Me serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, Africa.

Nothing can ruin summer fun faster than bugs! As I planned a trip to travel with gil travel and go hiking, I couldn’t help thinking about the being attacked by hungry insects from every angle. Many bug repellants contain synthetic ingredients that are potentially toxic and may therefore repel you just as well as the insects. The recipe I use is all-natural, consisting mainly of essential oils. One of the reasons plants produce essential oils is to protect themselves from the environment, including bugs. So, naturally, we can also use the protective properties of essential oils to protect ourselves from bug bites and stings.

I decided to arm myself with a diy bug repellant recipe that had worked like a charm when I lived in Niger, Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

doTerra Certified Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils

Different essential oils protect against certain insects in particular. For example, lavender protects against moths; basil protects against mosquitoes; thyme protects against flies and mosquitoes; vetiver protects against mosquitoes; and melaleuca protects against lice, ticks, fleas, leeches, and mosquitoes.

While I lived in Africa and for my hiking trip to the mountains I was mainly concerned with repelling mosquitoes, so my recipe is particularly blended to protect against them. However, you can use other essential oils if you need to shield against other types of bugs.

If you have some outdoor activities planned this summer protect yourself with this easy recipe for a natural bug repellant using essential oils.

NATURAL BUG REPELLANT RECIPE

Items Needed:

4 oz. glass spray bottle

2 oz.white vinegar

2 oz. distilled water

15 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops melaleuca essential oil (a.k.a. tea tree oil)

10 drops peppermint essential oil

6 drops lemon essential oil
Directions:

Place all ingredients into glass spry bottle. Shake until thoroughly blended. Apply to exposed skin. Reapply every 4 hours.

*Lemon essential oil will make skin more sensitive to sunlight. Be sure to use with sunscreen. Omit it from the recipe if your skin is extremely sensitive.

*This recipe is safe for children but not safe for pets.