Words can hardly describe how excited I am about this gardening weather! My plants have been planted, the compost bin is finally seeing some action, and Abby is proudly donning her sun hat!
The only real downsides of the summer are sunburns, unflattering swimsuits, and bugs.
I’m sure all bugs serve some ecological purpose, but if it were up to me, I’d wipe mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers from the face of the earth.
Yep, I’d kill them all. No remorse.
But since I can’t actually do that, I’ll have to settle for repelling them in the safest way possible. If you’ve ever read anything about DEET, you probably read about its questionable toxicity. We do know that it can be fatal when ingested, so why put it on your skin? When it comes to putting potentially toxic chemicals on my body, I err on the side of safety and avoid them — especially with Abby.
Thankfully, there are several essential oils that have proven to be effective at repelling certain bugs while being harmless to humans. I experimented with these last summer with great results, so I’m sharing my recipes and tips with you today. You’re welcome 🙂
Natural Mosquito Repellent (Spray):
There are several essential oils that reportedly repel mosquitoes, so a combination of any of them added to witch hazel/vodka and water makes a nice bug spray. You could also purchase doTerra’s repellent blend, TerraShield, and combine it with your witch hazel and water mixture — whichever you prefer.
Oils that mosquitoes dislike:
- TerraShield (repellent blend)
- Melaleuca (AKA tea tree oil)
- Cedarwood
- Citronella
- Lemon/Orange
- Clove (use sparingly — it’s very strong!)
- Peppermint (avoid if nursing)
- Lavender
- Eucalyptus
I personally like to cover all of my bases, so I use TerraShield and add other oils to it until I get a fairly strong (but not unpleasant) smell. Here is my recipe for a 4-oz. spray bottle (preferably glass):
- 1/4 cup witch hazel (or vodka)
- 1/4 cup water
- 20 drops TerraShield
- 5 drops Cedarwood oil
- 5 drops Lemon oil
- 5 drops Lavender oil
- 3 drops Peppermint oil
Combine all in spray bottle and shake before each use.
Again, use whichever oils you have, blend them however you like, and make sure the smell is potent!
Tick Repellent:
Like the mosquito repellent, there are several different recipes online for tick repellent. Many of them contain vinegar, which is fine if you don’t mind smelling like vinegar, but I’d rather use it to kill weeds than put it on my skin.
A little internet research taught me that these are some common natural ingredients used to repel ticks:
- Vinegar
- Melaleuca (tea tree oil)
- Eucalyptus oil
- Peppermint oil (again, avoid if nursing)
- Lemon oil
- Geranium oil
I prefer to use geranium oil because it has a nice scent and because its efficacy in repelling ticks has actually been shown in a research study (science, people!). This study found that geranium oil is actually as powerful as DEET!
Depending on your outdoor activity, you may want tick repellent in a spray form (similar to the mosquito repellent recipe) or diluted with a carrier oil in a rollerball applicator. Since ticks can’t fly (thank God!) and I don’t typically roll around in the grass, I prefer to dilute about 10 drops of geranium oil in fractionated coconut oil and apply it to my ankles using a rollerball tube (purchased via Amazon). Rollerball applicators are small, easy to fill and use, and are great for taking on camping or hiking trips!
Bug Bite Soother:
Because I don’t always have my bug repellent on, basil oil is my best friend in the summer (well, that and aloe vera)! For some reason mosquito bites don’t bother me that much, but chigger bites make me miserable. Whenever I visit my parents and take even one step in their yard, I’m guaranteed at least one chigger bite.
To call it a chigger “bite” is an understatement, because a chigger is actually a mite that drills a tiny hole and injects digestive enzymes that destroy the surrounding tissue. It then drinks the fluids from our skin cells through a tube called a stylosome. Our skin becomes irritated by the drilling and enzymes, and reacts with large, firm bumps or a rash that is intensely itchy. And the more you scratch, the more swollen and itchy the site becomes.
Chiggers bother me so much that the itching interferes with my sleep. I hate them!
Last year, when I was really getting into essential oils, I read that basil and lavender are good for soothing bug bites, so I decided to give them a try. The lavender didn’t really do much, but the basil oil worked instantly — no more itching!
Basil oil is an essential oil that can safely be applied “neat,” which means you can put it on your skin undiluted. You will probably want to apply it more than once, and definitely reapply after bathing. Try not to scratch the bite after applying though, because you will remove the oil and keep itching.
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You may think that essential oils are too expensive — and yes, they are quite an investment — but each bottle is extremely concentrated and lasts a long time. You can buy them directly from the doTerra or Young Living websites, from EO reps, or from sellers through Amazon for much lower prices. This isn’t a sponsored post, I just love my oils and everything I can do with them!
I hope this post inspired you to throw out your store-bought insect repellent and try a more natural, healthier approach to avoiding pesky insect bites. If you know any EO sellers, sometimes they will give you a small sample to try before you purchase a whole bottle. I encourage you to look into EO’s and how they can help you rid your home of toxic chemicals and enjoy the outdoors safely.
My little gardening helper!
Happy gardening! 🙂
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Also try my soothing Sunburn Spray!
I hate bugs, so much. It literally is the only downside of summer for me. Oh well :/.
I hate them too! So far my bug repellent seems to be working. I can definitely tell a difference when I’m not wearing it!
Are these recipes safe for babies? I am looking for recipes to take to day care. My LO will be about 7 months when they are needed.
I used the bug spray on my baby, but made sure I didn’t get any near her eyes or hands (in case she rubbed her eyes). With the witch hazel and water, the oils are fairly diluted, but if you’re concerned you could dilute them further and omit the peppermint. Basil oil is not recommended for children under age 3, so I would not use that to reduce itching on your LO. Hope that helps!
We made a really effective bug spray using Vodka, but I am concerned as to the safety using it on babies. Is witch hazel as effective as Vodka? And if I ommit the Vodka would it shorten the shelf life?
I haven’t used vodka before, but there are several other bug spray recipes online that use witch hazel. My version seems effective, and I haven’t noticed it weakening over time.
Would you combine the mosquito and tick suggested oils as one blend to cover all the bases?
I suppose you could, but I haven’t tested it out. I usually put tick repellent around my ankles and mosquito repellent on my arms and legs, but you could probably combine them!
Really interested in making a combo one since I live in the woods and just found a tick embedded on my poor 19 month old today! Would you recommend adding geranium oil to your mosquito repellent as a combo roll on? Thanks !!!!!
I don’t know why you couldn’t do that, but I’ve never tried. Ugh, ticks are awful!
Can you use doterra’s fractionated coconut oil instead of witch hazel?
You could, but your skin would be oily/greasy after use, whereas the witch hazel dries quickly. If you prefer coconut oil, go for it!
I love your Buz off recipe and information. The only thing I wonder about is why do you buy your oils on Amazon? Have you not be introduced to a doTERRA wholesale account? At this point I get my oils at 55% off.
On Amazon you don’t absolutely know they haven’t been messed with and diluted.
Here is a good website (mine) to check out more details and or email me.
http://www.mydoterra.com/olthoff
Click on the ‘join & save’ tab it goes straight to the benefits.
More then likely you have been told about this but what if you haven’t?
Thank you for your information regarding the different recipes of natural bug spray. However, you should research your chigger information a little more before giving people wrong information. A chigger is NOT a burrowing creature and, I encourage you or anyone reading to google any way you would like.. “Are chiggers biters or do they burrow”, “Do chiggers burrow into skin” or any way you would like to ask the question. Every website you look up clearly states that they do NOT burrow but bite.
Thanks! The post has been edited with the correct information 🙂
thank you! we just moved to texas and CHIGGERS! AAAAHH. bites all over the place. just put some basil on some bites to see how it worked. Relief is in sight!
Is there an oil that will repel chiggers? I don’t want the bite at all?
dōTERRA sold on Amazon and/or Ebay isn’t true dōTERRA and is not backed by the company. If you have a problem with a doterra product purchased on one of these sites, it is not backed by dōTERRA.
Good to know, thanks! I’ll keep that in mind next time 🙂
Great post! Thank you so much! I will be making all of your recipes and testing them in the next week when we travel to Mosquitoville, Alberta. I also really appreciate you sharing your idea of diluting essential oils with fractionated coconut oil in a rollerball applicator. This will be my new go-to when I need to apply Onguard on my kiddos when they’re starting to get sick. I usually cover them with the coconut oil first, then put the Onguard on top but this is messy, awkward, and I’m always wondering if I’ve got the correct proportions! A rollerball premix would be sooooo much better! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks for the comment, Cherie! I’m so glad you found this post helpful 🙂 I hope the mixes work well for you next week!
I have a 9 month old granddaughter….is there a bug off recipe for little ones? I know there are so few essential oils that can be used on this age group….
I’m not an expert when it comes to babies and essential oils, but I do know that you should avoid using peppermint and eucalyptus oils on their skin. You could try using diluted lemon and lavender, or you could just try spraying it on her shoes or outside her clothes so there’s no direct skin contact. I will say that I used it on my daughter last summer when she was 15 months old and had no issues. I hope that helps!
I urge you to reconsider your decision to buy doTERRA from Amazon, and to recommend it to your readers. Are you interested in supporting women and mothers in small business? Do you want to use a pure oil on yourself and your family? If so, why would you buy a product from an unreputable source such as Amazon? When you enroll with a Wellness Advocate you get a certified pure oil, and education and support in how to use them properly.
Hi,
Would you say the strength of your buzz off is okay for little ones? I have a 2 year old and 6 year old.
Thanks looking forward to making it!
I used it on my daughter starting at 18 months with no issues. If you’re worried about it, you can always try a batch containing only lavender and lemon oils and see if that’s effective enough. This recipe is fairly diluted, so I wouldn’t expect any problems with using it on kids.
Slow your roll DT sales ladies. DoTerra (the company) is an Amazon Prime Retailer.
There may be a WA listed as doTerra as their name . They are breaching the contract with doTerra International by selling on Amazon and Ebay. It HIGHLY discouraged by the company. People can tamper with the products and you do not know what you are actually receiving.
Can I mix the mosquito repellent EOs with regular coconut oil to make a lotion type thing?
Sure! Your skin will just be oily, but if you’re fine with that, go for it!
Actually, if you make it more oily, that would be great to keep away the noseeums. They evidently can’t bite through oil.
I’d never heard that! Good to know 🙂
Will the mosquito repellent EOs work in the backyard if I use the oils in a diffuser?
I can’t say with certainty because I’ve never tried it, but it’s certainly worth trying if you’d rather do it that way. Let me know how it works if you do!
You can diffuse it, but I would be careful if you have any dogs outside with you. The cedarwood, eucalyptus, and arborvitae oils can be hazardous for them to breathe in. For anyone that has dogs outdoors, you might instead use strategically placed dishes of epsom salt laced with TerraShield.
Thanks, Rachel! I didn’t even think about that!
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I added some of your suggested oils to my mosquito recipe. One item of note in regards to ticks (nasty creatures!). While they don’t fly, they can fall out of shrubs and trees onto your body, they don’t necessarily always crawl up from the ground. So, I usually dab a bit or spray around my hairline too. Here’s to healthy debugging.
Ah, good point about the ticks! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Very informative. Thank you for sharing.