Natural Mosquito Repellent: How to Make Your Own
Joanne Marcinek is a woman with a mission. Her passion is to help people get the relevant information they need on the Internet.
DIY Natural Mosquito Repellent
The other day while I was trying to find out why I'm such a mosquito magnet, I discovered in a WebMD article information about Eucalyptus oil as an effective natural mosquito repellent.
Oil of eucalyptus products, however, may offer longer-lasting protection, preliminary studies show.
So I decided to give it a try. I found a few recipes for natural mosquito repellent online, many of them contained tea tree (which I am allergic to), clove oil, peppermint oil, lavender, lemongrass, etc. but according to the WebMD article:
He and fellow researchers found other oils -- citronella, cedar, peppermint, lemongrass, and geranium -- provide short-lived protection at best.
So, I decided to use only Eucalyptus oil.
Natural Mosquito Repellent
I found some articles online that outlined the basic steps to create a spray repellent. For a 4oz spray I used:
- 2 oz witch hazel
- 2 oz of water that's been boiled for 10 minutes to kill bacteria (I didn't have any distilled)
- Eucalyptus essential oil
Natural Mosquito Repellent that Works
I started with 30 drops of Eucalyptus oil and headed out into the shady woods behind our house, where there is a swampy area and LOTS of mosquitoes.
Well, it worked better than having no repellent on, but the small areas where I missed spraying myself still had mosquitoes attempting to bite me. So, better than nothing, but not as good as DEET.
So, heading back to my "lab", I added about 25 more drops of essential oil of eucalyptus to the spray and tried again.
This time it was noticeably more effective. In fact there were several mosquitoes hanging around that wouldn't land on me and even one that did land on me, but then flew away before biting me.
Other Sources for Mosquito Repellent Recipes
- Mosquito Natural Repellent Ideas for Organic Mosquito Control
Find out the best mosquito natural repellent ideas to kill mosquitoes safely. Included are several natural bug repellent recipes with no deet concerns. Also learn ways to use organic mosquito control to repel mosquitoes naturally. - My favorite mosquito repellent: Peppermint
Mosquito, mosquito, go away and DON'T come back another day. If you are looking for a natural mosquito repellent, here is the one that works best for me. - Natural Insect Repellent Recipe with Essential Oils
Natural bug spray recipes use essential oils to ward off unwanted insects. Make your own natural insect repellent to deter mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and flies. You will be free of bugs and smell wonderful too. - DIY Natural Insect Repellent Spray with Essential Oils
Simple ways to create all-natural insect repellants that are non-toxic and safer for use than commercial products.
© 2013 Joanne Marcinek
Comments
awezome-writer on August 01, 2014:
I badly need this, thank you for sharing this. :)
Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on July 31, 2014:
Very clever for you to try this experiment. Thanks for reporting the results so well.
Nithya Venkat from Dubai on July 30, 2014:
A natural mosquito repellent is a great option and is good for health. Thanks for sharing.
JP Carlos from Quezon CIty, Phlippines on July 30, 2014:
This is very useful my friend. I have several plants at home that I specifically grow to rep[el mosquitoes. I make oil infusions so it would be easier for us to get rid of those mosquito bites. Thumbs up my friend.
