Say Goodbye to Chigger Bites: 13 Natural Remedies That Work

Have you unexpectedly developed persistent itching and redness, leaving you puzzled about how it occurred? You’re sure it wasn’t mosquitoes, so what exactly bit you? If you just spent a lovely morning strolling around the park and sat down on the grass, there are chances that you have got chigger bites. These little bugs are tricky and difficult to see with the naked eye but leave behind impactful effects that result in skin irritation and itching.

What are Chiggers?

To start, chiggers, often known as red bugs, are minute larvae members of the arachnid family. These larvae are almost negligibly tiny, making them nearly impossible to view with the naked eye. Despite their tiny size, these bugs can leave a mark on the skin with their bites. It is not that hard identifying chigger bites and distinguishing them from mosquito bites because they look considerably different.

Chiggers usually are found in long grasses, shrubs, and in wooded areas. These bugs thrive during warm and summer weather conditions, so they are mostly noticed during the spring, summer, or even fall afternoons when the temperatures are considerably high and warm.

Chiggers need warm temperatures to stay alive and active, and temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit make them inactive.

How Do Chiggers Bite Humans?

A chigger mite infests human skin primarily via contact with any source of vegetation, such as grass or a forest trail.

It is a common myth that chiggers tend to remain inside the skin, which is not true. Instead of biting, chiggers insert their sharp feeding structures into the skin and inject an enzyme that harms human tissues. A stylosome, a hardened layer of skin, is formed around the affected part of the bite, which is what acts as a feeding tube for the chiggers. They feed on dead tissue and blood; if left undisturbed, they can remain attached to the skin for a few days before falling off and dying.

As the suction tube and other feeding parts of the chiggers are delicate and not firm, they tend to find a host in delicate parts of the skin, primarily between skin folds or where the skin layer is thin. Most of the bites are visible near the ankles, the groin region, and sometimes even the armpits and the back of the knee.

Symptoms of Chigger Bites

The common symptoms that most people witness with chigger bites include:

• Pimples or acne-like bumps on the skin are red and often accompanied by a red dot-like structure in the center.
• Itchiness around the affected area.
• Excessive scratching can even result in drawing out blood from the site of the chigger bites.

There are not many risks that come attached to chigger bites. The only symptom one needs to take care of is the itching, which can intensify and worsen with the days. It is always advised not to scratch it vigorously because it can often result in infection.

How Can You Treat Chigger Bites?

It is often hard to detect a chigger bite in the early stage because the aftereffects of the bite aren’t instantly visible or felt, which is how the chiggers successfully stay latched onto the skin for quite a few days altogether.

 

The most common types of chigger bite prevention include:

• The first line of chigger bites treatment is to thoroughly wash and sanitize the area with soap and water to get rid of existent chiggers around the area. Sterilize the area of the bite with an antiseptic ointment.
• One thing that you don’t want to do with chigger bites is to scratch them. It worsens the situation and may even result in an infection. If the itch worsens, apply anti-itching cream or rub ice over the affected area.

13 Home Remedies To Treat Chigger Bites

1. Just like other bug bites, you can effectively treat chigger bites with a variety of home remedies. 
   1. Hot Shower
   2. Apple Cider Vinegar
   3. Rubbing Alcohol
   4. Aloe Vera
   5. Baking Soda
   6. Bleach Bath
   7. Coconut Oil
   8. Deodorant
   9. Vicks Vaporub
   10. Cold Compress
   11. Oatmeal Bath
   12. Olive Oil
   13. Essential Oils

1. Hot Shower

Hot shower works wonders for chigger bites. If you have successfully traced signs of chigger bites on your skin, make sure to wash yourself off under a hot spray. It will wash away the chiggers latched onto your body and restrict further worsening of the situation. Showering is one of the best natural remedies for chigger bites.

1. Take a warm shower with comfortably warm water, but not too hot.
2. Use some mild disinfectant soap and scrub your body gently with it.
3. After showering, gently pat your skin dry instead of rubbing it vigorously.
4. Make sure to wash the clothes you wore in hot water as well.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar has excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which are fantastic for healing chigger bites. You can use it to relieve itching, redness, and sore skin.

1. Mix two cups of apple cider vinegar in a bath full of warm water and soak for 15-20 minutes.
2. After soaking, rinse off in a shower and wipe dry to remove any remaining water.
3. If the bite is severe, apply some raw apple cider vinegar with a cotton pad, leave it on for 30 minutes, and wash it off with cold water.
4. You can repeat this process twice a day to relieve itching from chigger bites.

3. Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol has disinfectant and astringent properties, which help provide a soothing feeling to the area of the bite. It also helps prevent further infection that could arise from multiple chiggers in the affected area.

1. Soak some cotton pads in rubbing alcohol, rub it over the affected area, and leave it on.
2. Repeat this process a few times throughout the day.
3. Note that if you have sensitive skin, it is best to do a patch test first, and if there are no reactions, proceed with the application.

4. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is rich in cooling and anti-inflammatory properties, making it one of the best natural remedies for chigger bites. You can directly apply the pulp extracted from aloe leaves or use over-the-counter aloe vera gels available in the market.

1. Directly apply the aloe vera pulp or the aloe vera gel over the bite and leave it on.
2. It will provide a cooling sensation which is fantastic for the itching that comes with chigger bites.
3. It also helps moisturize the skin and prevents it from drying out further.

5. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a fantastic remedy for treating inflammation. The alkaline property of the baking soda helps neutralize the excessive enzymatic reaction that happens around the chigger bite. It also combats the uneasiness that one feels because of the itchiness around the area of the chigger bite and helps reduce the rashes and redness too.

1. Combine two tablespoons of baking soda and one tablespoon of water to make a thick paste.
2. Apply this over the chigger bite and leave it on for 15-20 minutes or simply till it dries, and then wash it off with cold water.
3. Add baking soda to your bath water, soak in it for 20 minutes, and then rinse it off with clear water.

6. Bleach Bath

Bleach’s disinfectant properties are beneficial for treating chigger bites. The rough antiseptic properties of the bleach help in getting rid of chiggers and help restrict the further spreading of the bites.

1. Add ¼ cup of bleach to a tub full of water and soak your entire body, ensuring the affected bite area is soaked.
2. Stay in the tub for 15 minutes, and ensure that your hair isn’t soaked in bleach water, as this can aggravate the condition of the hair.
3. Wash off your body under a shower and pat dry.

7. Coconut Oil

If you weren’t aware, coconut oil comprises primary chain fatty acids, is rich in lauric and capric acid, and has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. These help combat infections and allergic reactions often caused by chigger bites, providing relief and promoting faster healing. Not just that, coconut oil also helps keep your skin moisturized, which is yet another fantastic benefit for healing chigger bites.

1. Directly apply coconut oil over the affected areas of the bite and let it seep into the skin. 

8. Deodorant

Rubbing alcohol in deodorant provides it with astringent properties. If you want to get rid of chigger bites or relieve itch from chigger bites, the home remedy with deodorant is an amazing one to opt for.

1. Just spray some deodorant on the affected area of the bite.
2. Before applying, conduct a patch test to see if you have sensitive skin.

9. Vicks Vaporub

Yet another fantastic chigger bites treatment is that with the Vicks Vaporub. The cooling menthol in the ingredients helps to relieve itch from chigger bites. It also helps prohibit the possibility of developing rashes, which is great, too.

1. Many often mix a pinch of salt with Vicks Vaporub and then apply it to the bite area.
2. Repeat this process once or twice a day to get rid of chigger bites completely.

10. Cold Compress

Cold compress is yet another fantastic home remedy for healing chigger bites. It provides a soothing effect and helps relieve itching from chigger bites. If you have been scratching the area, there is a chance that you will aggravate the condition further. A cold compress helps cool down the burning sensation from the itch.

1. Fill a cold compress with ice cubes or cold water and dab that over the affected area for substantial relief.

11. Oatmeal Bath

Your breakfast oatmeal also has fantastic properties for healing chigger bites. It has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties that help treat chigger bites. Ground oatmeal works best as a remedy for this.

1. To treat chigger bites, you can either soak colloidal oatmeal in a bath for 15 minutes or create a paste with colloidal oatmeal and water and apply it directly to the affected area.
2. Leave it on until it dries, and remove the remnants with cold water.
3. Afterward, apply moisturizer to your skin.

12. Olive Oil

Olive Oil is jam-packed with Vitamin E and several other antioxidants, which work together to soothe the harsh aftereffects of the chigger bites. It also helps moisturize the area with nutrients which further aids with the healing of chigger bites.

1. Before applying olive oil, cleanse the area with soap and water, pat dry, and apply the oil.
2. You can mix olive oil and honey and apply the mixture to the chigger bite area.

13. Essential Oils

Essential oils, like chamomile oil, doterra oil, and tea tree oil, have tremendous benefits for the treatment of chigger bites. These oils often contain anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which are very beneficial for healing the itch from chigger bites.

1. Dab a small amount of essential oil over the bite and let the oil seep into the skin.
2. You can repeat this process a few times for better and faster results.

Chigger Bites During Pregnancy

Pregnancy itself is hard on its own, and chigger bites can make the experience even more difficult if not tended to within time. Pregnancy requires limiting certain foods and remedies, so it’s essential to carefully choose safe treatments for the red, inflamed skin caused by those pests.

Choosing natural remedies that involve topical application is preferable to those that require ingestion. It ensures that you are not at least ingesting something for healing chigger bites that could be a possible threat to your health or your fetus’ health.

What Are the Possible Risks of Chigger Bites?

Unlike ticks, chiggers don’t tend to spread or make the situation worse or life-threatening. Except for the potential risk of inflammation and redness around the skin, there are not many risks attached to a chigger bite.

When to Go to the Doctor for Chigger Bites?

Now, let me first clarify that chigger bites on their own are not life-threatening. Chigger bites usually carry no risks and can be effectively treated with simple home remedies. However, many people often scratch the area vigorously to relieve the itch, which can lead to infection.

If the infections around the chigger bites get worse, it is time to see a doctor and get the problem checked out. There is a possibility that the infection can grow if left untreated, which is why it is best to get it checked out by the doctor and administer the necessary treatment to cure it as soon as possible.

Chigger Bites vs. Flea Bites vs. Beg Bugs

Chigger bites, flea bites, and bed bugs are different. All of these have their own significant characteristic appearance, making distinguishing them from each other easier.

Let us Start With Chigger Bites Vs. Flea Bites

Chigger bites are primarily seen around the summer or spring season when the weather is warm and favorable, unlike flea bites, which can occur the entire year round.

Red coloration around the bumpy area of the bite is a characteristic feature of chigger bites, does not appear with flea bites. Chigger bites usually feature red bumps with a red dot in the middle.

Chigger bites are generally contracted from areas of vegetation and woody places, while fleas tend to reside more around the beaches and sand.

Flea bites usually don’t cluster in one location, but chigger bites often do, concentrating in a single spot. 

Comparison of Chigger Bites and Bed Bugs

These two bites are tricky to distinguish because they appear very similar. But, even then, a close look at them can help you understand their stark difference.

Bedbug bites frequently manifest as little red pimples dispersed over the affected area. In contrast, chigger bites are typically localized, with red bumps resembling pimples or acne clustered in a specific spot.

Bedbugs may bite in a straight line, unlike chiggers, which bite randomly.

Food for Thought With Some FAQs

1. Can Chigger Bites Spread?

1. Typically, chiggers tend to bite in a localized region and not spread out. They tend to attack the thin layers of skin, bite around a single location, and not spread to the adjoining areas of the skin.

2. Does Nail Polish Help With Chigger Bites?

1. The nail polish remedy might temporarily hold off and cure the itch, but it doesn’t necessarily kill the chiggers or not even block the opening of the stylosome like many think it does. It may only provide temporary relief from the itching.

3. Why Do Chigger Bites Itch?

1. This is an excellent question because the process by which chiggers attach to the skin and infest it with their enzymes is quite complex. The stylosome part itches the most, and the same stays persistent even after a few days. The injected enzymes cause the nearby tissue to die, making the area rough and scratchy and thus itching.