Homemade Bug Repellent — Stacie Lamoore

Alex and I really hate using bug sprays with Deet. However, it seems to be necessary, especially when we go to Northern Minnesota. There is a running joke among Minnesotans that Minnesota‘s state bird is not the Loon as commonly thought…it is in fact, the Mosquito. While I have yet to be able to test this big repellent in Northern Minnesota, it works fantastically in the southern half of the state and here at home in Iowa.This recipe will make 2oz worth of bug spray. I’ve included quite a list of essential oils for this recipe. However, you may not have all of these on hand. If you do, great! Use them all. If not you can pick and choose what you have on hand and use those. In my option one of the reasons this recipe works so well is the fact it includes citronella essential oils. This does make it smell strongly, but in my opinion it’s worth it. Here are a few EO’s that work well:

Mosquitoes: Peppermint, Lemongrass, Lemon, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Geranium, Clove, Sage
Ticks: Geranium, Eucalyptus, Myrrh
Gnats: Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Spearmint
Horse Flies: Tea Tree, Rosemary, Peppermint, Lemon, Lemongrass, Thyme

I purchased these blue glass spray bottles from Amazon. It is highly suggested to use glass bottles when your blend contains EO’s. This will keep your oils from breaking down and will help your blend stay potent for longer. When you go to use your blend simply spray liberally all over your body and clothes as you would with a regular bug spray. Simply make sure that you shake the bottle each time before you spray.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:87]