Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On InstagramVisit Us On Linkedin
  • Homeschool
    • Book Lists
    • How Do We Do That?
    • Notebooking
    • Subjects and Styles
    • Unit Studies
  • Travel
    • Europe
      • Benelux
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • London
      • Porto
      • Prague
    • USA
      • Chicago
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Ohio
      • Utah
      • Yellowstone and Teton
  • Family
    • Celebrations
    • Frugal
  • Military Life
    • Deployment
    • PCS
  • Health
    • Recipes
    • Essential Oils
    • Fitness
    • Mental Health
    • Natural Living
    • Natural Beauty
  • Faith
  • About Me
    • Favorite Resources
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
    • Policies
  • Reviews

© 2023Jennifer Lambert · Copyright · Disclosure · Privacy · Ad

You are here: Home / Health / Natural Living / Homemade Bug Spray

Homemade Bug Spray

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

April 20, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

I am one of those people who must have a neon sign to bugs that screams, “Come and get it!” Bugs like to chew on me and I used to spend most of the warm months scratching and itching.

I like prevention.

I don’t like using those commercial bug sprays. They smell disgusting and aren’t good to put on your skin. Whatever you put on your skin eventually makes its way into your bloodstream. Many of those commercial repellants have DEET and other poisons that are harmful to kids and pets.

We like to natural methods that bugs don’t like.

Sick bugs. Healthy kids.

We have the added fun bonus of icky ticks running rampant. I don’t want ticks on us. I know people who have contracted Lyme disease!

Natural Bug Spray

Homemade Natural Bug Spray

One oil will surely do the trick. We like to create a fun blend that’s just right for our family.

We love the scent of Lemongrass. A great fresh blend is Rosemary, Lemon, and Lavender. We diffuse that all the time at home!

We always diffuse Lemongrass when we go camping. Our campsite is the only one with no flies or mosquitoes!

I created my family’s favorite bug spray with Rosemary, Lemongrass, Lavender, Lemon, and Citronella.

It smells divine – not at all like those commercial bug sprays that I can almost taste after spraying. Yuck!

We haven’t noticed any problems with our recipe and it smells amazing. So amazing that people compliment us on our perfume!

My kids love to get all sprayed before we head out. They’re happy scents. Be aware that citrus oils are photo-sensitive and can lead to skin burning in sunlight.

These also work great diffused or sprayed where bugs like to enter our home or gather. We get fruit flies in the summer and don’t have screens on our windows in Germany. Rolladens don’t keep all the flies out. We often spray diluted peppermint around our windows and sinks to get rid of ants and spiders. Cinnamon is another great inexpensive nontoxic way to get rid of ants and more.

A blend of peppermint, clove, lemongrass, and geranium oils with a few drops of dish soap can be used to spray tabletops and other outdoor surfaces to deter wasps and other pests.

Bugs also don’t like vinegar. I clean my counters with white vinegar often in summer to keep ants away. Also, some recipes I’ve seen call for EOs with ACV. I don’t know if my kids would go for that scent!

You really just need two ingredients to make a natural bug spray. It’s super simple.

(Have you read the list of ingredients in a commercial bug spray?!)

Carrier oil:

  • Coconut oil for a cream or lotion – mix 8 oz. with 40-50 drops of essential oils. In hot weather, this will become liquid, so keep it in a cool place like the fridge or cooler for travel.
  • Witch hazel (or vodka) for a spray – mix 4 oz with 40-50 drops of essential oils. The witch hazel offers an added dimension to skin health and keeps the water from developing bacteria.

Add water to fill a spray bottle. You could make everyone his or her own personal blend in little bottles. Or make a larger family batch by multiplying the ingredients. With 6 of us, we go through a lot of spray. You can also add vitamin E if the spray dries your skin out.

Essential oils we love:

These essential oils can work as repellants to insects:

  • Rosemary
  • Citronella
  • Clove
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Eucalyptus
  • Lemon
  • Cedarwood
  • Peppermint
  • Lemongrass (has been known to attract bees, so be aware of that)
  • Basil
  • Thyme

Be sure to use glass spray bottles and jars with essential oil products so you can reuse them again and again. Plastic will work for short-term use, but some of the oils might eventually corrode plastic. I just switch out the spray mechanism when it wears out.

If a sneaky bug does make it through that 1-millimeter-squared bit of space on your skin, Lemongrass works like a charm on the itch. Also Lavender with witch hazel is a great skin-soother, if you happen to step in an ant colony or some other tragedy. We also like these products for stings and bug bites: Bug Bite Thing, Sting-Kill, Tick Check Card.

Isn’t it wonderful that we can smell nice and be healthy while making it uncomfortable for creepy critters with our natural bug spray?

Also, check out our natural sunscreen recipe!

Click here

Share
Pin68
Share
68 Shares
You might also like:

Filed Under: Natural Living Tagged With: diy, essential oils, homemade, skin care

Recent Posts

  • How Preventive Dental Care Supports Your Long-Term Wellness
  • Creating a Cohesive Home Aesthetic: Shopping Tips for Every Room
  • Going Home for the Last Time
  • Best Books of 2024
  • How to Plan Burial and Funeral Services While Grieving

Trackbacks

  1. Homemade Sunscreen with Essential Oils says:
    April 27, 2015 at 8:18 am

    […] Also, check out our natural bug spray recipe! […]

    Reply
  2. 5 Days of Essential Oils Beauty says:
    May 7, 2015 at 3:44 pm

    […] DIY Bug Spray with EOs – smells great and no chemicals! […]

    Reply
Please see my suggested resources.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Suggested ResourcesGet Unlimited Teaching Resources | TeachSimple.com

Archives

Popular Posts

10 DIY Gifts with Essential Oils10 DIY Gifts with Essential Oils
Natural Remedies for HeadacheNatural Remedies for Headache
10 Natural Remedies to Keep on Hand10 Natural Remedies to Keep on Hand
Homemade SunscreenHomemade Sunscreen
Henna Hands CraftHenna Hands Craft
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT