Spring weather has officially arrived in New England and we are so happy about that over here. The bugs have also come out to play, and living out in the country, bugs are serious business. We love to be outside so much, heck that’s why we moved out here and bought a farm(!), but the bugs drive me crazy. And the only thing I hate more than bugs, is bug repellent. That horrible, nasty chemically smell. And honestly, spraying that stuff on my kids has always made me nervous, but so has not spraying it on them because I want to protect my family from ticks and mosquitoes.
Once the bugs started coming out last week, I started doing some research on natural bug repellents, so last weekend I put together my own little DIY all natural bug repellent, made of essential oils.
I sprayed this on my entire family while we worked out on our garden on Saturday and no one got bit or had a tick on them. So far, I’m really happy with it. I wasn’t sure how it was going to smell with the cocktail of oils I put together, but this stuff smells amazing. Even my kids were like, “oh, this smells so good!”
Natural Bug Repellent Spray
To make it you’re going to combine in a 2 oz amber spray bottle (amber is necessary to protect the essential oils from sunlight.):
Equal parts distilled water and witch hazel (leaving enough room in the top to add your oils). Witch hazel helps your water and oils to mix.
10 drops of lavender essential oil: repels mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and flies.
10 drops of Tea tree oil: repels fleas and ticks.
10 drops Cedarwood oil: really effectively repels ticks and fleas.
5 drops of peppermint essential oil:repels mosquitoes, flies and ticks.
5 drops of lemon essential oil: lemon is just a good general bug repellent.
5 drops of rosemary essential oil: repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes.
Combine everything, and shake it up each time before using. That’s it!
Interested in learning more about Essential oils? You can read why I started using them and how we use them around our home here. If you are ready to start your oily journey, I’ve got a whole page about how to get started here.
Make sure to follow along with my wellness account over on instagram: @corilivingwell.
Thay seems amazing. I live in the city but I’m lucky to have a backyard and my room’s window is right next to it so bugs get into my room a lot. Do you think that if I spray it in my curtains it’ll keep them from coming in?
I imagine! You can also diffuse citronella and these oils to repel bugs!