DIY Natural Anti-Itch Cream for Bug Bites

Itchy bug bites can be irritating, however, a few natural ingredients combined together to make a simple natural anti-itch cream for bug bites that can bring relief quickly.

Homemade Anti-Itch Cream

With 4 main ingredients, including bentonite clay and essential oils, this DIY anti-itch salve is easy to make. If you’re one of those oh-so-lucky ones that mosquitos are drawn to, this is the perfect home remedy for itchy mosquito bites.

Of course, we all want to prevent mosquito bites in the first place and I have a number of natural ideas for that. From our essential oil mosquito spray to our insect repellent lotion to our homemade bug repellent lotion bars, there are many natural bug-repelling options.

But for those times when your bug repellent has worn off or you forget to apply it, this homemade anti-itch cream is at your service.

Erika Bragdon is a Certified Essential Oil Coach from the Essential Oil Institute.

Which essential oil is good for itching?

If you’ve wondered what to put on itchy bug bites, there are a number of helpful natural ingredients that can bring relief. Essential oils are an effective and easy way to relieve itchiness. That’s why I’ve included my favorites in this blend. Plus, they smell amazing too!

Each ingredient in this bug bite remedy works to bring relief.

Lavender Essential Oil

This oil is one of the most versatile essential oils in terms of soothing and calming irritated skin. I have personally found it one of the most helpful for natural itch relief too.

Peppermint Essential Oil

This oil is very cooling, which may help take away the itch.

Tea Tree Essential Oil

This oil is also helpful for relieving itchiness and has the potential to further reduce irritation from scratching.

Other Helpful Ingredients

While essential oils are the backbone of this natural anti-itch remedy, there are a few other powerhouse ingredients included too.

Bentonite clay: This clay can help draw out toxins causing rashes and itchy bug bites – making it a key ingredient for this home remedy for mosquito bites.

Witch hazel: It helps cleanse and is also fantastic at soothing the itch, making it perfect as a home remedy for mosquito bites.  Witch hazel also acts as a natural preservative of this salve, extending its shelf life.

Which Essential Oil Brand is Best?

For the best results, you will want to choose a high-quality essential oil brand that is 100% pure and offers third-party testing for quality control. Read this post for more info on how to choose essential oils that work for you and your family (beyond the brand.)

My favorite essential oil company is Rocky Mountain Oils, followed by Eden’s Garden, and Ancient Apothecary by Dr. Axe.

How to Make DIY Natural Anti-Itch Cream

Making this natural anti-itch cream is easy! You’ll just need a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Bentonite Clay
• witch hazel
• Water
• Essential oils:
  • peppermint
  • lavender
  • tea tree (melaleuca)
• small glass or plastic storage container

This recipe will make about 1/2 cup of natural itch relief cream.

How To Make DIY Anti-itch Cream:

1. Add the bentonite clay to a medium bowl.

2. Measure and add the witch hazel.

3. Add 7 drops each of lavender, tea tree, and peppermint essential oils.

4.  Mix well. 

Slowly add water until you make a paste. More than likely, you won’t use all of the water, so just add it slowly! 

In terms of texture, your lotion may be a bit lumpy. To get it smooth, you’ll need to get your hands dirty and squish it around a bit. 

If you want it very smooth, you may want to use a stainless steel mesh strainer and push the lotion through. Personally, I skip this step because the texture doesn’t bother me!

5. Scoop into a container

Scoop or spoon your anti-itch cream into your desired container.

6. Add a label your container

Use masking tape and a marker, or a label maker to clearly mark what’s in the container. Want to take it up a notch? You can download this pretty purple label seen here…

…for free when you subscribe to my newsletter here:

How to Use This Itch Cream

Now, whenever you notice a bug bite – whether it’s you or your family – you can rub a little of this anti-itch lotion onto the spot and allow it to dry.

In our experience, we’ve only needed to use this once for each bug bite. However, if your child ends up scratching the area again and it becomes inflamed and itchy once more, you can re-apply as needed.

Note: this homemade anti-itch cream does not absorb well onto the skin; it sits on the surface and acts as a paste. It reminds me of calamine lotion in that way.

If you don’t want your child to rub this onto clothing or anything else, you may put a dot of this over the bug bite and cover it with a bandage to prevent any smearing. This has worked well for us, and it will for you too!

Looking for more ways to use essential oils for relief from bugs?  Check out these posts:

• Homemade Bug Repellent Lotion Bars
• All-Natural Homemade Bug Repellent Lotion
• Natural Home Solutions for Bee Stings
• Homemade “Itch Stick”: Natural Bug Bite Relief With Essential Oils
• How to Make Easy Homemade Citronella Candles

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