Biting insects are the worst! One minute you’re enjoying the wonderful outdoors; the next you’re covered with itchy bumps. A good bug spray will help to keep the culprits away, but commercial insect repellents can come filled with nasty chemicals that will make you think twice about applying them to your skin. DIY insect repellents are not only effective, but they also won’t harm your skin or the environment. Interested? Read on for how to make your own.
1. Choose an essential oil (or two!)
Homemade bug sprays typically use essential oils to keep insects away. Different essential oils will work to fend off different creatures, so you’ll need to choose a good oil for your needs. Citronella oil is a great all-purpose oil to choose. It will effectively repel mosquitoes, biting flies and midges. Greek catnip oil is also a winner when it comes to fending off mosquitoes. Lemon eucalyptus oil is a good general oil that deters most flying insects, including mosquitoes, moths, flies and midges. You can also use tea tree, lavender, geranium, lemongrass or cinnamon oils to help keep away flying insects, although these are slightly less effective than the other three oils listed.
2. Choose your bases
Now that you’ve chosen an oil, let’s move on to the other ingredients in the bug spray. You’ll need to mix the essential oil with two liquid bases. One of these bases will be water (ideally, this should be distilled water, but you can also just use regular tap water). The other base will be either witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, or an alcohol such as vodka or rubbing alcohol. Note that alcohol can sting any places where your skin is broken or inflamed, so you might prefer using witch hazel (which is soothing) or apple cider vinegar (which you may already have in your cupboard). You’ll need half a cup of water (125 ml) to make the bug spray, and half a cup of this liquid, too.
3. Gather your resources
Clean a surface in the kitchen and gather everything you need, to make sure you aren’t missing anything. This includes all your ingredients, spray bottle, a funnel and a half-cup measure.
4. Measure out the base
Now that you’ve got everything ready, it’s time to start adding the ingredients to the spray bottle. Measure half a cup (125 ml) of your chosen liquid base – that’ll be either witch hazel, apple cider vinegar or alcohol. Use the funnel to add this liquid to the spray bottle. Pour carefully so that you don’t spill any of it.
5. Add the essential oil/s
Next, add 80 drops of your main essential oil to the bottle. If you would like to use another oil as well, add 40 drops of the second oil.
6. Top off the bottle with water
Then fill up the rest of the bottle with half a cup (125 ml) of water. Most recipes call for distilled water, but your bug spray will still work just fine if you use tap water.
7. Mix well
Close the lid of the spray bottle tightly, then thoroughly shake the bottle to combine the ingredients.
8. Spray onto any exposed skin
Always mix/shake the bottle before you use it. Then apply the spray liberally onto any skin that will be exposed and vulnerable to insect bites.
9. Reapply as needed
It’s a good idea to reapply the spray every few hours for best results. Make sure to shake the bottle before you spray the mixture onto your skin.
Once you’ve made your homemade bug spray, keep it at hand for any outdoor events, and wave goodbye to those pesky insects! As an added bonus, you’ll smell pretty great too.
If you find an insect nest on your property then
call a pest control expert to help implement a permanent solution to eliminate the insects.