• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS

Dish up the simple joy of healthy, down-home foods your family will LOVE… tonight.

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010!

  • Join Now
  • About
    • About Wardee & TCS
    • Our Team
    • FAQs & Help
    • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Archives
  • Podcast
    • #AskWardee
    • Know Your Food with Wardee (retired)
  • Shop
    • Bible-Based Cooking Program
    • Print Textbooks
    • eBooks & eCourses
    • Recommended Tools & Supplies
    • More Books We Love
    • Complete Idiot’s Guide To Fermenting Foods
      • Errata
  • Login
You are here: Home » Health & Nutrition » Healthy Living » Homemade & Natural Bug Bite Stick

Make a healthy dinner in 30 minutes or less... while spending $0 extra! Click here to get the Eat God's Way “30-Minute Skillet Dishes” worksheet + videos FREE!

Homemade & Natural Bug Bite Stick

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Homemade & Natural Bug Bite Stick | Summer comes hand-in-hand with bug bites. Let me introduce the 'bug bite stick' -- a chapstick tube containing a simple salve made from plantain, echinacea, and lavender. I've made this salve for a few years now, and it really works to relieve the itch! | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Summer days are here at last! There are lighting bugs to be caught, vegetables to be harvested, berries to be picked, and picnics to attend. Kids — young and old — are itching to spend as much time outside as possible.

Speaking of itching, summer comes hand-in-hand with bug bites. Even with homemade bug repellent, somehow you still get a bite or two. To easily and inexpensively relieve the itch, pick a plantain leaf (one that you know has not been sprayed), chew it up, and place it on the bite. However, this is messy and not everyone has plantain around, so this only works for some people.

Let me introduce the “bug bite stick”. It is a simple salve made from plantain, echinacea, and lavender, stored in a chapstick tube. I’ve made this salve for a few years now. I generally keep it in a tin but recently decided to make it into a stick easily applied on the go.

The Herbs

  • Plantain draws out poisons and soothes the skin.
  • Echinacea, the king of herbs, relieves itching and promotes healing.
  • Lavender is a fragrant flower that repels insects and reduces swelling.

The Oils

  • Olive oil is anti-inflammatory and rich in vitamin E.
  • Coconut oil is anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial.
ummer comes hand-in-hand with bug bites. Let me introduce the 'bug bite stick' -- a chapstick tube containing a simple salve made from plantain, echinacea, and lavender. I've made this salve for a few years now, and it really works to relieve the itch!
0 from 0 votes
Print

Bug Bite Stick

Summer comes hand-in-hand with bug bites. Even with homemade bug repellent, somehow you still get a bite or two. Let me introduce the “bug bite stick”.

Course Household & Health
Cook Time 2 days 2 hours
Total Time 2 days 2 hours
Author Katie Mae Stanley

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon dried plantain leaf
  • 1 tablespoon dried Echinacea purpurea leaf
  • 1 tablespoon dried Echinacea purpurea root
  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil extra virgin
  • 3/4 to 1 cup beeswax pastilles pellets or grated

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except beeswax in a crock pot and turn on lowest setting.
  2. Leave for 2 to 3 days. My crock pot runs hot, so I periodically check it and turn it off at night.
  3. After 3 days, strain the herbs out of your newly herb-infused oil with a stainless steel strainer or cheesecloth. I prefer the cheesecloth since it allows you to squeeze out as much of the oil as possible.
  4. Clean crock pot.
  5. Pour herb-infused oil back into it and turn it on medium heat.
  6. Add beeswax and slowly stir until it is completely dissolved.
  7. Carefully pour the mixture into tubes or containers of your choice.

Recipe Notes

  • I live in a warm climate, so I use a full cup of beeswax. If you live in a cooler climate, you should use less so that your stick isn't too hard.

Have you ever made a natural bug bite stick? What do you use to relieve bites?

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Health & Nutrition Healthy Living Superfoods & Supplements

About Katie Mae Stanley

Katie Mae Stanley is the writer at Nourishing Simplicity, where the focus is on nourishing foods, herbal remedies, simple living and faith. Ethnic and Mid-west foods are always a favorite in her kitchen and on her blog. She is also the author of the book Steeped: Simple Nourishing Teas and Treats. Katie Mae spent 10 years as a missionary dorm "mama" for a gaggle (almost 40) of amazing deaf girls at a school for the deaf in Baja California, Mexico. Now she finds herself state side ready to embrace God's next adventure. A cup of tea or coffee and a bit of dark chocolate make an appearance at some point in any given day. You can connect with the Nourishing Simplicity community on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy says

    July 10, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    How many chapstick containers will this fill?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 11, 2015 at 4:44 pm

      I made various sizes, but when I compare it to my chapstick recipe I would guess that this would make about 30 chapstick tubes.

      Reply
  2. Lindsey says

    July 12, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Katie Mae! This is great! After moving to Minnesota two months ago, we have been introduced to a nasty little pest called the noseeum. They LOVE me, apparently, and I have been covered in itchy bites for over a month! The locals say I’ll develop an “immunity” to them after a few years, but I cannot imagine a few summers’ worth of itching before that happens! So far, bentonite clay paste has been the only thing to relieve the itch for a few hours. I’m going to try your stick!

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 16, 2015 at 9:31 pm

      I hope it helps, that sounds awful! 🙁

      Reply
  3. Y says

    July 13, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Thank you! I can’t wait to try this. The mosquitoes are really bad right now.
    Lindsey–in a pinch, you can also try fresh plantain. Just crush some of the leaves and rub them on the bites. It’s a very potent topical antihistamine that doesn’t make you drowsy. 🙂 Works great on bee stings as well. In my own experience, broad-leaf plantain (Greater Plantain) works slightly better than straight-leaf plantain (Ribwort Plantain), but both of them are very good.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 16, 2015 at 9:32 pm

      Awesome tip! That’s very true, I’ve chewed up plantain many times for a bite.

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    June 22, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    I was so excited to make this recipe and I’m really disappointed! There’s too much beeswax! Have you made any changes to it since publishing?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says

      June 24, 2016 at 4:16 pm

      I am so sorry that it was too hard for you! I live in a climate with very hot summers. We can add a note mentioning the need for adjustment depending on your climate.

      Reply
  5. Kim says

    January 16, 2023 at 5:24 pm

    Can I use a double broiler Instead of a crockpot?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi and Welcome!

I’m Wardee Harmon and I help Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!… like I was. Click here for more…

Recently on the Blog

  • Fizzy Apple Cider Switchel (VAD)
  • VitaClay Review & Buyer’s Guide
  • How to Make Healthy Cookies #AskWardee 006
  • Bean and Barley Soup (Instant Pot, Stove Top)
  • Soaked Spelt Banana Bread (VAD)
  • Ancient Grains 101
  • How to Heal Digestive Issues Naturally (Leaky Gut, SIBO, IBS, Celiac & more)
  • How To Meal Plan In 4 Easy Steps (KYF103)
  • Debunking 4 Sourdough Myths (& How To Overcome Them)
  • How To Use A Pressure Cooker 101

Recently Commented

  • Krista on Plantain (a forgotten plant)
  • Rehoboth on 100+ Cold Desserts For Summer (Paleo, GAPS, Keto options)
  • Rehoboth on Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)
  • Karita L Breneman on How To Make & Use Whey #AskWardee 032
  • Mia N. on Soaked Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Dawn Wanninger on How To Make & Use Whey #AskWardee 032
  • Sue on Detoxifying Herbal Gelatin Gummies (THM-friendly!)

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Before Footer

g-NOWF-glinz

…are what we eat! God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.

We love working with other Christian families who love good food and want to eat according to God’s design…

Not only because we believe it’s the healthiest way, but because we want to give Him glory for creating good food as the best medicine!

Learn more about GNOWFGLINS here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcH27DM1dI

Eat God’s Way Cooking Program

Our Eat God’s Way cooking program is for Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010! Learn more here…

Copyright © 2025 Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS • About • Help • Privacy • Partners

Homemade & Natural Bug Bite Stick | Summer comes hand-in-hand with bug bites. Let me introduce the 'bug bite stick' -- a chapstick tube containing a simple salve made from plantain, echinacea, and lavender. I've made this salve for a few years now, and it really works to relieve the itch! | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required