DIY Bug Bite Itchy Sticks {kid friendly!}
These easy DIY bug bite sticks relieve the itchiness of pesky bug bites and are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on the go!
There are several herb or flower choices you could use in these, including:
- lavender flowers
- lavender leaves
- calendula flowers
- plantain leaves
- violet leaves
Ingredients needed:
- 1/2 cup (3.5 oz, 99 g) sunflower oil (or your favorite oil type)
- 1/4 cup dried herbal leaves or flowers, crumbled
- 1 tbsp tightly packed beeswax (about 0.25 oz or 7 g by weight)
- few drops of lavender essential oil
Directions to make bug bite sticks:
- Place the dried flowers or herbs in a glass canning jar.
- Pour the oil over the herbs and stir a few times to release air bubbles.
- To infuse the slow way, cover with a lid and allow to infuse for at least 3 to 4 weeks before straining.
- To infuse the fast way, set the uncovered jar in a small saucepan containing a few inches of water. Heat over a low burner for about 2 hours. Strain.
- In a heatproof jar or container, combine 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the infused oil with the beeswax.
- Set the jar into a saucepan with a few inches of water in it, forming a makeshift double boiler.
- Heat over medium-low heat until the beeswax is completely melted.
- Remove from heat, stir in the lavender essential oil, and pour into lip balm tubes.
Depending on the weather and how you measured your beeswax, you may find the consistency is too soft or too firm for your tastes. If that happens, just melt everything down and add more beeswax for a firmer product, or more oil for a softer texture.
To use bug bite sticks, dab on bee stings, bug bites, or other itchy spots as needed.
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HERBAL SALVES & BALMS
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Can’t live without these for the summer. Such great gifts too =)
Yes! I’m making a bunch up for my kids and their cousins – lots of camping and road tripping ahead this summer. They’ll be well used! :)
Hi There! I use Plantain weed leaves, they are everywhere lol. My husband went on A motorcycle ride for A family in need. He was gone all day, came home arms neck looking like A lobster. <men never listen, no sunscreen of course. I used the salve on the burn, he thought it was it was the greatest thing. The pain stopped, 3 days now with it.
Thank you for posting your recipe. I hope to get the other oils one day.
Yes, plantain is wonderful! I love that I can grab some from my yard too. :)
Plantain leaves washed chopped and boiled added with dandelion greens makes a great filling dish..coal minner use to sustain themselves in had times
Hi, how long do these bug bite balm sticks last? If I made them for Christmas would they last for the next summer season?
Hi Steffi! They are similar to a salve in stick form, so will stay fresh at least 9 months to a year. (Often much longer.)
They don’t really go bad (as far as mold or spoiling, or anything like that) – instead the oil ingredient will eventually age and turn rancid & the sticks will develop an ‘old oil’ smell.
Even then, you could still technically use them, but they just won’t smell that great on your skin.
You can help the oils stay fresh longer by adding a few drops of Vitamin E or rosemary extract.
Store in a comfortably cool spot, out of direct sunlight, to help them age slower too.