Learn how to make a DIY bug bite balm with natural ingredients to sooth itchy bug bites on contact. Heal skin irritation with simple ingredients like coconut oil, olive oil and pure essential oils. This DIY is easy to make and can act as a healing balm and dry skin reliever as well!
It’s the season for bugs, that’s for sure. One summer evening spent on the patio can bring on pink bumps that will itch and look awful for days! Keeping this DIY bug bite balm handy can make suffering through mosquito season much more bearable. Not only will it take the itch out of stings and bites, it will also reduce swelling and help the skin heal faster.
Once I get mosquito bites, I immediately apply this balm to my bite for relief, but the best thing is that within the hour the bump is almost gone and I never deal with the incessant itching again! This is an easy recipe and super convenient when you keep it in a deodorant container or a lip balm tube for a hands-free application!
This DIY Bug Bite Balm is a salve that will relieve itching, reduce swelling and accelerate healing of a bug bite or bee sting. It contains no petroleum, artificial scents, colors or chemicals.
Don’t forget repelling bugs in the first place! Check out my recipe for homemade bug spray, citronella beeswax candles as well as citronella beeswax melts!
DIY Bug Bite Balm Ingredients:
Unrefined Coconut Oil accelerates the healing process while providing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is antiseptic and antimicrobial. It is full of antioxidants and is incredibly healing. I add coconut oil into any DIY recipe that calls for healing. In fact, I often keep a coconut oil balm that only contains a tiny bit of beeswax in a roll on container for healing. While I don’t love using coconut oil on the face, there are a ton of other ways I use it!
Cold Pressed Olive Oil is awesome for moisturizing and is packed with antioxidants. It makes a great oil cleanser and I’ve even been known to add it into a homemade face cream! Plus, the scent pairs so well with coconut oil (believe it or not!).
Beeswax, while mainly binds and thickens the oils, it also forms a barrier over a wound, protecting it and allowing the beneficial oils to seep deep into the skin.
Essential oils lemon, peppermint, tea tree and lavender all have antibacterial properties and help relieve itching quickly. Not only do these oils offer great comfort physically, they also help disinfect the wound and prevent infections.
Peppermint essential oil is fantastic at taking the itch out of things and is the key ingredient in this DIY! If you’re really itching, my calamine lotion recipe might help to pull the venom out and then use this balm for nourishment and soothing relief.
What You’ll Need to Make DIY Bug Bite Balm:
Materials
- 1/4 cup Unrefined Coconut Oil
- 1/4 cup Cold Pressed Olive Oil
- 2 TBSP. Beeswax
- 15 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 12 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tools
- Medium Sized Pot
- 1-2 Cup Measuring Cup w/ Spout
- Containers
- Stir Stick
- Containers-Lip balm Tubes, Deodorant Tubes, Tins etc.
Instructions
- Fill a pot half way full with water.
- Place a glass pyrex bowl with a spout in the pot.
- Add olive oil, coconut oil and beeswax to the glass bowl.
- Turn stove on to medium heat.
- Allow ingredients to melt completely.
- Remove from heat and add essential oils.
- Pour into container(s).
- Let cool.
Notes
- This recipe makes 4 ounces.
- It’s shelf life is 6 months.
This recipe makes about 4 ounces. I like to store mine in deodorant containers, a 2 ounce tin or lip balm containers. Any applicator that lets you glide directly on the skin makes for easy application. However, the tins or even a mason jar is just fine. The deodorant containers and tins are 2 ounces so I like to make one and give one! Below are a couple of cute labels that make this DIY a really great gift! Might be a fun hostess gift for those summer barbecues!
The shelf life of this natural bug bite balm is 6 months. Be sure to keep it free of water.
Ingredient Substitutions:
You can replace olive oil and coconut oil with any carrier oil. Avocado oil or sweet almond oil are nice, gentle options. However, coconut oil is extremely healing to irritated skin and I don’t recommend nixing it.
As far as substituting essential oils, peppermint essential oil should be kept in this recipe because it is what helps relieve itchy bites. Lavender is also a must for it’s ability to calm and reduce inflammation. I chose tea tree oil because it is such a powerful antibacterial oil but you could omit it as well as the lemon oil. Roman chamomile essential oil is a fantastic subtitute in this recipe as is frankincense. Both are gentle and kid friendly.
Where to get the Best Essential Oils:
When using essential oils, high quality, organic oils are a must. I typically get my essential oils from Plant Therapy. I love that they offer organic oils that are affordable. Plus they offer fast and free shipping. You can use my code JENNIRAINCLOUD to get 10{2ac9033caf61aa83cf45584f992fcbdbe657ee6f770037f39c3ded45073822b8} off your order!
A Multi-Purpose DIY!
This DIY salve is a powerful tool in healing cuts, burns, chapped skin, boils, bug bites and hang nails! Apply directly to the wounded area. You may cover with a band aid in order to further protect the bite.
You could even use this balm to heal dry skin. It is so nourishing with the olive oil and coconut oil so I like to apply it to my heels after removing dead skin! Use it as a lip balm as well!
This balm can be used on children all though there is some hesitation on peppermint and younger children. That precaution has more to do with inhalation rather than using it topically. Plus, the peppermint is so diluted in this recipe that you aren’t even close to applying it straight. If you are concerned, you can cut the peppermint down to 5-8 drops.
When my daughters were little, I liked to put this balm in lip balm tubes so I could carry one in my bag in case of a bug bite or injury. The girls used to love my bug bite relief stick!
For more serious bites like rodent bites, tick bites and spider bites, check out my post on the power of tea tree essential oil.
Sometimes insect bites can’t be avoided but the last thing you want to do is panic after a bee sting, mosquito bite or encounter with an army of fire ants. Having this incredible DIY bug bite balm on hand is essential to surviving the summer! The good news is, this DIY remedy is so easy to make with safe ingredients you can feel good about!
For more recipes, check out my natural remedies section of my blog as well as my essential oil recipes section!
xx, Jenni
P.S. If you’d like to use my labels, feel free! I used Avery’s 8293 round labels and I also used their website to upload these images and print.
