Love getting outside during the beautiful fall days, but hate the bugs that are outside too? Make this DIY bug balm! The homemade bug repellent will keep the bugs away and leave your skin soft as well!

With two girls and a dog, we’re outside a lot, especially this time of the year. The middle of the day is still pretty warm and definitely not too hot. The girls love to ride their bikes and Collie loves to run around the yard chasing squirrels and playing fetch. Unfortunately we aren’t the only ones that like to hang out in our backyard!

While we don’t live near a creek or lake, we definitely have a problem with mosquitos. I have always heard that they like to hang out by a water source, so there must be one around that we don’t know about because as soon as we walk in our backyard, I’m covered up by them!

I honestly thought that when the days would start getting cooler, the bugs would disappear. Boy, was I wrong! I think they are out in full force knowing that it will get really cold soon and we won’t be out at all!

I’ve used different products in the past to repel bugs and mosquitos, like these bug bands, which are still the girls favorite way to repel bugs, but this year I decided to try something a little different. My skin has been so dry lately so I thought it would be great to have a balm to put on to help hydrate my skin while also acting as a bug repellent… that’s when I came up with my DIY Bug Balm idea!

This isn’t my first time making skin balms. I love using NOW products like shea butter and their moisturizing oils to make them and body lotions [like this hand cream I make to use in the winter].

So this time, to make the balm a little less appealing to flying insects, I decided to add essential oils that naturally repel bugs like Rosemary and Lemon oils. I thought this would be a great way to not only keep bug bites away, but also keep our skin hydrated during the normally dry season.

While the girls and I love using this diy bug balm, my husband doesn’t. He just isn’t a lotion or body balm kind of guy, especially when he’s outside working. He prefers to use sprays, but so many bug sprays are full of chemicals so you definitely have to be mindful of products you buy. No need to worry about that with this Bug Ban Spray.

NOW® even has a Bug Ban Essential Oil blend that we love to diffuse outside our RV when we go camping. I’m already trying to figure out what diffuser I’m going to keep out on our side deck [when construction is finished] to help keep the bugs away even more!

Until then, we’ll be using this Bug Balm while we’re outside! If you have trouble with bug bites as well, no matter the time of year, I encourage you to make it too!

Want a bug repellent you can wear without putting it on your skin? Try making these DIY Bug Bracelets.

Caution: NOW® Solutions Essential Oils are very concentrated and can be irritating to the skin. Avoid direct contact with skin and always dilute essential oils before topical use.