DIY Essential Oil Bug Spray
Last summer, when we were building the campground by our spring, we had our first experience with our homestead pests. The ticks and chiggers are never fun, but the mosquitos about drove us crazy. We tried various bug sprays and lotions, and we found that Picaridin Lotion was our favorite for really keeping the bugs off. We prefer to be more natural, but the pests down by the spring made us desperate.
Now that we are camping up on the hill, however, those pests are much better. We still deal with them, but not the the extent we did last year. We still have our Picaridin, but more often than not, we find ourselves reaching for more natural spray-on solutions -- like this essential oil blend we started using last year for those times we didn't want to lotion up.
Caveats -- I adapted this recipe from another blog, but I can no longer find the post! Also, I do my best to pick healthy essential oils, but I'm not an oils snob. I know they say it's best to use glass spray bottles, and I'd love to do that someday. But right now, I'm loving these multi-colored plastic spray bottles we picked up from Amazon. They work great for the spray, and so far, they are holding up really well. We have been making two bottles at a time, and our family passes them around on evenings when we are out late watching something on the projector or playing cards.
Ingredients:
16-ounce spray bottle
1/2 cup witch hazel
1 tablespoon alcohol
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
30 drops of geranium essential oil
20 drops of lemon eucalyptus essential oil
20 drops of cedar essential oil
10 drops of peppermint essential oil
10 drops of lavender essential oil.
Making your own bug spray is a sinch. Start with a clean spray bottle. In a measuring cup, mix witch hazel, alcohol, and vegetable glycerin.
Pour the mixture into the spray bottle, then add your essential oils. I use about 90 drops total of geranium, lemon eucalyptus, cedar, peppermint, and lavender. Other popular oils for bug spray include lemongrass and tea tree. Make sure you check which oils you are comfortable with using around kids or pets. After you add your oils, top the bottle off with water.
And that's it! Make sure you shake well before each use. Spray liberally on exposed skin or lightly on clothing (since it contains a small amount of oils, this could stain clothing, though we have never had that happen).
