With the thought of black flies on my mind, and knowing that the mosquitoes are on their way as well – it’s time for the Bug Juice. I can’t stand the commercial products with DEET and other harsh chemicals in them though, so, we use natural and organic insect repellents to keep the nasties away.
There are a few nice natural bug sprays on the market, and I love Neem incense sticks to burn on the porch and such. The health food stores usually sell them, and they’re really great. Some of the natural solutions on the market can get really pricey though. So, I often make my own!
Here are some ideas and recipes for non-toxic and homemade insect repellents so you too can get natural remedies to your bug problems for a price you can actually afford!
***Please Note – Some people quit using the natural insect repellents because they say they don’t find them to work as well. But, you can’t just apply once and then figure you’re good for the day the way you can with many of the chemical based repellents. The key to using at least many of the natural insect repellents is to reapply often, especially if you’re sweating or are in and out of the water.
Essential Oil Spray
You can find smallish (think 2-4 oz) refillable glass spray bottles at your local herb or natural foods store. Or, better yet, reuse a spray bottle you already have! Fill it with a carrier oil like olive, almond, jojoba. Add to this
30 Drops Cedar (or Cedarwood) Essential Oil
30 Drops Citronella Oil
20 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
20 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
20 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
(These amts. are based on a 2oz size bottle, increase drop amts to adjust for the size of the spray bottle you’re using)
Shake Bottle and spray liberally on and around body. Reapply as necessary.
Rubbing Alcohol
“Rub” rubbing alcohol on and around your body. Allow to dry. Reapply as necessary.
Just as an aside. If you do choose this method, avoid the campfire until you’re thoroughly dry. The vapors from rubbing alcohol are highly flammable. I”m not sure that this is totally a valid concern, but I thought it was worth mentioning just in case.
Lavender Essential Oil
Dab this lovely smelling essential oil on your pulse points (ie. wrists, backs of knees, behind ears, on neck, etc). The heat from these points helps diffuse the scent of the oil more and the bugs don’t like lavender, even though people do! So you’ll smell simply fantastic (and most likely feel relaxed….another well documented effect of lavender oil) while the bugs think you stink…and stay away!!
Essential Oil and Water Spray
To make this spray you’ll want another spray bottle as described in the recipe above. Also, you can use any of the oils in either of these recipes to make up your own concoction.
Experiment. Go Wild. Smell Wonderful (well, to you, you won’t smell wonderful to the bugs!). And, make your own amazing spray to get rid of the bugs!
To make and use the spray just fill the bottle nearly up with water, add the oils (amts. in recipe are for 2 oz bottle, use more of any or all essential oils in your recipe as needed), shake, and spray all over. Reapply as needed.
30 Drops Lemon Grass Essential Oil
30 Drops Thyme Oil
30 Drips Catnip Oil
25 Drops Eucalyptus Oil
25 Drops Lavender Oil
Neem Oil Lotion
There are a wide variety of insect repellent products on the market now that contain Neem Oil. It’s a very effective and non-toxic oil and has been used in India for many years. To make a homemade concoction with Neem Oil, try combining Neem Essential oil and coconut oil for a nice, moisturizing and bug repelling lotion.
Simply get a small jar, fill with coconut oil. Add neem oil. Rub on skin as needed
****For more info and more recipes, check out this link and this one too