How To Make Essential Oils Insect Repellent

Editor’s Note: I have been using this recipe for awhile now and have started to skip the castor oil and still have the same results with just water.

I still remember when I finally made it to the town of Trout Lake after starting my Washington PCT section and making the decision to stock up on 100% DEET in some vain attempt to combat the swarms of mosquitoes and black flies that accompany lovely lake views like this. Chemicals be damned, I was being eaten alive.

My battle with the bugs still rages, with varying success. My main weapons have been to cover up: long pants, long sleeves and a head bug net have seriously reduced not only the bug bites but the amount of spray I need to use. That still leaves things like my hands or times when you do have to uncover to eat and such.

And despite due diligence, there are still those moments when my guard is down or I wait too long too apply repellent because I am trying to avoid chemicals. Like last summer in the North Cascades when there were no mosquitoes (and thus I didn’t head out prepared) when I was introduced to noseeums. Dear Lord, whose idea where those little buggers?

Last summer I started working on a homemade bug spray incorporating essential oils. I really wanted to let go of things like DEET, Picardin and Permethrin. I really hated to think about what it was doing to my body and have you seen what it does to the containers it comes in? And there is also the effect it must have on the water sources and wildlife…

So I headed down to my local co-op and did a little “research” into what the natural store bought versions were using. Turned out that I already had some of the most popular ingredients in my medicine cabinet.

I was like many who couldn’t escape the craze of essential oils that hit the country a few years ago, from office coworkers to home parties by friends. I have managed to stick to a few basic oils that I have found work well for me, like lavender for relaxation and peppermint for headaches. My favorite, however, is cedarwood and I use it in everything from car air freshener to lotion (just coconut oil and a few drops of oil) to astringent. It’s touted with many benefits but mostly I just love the smell! Like being out in the forest. AND, it’s known for being an insect repellent.

I mixed up this concoction for my trail work backpacking trip and was pleasantly surprised that it actually worked to keep the bugs at bay. And I felt good about rubbing it on my skin and spraying on my hair.

The only thing was that it doesn’t last as long as the regular stuff, so I do need to reapply more often. I’m guessing it is because it is mostly the smell that is the deterrent rather than chemicals on my skin. But with the other stuff, I was so reluctant to use it that I was almost willing to suffer bug bites than risk the chemicals. With this, I don’t have any worries. And it smells good!

Here’s what you will need:

A 2oz fingertip spray bottle (found where travel sizes are sold)
Castor Oil
Essential Oils: Citronella, Lemongrass, Peppermint and Cedarwood
Water

Fill the spray bottle half full with castor oil and half with water. Then add 20 drops of citronella and 10 drops of the rest of the oils. Shake. That’s it. Just spray as needed. The oil is an added benefit for dry skin!

An important note: Remember to shake it each time you use it. The oil does rise to the top so if you don’t, you end up using the water faster than the oil. Not a biggie if this happens, I found I could just add more water to the bottle until I had used up all the oil.

Do you do the essential oils thing? Have you tried making homemade insect repellent? If not, how do you avoid the chemicals in regular insect repellent?