This post was originally published on July 1, 2019.
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Picture this: you’re outside when it’s nice and warm. You’re doing your thang, whether it’s hiking, running, lazing by the pool, at a backyard barbeque. You know, the usz summer things.
But rather than enjoy your time - that whole, living in the present thing we’re trying to do these days - you’re swatting pesky mosquitoes. And flies. And gnats. And bees. And the list goes on and on. Because it’s, well, summer and that’s when all those guys come out to play.
In between the swatting, you scratch because they all got you.
You are not welcome mosquitoes! I dunno who invited you.
Like probably a lot of people I know, I’ve been becoming more and more aware of this whole natural living thing. You know, going beyond just eating organic foods and pasture-raised meats without synthetic hormones to the whole organic and natural cleaners, essential oils, and non-aluminum deodorant.
I’ve been using more natural, less chemically cleaning products since I moved into my current home two years ago. I feel better knowing that I can control those environmental disruptors. At least.
Sooo, I decided that I would try alternatives to the more conventional insect repellents, because, why not? Also because I’ve been wanting to incorporate more essential oils in my daily use and figured this would be the perfect way to incorporate them into my regular routines.
Last summer I started using peppermint essential oil as an insect deterrent. And you know what? It worked! Really well. I’ve been using it when I go out walking through the woods near home. It’s quite entertaining seeing the buggies ricochet off the sphere of the peppermint. It’s like a forcefield!
So, in order to protect myself this summer from all those nasty diseases the buggies carry - especially here in southern Connecticut - AND protect against the long-term dangers of chemical-heavy products, I made this all natural insect repellent!
It also smells really nice. Soooo, bonus!
After some researching around, here’s what I did:
Essential Oils:
Citronella
Lavender
Peppermint
Equal parts Witch Hazel and water.
I then bought this set of amber glass bottles of varying sizes and uses. You can find them on Amazon here.
You don’t want to fill the bottle with just the oil. You will need to use a carrier agent. In my case, I used witch hazel. Nothing fancy, just what you’d find at a drugstore. I put in a total of 20 drops of the essential oils. I made it more citronella heavy. And I mixed it all together in a 16 ounce bottle with a spray nozzle.
It smells so nice!
And it’s not sticky and filmy like those bug sprays we all grew up with. Woot woot!
What about you guys? Do you have a natural insect repellent recipe you use and love? Lemme know in the comments!
