Oatmeal's skin-calming effects are inarguable and backed by boatloads of research. In one study, patients with inflamed skin who applied colloidal oatmeal saw an average of a 50 percent improvement over time, and some found their formerly irritated skin completely transformed. The soothing ingredient found in products meant to treat inflamed skin conditions like keratosis pilaris and eczema is also calming on skin irritated by bug bites.

If you have all-over bites from mosquitoes or other swarming bugs, an oatmeal bath will pacify your screaming skin. Just toss a couple of cups of dry oatmeal in a warm bath. If you have one particularly itchy area from a spider bite, add water to dry oatmeal to make a paste, put the paste on a warm, wet wash cloth, and transfer the cloth to your bite, paste side down.

Try: Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Soothing Bath Treatment, $6.99, or make your own colloidal oatmeal.

Our desert island product has to be honey. Not only is it a beauty cure-all that's good for zapping acne, moisturizing skin and hydrating hair, it's a proven anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial that prevents infection from bites, stimulates healing and makes those raised red bumps slightly less appealing to scratch, too.

To prevent a sticky situation, cover your bites with a Band-Aid after dabbing them with raw honey.

Vinegar folklore says Hippocrates, father of medicine, was using the stuff medicinally back in 420 BC to manage wounds. This is one of those ancient home remedies for bug bites that actually works. When applied to a bite, the acidity in the vinegar stops the area from itching. Because it also might smart if the skin is broken, dilute it with water (a 1:1 mix) to lesson the possibility of stinging. Use white or apple cider vinegar.

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It's official: There is no problem too big for a drizzle of coconut oil. Besides acting as a stand-in for hair treatments, shaving cream, makeup remover and moisturizer, the oil contains anti-inflammatory agents and is anti-microbial, meaning it will lessen the chance of infection when applied to a bug bite. In a study, researchers found that it speeds up wound healing, too.

No antihistamine cream on hand and no end to your itching in sight? When all else fails, reach for Preparation H as a home remedy. The ingredients in the cream restrict bloods vessels, which reduces itching and swelling.