Regan here! This blog post has been a long time coming. I planned on sharing it in the summer, when bug spray most often gets used, but then life happened and we got hit hard with some stuff that many of you know about if you follow us on Instagram, and here I am sharing a random post about bug spray at the end of September.
For those of you who don’t know, our sweet angel mom passed away from cancer on August 16th. It’s been a tough (to say the least) whirlwind of emotions for all of us, and something we didn’t anticipate happening. At least not this quickly. We want to share more about her story and the details of how everything happened, but we’ll save that for another post that we have already started working on.
After our mom got sick, she started integrating cleaner, less toxic ingredients and products into her home. She didn’t know if it would make any difference, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt, and we all started to do the same. I wish I could say I’ve completely switched over to every all-natural product, and I also wish I was more educated and took the time to really read all of the labels of the products and ingredients I use, but at least I’m working on it. Slowly.
One product that gets used frequently around my house is bug spray. I LOVE where we live in Utah, but the area where my little family has lived for the last 3.5 years is pretty much right on a lake, and in the evenings there are BUGS. EVERYWHERE. It’s my least favorite thing about where we live. You basically have to drench yourself in bug spray anytime you want to step outside in the summer evenings.
I’ve always thought common bug spray brands (like Off!) smelled horrible and felt gross and sticky on my skin, and I know they often contain toxic ingredients. My grandma shared her natural bug spray recipe with me (made with essential oils) years ago, and I’ve been using it ever since! It makes living in a mosquito infested area a little more bearable. Haha.
When we have friends over, I always share my natural bug spray with everyone (and brag about how great it is, lol), and it’s always a huge hit! It smells so good, and works perfectly. I’m always getting asked for the recipe, and I don’t know whyI haven’t shared it on here sooner!
To make it, you can use any combination of these essential oils (I’ll share what I usually use in the recipe below): citronella, clove, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, cajeput, eucalyptus, cedar, catnip, geranium, lavender, mint. All of those have insect and mosquito-repelling properties. Just use 100 drops total of whatever combination you use.
Side note: essential oils can eat through some containers. So I use these spray bottles and they are the BEST. I love how they spray (is that weird? lol). They come in a set of two and I use the other one to do Cal’s hair, haha. I also have slowly been collecting good brands of essential oils, like doTERRA, but THIS is a starter pack I got when I first started making this bug spray. It’s inexpensive and gets the job done.
All Natural Bug Spray with Essential Oils
ingredients:
- 20 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 20 drops tea tree essential oil
- 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 20 drops rosemary essential oil
- 1 TBSP rubbing alcohol
- ½ cup natural witch hazel
- ½ cup water (or vinegar)
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerin (optional)
instructions:
How to cook All Natural Bug Spray with Essential Oils
- Place essential oils in a glass spray bottle. Add vodka or alcohol and shake well to combine.
- Pour in witch hazel and shake to combine.
- Add ½ tsp vegetable glycerin if using. This is not necessary but helps everything stay combined.
- Add water and shake again. Shake before each use as the oils and water will naturally separate some over time.