This post may include affiliate links.
If you make a purchase, I'll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you.
Sometimes the bugs bite you, in spite of your best efforts. This easy, natural bug bite remedy relieves the itch, speeds healing, and is safe for kids.
Well, it’s official. I’ve lost any faint hope of getting the “Mom of the Year” award.
We’re careful to use homemade bug spray whenever we go outside, check for ticks after hiking–the works.
And what happens? Little Peanut (2) got a bunch of mosquito bites while she was asleep in her crib. Sigh.
Her arms and legs had bites all over them. Of course, she scratched the heck out of them in her sleep.
By the time she woke up in the morning, they were red and raw from itching. I knew they’d get infected if she kept scratching them.
We don’t have any calamine lotion (do they even make that anymore?), and I don’t want to use synthetic anti-itch creams if I can help it at all.
Thanks to my favorite essential oil reference book, I knew exactly what would relieve the itch and promote healing.
Natural Bug Bite Relief
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons sweet almond oil or other carrier oil
4 drops Tea Tree essential oil
6 drops Lavender essential oil
10 mL glass rollertop bottle
Instructions
Put 4 drops of Tea Tree essential oil and 6 drops of Lavender essential oil into the rollertop bottle.
Add sweet almond oil to the bottle until almost full. Snap on the rollertop and label the bottle.
This bug bite relief is diluted for use on kids. To make this mixture stronger for adult use, only fill the bottle halfway with carrier oil.
Both Tea Tree and Lavender essential oil have antiseptic qualities, and Lavender promotes healing as well.
Usage: apply as often as once per hour, as needed, until the itching stops.
Sometimes the bugs bite you, in spite of your best efforts. This easy, natural remedy relieves the itch, speeds healing, and is safe for kids. Put 4 drops of Tea Tree essential oil and 6 drops of Lavender essential oil into the rollertop bottle. Add sweet almond oil to the bottle until almost full. Snap on the rollertop and label the bottle. This bug bite relief is diluted for use on kids. To make this mixture stronger for adult use, only fill the bottle halfway with carrier oil. Both Tea Tree and Lavender essential oil have antiseptic qualities, and Lavender promotes healing as well. Usage: apply as often as once per hour, as needed, until the itching stops. 
Natural Bug Bite Relief
Materials
Instructions
Instead of carrier oil, can witch hazel or vodka be used?
Therese, the carrier oil helps the essential oils penetrate the skin. Witch hazel or vodka would cause the essential oils to evaporate more quickly, so I don’t recommend it for this.
Any brand tooth ache relief gel. Takes away the itch immediately.
What kind of bug bite was this? My LO has bites just like the ones in the picture. I did not think the bites where bed bugs, but I think he got them in his crib.
I use a salt and water paste and the itch and bite never amount to anything. It has always stopped it immediately. Best part: we all have salt handy. I have been a mosquito magnet for years. Have not tried it on other bites though as I do not get other kinds.
This is great. Am I able to substitute the lavender with something else as I am allergic to that.
You could use Clary Sage as a replacement. It won’t have the same smell obviously, but it will help with the healing properties that you are lacking if you do not use Lavender.
Food grade dichotomous earth! Best cure for any kind of bug, the smaller the better! Washing bedding is a good start, but if the bugs are in the mattress, you can’t get to them. Just sprinkle the DE everywhere bugs might possibly hide, travel, visit, etc. On the bed (after stripping), the carpet, edges of the room, counter tops, closets… everywhere!
It is totally non-toxic (even the non-food grade, but with kids, safer is always better). If you can let it sit for a couple days that is best, but even sprinkling in the morning and vacuuming up in the evening is worth it. This being a very fine dust, you will never get it completely up, but that is what you want! The super fine particles are viciously sharp on the bug size level. Bugs walk on it and it gets between their skin plates and slices them dead! So anything left behind will lurk there, waiting for the next adventurous bug! Mix with some baking soda (and your favorite scent stuff) for a regular carpet treatment.
BTW, for the bedding, this is one time you do NOT want to line dry. Even with bleach some buggers may survive the wash. But dryers just get too hot for them!
Eucalyptus oil works great for bug bites too.
Ooh I already have this stuff! Thanks for sharing! Hello from Anti-Procrastination Tuesday!
Thanks for the recipe! The mosquitoes here have been horrible, and both my 3-year-old daughter and I have been bitten numerous times. I have tried lavender oil on the bites, and it certainly helps the itching, but I bet the antibacterial qualities of the tea tree oil would be a great addition. We’ll be trying this next time!
Thanks for linking up to Natural Living Monday!
Thank you so much for sharing this at Fabulously Frugal Thursday! DD7 and I both get tons of bug bites. Unfortunately she will scratch them a LOT. I have the other 2 oils, but not the carrier oil.
You can use olive oil if you have that!
I’m so glad you posted this! My poor little Pixie has bug bites all across her chest… presumably acquired in bed the other night!
*washed sheets, crossed fingers, mixing this up tonight*
~ Christine
Thank you for sharing that, I love your title “itch be gone”
If you are outdoors and do not have your essential oil kit with you, try chewing a leaf of plantain, making a green glob, and holding the glob on the bite. Plantain works for bites and stings also, and even helps some for snake bites, along with some other medicinal herbs. Plantain is a common lawn weed, and is found just about everywhere. It won’t help for Coral Snake bites, but will help some for hobo spider bites.
Peppermint oil with a little water.
Yes they do make calamine lotion! I like this one too!