DIY All Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipe

It's that time again! Lovely hot summerrrrrrrr~ Can't wait for the the bugs bites?? I dread mosquito bites the most just because you start scratching and scratching and end up with lovely scars all over your legs and arms. That's not very pretty and then you end up not wanting to wear those cute shorts and tank tops! I don't know about you guys but I don't want to wear long sleeves and pants all summer despite the diseases that mosquitos carry around~ Why should they have all the fun? So I want to propose to you in this blog a natural solution to conventional mosquito repellent. You can customize your own recipe based on some suggestions I will list below and it's non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and affordable. 

Adverse Effects of DEET bug spray: 

"DEET has few adverse effects when applied as directed.

The most common problem is local skin irritation, including

erythema and pruritis, at the site of application. One case of

anaphylaxis after brief exposure to DEET has been reported.1

When the patient was re-exposed to DEET in an emergency

department she experienced similar symptoms of

anaphylaxis. Many people, including military and forest

service personnel, apply high concentrations of DEET on a

daily basis and have developed more severe adverse effects

due to chronic exposure. These adverse effects included

insomnia, muscle cramps, mood disturbances and rashes.1

Clinical Toxicology/Toxicokinetics

The toxicity of DEET is largely dependent upon the route

of exposure and dose. The most common unintentional

route of exposure is ocular as many DEET formulations are

sprays or liquids.5

DEET causes local irritation and

discomfort when introduced into the eyes or oral cavity.6

DEET has not been shown to cause severe, long-term damage

to the eye in animals.7" - UUHSC Utah University of Pharmacy

Seriously? The effects of commercial bug repellents sound just plain awful and painful on top of that. No thanks for me~! I'll stick with an all natural recipe which is easy and fun to make. The only downside is that you might have to buy these extra items since most people won't have these on hand. It's definitely worth the investment for a healthier you since these items are not toxic like most commercial bug repellents contain.

This is the most important part of your natural mosquito repellent. I list two essential oils below that are the two you absolutely need to make this work. There are extra essential oils that work as well but anything extra would be listed below in the extra excerpt.

Catnip Essential Oil - According to Science Daily and many research mosquitos as not fond of catnip. Of all things catnip, lol! I know this sounds silly at first but studies show it works and it.

Lemon Eukalyptus - on Mountain Rose Herbs it's like 2.75 US dollar for 1/2 ounce which is 15ml of it. It's not a bad price.

You can find good quality oils on Mountain Rose Herbs or Living Libations website. Check out their wonderful website and see for yourself. Make sure to get fair trade and organic! Keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way and you will need only a few drops per how ever much you are making.

Try 8 to 12 drops of catnip essential oil and 4 to 6 drops of lemon eucalyptus per ounce of product you make.

This will dilute the essential oil because it can be very strong by itself. You can use a range of items listed here from four different categories of bases which are gel, alcohol, oil, or water based. You choose what works best for you and your skin.

Clear Gel base:

• Aloe Gel - this is clear gel and it works really well with just about anything.
• Glycerin - I have a Now Solutions Glycerin - 7 or 8 dollars for 16 ounces at your natural grocery or on amazon.com

Alcohol base:

• Vodka
• Witch hazel
• Perfume alcohol

Oil base:

• Castor oil **
• Sweet almond oil
• Safflower oil
• Jojoba oil
• Sunflower oil
• Olive oil
• etc...there are tons

** works best with repelling

Water & misc. base: (This can be used alone with the essential oils or to supplement the alcohol bases but it'll work best supplementing just because oil and water don't mix very well unless you shake very very well before using every single time)

• Distilled water (I would use this to dilute even more with the alcohol bases)
• Brewed tea - black tea, green tea
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Hydrosols - this is the left over by product from the steam distillation process of essential oils

This section is completely optional because there are extra essential oils out there are good for repelling and you can add these for a stronger effect if you like.

Supplemental repelling oils:

• Cinnamon bark essential oil
• Citronella essential oil
• Lemongrass essential oil
• Sage essential oil
• Rosemary essential oil
• Thyme essential oil

For good smells:

• Lavender essential oil
• Peppermint essential oil
• Vanilla
• Ginger essential oil
• Orange or tangerine essential oil

Last but not least, you'll need a container to put all these ingredients in. You can use just about any container. Best way is to reuse one of your bottles from home or if you don't have one at your disposable then you can purchase a bottle from sunburstbottle.com or amazon.com which have some great ones. Keep in mind to get one that will fit your recipe like if you're going to use gel or oil then it would be best to use a lotion pump bottle or a squeeze bottle with cap. If you are going to use the alcohol or water base then spray or atomizer would be best fitted.

I always recommend to get the highest quality, organic, and fair trade items when purchasing to get the best out there for you and your health.

Remember to reapply your newly made all natural repellent through the day like every 2 to 4 hours or so.