Perfect for homesteaders or fans of the outdoors, these homemade bug bite relief sticks alleviate the discomfort of bug bites using simple, all-natural ingredients.
There are a lot of good things about summertime. Gardening. Fishing. Swimming. Bonfires. Cookouts. Unfortunately, with the sunshine and warm weather also comes bugs. You know those pesky fellas that like to sneak up and bite your arm when you least expect it?
Yeah, we’re not friends.
Every spring, the prairie on my parents homestead seems to be a breeding ground for ticks. We will be innocently walking out to the field behind the barn and out of no where, a tick lands on you.
Where do these guys come from? It’s like they wait in the blades of grass or parachute from the trees, ready to grab their next victim.
The insect battle rages on as the ticks cohorts, mosquitoes, come to take a nibble of your arm or leg.
How is one to find relief?
Creating a Formula to Treat Itchy Bug Bites
For most of my life, my family used commercial insect repellant spray to deter the pests. And when we got bit, we’d either suffer the consequence until the discomfort of the bite disappeared or use the occasional itch relieving liquid that you’d find at your local grocery store. Recently, as I began to replace the commercial brand items in our home with more natural products, I wanted to find a chemical-free solution to relieve the discomfort of a bug bite.
Turns out making your own all-natural bug bite relief is quite easy. With only a few ingredients you can whip up a batch of these portable sticks in no time. They’re great to alleviate itchy areas from biting flies, mosquitoes, bee stings and other insect bites. I often dab on a bit after I’ve been gardening in the evening and those carnivorous critters have paid me a visit. The combination of calendula, chamomile and lavender soothes those itchy spots within a few minutes.
How to Make a Home Remedy to Relieve Bug Bites
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Makes: 11-12 Tubes
Ingredients
2/3 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup dried calendula
2 Tbs dried chamomile
1 Tbs (heaping) beeswax pellets
5 drops of lavender essential oil
Chapstick tubes
How to Relieve Bug Bites
Infuse the herbs into the oil.
My favorite way is the slow sunny window method. Place the dried flowers into a mason jar. Pour the sunflower oil over top. Be sure the oil completely covers the dried herbs. Cap the mason jar with a lid, place within a paper bag and sit on the sill of a warm, sunny window. Within 7-14 days, the infused oil will be ready to use. Alternatively, you can also add the oil and herbs into a small saucepan on your stove over low heat. Allow the herbs to simmer for no more than 2 hours. Do not boil. This method works well if you are in a hurry but the infused oil may not be nearly as medicinally strong as the slow method.
Strain the flowers into a new heatproof jar. Pour 3 Tbs of infused oil into the jar. Add the beeswax. Set the jar into a saucepan with a few inches of water over low heat until the beeswax has melted.
Remove jar from the pan. Stir in the lavender essential oil. Carefully pour into tubes. Let the tubes set up for a couple of hours or until solid.
To use the bug bite relief, gently place on bug bites or itchy spots.
All Natural Itch Relief Tips
- When infusing, cover your herbs completely with oil to prevent molding
- Use a measuring cup with a spout to easily pour into your chapstick tubes
- Lavender helps to soothe irritated skin, wounds and burns
- Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory herb that is great for healing bug bites as well as other types of skin irritations
- Calendula is a miracle flower! Good for internal and external conditions, this herb is particularly helpful for relieving bug bites due to its ability to reduce swelling and calm aggravated skin.
All-Natural Bug Bite Relief Sticks
Materials
- 2/3 cup sunflower oil
- 1/4 cup dried calendula
- 2 Tbs dried chamomile
- 1 Tbs (heaping) beeswax pellets
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil
- Chapstick tubes
Instructions
Infuse the herbs into the oil.
(My favorite way is the slow sunny window method. Place the dried flowers into a mason jar. Pour the sunflower oil over top. Be sure the oil completely covers the dried herbs. Cap the mason jar with a lid, place within a paper bag and sit on the sill of a warm, sunny window. Within 7-14 days, the infused oil will be ready to use. Alternatively, you can also add the oil and herbs into a small saucepan on your stove over low heat. Allow the herbs to simmer for no more than 2 hours. Do not boil. This method works well if you are in a hurry but the infused oil may not be nearly as medicinally strong as the slow method.)
Strain the flowers into a new heatproof jar. Pour 3 Tbs of infused oil into the jar. Add the beeswax. Set the jar into a saucepan with a few inches of water over low heat until the beeswax has melted.
Remove jar from the pan. Stir in the lavender essential oil. Carefully pour into tubes. Let the tubes set up for a couple of hours or until solid.
To use the bug bite relief, gently place on bug bites or itchy spots.
Pin for Later
These sticks came in handy this summer! Helped soothe not just our bug bites but other itchy spots for our kiddos are well.