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Home » Craft » Bath & Body » Bug Off! Natural Insect Repellent

Bug Off! Natural Insect Repellent

This post and its photos may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!

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These DIY Bug Off! insect repellent sticks use all natural ingredients, and you can whip up a batch to keep your family safe and bite-free in under 15 minutes! 

Bug Off DIY Natural Herbal Insect Repellent StickAffiliate Links

It’s that time of year again, and the bugs and mosquitoes seem to be out in full-force already! My youngest son is a “mosquito magnet,” and I’ve been searching for a natural bug repellent recipe that would help keep him bite free. I’ve tried several different combinations, and I’m happy to report that this one is working like a charm – no more painful welted mosquito bites since we’ve started using this!

Bug Off Repellent Stick Ingredients

What You’ll Need:

  • Unrefined Shea Butter
  • Organic Coconut Oil
  • Pure Beeswax Pellets
  • Essential Oils – Citronella, Lemongrass, Lavender, Lemon, Tea Tree/Melaleuca, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Thieves/On Guard (or Nature Shield Blend which contains many of these)
  • Empty Deodorant Containers
  • Candle Making Wax Pitcher (optional, but highly recommended!)
  • Avery 2.5″ Circle Labels (optional)

Melting Wax Oil and Shea Butter

Over the lowest heat setting on your stove top, melt together 2/3 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup shea butter, and 2/3 cup beeswax pellets in a metal candle making pitcher. These ingredients CAN burn easily, so make sure to keep the heat on LOW, and stir frequently. Turn off the heat as soon as the ingredients are fully melted and combined. Carefully stir in 10 drops of lavender and citronella oil and 5 drops each of lemongrass, lemon, tea tree/melaleuca, peppermint, eucalyptus and Thieves/OnGuard essential oils (alternatively, you could instead use 30-40 drops of Nature Shield Blend which contains many of these same suggested oils).

Making Bug Off Insect Repellent SticksCarefully pour the mixture into empty deodorant tubes (makes approximately 5 tubes), and let sit undisturbed until solid (1-2 hours depending on temperature and humidity).

How to Make Natural Bug Repellent Sticks

When the sticks are solid and the tubes have cooled, they’re ready to use!

How to Make Your Own Natural Herbal Bug Repellent

I whipped up some fun “Bug Off!” labels to remind my kiddos what’s inside of the tubes – you can print them out by clicking here for the pdf version or here for the MS Word labels document!

Bug Off - Easy DIY Natural Herbal Bug Repellent SticksTo use, simply rub the stick over exposed skin before heading outdoors. The combination of essential oils repels mosquitoes, fruit flies, horse flies, fleas and more! As a bonus, the shea butter and coconut oil are fantastic moisturizers, and the Bug Off! stick leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft!

DIY Bug Off Natural Insect Repellent Sticks

These Bug Off! insect repellent sticks go everywhere with me these days! From the park to the backyard to the baseball field, I love knowing that my family is protected against bug bites using all natural and holistic ingredients!

Signature

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DIY Natural Bug Off Insect Repellent Sticks

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Filed Under: Bath & Body, Craft, Health

Comments

  1. Marianne Lohfink says

    May 4, 2016 at 9:39 am

    What would you recommend for a substitute for coconut oil? I am allergic to coconut.

    Reply
  2. Amy says

    June 3, 2016 at 6:22 am

    What program do you use to make your labels? They are adorable! 🙂

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      June 5, 2016 at 5:35 pm

      Thanks so much! These labels were made using Adobe Photoshop and then imported into a label template in Microsoft Word. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Loretta says

    July 10, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    So if I was not going to make it into a stick could I omit the Shea butter and beeswax add witch hazel and make it a spray?

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      July 12, 2016 at 10:43 am

      Absolutely! The key ingredients for keeping the bugs away are the essential oils, so you can definitely alter the other ingredients to make a spray!

      Reply
  4. Diane says

    March 13, 2017 at 8:50 am

    I am excited to try this. I’m wondering about keeping it in the backpack when the temperature is above 80 degrees. Do the repellent bars return to a liquid state with high temps?

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      March 15, 2017 at 10:05 pm

      Hi Diane,
      I have found that though the sticks do soften up a bit in warm weather, they still hold their shape due to the high concentration of shea butter and beeswax in the recipe. We live in the hot central valley of Northern California, and my sons keep them in their baseball bags out at the ball field all the time without any problem!

      Reply
  5. Michelle Johnson says

    April 6, 2017 at 6:28 am

    I notice you crossed out the Beeswax in the ingredient list. I have just started working with making lip balms using the wax. Why did you cross it off but leave it in the directions?

    I do not like Citronella at all. I think because it causes stuffiness that I may be allergic to it. Can I make this without the Citronella?

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      April 9, 2017 at 8:46 pm

      Hi Michelle,

      Thanks for pointing out that the item had been crossed off. This simply means that the page I was linking it to does not exist any longer. I have updated the link, and the beeswax remains on both the ingredients list as well as the instructions. As for the citronella, it is one of the main effective ingredients in this balm, so I’m not sure that it will work as well without it.

      Reply
  6. Beth says

    June 15, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    Love your recipe! How many hours will one application last before needing to be reapplied? Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      June 21, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      I usually reapply in between my sons’ baseball games, so I’d say probably every 2.5-3 hours works best! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Nicole Munson says

    August 7, 2017 at 10:50 am

    How many deodorant containerss does this recipe with these measurements make? We are doing a diy birthday party. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      August 11, 2017 at 8:57 am

      It will make between 5-6 containers, but we generally make about 3-4 deodorant containers and then use the rest of the batch to make “chapstick-sized” tubes which might also be a good idea if you have a lot of guests at your party! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Milli says

    November 22, 2017 at 8:18 am

    Absolutely GREAT idea, but who keeps the empty deodorant containers? I sure haven’t and where do you get empty ones….???

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      November 24, 2017 at 9:55 pm

      I certainly don’t keep my empties either! If you click on the link in the supply list above, it will take you to where you can purchase new empty tubes on Amazon. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Sabrina says

    January 14, 2018 at 1:53 am

    Hello Heidi,
    Is the 1/2 cup of shea butter in grated/liquid form? Do you you know the measure in oz (weight)?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      January 15, 2018 at 11:43 am

      Hi Sabrina, the 1/2 cup is measured before melting (cut into small pieces), so it would be just under 4 oz.

      Reply
  10. SHEILA says

    May 22, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    Could I add zinx oxide to this to make it into a sunscreen as well? If so, when should I add it?

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      June 12, 2018 at 5:22 pm

      I’m sorry, Sheila, but I don’t have any experience with that, so I can’t speak to it.

      Reply
  11. Ladonna says

    January 12, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    Is there a substitute for the lavender oil or is it a necessary ingredient in the blend?

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      January 12, 2019 at 10:31 pm

      You can omit the lavender oil if necessary.

      Reply

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Welcome! I'm SO glad that you're here! I'm a Northern California #BoyMom who loves sprinkled donuts, rainbows, and sharing quick and easy crafts and printables with you! read more here
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