No matter how thorough you are when applying insect repellent, occasional mosquito bites are often inevitable. Some of us are just more prone to being bitten than others, and if you know you've got "tasty blood," you'll no doubt be familiar with the intense itching that comes with a fresh bite. Various products claim to help reduce the itching, but very few actually work. Luckily, we've discovered a beauty hack that will cost you nothing and really reduce that desire to scratch.

The itching sensation comes from the bite reacting with air, so to stop the itch, you need to block the flow of air to the bite. You can do this a number of ways: with a plaster or spray plaster, with sticky tape, even (temporarily) with a waxy or oily substance (ever noticed your bites itch less just after you've applied sunscreen?). But one of the best (and least visible) ways to block off that bite is with a dab of clear nail polish!

It may sound weird, but I've tried it multiple times, and it really helps. The skin must be unbroken, though. If you've scratched the top off the bite, leave it alone. The ingredients in the polish, plus the fact it's been exposed to air and bacteria via the brush, mean it is best kept away from broken skin.

You may need to remove and reapply the polish a few times as the bite heals (the longer it's on, the more it wrinkles on the skin and becomes visible), but it'll help that bite to heal quicker as you'll be touching and scratching it less. And from a distance, nobody will notice your bites are shiny.

So next time you go on holiday, chuck a bottle of clear polish in your bag. The cheapest I've found is by MUA at Superdrug for £1 [1]. A small price to pay for a Summer of being itch-free!