Natural Summer Remedies Free Printable

Here’s a handy printable reference sheet with some of my favorite summer remedies for things like bug bites and sunburn.

Just click on the thumbnail photo below to open up the printable PDF. (No signup required!)

thumbnail for printable sheet of natural summer remedy recipes
These home remedies are for external use only. For medical questions or concerns, check with your health care provider.

I’ve also copied the recipes below, in case you’re not the sort who wants to keep track of printable files.

Have a happy summer!

rustic bowl filled with white clay on a wooden background with sprigs of lavender flower and leaf
Plain white kaolin clay is a low-cost solution to itchy bug bites!

Bug Bite Powder

Easy & inexpensive; a good first choice remedy. Allow the clay or clay paste to air dry whenever possible, reapply as needed.

  1. Dab kaolin clay directly on itchy bug bites, OR
  2. Mix kaolin clay with witch hazel, herbal tea, or water to form a paste. Apply to bug bites.

You can buy a big bag of inexpensive plain clay online and it will last for ages.

Rose Yarrow Plantain Itch Remedy
This itchy bug bite remedy is made with roses, flowering yarrow tops, and plantain leaves.

Vinegar & Witch Hazel Itch Remedy

Dab directly on bug bites, chiggers, and/or add 1 c. to a bath. If you don’t have witch hazel, use more vinegar instead.

  1. Fill a canning jar 3/4 way with chopped fresh herbs (or 1/2 way dried herbs).
  2. Add apple cider vinegar just until the herbs are covered.
  3. Next, add witch hazel until the jar is almost filled. Stir well.
  4. Cover with plastic/non-reactive lid. Infuse for 2 to 4 weeks, strain.
  5. Store in fridge for up to 3 months.

Herbs to mix & match include: plantain, violet, jewelweed, rose, yarrow, calendula, and lavender.

glass jar filled with bath soak made of oats, powdered milk, and dried calendula on wooden background
Oatmeal baths can be helpful for itchy or irritated skin.

Oatmeal Milk Bath

For itchy or irritated skin. Herbs to try include plantain, calendula, violet leaves, yarrow, and rose petals.

  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 1/2 c. milk powder
  • 1/2 c. crumbled dry herbs
  • Tie up in a sock or muslin bag & drop in bath water.
aloe & plantain cubes
Plantain leaves + aloe = cooling relief for sunburn!

Sunburn Cubes

Keep stashed in freezer for quick sunburn relief!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. chopped fresh plantain or comfrey leaves
  • 1/2 c. aloe gel (fresh or bottled)
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1/2 c. witch hazel

Directions to Make:

  1. Blend. Strain. Freeze juice in ice trays.
  2. Store in freezer. Rub gently over skin, continually moving.
  3. Or, thaw in fridge before use. Air dry, or gently rinse with cool water.
bowl of fresh cucumber slices and cucumber/aloe mixture
Cucumbers are used in skincare for their ability to cool and soothe hot skin conditions and inflammation.

Cucumber Aloe Treatment

Make & use the same day, for overheated or irritated skin.

  • 1 c. cucumber slices
  • 1 tbsp aloe gel
  • 2 tbsp water or witch hazel
  • Blend, add extra water if needed.
  • Rub over face and body, leave 10 minutes, rinse with tepid water.
Straining Calendula Tea
Calendula tea is used externally to relieve itching, redness, and general skin irritation. (It also makes a good minor first aid wash too!)

Calendula Tea

Soothes sunburn, diaper rash, heat rash, bug bites.

  • one part dried or fresh calendula flowers
  • two parts simmering water
  • Steep until cooled. Strain. Store in fridge 2 days or freeze in ice trays.
  • Use cotton balls or spray bottle to apply to your skin.
essential oils in colored glass bottles

Phototoxic EOs to Know

Avoid adding these essential oils to your daytime products, since they can make skin prone to sunburn.

  • Regular Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
  • Cold Pressed Lime (Citrus x aurantifolia)
  • Grapefruit (Citrus x paradise)
  • Cold Pressed Lemon (Citrus x limon)
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

author, herbalist, soapmaker

Jan Berry is a writer, herbalist, soapmaker, avid forager, and bestselling author of The Big Book of Homemade Products, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, and Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family and a menagerie of animals, where she enjoys brainstorming creative things to make with the flowers and weeds that grow around her.

10 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I really look forward to receiving your emails with the seasonal formulations. (One of the few I choose to read)

    It reminds me to slow down, appreciate nature and pick the flowers from my ever growing herbal garden.

    Have a wonderful day

    1. Hi Jay, Thanks so much for the kind words about the emails. I hope you have a wonderful day too!

  2. Thank you so very much Jan for printing this very helpful Cheat Sheet for us!
    I have printed it off and stuck it inside my medicine cabinet for easy reference.
    (We will certainly be using your suggestions this summer)
    Thank you again for sharing and have a wonderful weeek end,
    Yvonne

  3. Thank you so much! I am going to buy kanolin clay and try it! Last year I scratched so much that my skin around the bite became inflamed and red!

    I enjoy reading your blog!
    Teresa

  4. In you Summer Remedies Cheat sheet for the vinegar and witch hazel remedy it states to fill a jar 3/4 way with herbs, however, it doesn’t say which herbs. Could you clarify please?

    1. Hi Lori! If you look right under step number 4 of that recipe, then I have some suggested herbs listed:
      “Herbs to mix & match: plantain, violet, jewelweed,
      rose, yarrow, calendula, lavender.”
      You could use one or more of any of those herbs.
      My personal favorite is either a combination of plantain and yarrow, OR plantain, yarrow, and rose petals. :)

  5. Thank you for these recipes. They will help big time! I have all your books and love them! Have a wonderful summer you and your family! Ellen :)

    1. Hi Ellen, I’m so happy that you like the recipes! Thanks for buying the books too! :)
      Hope you have a wonderful summer as well!

Comments are closed.