Heat It Insect Bite Healer
ZDNET's key takeaways
- The Heat It is available on Amazon for $30 for a limited time.
- It heats up from your smartphone and reduces swelling and itchiness from bug bites.
- While its power consumption is modest, it will take some charge from your phone.
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As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors (and someone who got hit with Lyme disease), it's astonishing how often I forget to apply insect repellent. Just the other night, I spent the last half of a five-mile walk in a thick, annoying cloud of houseflies. Irritating, but at least they don't bite.
Not like horseflies… Now those things know how to bite! I've watched them land on my sleeve and start gnawing through the fabric. These things are vicious, the bites are super itchy, and scratching them increases the risk of them getting infected.
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So, anything that can help heal insect bites is something I'm interested in testing. So, when I came across a product called Heat It, a smartphone-powered insect bite healer, my curiosity was piqued. It's not something I had ever heard of before, so imagine how interested I was when I discovered it's a tiny dongle that fits onto your keychain.
Here's how it works. First, you download the app to your phone (both iOS and Android versions are available), plug the dongle into your smartphone (there's a USB-C for Android and newer iPhones and a Lightning version for older iPhones), use the app to heat up the end of the dongle to a maximum of 124°F/51°C, then press the end onto the bite, and wait for the timer to say the treatment has completed.
Heat It is the right size for attaching onto your keychain.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The app also has different modes for adults and children, a sensitive skin mode, and short, medium, and long application times.
Don't worry if this sounds complicated; the app guides you through it all.
Applying heat to an insect bite has been proven to reduce swelling, especially if you do it right after you get bit. According to the manufacturer, the device is medically proven to work, and each application takes less than 0.1% of your smartphone battery.
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I've tested this on a number of bites: horsefly bites, mosquito bites, dog flea bites, and other random insect bites I found, and yes, it works. Really well, actually — far better than any over-the-counter cream or ointment I've used (and I've used a lot). I used it at the maximum duration setting, and while the business end gets mildly hot, it wasn't in any way painful.
This is the USB-C version that works with Android smartphones and newer iPhones.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
I did find that the itch-busting effect lasted a few hours, so for more irritating bites, I needed multiple zaps throughout the day, and for particularly itchy ones, I found zapping them before bedtime stopped me from sleep-scratching the bites.
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I like the tiny form-factor of the Heal It, and that it doesn't have any use-by dates or need charging or any ongoing care. As long as I have a smartphone, I'm ready for those pesky bites.
Thermal image of the business end of the Heal It in action.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
ZDNET's buying advice
At $40 (or $30 on sale at the time of writing), Heat It is not cheap, but this is a price I'm happy to pay for effective bite relief. I've probably saved more than that in creams and ointments, and definitely had fewer side effects from bites going bad because I can't resist scratching them.
If you're someone who ventures into Mother Nature, and you have to contend with bitty things, I highly recommend this unusual product. It's got a place in my kit for sure.
