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The Unusual Yet Practically Magical Product I Use to Stop Itchy Mosquito Bites

published Jul 28, 2022
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Girl with two red mosquito bites on her arm
Credit: Shutterstock

Mosquito bites happen. You can do all the right things, but sometimes, those buggers still get through and you get a bite, or four. And then your kids get bites, which means you’ve all entered the helpless-feeling stage where the bumps are red, itchy, and growing with every scratch, and you admit defeat.

That’s where I was with mosquito bites a couple summers ago, until I found the most unusual yet highly effective soothing treatment for my kids’ itchy bites.

My Magical Mosquito Bite Relief

Would you believe me if I told you I use a diaper cream to soothe mosquito bites? It’s true! I first bought the Earth Mama Organic Diaper Balm when my kids were infants to (surprise) help prevent diaper rashes. It was (and still is) my favorite diapering product. I’d swipe a little on after every diaper change, and it really helped keep my daughters’ sensitive skin protected and diaper rashes down. I love the texture (not too greasy), but I especially love the smell. The balm is made from a combination of organic oils, herbal extracts, and botanicals (including lavender oil, tea tree oil, and calendula extract), and the distinctive smell brings me right back to those early baby days.

But we’re not here to talk about babies! The product might be called a diaper balm, but in the fine print it advertises itself as a “multi-tasking skin salve for the entire family.” I finally put that to the test a few years ago on some angry mosquito bites and it provided almost immediate relief so much so that it felt like magic. The bites stopped being irritating, which meant we all stopped scratching so much, and the bumps went away quicker.

And that’s not all! I use this balm on burns as well. My youngest recently grazed her arm against a hot sheet pan and got a small, painful burn that cold water and ice couldn’t alleviate. I dabbed a bit of Earth Mama’s balm on it, and again, the effect was almost instantaneous. She stopped saying how much it hurt, and that was that. It healed completely in a few days.

The baby days are long gone in my house, but from bums to bites to burns, this diaper balm remains an OG product.

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