 | Make your own natural bug repellentposted by Yael Resnick, Aishes ChayilWednesday, July 21st 2010 @ 3:10 AM |
Why put toxic chemicals on your skin (and even more importantly, your children's skin) to keep insects away? Many essential oils are very effective repellents, they're all-natural, and when used with care, they are safe.
Natural options include oil of eucalyptus, citronella, cedar, lavender, lemongrass, garlic, cinnamon, sage, spearmint, and peppermint, among others. These oils are ingredients in many natural insect-repellent products.
But you can also create your own insect repellent by putting a few drops of one or several of these oils in a base of a gentle oil, such as olive, almond, or sunflower oil. (Essential oils should be used with appropriate caution, since they have potent medicinal effects and can irritate the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.) Essential oils are available at natural-foods stores. When you buy them, ask someone to teach you the basics of handling them safely.
Experiment with your own combinations of oils to see what works best, and which smells best (to you—the bugs are supposed to hate it)! This is a fun activity to do with older kids. Of course, supervise them at all times when handling essential oils.
Bonus Tip: Fill a spray bottle with a few drops of essential oil mixed with water, shake to combine, and use it to spray bugs to repel (and in all likelihood, kill) them as they fly. Add more oil to the water to increase the concentration if it's not effective enough. (The oil and water will separate, so shake before spraying each time.) For mosquitoes, choose lemongrass or lavender for best results.
Although the spray will be non-toxic, keep the bottle out of children's reach so they won't get it in their eyes.
