April 7, 2008 | Outdoors, Being Green
Even the mere thought of a mosquito bite makes my skin itch! I haven’t stopped scratching since I sat down!
When somebody wrote in asking about natural insect repellents for their children it made me realize that I had no idea what I would be using as a bug repellent for MY OWN kid! The pursuit of a safe and natural repellent began!
Most natural repellents are a combination of essential oils, many which can be found in your health food store and mixed together and poured into a spray bottle. If that’s the way you like to do things then you can try this recipe…
Combine the following essential oils to make a natural insect repellent:
1/2 ounce citronella oil
1/4 ounce lavender oil
1/8 ounce pennyroyal oil
1/8 ounce tea tree oil
1/8 ounce jojoba oil
Do not use this blend undiluted on your skin and do not use if pregnant. Follow these instructions for diluting:
To make an insect repellent oil that can be used on your body, add 16 ounces of jojoba or almond oil to the base oil mixture and blend thoroughly. For an insect repellent spray, add 16 ounces of vodka to the base oil mixture, pour into a spray bottle, and shake before using.
Now for me, I would much rather just buy a product instead of mixing my own. I found two that I am really interested in trying. The first is No Skeeterz natural repellent. It is safe to use on kids and 100% deet free! The second would most likely be easier to find on the grocery store shelves and that is Burt’s Bees Herbal insect repellent. Again, safe to use on kids and 100% deet free. Another awesome thing about natural repellents, since essential oils are used there is no more repulsive smell left on your skin and clothing!
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Kathy Porter says:
I tryed the Berts today and just a little on my arm was enough the bugs stayed off me but not off my other half and the smell was plesent
April 7th, 2008 at 6:50 pmvictoria says:
Hi! 1st let me say I love Broomhuggers!
As for bug repellant, I haven’t tried this but have placed an order for it. I will repost how it works once we use it. We also ordered there SPF30 sunscreen.
It is Badger Anti Bug Balm
http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-21-2-anti-bug-balm.aspx
Active Ingredients: Citronella Oil (5.0%), Cedar Oil (2.0%), Lemongrass Oil (2.0%), Rosemary Oil (1.0%), & Geranium Oil (1.0%).
Other Ingredients: Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Beeswax, and Castor Bean Oil.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:29 pmJeana says:
Thanks Kathy! Glad to know the Burt’s worked for you!
Victoria, thank you for sharing another great looking product. Please let us know what you think of both the bug balm and the sunscreen!
April 7th, 2008 at 7:38 pmvictoria says:
ok as i said in my previous post, i’d let you know what i thought of the Badger SPF30 Sunscreen. i used it a few times now while the twins (2 yrs old) were outside playing in the mid day sun. they were protected from sunburn, when others who refused to put it on got burned thus i know it worked. it smelled nice, applied easily, and best of all it gave me a peace of mind that i wasn’t doing more harm with all the chemicals, endocrine disruptors etc than doing good. so yipee i am thoroughly excited to see the summer coming with 2 rowdy outdoorsy boys-lol bring it on, sunshine - mom is prepared!!! ~just a little note, Badger SPF 30 was #2 on EWG’s list for children’s sunscreens!!! Thanks again EWG
I still haven’t used the Badger Bug Balm, but I am looking forward to the another great product from Badger that is safer for my lil tikes (and me)
April 20th, 2008 at 7:43 pm