Natural Bug Repellent

*This post contains affiliate links, I receive some compensation from qualifying purchases when you click on a link in this post*

It’s that time of year again. The bugs are back!

We live right beside a creek and every year we have a few weeks where the mosquitos are absolutely terrible. The kids get huge welts and we have to be covered in bug spray if we want to be outside (which obviously we do!). Thankfully it seems to be short lived and then we can get on with our lives but those few weeks are awful.

However, even worse than the mosquitos are the ticks that seem to be quickly invading and getting worse and worse every year. A tick bite and lyme disease is something I do NOT want to have to deal with.

So what is a paranoid-of-ticks, hate mosquitos mom to do?

My approach with the products I use in my home is to find the most natural option that also work well. There is so much debate about whether products like DEET and other man-made chemical compounds are safe for consumption and I want to encourage you to do your own research and discover for yourself what to think about them.

For me, we use essential oils and have found them to be highly effective with no side effects.

---

This recipe was created for a 4oz spray bottle…if you are using a smaller bottle use less drops or larger, use more drops!

How to Make:

1. 🍃 Add all your drops of essential oil to the glass spray bottle
2. 🍃 Add Witch Hazel. Witch hazel is meant to help the oils mix with the water so an exact measurement is not necessary.
3. 🍃 Fill the rest of the bottle with water.
4. 🍃 Shake before use and spray everywhere before heading into nature

🌼 TerraShield is doTERRA’s blend of oils meant specifically to repel insects. It contains Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Catnip, Lemon Eucalyptus, Litsea, Arborvitae, Nootka, and Vanilla Bean Absolute.

🌼 Lemongrass helps give a little boost of added protection against ticks. Because no one has time for those disgusting bugs.

🌼 I added peppermint as a super extra boost to this already powerful blend of oils. Mosquitos especially don’t like the smell of peppermint and stay away 🙌🏻

I know that sometimes you aren’t able to get all the oils above or have sensitivities so here are some other oils that you could use to create an effective repellent:

Mosquitos: lavender, lemongrass, and arborvitae

Ticks: lavender, lemongrass, sage, and thyme

---

I am making up a stash of these for my family so we can have access to them everywhere we  go! Let’s declare this NO TICK SUMMER and get outside and enjoy the great outdoors without fear.

If you would like to purchase the oils for this recipe I have put together a bundle that you can check out here.

Feel free to add any extra oils you need into the cart before you checkout and as always I am so happy to help you with any questions you have. Send me a message and lets get you started on this oily journey!