While busy daydreaming of the the warm weather heading this way, I’d almost forgotten that with it will come many pesky bugs. Since I live next to wetlands that attract mosquitoes like a magnet, I plan to be ready to face them this year with a natural solution.
I’m done with spraying name-brand mystery chemicals on my skin because with just a few simple ingredients and empty spray bottle, I can make my own! (Hopefully it will even smell better than most store-bought bug sprays that always make me feel like I need a shower after using).
I located an interesting gardening blog with a few different options for homemade bug repellent. The first one I’m going to try (and forgive me that I have no mosquitoes to test this with yet) is the “Chem-Free Bug Off Mist”.
All you need for this is a misting spray bottle, witch hazel, and a few drops of essential oils (lavender, tea tree, and peppermint essential oils are recommended). From most of my reading, lavender is said to help the most with mosquitoes so I plan to use a few extra drops of this.
Interestingly enough, two of these same ingredients can be combined and used to soothe skin that unfortunately gets an insect bite or other irritation. To make this “Healing Lavender & Witch Hazel Spritz“, simply combine 4 oz witch hazel extract with twenty drops of lavender essential oil. This can even be helpful for eczema and sunburn!
If you know of any other natural outdoor remedies (such as sunscreen or natural bug sprays you’ve made or tried), please share them so that we can all have alternatives to applying unnecessarily harsh chemicals to our skin in the summer.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
A pleasure to come to your site. Thanks very much! Goodluck.