperature for this, in my case it has a soft buttery consistency.
Next mix the coconut oil together with the activated charcoal using a spoon or spatula. Mix until you get a black gel like consistency.
If your coconut oil is too hard to mix properly, you can melt it very lightly in the microwave. If your coconut oil is liquid at room temperature, you can still make this recipe. Your concoction will be more runny, so make sure that you seal in the drawing salve after you’ve applied it.
This black salve won’t stain your skin. It will however stain your clothes. That’s why I recommend covering it up with a band-aid or bandages.
I use the kind of band-aids that stick to your skin on all 4 sides. Otherwise the mixture might pour out from the bottom or top and it can still stain your clothes. First I apply a little bit of the salve in the middle of the bandaid.
A little less than 1/4 teaspoon is enough for one bite.
Next I stick the band-aid directly over the itching mosquito bite.
You can use this recipe for about 2 to 3 bites. If you’re unfortunate enough to have been stung more times, or you want to make some for a fellow victim, you can easily double or triple the recipe.
If you’re looking for a more eco friendly alternative for the band-aids, you can try using scraps of fabric to wrap around the bite. Apply a little dab of the lotion on top of the bite and then wrap around enough fabric so it won’t leak. This could be a great way to make a fashion statement too!
Prefer to prevent mosquito bites instead of treating them? There’s a DIY for that too! Try my lavender bug off mosquitoes spray:
