Contributed by Angela Cleveland

Sun, sand, and surf - three images that paint a picture of summer. But often, while we are out enjoying ourselves, we forget about seeking shade or slapping on the sunscreen. By the end of the day, we are paying for our forgetfulness with a painful sunburn. Mosquitoes and wasps are another source of angst during the summer months. But, if we do get bit, stung, or burned, we can easily and safely treat them with simple ingredients we can find in our home (adapted from www.grandmashomeremedies.com):

Mosquito Bites:
-Fruity Relief: Try applying lemon juice (or slices), lime juice (or slices), or rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a bite.
-Create a Paste: Make a paste to treat your symptoms. Baking soda, meat tenderizer, salt, Epsom salts, Tums tablets, and aspirin are the most common ingredients used to mix with water in order to create a healing paste.
-Herbal Remedy: Mix one teaspoon each of lavender oil and vegetable oil. Apply the mixture to your bite. The lavender will reduce swelling and take away the itching.
-Apple Cider Vinegar: Rub apple cider vinegar directly on mosquito bites for quick relief.
-Toothpaste: Using a cotton swab, apply toothpaste (preferably peppermint flavor) to a mosquito bite to combat itching.
-Salt: Create a paste using water to moisten a small amount of salt. Apply to your bite to relieve itchiness and swelling.

Wasp Stings:
-Butter Knife: One of the first things you must do in order to treat a wasp sting is remove the stinger. Use a dull butter knife to scrape against your skin in the opposite direction that the stinger entered your skin.
-Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak a cotton pad with the vinegar and place on the sting site until the pain fades. The acid found in apple cider vinegar will neutralize the venom of a wasp sting.
-Basil: Release the natural oils of basil by crushing a fresh leaf or two. Directly press to the sting site and hold in place for five minutes.
-Baking Soda: Soothe an irritated sting site by applying baking soda. Another option is to mix equal parts of baking soda and vinegar to create a paste for the skin.
-Potato: Slice a potato and place the cut side of one half directly on your wasp sting. Hold the potato in place to enjoy instant pain relief.
-Onion: After removing the stinger, cut an onion in half and gently rub on the sting site. Within five minutes, the swelling, redness and pain should subside. The onion also contains helpful antibacterial properties.

Sunburns:
-Aloe Vera: For soothing relief, apply the gel from the leaves of the aloe vera plant to sunburn when needed.
-Calendula: Infuse one heaping tablespoon of calendula herb into one cup of water. Strain the contents, and let cool. Apply as a lotion to your sunburn.
-Oatmeal: Wrap dry oatmeal in a wad of gauze or cheesecloth, followed by running cool water through it. Wring out the excess water and apply the compress to sunburned skin for 20 minutes every two to four hours.
-Tea Bags: Apply a couple of wet tea bags to sunburned skin. If you’ve really overdone it, add a couple tea bags to your bathwater and soak your entire body.
-Yogurt: Treat mild sunburn with cold, plain yogurt. The coldness of the product provides relief, while also delivering helpful moisture to damaged skin. Rinse with cool water after the soothing effects have passed

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