How to Make Your Own Bug Spray
Morgan Rogue 06.29.22
I’ve been making my own bug spray for years. Like many people, I believed DEET was the only thing strong enough to repel bugs and while it does work, it’s probably not the greatest thing to be putting on our skin, especially for my kids. Kids have a habit of touching their skin immediately after applying anything to it, it’s just a reflex I guess, it does feel wet or sticky so they want to touch it. And I really didn’t like my kids touching their skin directly after putting DEET on it so they could then proceed to place their fingers in their eyes or mouth.
Plus, DEET has an offensive smell, though it works, it’s so strong and when I’m out camping I have to wipe off before I can sleep because of how strong the smell is.
When you get advice about how to repel mosquitos from your yard, you’re told to grow a few types of plants:
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Eucalyptus
- Basil
- Thyme
- Citronella
- Catnip
These are common plants that can be placed around your yard to repel mosquitos.
Some other scents include:
- Tea tree
- Garlic
- Lemon balm
- Black pepper
- Cloves
And plenty of others. Bugs can be repelled against quite a few things. I even repel bugs from garden using used coffee grounds, and it works!
The essential oils I’ve listed below is a recipe that I’ve found to work really well. Do your research when it comes to the type of essential oils you want to add to your mixture, it can be a wide variety or only a few, completely up to you.
Materials:
- Witch hazel
- Citronella essential oil
- Tea tree essential oil
- Lavender essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Peppermint essential oil
- Spray bottle, can get it from a craft store like Hobby Lobby or right here on Amazon.
Instructions:
- Fill your bottle up halfway with witch hazel.
- Add in a few drops of each essential oil.
- Shake it up before each use. Spray it on. Be bug free!
This bug spray will repel more than just mosquitos, but I will say, if you live somewhere like Alaska where the mosquito is the state bird, just be aware this may not be as effective in some areas, simply because of the mass amount of mosquitos.
For the rest of us, though, this has worked wonders. I used to live near a city drainage culvert and mosquitos were always in our backyard and I can truly say this really keeps them at bay.
This may need to be re-applied every few hours, can even be applied to clothes. Do your research before applying to animals to know how your pet might react to these ingredients. Essential oils could have negative affects on animals when directly applied. Do your research about this first before using on animals.
This is also extremely cost effective because you’re using so little of each ingredient so you can make dozens of bug sprays before needing to re-supply. Plus, you know all of the ingredients that go into this and can feel good putting it on your skin.
Have fun and keep those bugs away!
