DIY- Natural Mosquito Repellent
Ever wonder if you could design a mosquito repellent that could compete with DEET? Well fortunately, you can. A 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared different synthetic and herbal repellents. It appears that the herbal repellents work quite well, specifically, those that contain a high concentration of lemon eucalyptus oil.
The trick with using a natural repellent is that you need to reapply a bit more frequently than a chemical repellent, but you will smell nicer, and probably feel calmer too.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is steam distilled from the eucaltptus citriodora plant and has a citronella like scent. Use at a 20-30 % dilution for the strongest effect. Other essential oils that have mosquito repellent ability and can give your repellent a really nice scent include lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, citronella and lemon balm.
When designing your own blend, keep this in mind:
TOOLS:
1 funnel
1 4oz glass spray bottle
Essential oils: lemon eucylptus and lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, citronella or lemon balm.
Carrier: Witch Hazel or Jojoba Oil
METHOD:
¼ oz essential oil blend (80% lemon eucalyptus and 20% blend of other secondary essential oils mentioned above)
¾ oz witch hazel or jojoba oil
Using the funnel, pour your essential oils into the srpay bottle. Add in your jojba oil or witch hazel. Screw the cap on and shape up the ingredients. Your product is now ready to use. You should shake before each use. Apply every 2 – 3 hours.
Essential oils also have anti-bacterial qualities so this should keep all summer, as long it is stored in a cool dry place.
Let us know what your favorite mixture of essential oils are and how your repellent worked for you!