(This is a chigger. Nasty huh? They are too small to see with the naked eye, but deliver some nasty bites! Did you know they are actually spiders too??)
Well, my husband likes to do landscaping and maintenance on the property, so every now and then he has an encounter with these microscopic spiders. He usually does just fine with bug bites, but chiggers drive him nuts!
A few days ago, he had a huge breakout of chiggers because he spent about two or three days cutting down tall grass, weed whacking, and trimming bushes and trees. Lavender wasn't providing enough relief. Usually, when he gets chiggers, he itches and has bright red welts all over his legs and feet for about a week. I wanted to find a good essential oil solution. So I thought for a minute, and Lemongrass and Melaleuca popped into my head.
Before we went to bed, I massaged four drops of Lemongrass with a dollop of coconut oil per leg (enough to cover his entire leg and foot), and followed with two drops of Melaleuca.
The next morning he woke up, but he was still itching a bit although it wasn't as bad as the day before. I had him take a shower and then do the four drops of Lemongrass per leg/foot with coconut oil. Later that day, I checked my Facebook and saw he had posted a status saying that his new favorite oil was Lemongrass cause it kills chiggers!
I was surprised how quickly the Lemongrass worked for killing the chiggers. It's now been about four days since he's been bitten by the chiggers and the bites are no longer red and welted, just little pink dots healing up. Keep in mind that normally he goes a week itching like crazy and then it takes another week for the welts to disappear! Huge difference.
Here's a run down of the protocol I used on my husband for his chigger bites:
4 drops of Lemongrass per leg/foot with enough carrier oil to cover the area. (I used coconut oil as my carrier oil.)
2 drops of Melaleuca (We only used this one time, but I'd recommend using it after applying the Lemongrass.)
Apply morning and night. Use Lavender carrier oil with to help calm the bites and itching in between. (If it's really bad, you can apply Lemongrass three times a day instead of two.) Continue until itching is no longer an issue. You can use Lavender or Melaleuca to help the redness go away faster.
Note: Remember that everyone's skin sensitivity is different. Lemongrass is a "hot" oil, meaning it can irritate sensitive skin. If you are prone to sensitive skin, use more carrier oil and maybe less drops of Lemongrass. If irritation or a burning sensation occurs, the best thing to do is add more carrier oil and wipe off, then apply carrier oil again. DO NOT try to wash off with water! Water and oil do not mix and water will just drive the oil deeper into the skin. Use "hot" oils with caution, especially with children and infants.
Questions and comments are more than welcome! Please feel free to contact us at:
journeytopersonalfreedom@gmail.com
