May 7, 2010

Natural Insect Repellent


Mosquitoes love me. I'm sweet as candy to them.

Spraying chemicals on my skin makes me a bit uneasy. It makes my husband red and itchy.

Two years ago, I read this article about making a natural insect repellent. Then I read this article. Both inspired me to make my own.

{The same summer I started making this natural repellent, a pre-teen friend of mine decided to become an entrepreneur. She found cute spray bottles, made mass quantities and earned some cash selling it door to door.}

Here's the concotion I have used and been quite pleased with the results. Heaven knows mosquito season is upon us.

4 drops eucalyptus essential oil
4 drops lavender oil
4 drops tea tree oil
4 drops lemongrass oil
2 drops peppermint oil
2 teaspoons witch hazel
8 ounces water

Pour into a spray bottle and shake. Apply at least every two hours. It smells wonderful.

Anyone else had success with a natural repellent? What other essential oils do you use?

*image from Tinker

share facebook tweet

7 comments:

  1. Where do you get these oils? Mosquitos are so bad at our house, and I'd love to make this. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I get Young Living Oils which are supposed to be some of the best therapuetic grade for medicinal application, which is why they are pretty pricey. I think you can order on-line from Young Living. There are other companies on-line, but I don't know anything about brands other than Young Living. Whole Foods carries some oils also. Again, I don't know anything about the brand. If you are just making mosquito spray, the brand might not matter as much as if you are using them for healing purposes. IMHO

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have used NOW brand, Aura Cacia brand, Gaia Herbs, and Wild Essentials (Wild Oats brand).
    While our skin is our largest organ and it does matter what we put on it, the small amounts of
    the oils used in making the spray would not necessitate using the more expensive Young Living
    Oils for this purpose.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much for posting this mosquito repellent. I can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Which eucalyptus should be used? Citriordora?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Andrea - I'm not an expert on essential oils. I just bought a bottle at the health food store that said "eucalyptus."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Julie - I don't know much about them either. However, my mother in law knows quite a bit. She asked me which one to use because she is making this repellent too. She uses Young Living Oils and Rocky Mountain Oils. Those brands have more than one eucalyptus oil. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails