If you’re like me then you love spending the day in the garden, soaking up the sun and being creative.
Sometimes our days are interrupted by little pests that decide to bite us. Whether it’s bees, gnats, mosquitos or even worse – an evil wasp.
It feels like wasps are out to get us. They seem to hunt us down until we run away and come back with a powerful spray or foaming agent to get rid of their nest.
If you’re unlucky enough to be stung by a wasp, don’t worry as you can use various essential oils on the area that got stung.
There are 5 essential oils that will help soothe the pain of a wasp sting, even other common bug bites can be soothed the same way.
Of course if you are allergic to the wasp stings please seek medical help especially if you are having an allergic reaction or trouble breathing after a bees sting gets you.
Here are my top 5 home remedies using essential oils that help relieve wasp stings and bug bites.
Normally you might associate lavender with a really calming scent but it actually has powerful anti-inflammatory properties which can really help reduce pain and discomfort when you get a bee sting or bite from another insect.
Lavender is one of my favorite essential oils for wasp stings as it’s great for pain when applied to the skin.
Tea tree oil is a powerful essential oil that has been used for centuries as it has powerful antiseptic properties which is highly effective at killing bacteria and germs while aiding in the relief of itching that is often associated with bug bites and stings.
When it comes to natural remedies I consider the best oils to be lavender essential oil and tea tree oil as they work so well for bee stings.
Eucalyptus isn’t only for koalas or helping with congestion during cold or flu. It is one of the best essential oils as it provides a cooling sensation when applied to the wasp sting providing much needed sting relief for your skin. You will want to be careful with this as it’s quite powerful so diluting it is usually a good idea.
Also if you have any pets you may find that the smell is too overpowering and they will run away from you. My cat can smell the eucalyptus from another room as soon as I open the cap.
I personally don’t use this scent for bee stings or bug bites because I find the other three mentioned before this to be the most effective but if you are in a pinch frankincense oil has been known to have strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties which may help reduce your pain and swelling.
This is another oil I don’t personally use when I get painful wasp stings as I prefer lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus. However, enough people have mentioned this as their favorite essential oil to use on stings and bites that I can’t ignore it.
Let me know in the comments below which one is your favorite.
Applying the essential oils to swollen or painful areas on the skin is actually super simple but you’ll want to make sure you dilute the oils first, especially if you’ve never used them on your skin before.
Start by diluting the oils with your chosen carrier oil such as olive oil or coconut oil.
I will typically do about 10-15 drops of essential oil into 2 tsp of carrier oil when first testing them out, nowadays i’ll quite often use them without diluting but that’s because I know I can tolerate them well.
Also feel free to try adding a few drops of lemon oil or apple cider vinegar which have been found to help neutralize stings and bites due to the alkalinity of the venom in wasp stings.
can re-apply the oil mixture every few hours by placing another few drops on the affected area. You can try making the mixture strong or weaker depending on how you felt after the first application.
If you are needing a really quick way to relieve the pain or itchiness, try using a cold pack, frozen peas or just wrap some ice up in a paper towel. The cold will help numb the pain and reduce swelling, you can apply your essential oil drops before or after it doesn’t make much difference.