About

I have spent fourteen years pulling ticks, draining stings and talking parents down from scratched-open mosquito bites. I buy every device on this page myself and test it on real bites — mine, my kids', and my patients' (with permission).

How we test

Every product on this site is bought at retail with our own money. Nothing here is a sample sent by a brand, and no manufacturer sees a review before it is published. Testing runs across a full bite season rather than a single afternoon, because a device that works once in a kitchen is not the same as a device that survives a week of camping.

For each product we log the time from application to the itch stopping, how long relief held, whether the bite was still visible the next morning, and whether a child would tolerate it twice. Those four measures drive the scores you see on the ranking.

How we make money

Some links here are affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Commission rates play no part in the ranking, and products with no affiliate program are eligible to win.

Not medical advice

This site is editorial content. Bites that spread, blister, cause fever, or involve breathing difficulty need a clinician rather than a gadget. If you are unsure, get it looked at.