It’s easy to make your own natural mosquito repellent. You can control exactly what goes into the product so you won’t need to worry about any unwanted chemicals.
Natural Mosquito Repellent Safety
There are a couple of different formulations you can make for your natural mosquito repellent. In general, what you are doing is diluting an essential oil that the mosquitoes find distasteful or which confuses them so they can’t find you to bite you. The oils don’t mix with water, so you’ll need to add them to other oils or to alcohol. It’s important to use an oil or alcohol that is safe for your skin. Also, don’t go overboard with the essential oils. The oils are potent and could cause skin irritation or another reaction if you use too much. If you are pregnant or nursing, do not use any mosquito repellent, natural or otherwise, until after you’ve gotten it cleared by your physician.
Natural Mosquito Repellent Ingredients
If you are making large amounts of mosquito repellent, a good rule of thumb is to mix the repellent so it’s 5-10% essential oil, so mix 1 part essential oil with 10-20 parts carrier oil or alcohol. For a smaller batch use:
- 10-25 drops (total) of essential oils
- 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil or alcohol
The essential oils that work well against mosquitoes are:
- cinnamon oil
- lemon eucalyptus oil
- citronella oil
- castor oil
Safe carrier oils and alcohols include:
- olive oil
- sunflower oil
- any other cooking oil
- witch hazel
- vodka
Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipe
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