Make Your Own Bug Repellant ​With Essential Oils

 By: Ingrid Petres
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Historic cicada broods are emerging and mosquitoes are biting here in St. Louis. This blog post is dedicated to passing along some information about Essential Oils that have been scientifically proven to repel insects. We give sample recipes you can make or tailor to your specific needs by consulting our chart below.
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Pssst... If you want to take the easy route, STL Herbs and Aromatics creates a refreshing Bug Spray we call
Summer Mist which includes a combination of the Essential Oils mentioned below.

Insects and the Essential Oils they Hate:                                                                                       
Mosquitoes:
Catnip (scientific studies show it is more effective then Deet *}, 
​Lavender, Citronella, Cedarwood, 
Eucalyptus, 
​Lemongrass, Peppermint,  Rosemary

Ticks:
​​Citronella, Geranium, Lemongrass, Sage, 
Thyme

​Cicadas: 
Citronella, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint

Ants:
​Citronella, Peppermint, Spearmint

Flies:   
​Citronella, Lavender, Peppermint

Fleas:
​Citronella, Lavender, Lemongrass

Gnats:
​ Citronella, Patchouli, Spearmint
​
Moths:
​Citronella, Lavender, Spearmint, ​Peppermint

   Each of these essential oils can be used as a single oil, or in combination to repel insects. 

Sample Essential Oil Combination to Repel Insects:

½ tsp Geranium Essential Oil
½ tsp Lavender Essential Oil
½ tsp Citronella Essential Oil
½ tsp Cedarwood Essential Oil

Add Essential Oils to a small glass bottle and shake. 

This combination can be dotted on wrists, shoes, and socks before, gardening, hiking or on cotton balls and placed near your sleeping bags when camping. You can easily mix and match the essential oils used to tailor the mixture to which insects you need to repel and what smells you prefer. 

You can also use this mixture to make bug repellant body oil.

Bug Repellant Body Oil:

When applying essential oils all over the body it is important to adhere to a certain dilution. In aromatherapy a standard dilution for overall body use is 2.5 % dilution of essential oil to carrier oil or 15 drops essential oil per ounce. 

30 drops of your insect repellant essential oil or mixture
2 oz Almond, Olive, or your favorite body oil. 

Add Essential Oils to Carrier oil and shake. 

This oil can be applied all over the body before outdoor activity.   

Bug Repellant Spray:

There is not as much concern about dilution rate when creating a spray. Try the recipe below as a guideline.

1/8 – 1 full teaspoon Essential Oil or Essential Oil Mixture
1 oz Vodka, Water, or Hydrosol

Add essential oils and shake. If using water or hydrosol you must shake before each use as the water and oil will not stay emulsified. ​

ESSENTIAL OIL SAFETY INFORMATION

• Always keep all essential oils out of the reach of children. They can be poisonous when ingested in large amounts.

• Do not use essential oils on or near the eyes.

• Many essential oils can be dotted on cuts, pimples, or on the temples for headaches but in most cases its best to dilute essential oils when applying over a large area of the body. Some essential oils can be irritating to the skin, discontinue if rash occurs. 

• Use caution with pets, during pregnancy, nursing and with babies and children. 

Resources:
https://naha.org/
Non-for-profit organization promoting and elevating academic standards in aromatherapy education and practice standards for the profession.

https://aromaticstudies.com/
One of the Leading Aromatherapy schools in North America

​https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.htm
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