Essential oils are a natural and effective solution for those pesky bugs and mosquitoes! I want you to avoid those toxic over the counter bug sprays. I am sharing a few easy ways you can use natural and safe essential oils for bug bite prevention. You can apply essential oils directly to your body but I prefer making a Homemade Bug Spray. Also, when I’m hanging out on the porch I like to use my diffuser with bug repelling essential oils.
You will need:
- 4 oz Spray Bottle preferably glass or metal. Plastic will erode when it comes in contact with some essential oils.
- 3 oz Distilled Water (Fill 4 oz bottle 3/4 full)
- 1 Tbl Witch Hazel or vodka
- 1 tsp of carrier oil (coconut oil, vegetable glycerin or other oil)
- 30-40 Drops Various Essential Oils (see bug repellent oils below)
Directions:
- Fill 4oz bottle with water and the witch hazel into the spray bottle and shake. The witch hazel will help the essential oils to disperse evenly and not settle at the bottom.
- Add your Essential Oils (30-40 drops) and shake gently.
- Shake well before each use.
- Reapply every 4-6 hours
Naturally Bug Repelling Essential Oils:
For this spray use 35 drops of the Repellent Blend. Repellent Blend is a super concentrated blend made up of 15 essential oils that provide a safe and effective deterrent against biting bugs without the use of synthetic chemicals such as DEET.* I like to use it because I don’t have to think about what oils to mix together and the Repellent Blend is very affordable.
Other Oils Good for Repelling Bugs: cedarwood, lavender, lemon, patchouli, neem, peppermint, rosemary, basil, thyme, citronella, lemongrass, pennyroyal, tea tree oil, geranium, catnip, and eucalyptus.
You can use any combination of essential oils you like based on availability or scent preference. Wellness Mama suggest trying this blend: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput (related to tea tree oil), Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus.
Free Printable for 2oz/small and 4oz/large bottles
Bug Image used in free printable is courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
- Homemade Bug Spray Label ~ Free Printable
- Print, cut and tape on to the bottle. I use shipping/mailing tape.
Avoid toxic chemicals and bug bites by using essential oils and natural ingredients. No toxic chemicals needed!
Check out my other DIY post to find out what other products you can be making in your home to save money and reduce your exposure to chemicals.
Saving this. We have lots of outdoor activities planned this summer so it’ll come in very handy. Thanks for sharing!
Would this be safe for my five-year-old and one year old?
Stephanie, the TerraShield Blend is all-natural and can be safely used by everyone in the family. I use this on my 3 boys, 7, 4, and 1. Make sure to use Pure 100% natural essential oils. 100% pure EOs are safe for babies & children and are even considered safe for newborns. You can consider diluting the oils because of the sensitive nature of their skin, you can add more fractionated coconut oil or another carrier oil to the spray.
I’ll have to try this when we run out of the one we just bought (sounds similar so I know it must work)
I cant find glass bottles anywhere near me!! (we are going camping this weekend) would this be okay in a plastic spray bottle?
Tasha, plastic should be fine. The oils used are low acidic so it should be fine. I wouldn’t store it in that bottle for a long time though.
Awesome!! I’ve had to order a glass bottle, should be here next week. Just wanting to make some and take with us this weekend!! Thanks!!
I haven’t used any natural bug spray…yet. But I definitely want to with my toddler. Thank you for this information and recommendations.
Fantastic! We have a ton of mosquitoes this year, so this is much needed.
Will this same recipe work with A roll on applicator?
I love this and thanks so much! I am going to try this. I have o negative blood and they love me. I am also really allergic to them. I swell up so bad. I have to take benadryl when I get bit so I don’t swell up really bad. I take a daily antihistamine similar to claritin. I am going to check on the ingredients soon. Thanks again. Great topic. Rita Spratlen
Lemongrass Spa has a full line of products that are between 97-100% natural, including bug spray, sunblock, shampoos/conditioners, lotions, makeup, facial cleansers and deodorants. They are affordable, handmade in the USA and run by women all across the country. The company has been around for 12 years and is only recently branching out to the east coast, my state (NJ) only has 12 active reps total. It’s affordable to join and SUPER fun to work for and share.
http://www.ourlemongrassspa.com/3666
I will have to save this for the summer! I hate the smell and feel of mainstream commercial bug sprays, but I also hate getting bit up! This will be perfect for my family. Thanks so much!
citronella won’t effect on the mosquitoes in our area anymore…
I found 100% Witch Hazel and pharmacy Witch Hazel which has about 12% alcohol in it. To which one is this recipe referring?
Ashley, I think either would work. I used a generic store brand astringent witch hazel, mine has 14% alcohol. If you are looking for more natural option, Thayer Unscented Witch Hazel has good reviews. I had not thought about it so I may try this brand out too!
Great idea!! In Wisconsin our mosquitoes are absolutely awful!! My poor kid just gets attacked, but we both have super sensitive skin and can’t use strong bug spray! This will hopefully be a great option for us!! I pinned it for use this summer 🙂 Thank you!
I love this and I will be trying it this summer. We are on a lake and the bugs are horrible at times. My son is allergic to misquotes and I like that this is natural! I posted a blog about the many uses for vodka, and I should add this to it! Thanks for sharing!
Much healthier than the commercial sprays and cheaper.
slehan at juno dot com
Great way to avoid Deet!
does your skin get oily or greasy because you use oil? I don’t want to spray it on their close and have it leave stains on them
I mean their clothes. I don’t’ know how to edit original post
I have all the items for this bug spray and I SWORE I saw a misquito the other day although hubby told me it was too early in the season. Sounds moisturizing and SO much healthier than anything the stores sell, which I never buy anyway.
My recipe did not call for coconut oil or anything like that
Is there anything for bedbugs?:)
Hello Shilpa, this recipe is a bug repellent for when you are outdoors to keep mosquitoes and other pesky bugs away. For bed bugs I would look at this post from EverythingEssentia.mel site, http://everythingessential.me/bed-bugs/bed-bugs-suggested-protocols/ I refer to this site a lot for suggested protocols.
Diatomaceous Earth Works for bed bugs. See http://www.earthworkshealth.com. Call their number on their site. Ask for Andrew.
I just bought this and I hope it works. I will make more with this recipe thanks for sharing
Since this is a spray? Does it matter using plastic or glass bottle? Thanks
Hey Jamie, glass is preferable when using essential oils because some oils can break down plastic. TerraShield and several of the blends I mentioned are not very acidic (like lemon and orange) so a plastic bottle would probably be fine. I just wouldn’t store it that bottle for a long period of time.
Im going to make this spray but where do I apply it on my kids
Hello Ashley, I use this spray just as I would use a bug repellent from the store.
Your instructions do not include anything about adding the carrier oil, so I just added in the order listed, but it did not mix well. Any suggestions?
I’ve made something similar to this, and it worked really well. It’s best to stay away from deet.
This is soo helpful! Whenever I go out at night the mosquitoes are all over me! I will definitely try it out and let you know how it works! Beautiful blog! I just got into blogging a few months back and I just started doing reviews/giveaways as well. I saw that you have done reviews and some really nice items. Hopefully I will get there one day as well… I followed you on your social media. Please check out my blog as well at http://www.parentinginmotion.com and leave a comment if you’d like 😉
I like using essential oils instead of bad chemicals to keep bugs away.
slehan at juno dot com
This is great. We are going to give this a try. Thank you for the information.
I really need to make some of this for my family.
Can you use this on Dogs?
I would be really interested to know if it can be used on dogs and cats Is it effective for animals fleas as I have other cats coming through my garden. Although my cat doesn’t go out in garden dog does.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Is there anything for ticks?
Yes it would work just make sure your blend includes oils that repel ticks. Lavender, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus, and cedarwood are all helpful in repelling ticks.
Thank you so much!
These sound great. Was wondering if you had any suggestions for repelling bees. Our new rescue dog suffered a very near death experience after eating one. We now carry an epi pen but would appreciate any other precautions we could take to repel them in the first place. Thank you.
I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I hope for a speedy and full recovery! I have not tried this recipe yet but it is worth a shot. Also, peppermint is generally safe for dogs. Soapy peppermint oil spray: Mix 1 cup unscented baby shampoo and 1o drops of peppermint essential oil. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray on areas and surfaces where you wish to repel bees and wasps.
Thanks so much. Will definitely give this a try. Also, thanks for the quick response.
Where can I find which hazel?
I hate spiders, they are in my plants and on my back porch. What do you recommend, I need help PLEASE lol
I just want to applaud you : kind and generous gesture with your free printables! MKH
I’m going to try this because I have citronella candles all over and put a couple drops of citronella oil in carrier oil and STILL got eaten alive! They are aggressive here in Virginia!
Do you have any pet safe (cat or dog. Bug repellant spray recipies?)
Thank you
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You said you just add repellent blend already made up where is that? Thanks