Can I Make Homemade Bed Bug Repellent for My Skin?
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If you find bed bugs in your home, you will want to do anything possible to repel them. They are nocturnal creatures that come out while you are sleeping and feed on your blood. They only feed once a day, and then they return to a hidden spot to rest until their next feeding. They hide in dark places, such as the baseboards, cracks in the floor, your furniture, or the crevices of your mattress. You will want to make a plan to eliminate them from your home, but in the meanwhile, you want to protect your skin. Take a look at some of the ways you can make homemade bed bug repellents for skin.
How to Know If You Have Bed Bugs
There are certain signs that let you know you have bed bugs in your home. You won’t often see them because they hide during the day. They may seem to appear out of thin air, but they have come from somewhere else. They may have jumped on your clothing at another house, a hotel, or they could come in on used furniture or clothing.
If you live in a building and share a wall with your neighbor, your bed bugs could have come from next door. They have small, flat bodies, and they can fit through very small places, cracks, and crevices. However they have entered your home, you will want to eliminate them and protect yourself from their bites.
Signs of Bed Bugs
There are several ways that you will know that you have bed bugs. First of all, you may see bites on your skin. Bed bug bites will show up in groups that are in a straight line. They travel along your arm, your leg, or any area of exposed skin, and they bite as they move.
Another sign is red or rusty stains that are very small located on your sheets or your pillow. They are actually blood stains, which can come from your bites or can come from the bed bug being smushed on your bed. You might also see black dots, which is the bed bug’s fecal matter combined with shredded skin.
You might see egg shells, which are very hard to find. They are ivory in color, and they may appear on your bed, your carpet, or your furniture. The actual bugs are bigger after they feed, so you might see one if it is out while you are awake.
Homemade Bed Bug Repellents
Essential Oils
Besides bed bug repellent products that are on the market, you can use different home remedies to keep bed bugs from biting you. For example, you can use rubbing alcohol. It will kill them on contact, but it won’t last on your skin throughout the night. It will dry, and after a few hours, the bed bugs will be able to bite you.
Another option is to use essential oils. Tea tree oil has a fresh smell and also has microbial properties, and it can be used for cleaning in your home. It is known to kill bacteria and fungi, and it can neutralize viruses. When it comes into contact with bed bugs, it will suffocate them. You can spray tea tree oil around your home, but in its undiluted form, it is harmful for humans. You can apply tea tree oil directly to your skin, and it can keep your skin clean while it deters any bed bugs from biting you.
You can also use lavender. The smell of lavender makes bed bugs feel nauseous and can kill them. You can use lavender on your skin to deter these bugs and possibly kill them. Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties that can help get rid of some of the itch from your bites, and it can protect your skin from bed bugs.
You can also keep bed bugs off your skin with mint and peppermint essential oils. The smell is very strong, so it can deter the bed bugs because they will think it is some form of insecticide.
You can also combine essential oils into a spray and spray your skin before you go to bed at night. If you combine several different oils, it can help to protect you until you can work with an exterminator to remove the bed bugs from your home.
Vaseline
Vaseline is a petroleum jelly, and it can protect your skin. It doesn’t have an odor, so it doesn’t repel the bed bugs; however, if you cover your legs or arms with Vaseline, bed bugs will not be able to crawl on your body to bite you. This isn’t the ideal repellent, but you might be able to prevent them from biting you. Luckily bed bugs can only crawl. They are unable to jump or fly wherever they are going.
Vicks Vapor Rub
Vicks Vapor Rub is another product that you can try. It has a similar texture to Vaseline, but it also has an odor that can deter bed bugs. In addition, it gives off heat. Bed bugs avoid heat, which is the one thing that can kill them. If you use Vicks Vapor Rub to repel bed bugs, it may deter the bed bugs from crawling on you while you are sleeping.
Other Home Remedies for Bed Bugs
Another home remedy that is effective is apple cider vinegar. You can mix it with any of the essential oils listed above. Apple cider vinegar has an acidic taste and a strong odor, and can intensify the repelling abilities of any of the essential oils above. Apple cider vinegar will also soothe the bites on your skin. If you combine apple cider vinegar with alcohol, it can continue working after the rubbing alcohol dries.
You can also use baking soda mixed with water. You can create a paste. You can apply this mixture to your skin with a cotton ball. It can soothe your bed bug bites and it will help to deter them from biting you.
Another remedy you can use at home is coconut oil. It is safe to use on your skin, and it contains essential fatty acids that help to deter bed bugs from feeding on your skin. You can rub it all over your body before you go to sleep.
Final Words
It can be very upsetting to discover that you have bed bugs in your home. You likely already have found their bites on your skin, and they are uncomfortable and itchy. It may take some time before an exterminator can come to help you get them out of your home. In the meanwhile, you may want to make a homemade remedy to stop the bed bugs from biting you at night.
You can make your own spray with essential oils, and you can enhance them with apple cider vinegar. You can try Vicks Vapor Rub or Vaseline to keep them off your body, and you can also try coconut oil. You can consider using these remedies on the legs of your bed to prevent the bed bugs from climbing up to bite you. It is important to remember that bed bugs can only crawl; they are not able to jump or fly. If you can prevent them from crawling up the legs of the bed to get to you, you will protect yourself from being bitten.