All Natural Bug Spray Recipe
With mosquito season here in full force, like they are here in Florida, I’d rather use something natural on my skin to keep them from biting rather than a spray full of chemicals. Anything you put on your skin enters your bloodstream so it’s best to try to stay away from lotions and sprays with harmful ingredients.
Last year I bought bug spray that was made of a mixture of essential oils and pure water (reverse osmosis). It has only 3 oils – lemongrass, geranium, and citronella, all of which are known to repel mosquitoes and other bugs. It works just as well as commercial mosquito sprays but doesn’t leave an oily, smelly residue on my skin, and it smells nice. All that, and I know that it isn’t toxic.
This year I plan to make my own, since I have those oils on hand. The product I’ve been using has these three essential oils: lemongrass essential oil, citronella essential oil, and geranium essential oil, all in purified water.
There are other essential oils that are also quite good at repelling mosquitoes and other insects. Some of these are:
- Rosemary oil
- Lemon Eucalyptus oil
- Peppermint oil – NOTE: this can be irritating. You should test a drop on your skin before adding it to your spray.
- Lavender oil
- Clove
Different oils work better for different pests, so it depends on the area where you live and the season as to what combination will work best. Here are the 3 most common pests and the oils that are the best to use.
- FLEAS: citronella, eycalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, pine, cedarwood, tea tree oil, lavender
- MOSQUITOES: lemongrass, lemon eycalyptus, peppermint, geranium, citronella, lavender, clove
- TICKS: juniper, rosewood, oregano, geranium, thyme
Please go to the next page to see the recipe for making your own spray.
