*Mosquitoes, I hate you*

At the beginning of May my Girlfriend and I went to Zakynthos. I'm somewhat petrified of mosquitoes and while May is early for them, I'm very much of the 'better safe than sorry' camp. As anyone who's ever been used a mosquito snack can confirm, the bites from these little monsters can itch for weeks!

*Liposuction - apparently it's not just for people these days!*

As well as sun tan lotion with a liberal amount of insecticide, I decided to pick up some sting relief cream. Upon returning home from Boots with my initial choice (a quick relief 'pen' type applicator), I was somewhat shocked to see that it contained mink oil. This product struck me as particularly objectionable as it's obtained:

a) from the glands of dead minks
b) by using a long needle to extract oil from the stomach lining of live minks.

*A more humane substitue*

Back to the shop I went and ended up replacing it with the Boots Bite and Sting Relief Antihistamine Cream, a product that aims for the same results without the mink lipo, using an antihistamine instead of the aforementioned animal-derived nasty. It set me back just over £3 and the Boots points were donated, as ever, to the GF. This cream claims to relive the initial pain of a bite and also the unavoidable irritation that arrives once you've been bitten by unsanitary insects. I was perhaps a little concerned about the small, 20ml tube that this came in, but use has shown me that only a small amount is required and that it's good value for money.

*Bite me!*

No - I've not reverted to my teenage years - but I have to admit to a certain sadomasochistic desire to receive a mosquito bite on my trip to test this out! My 'wish' was granted 3-4 days in, when I was rewarded with an itchy red lump on my calf. Steeling myself, I whipped out the cream (ooh err!) and followed the instructions, smearing on a small amount over the top of the bite. I rubbed it in as best as I could and then went to sit on the balcony to await the results of my experiment.

It only took a few minutes before the pain was gone and itching was genuinely less noticeable than it had been with previous bites. The guidelines for the cream say that it can be used 2-3 times a day for up to 3 days, but I was fine after 3 applications over the course of the first evening and the next morning. These sorts of results were borne out with the next couple of bites I received and knowing that I had this lurking in my toiletries bag made me feel a lot less tense about the possibility of receiving any more.

An effective and affordable product that made a real difference to both my legs and my peace of mind.