Homemade Bug Spray

The bugs are out in full force now. At my dads memorial, I opted to cheat and grab some premade bug spray to only discover I had an allergic reaction to it. So instead of avoiding a few bug bites I ended up itching and stinging from head to toe. I learned a valuable lesson that night bout taking short cuts when you have sensitivity issues. So I whipped up a homemade bug spray to get us through the rest of summer. We expect the bugs to only get worse from here on out.

Homemade bug spray

Essential oils that can be used to make bug spray

Essential oils make a great active ingredient for homemade bug sprays. The CDC even announced this year that lemon eucalyptus is just as good for repelling mosquitoes as DEET. Sadly this was not an option for us as we have young kids that will either be using the spray or exposed and eucalyptus is not safe for young children so we used a kid-safe bug repellent essential oil blend.

Great oil options for repelling mosquitoes include Citronella, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, basil, clove, thyme, lemongrass, geranium, and lavender.

If you are looking to protect a large area form these unwanted pests I suggest planting these plants that repel mosquitoes around your entertainment area.

Make your own homemade bug spray

Homemade bug spray

It is easy to make your own homemade bug spray with a few simple ingredients.

Pour essential oil drops into your spray bottle.

Fill the bottle with witch hazel

Shake well to blend.

Shake with each use.

While this homemade bug spray is effective on the skin I recommend using on your families clothing rather than directly on the skin to avoid photochemical reactions and to leave the skin free for sun protection.

Simple At Home - Making Life Simple Again

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.