Recipes For Home-Made Insect Repellent

The black flies are out and looking for us.  The Simulium species has loads of members with some 40 species in New Hampshire alone.  While they are a somewhat short lived variety, they are voracious right when we are out trying to get our gardens growing.  Keeping skin covered is a must but they can bite through clothing if snug.  Mosquitoes likewise have many varieties and are already out and about.  In tick infested areas it is a good idea to keep pants tucked into socks and reduce exposed skin.  Checking your self and family at the end of the day is important as quick removal can prevent any disease transmission.  

Sooooo, I also like to have some type of repellent on my skin or clothing when dealing with these fellow earth creatures.  I have listed links below to many excellent recipes and of course, you can purchase similar ones from industrious herbal businesses.  I make up my own and experiment with the recipes I find on the web and in books.

A simple spray can be made using water and lemon juice as a base and adding essential oils.  I made one recently that included 1 3/4 C of water to 1/4 C of fresh lemon juice.  To that I added 20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and about 3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract.  I put this in a spray bottle.  This has to be shaken before used as the oils separate from the liquids.  This can be sprayed in the hair and on clothing as well as on the skin.  Avoid eyes and sensitive areas.

I recently traveled to Haiti where a number of mosquito born diseases are present.  My main priority was to keep the bugs off while also taking herbs to guard against Malaria.  I prefer a salve or oil based repellent in this case and carried one I made from Olive oil, coconut oil, bees wax, essential oils of Citronella, Eucalyptus, Cedar Wood and Lavender.  I felt this worked well and I put it on all exposed skin, not worrying in that environment about staining clothing.  

Recipe:  3/4 C Olive Oil, 1/4 C Coconut Oil, 1 ounce beeswax shaved or pastilles (available through Amazon or other web-sites), 10-20 drops of each essential oil.

Heat oils slowly in a double boiler (I just put a glass 2 cup measuring cup in the pan of water) adding bees wax until melted.  Remove from heat and add essential oils and stir with stainless steel spoon.  Immediately pour into glass containers, cool and cap.

If you are not familiar with the use of Essential Oils, (Click the word Essential Oils for more Information) please consult books or the web as they must be handled carefully and never ingested.  They must also be kept away from infants and children.  The final products are safe for children but the best thing for infants is to keep them away from the biting insects entirely under netting.

Smithspirations - Bugs-Be-Gone

DIYNatural - Homemade Mosquito and Insect Repellent 

Scratch Mommy - Peppermint Bug Repellent

The Prairie Homestead - Natural Fly Spray

Thank Your Body - Insect Repellent

Scratch Mommy - Bye Bye Bug Repellent

Lexie's Kitchen - Back Off Bug Repellent

Green Boot - Natural Insect Repellent 

The Elliot Homestead - Organic Bug Spray