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You are here: Home » Food Preparation » Recipes » Essential Oils » Homemade Essential Oil Bug Repellent

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Homemade Essential Oil Bug Repellent

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Homemade Essential Oil Bug Repellent | Summer is in full swing and that means social gatherings! Unfortunately some uninvited guests like to join the party, too:pesky bugs. Most commercial bug repellents contain harmful DEET. Instead, try this homemade bug repellent that uses essential oils! | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Summer is in full swing! It is the time of playing outside, gardening, camping, and barbecuing. The extra hours of sunlight make social gatherings that much more fun, but unfortunately some uninvited guests like to join the party, too.

What are these pesky guests? Bugs.

There are good reasons to repel things like mosquitoes and ticks — the former can transmit West Nile Virus and the latter can carry Lyme disease. When I grew up, my mother always bought bug repellent from the store, but I hated it for the nasty smell and the chemicals that lingered in my nose.

Most commercial bug repellents contain DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide), a chemical originally created by the United States Army after their experiences in the jungles during World War II. It was tested first as a pesticide on farm fields, then used by the troops, and finally sold commercially in 1957.

Just the fact that DEET was first tested as a pesticide on farm fields should tell you that it is not something you want on your body. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises caution when using products containing DEET, saying to apply only to exposed skin and/or clothing. Once indoors again, they recommend washing skin with soap and water, and advise against applying repellents to children’s hands since they often touch their mouths and eyes. It makes you think, doesn’t it?

DEET has also been known to be an effective solvent which may dissolve some plastics and synthetic fabrics. There have been some cases of recorded death, seizures, slurred speech, coma and other serious side effects.

It’s best to just stay away from DEET altogether.

But what should we do instead? I am so happy we have an amazing God who created plants that naturally deter bugs! I have started making my own bug spray. I use essential oils since they are easy, effective, and ready for use immediately — unlike herbs, which need a few weeks to steep.

Making your own bug spray is a breeze when you use essential oils. You need a dark glass spray bottle, essential oils, witch hazel, and distilled water — and that’s it! Here are a few bug-repelling essential oils.

  • lavender
  • eucalyptus
  • clove
  • geranium
  • rosemary
  • cedarwood
  • lemongrass (may attract bees)
  • citronella
  • cypress
  • tea tree (melaleuca)
  • peppermint
3.23 from 18 votes
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Homemade Bug Repellent With Essential Oils

Making your own bug spray is a breeze when you use essential oils. You need a dark glass spray bottle, essential oils, witch hazel, and distilled water — and that’s it!
Author Katie Mae Stanley

Ingredients

  • 1 4-ounce dark glass spray bottle
  • 30 drops essential oils of your choice; I usually stick to 3 types
  • 1 ounce witch hazel
  • 3 ounces pure water distilled or boiled; you could also use fractionated coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Add the essential oils of your choice directly to the bottle.
  2. Then pour in the witch hazel and water.
  3. Screw on the lid and store in a dark place until ready to use.
  4. Shake the bottle well before applying.
  5. Use as often as needed.

Have you used a natural bug repellent before? What oils did you choose? How did it work?

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Essential Oils Health & Nutrition Healthy Living Household & Health Recipes

About Katie Mae Stanley

Katie Mae Stanley is the writer at Nourishing Simplicity, where the focus is on nourishing foods, herbal remedies, simple living and faith. Ethnic and Mid-west foods are always a favorite in her kitchen and on her blog. She is also the author of the book Steeped: Simple Nourishing Teas and Treats. Katie Mae spent 10 years as a missionary dorm "mama" for a gaggle (almost 40) of amazing deaf girls at a school for the deaf in Baja California, Mexico. Now she finds herself state side ready to embrace God's next adventure. A cup of tea or coffee and a bit of dark chocolate make an appearance at some point in any given day. You can connect with the Nourishing Simplicity community on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny C. says

    July 7, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    What will happen if I don’t use a spray bottle that is glass? Or dark? I do have a dark blue spray bottle, but it is plastic.

    Reply
    • erika wile says

      July 7, 2014 at 2:08 pm

      do not use plastic because of the oils leaching chemicals from the plastic.

      Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 8, 2014 at 7:57 am

      Erika is correct, the oils will release chemical from the plastic. Overtime they would cause the bottle to weaken.

      Reply
      • Jenny C. says

        July 11, 2014 at 2:26 pm

        Thanks for the reply!
        Where do you find glass spray bottles? I’m guessing there has to be an online source…

        Reply
        • Katie Mae Stanley says

          July 17, 2014 at 8:49 am

          I bought mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, I’m sure that Amazon has then as well.

          Reply
          • Alice Carbonneau says

            July 18, 2014 at 7:54 pm

            You can find essential oils at kissingbridge.com

        • Wardee Harmon says

          July 17, 2014 at 12:08 pm

          Here they are on amazon (linked up in the post too): http://amzn.to/1n0iwQz

          Reply
          • Miqui says

            August 2, 2017 at 1:13 pm

            This is a very late reply but don’t buy doTERRA oils on Amazon. They is are not pure. Buy only from an authorized seller. (I am not one).

    • Denise Gabrielse says

      May 21, 2015 at 4:32 pm

      myoilbusiness.com has many bottle choices.

      Reply
  2. Jenny Cazzola says

    July 7, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    We have a pond and so we deal with mosquitoes quite often in the summer. Thanks for sharing your recipe! We’ll look forward to giving it a try. We have several of the oils listed and have found that peppermint is great for keeping flies at bay!

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 8, 2014 at 7:57 am

      Wonderful Jenny!

      Reply
  3. Lisa C. says

    July 8, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    http://www.amazon.com/Insect-Synergy-Essential-Undiluted-Therapeutic/dp/B006OR6CDC/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1404851311&sr=8-10&keywords=dark+spray+bottle

    I just bought some of this before seeing your post. I used it over the weekend, it worked GREAT! Mixed it with witch hazel and sprayed it on, it smelled to the whole family like Fruit Loops. when we didn’t spray it, we got eaten alive with bugs.. When we were dilligant about spraying it before we went hiking, we did not get any bites at all!

    Just wanted to share what I had used, wish I had seen your post first!

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 17, 2014 at 8:42 am

      I’m glad it worked for you, there’s always next time to try it!

      Reply
  4. Bethany says

    July 9, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    Where we live, we are surrounded by fields of corn which translates into lots of standing irrigation water. We are also within 1 mile of a bird refuge. Unfortunately, we found out after we moved here that the combination of the two equals a LOT of mosquitoes (we are talking the 10 plagues of Egypt here!) I have not found ANY bug repellant that works, whether natural or not natural. They are so bad, we find that it is hard to enjoy the outdoors at all. The only thing I have found that works is a mosquito netting shirt. It looks super nerdy, but I’d rather wear it than get eaten alive! 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 17, 2014 at 8:47 am

      Sometime you have to do what you have to do. I hope this repellent will help!

      Reply
  5. C. D. Smart says

    July 12, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    Where do you get the essential oils?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 17, 2014 at 8:50 am

      I buy and sell doTERRA. There are other companies such as Young Living that are good as well. You could also check out Mountain Rose Herbs.

      Reply
  6. Babs says

    July 15, 2014 at 11:03 am

    Will this work on animals? Specifically horses and cattle. They are really bothered by flys!

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 17, 2014 at 9:00 am

      It should but it is important to research each individual essential oil to check for animal safety.

      Reply
  7. Jan Gordon says

    July 18, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    I would like to know if you pour the entire contents of all of these bottles in together?

    Reply
    • Jenni says

      May 13, 2015 at 8:13 pm

      the recipe calls for 30 drops total. So if you had 3 different oils you could use 10 drops each, or 2 oils and 15 drops each.then mix with the othe ingredients, witch hazel and water.

      Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      May 14, 2015 at 1:56 pm

      Hi Jan, I’m sorry I missed your question. You measure the water/oil and witch hazel before pouring into the bottle. Then you add the drops of the essential oils that you chose directly to the bottle. Does that make sense?

      Reply
      • Jan Gordon says

        May 15, 2015 at 10:48 am

        No, problem. Thank you, so much for the instruction 🙂

        Reply
  8. Gayla Hiatt says

    June 20, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    I can’t use witch hazel. Is there something else I can use in the place of it?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 11, 2015 at 4:46 pm

      You can add fractionated coconut oil.

      Reply
      • Sheila Copeland says

        May 26, 2016 at 7:43 pm

        You can use vegetable glycerin… the oils will blend better into glycerin than witch hazel as well.

        Reply
    • Crystal says

      April 12, 2017 at 9:55 pm

      You can completely leave it out, just be sure to shake up the oil + water mixture before each use, just before spraying.

      Reply
  9. Susan says

    July 9, 2015 at 7:19 am

    could you use fractionated coconut oil and make a roll on? would you still need the witchhazel?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katie Mae Stanley says

      July 11, 2015 at 4:47 pm

      I would leave the witch hazel out. That’s actually next on my list to make! That way it’s easy to apply to the face and ears.

      Reply
    • Cooper says

      August 31, 2016 at 5:41 pm

      That’s a interesting idea you could make the hazel into a oil add it 1/8 portion 1/2 coconut oil 1/2 aloe and 1/4 beeswax and make a repellent lotion

      Reply
  10. Trisha says

    July 18, 2015 at 6:44 am

    I’ve been using Plant Therapy’s Insect Shield and adding Cypress oil. 20 drops of insect shield and 10 of cypress added to a 2 oz cobalt spray bottle and topped with witch hazel. I cannot believe how well this works. Repels skeeters and biting flies!

    Reply
  11. Nancy G. Eargle says

    July 18, 2015 at 6:56 am

    Can you use Kangen water instead of distilled water?
    It is ionized water with all toxins removed.

    Thanks,

    Reply
    • Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says

      April 18, 2016 at 4:28 pm

      I am so sorry I missed this! I would be fine.

      Reply
  12. Michelle says

    May 7, 2016 at 11:46 pm

    Are there some essential oils that work better than others?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says

      June 26, 2017 at 11:24 pm

      My all time favourite will always be lavender. Essential oils affect each person differently, for example I don’t use lemongrass because I’m allergic to it.

      Reply
  13. Christina M. Wrigley says

    May 26, 2016 at 5:56 am

    Hi,
    I made a great bug spray last year and I am getting ready to make a new batch this year. I use 1/2 water and 1/2 cheap vodka as my base. The alcohol dries quickly but leaves the oils behind to do their work. The water helps to dilute the vodka. Just be careful around your face. I usually just spray on my hands and then rub my face. Also The Vitamin Shoppe carries a great selection of blue glass spray and roller bottles.

    Thanks and God Bless
    Chris

    Reply
  14. Karen says

    September 1, 2016 at 7:12 am

    5 stars
    Which 3 oils do you usually use?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says

      June 26, 2017 at 11:21 pm

      Currently, my bottle has geranium, lavender, and tea tree. I mixed it up and use different combinations though.

      Reply
  15. Marlene says

    June 24, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    Do I use 10 drops if I have 3 oils?

    Reply
    • Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says

      June 26, 2017 at 11:18 pm

      If you have 3 oils you would use 10 drops of each.

      Reply
  16. Rita says

    May 2, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    5 stars
    Would love to know if anyone has had good experience with a particular oil repelling chiggers! We got eaten alive by them on our last camping trip. 🙁

    Reply
  17. Nupur says

    October 31, 2018 at 2:09 am

    Hi, curious to know what would be the shelf life of this repellant. Since water and oils don’t mix well, would it turn rancid very fast. Do you recommend using only fractionated oil in that case.

    Reply
  18. Cat says

    May 30, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    Why distilled or boiled water?

    Reply
3.23 from 18 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Homemade Essential Oil Bug Repellent | Summer is in full swing and that means social gatherings! Unfortunately some uninvited guests like to join the party, too:pesky bugs. Most commercial bug repellents contain harmful DEET. Instead, try this homemade bug repellent that uses essential oils! | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

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