Does Hiker’s Friend actually help keep bugs away?

Hiker’s Friend is a natural bug balm made with a strong essential oil blend traditionally used by outdoor families. It creates a natural scent barrier on exposed skin and works best when reapplied during longer hikes, camping trips, or yard work.

How do I use Hiker’s Friend?

Apply this natural bug repellent stick to exposed skin before heading outside. Swipe onto arms, legs, ankles, neck, and other exposed areas. Reapply as needed during extended time outdoors, especially after sweating, swimming, washing, or towel drying.

Where should I apply Hiker’s Friend for ticks?

For tick-prone areas, focus this bug and tick balm on lower exposed skin and places ticks commonly climb, including ankles, feet, lower legs, behind knees, waistline, and exposed skin before walking through grass, brush, or wooded areas.

What does Hiker’s Friend smell like?

This natural bug balm has a strong, outdoorsy essential oil scent made for the trail. It has citrusy, herbal, woodsy, fresh, and naturally bold notes.

What’s inside Hiker’s Friend?

Hiker’s Friend is made with simple ingredients, including beef tallow, beeswax, oils, and essential oils. Tallow creates a skin-nourishing base, beeswax helps the balm stay in place, and essential oils are traditionally used in natural outdoor products.

Is Hiker’s Friend safe for sensitive skin?

This natural bug repellent balm uses simple ingredients, but the essential oil blend is intentionally strong. Patch test before full use, avoid eyes, face, broken skin, and sensitive areas, and use a lighter amount if your skin is sensitive.

Can I use Hiker’s Friend on kids?

Because Hiker’s Friend uses a strong essential oil blend, we do not recommend it for children under age three. Use small amounts on older children, avoid hands, face, eyes, and sensitive areas, and ask your pediatrician if you are unsure.

How long does Hiker’s Friend last?

Your Hiker’s Friend bug balm stick should last about 12 months when stored properly. Store in a cool, dry place and keep out of direct heat or hot cars.

DEET-Free Bug Repellent | Natural Tick Repellent Balm

Name: Natural Bug & Tick Repellent For Skin Moose's Hiker's Friend
Brand: Moose's Tallow
SKU: HF1
Price: 15.0 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.0 (4 reviews)

Moose's Hiker's Friend natural bug and tick balm stick on a stump with mountains behind

Natural Bug & Tick Repellent For Skin Moose's Hiker's Friend

$15.00

The stick that keeps mosquitoes off the kids at the campfire. A deet free bug repellent that absorbs instead of dripping.

A DEET free bug repellent and natural bug spray for tick season and trail days.

Swipe it over exposed skin before you head out. It absorbs in instead of sitting on top, with no drip and no heavy chemical smell. The formula is concentrated, so a little covers a lot. Reapply through a long evening outside.

Plant oils traditionally used to keep insects away do the work, with no DEET and no synthetic junk. A base of beef tallow conditions your skin and helps the blend stay put. Ingredients your skin recognizes.

Reach for it while hiking, sitting by the fire, or chasing kids around the yard. Many hikers also use it to help keep ticks off on the trail.

60-DayMoney-Back Guarantee

Small-Batch,
Made in USA

Ships Today
by 2pm

Paraben, Phthalate
& Filler-Free

Product Benefits

Helps keep bugs and ticks offA cedar, citronella and lemongrass blend.
DEET-free peace of mindOnly plant oils your skin recognizes.
Conditions skin while you roamTallow base softens as it shields.
Aims right where you wantPush-up stick, no drip or spray.
Clean to carrySolid balm stays mess-free in your pack.
A little covers a lotConcentrated blend, no water added.

PURE ESSENTIAL OILS

This is a blend of pure essential oils that bugs dislike. Cedarwood, lemongrass, and citronella lead the scent. It smells fresh, herbal, and outdoorsy.

Click here to understand our scents better →

Skip the DEET, not the trail

Hiker’s Friend is a DEET-free, tallow-based bug and tick balm made by our family in Lebanon, PA. It uses skin-loving ingredients to help keep bugs off.

Moose’s Hiker’s Friend	Feature	Big Brand
Yes	DEET-Free	No
Yes	No Harsh Chemicals	No
Yes	Skin-Nourishing	No
Yes	Family-Friendly	No
Yes	Tallow-Based	No
Yes	No Aerosols	No
Yes	Made in USA	No

In short: Hiker’s Friend is a DEET-free, tallow-based balm made with skin-loving ingredients in a mess-free stick your family can share. A typical big-brand DEET spray leans on harsh chemicals and aerosol propellants.

Facts vs Fiction

Myth

Truth

Natural Bug Balm Myths

You need DEET for every outdoor adventure.Many hikers, campers, and outdoor families choose a natural bug repellent balm, a natural insect repellent and DEET-free alternative made with traditional botanical oils.
Natural bug balms don’t hold up outdoors.A bug and tick balm stick stays where you apply it, making it easy to cover exposed skin before hiking, camping, fishing, or spending time outdoors.
Bug protection products have to be sprays.A natural bug repellent stick provides targeted application without aerosol sprays, a tidy DEET-free bug spray alternative that stays where you put it.
Outdoor protection products can’t be good for your skin.Moose’s Hiker’s Friend combines beef tallow, botanical oils, and a skin-nourishing base designed for outdoor adventures.
Natural bug products are greasy and messy.A well-formulated bug balm glides on smoothly for mess-free use as a natural mosquito repellent and tick repellent for humans while hiking and camping.
Small-batch skincare can’t compete with the big brands.Moose’s Tallow is a family-run maker in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. We handcraft this bug balm in small batches, the same as everything we make. Small batches mean tighter quality control, no fillers, and no cutting corners for shelf life. You get skin care made by people who answer you, not a factory line.

I'm very thankful for this product

So ticks are one of the most dangerous bugs in the woods because they carry limes disease! And for me l've had it in the past and don't want to get it again, I'm very thankful for this product l've used it three times and haven't found a tick on me since!

I often take pictures in orchards

I often take pictures in orchards, parks, gardens and I love how I can just put it on my legs and not worry about insects🙌🏻

No mosquitos

I recently went camping and used this when we went for a walk. Mosquitos usually find me but not this time. Great product, soft and not sticky.

FABBOO! Works

FABBOO! Works amazingly!

Family Owned Whipped Tallow Body Butter Business

What We Believe

✓Real ingredients simply work better than water and fillers ever could, so that's all we use.
✓Small batches mean we can actually stand behind every single tin that leaves our shop.
✓A guarantee only really means something when we're willing to honor it fully, every single time.

Why I Started Making Tallow Skincare

Hi, my name is Brian, though around here I don’t mind being called Moose.

I’ve learned most of what I know about skincare from the women in my life, especially my wife and our four daughters. Moose’s Tallow has truly been a family project from the beginning.

I started making tallow skincare after a serious health scare forced me to rethink everything I put in my body. Once I focused on real ingredients, another question came up: if what we eat matters that much… what about what we put on our skin?

With a busy home full of people I love, that question mattered a lot. When my daughters told me they were already using tallow for skincare, I decided to learn how to make it myself.

What started as a small project for my family eventually turned into something much bigger.

Read the Full Story

Key Ingredients

Trail Guard Essential Oil Blend Trail Guard Essential Oil BlendThe plant-powered blend that keeps bugs and ticks at bay, built only from essential oils long used to turn insects away. Cedarwood, lemongrass, and citronella lead, with geranium and lemon eucalyptus. No DEET, nothing synthetic, and it smells fresh, not chemical.
Beef Tallow Beef TallowRendered from high-quality beef suet, sourced locally when we can. It is naturally rich in skin-friendly fats and the vitamins A, D, E, and K. Because it mirrors your skin's own oils, it absorbs clean and holds moisture without feeling greasy. A simple, time-tested base with nothing synthetic.
Beeswax BeeswaxMade naturally by honeybees, from local beekeepers in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania. It has protected and conditioned skin for generations. In our balms it adds gentle structure and a light protective layer that seals in moisture, without feeling heavy.
Fractionated Coconut Oil (MCT) Fractionated Coconut Oil (MCT)A light, pure oil made from coconut, also called MCT oil. It is built from stable medium-chain fats, so it absorbs fast and stays fresh. It helps balms and butters glide on smoothly and sink in, leaving a silky, non-greasy finish.
Tocopherols (Vitamin E) Tocopherols (Vitamin E)The natural form of vitamin E, and ours is soy-free, gluten-free d-alpha, the kind your body uses best. On the skin it is a gentle antioxidant that helps protect and nourish. It also keeps our oils and butters fresh, so nothing turns rancid.

Natural Bug & Tick Repellent For Skin Moose's Hiker's Friend

HOW TO USE

Swipe. Explore. Enjoy.

Twist

Twist the base to raise a small amount above the rim. Our balm is concentrated, so a little goes a long way.

Apply

Swipe onto exposed skin such as arms, legs, neck, and ankles before heading outdoors. Avoid contact with eyes.

Reapply

Reapply as needed during extended time outdoors, especially after swimming, sweating, or towel drying.

Hiker’s Friend FAQ

Everything you need to know about Hiker’s Friend, our natural bug and tick balm stick made with tallow, beeswax, and essential oils for outdoor adventures.

Does it actually help keep bugs away?

Hiker’s Friend is a natural bug balm made with a strong essential oil blend traditionally used by outdoor families.