DIY Herbal Bug Repellant

If you haven’t caught on to this yet, my nieces LOVE to learn and create together. Through the spring, I’ve been teaching them a lot about sustainable living. We’ve talked about herbs and they can pretty much name most, if not all, of the plants in my garden at this point. They LOVE watching things grow, learning how they benefit our bodies, and what you can make with them. It’s really cool to witness them take such interest in nature in this way.

Last week we started foraging for plants in the wild and learning about how the “weeds” in the woods have different “jobs.” It evolved into us talking about how certain plants repel bugs and attract bugs for various purposes. I mentioned that our new book, "The Herbal Homestead Journal” has a bug spray recipe of all naturally extracted oils from plants for this exact reason. 

They asked if we could make bug spray sometime -- and so we did. It was such a fun activity and only took a short amount of time. It gives them confidence that they will be safe from bugs and it gives us adults confidence that their little skin is safe from harmful chemicals. Win, win.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you would like more recipes like this, I HIGHLY recommend the Herbal Homestead Journal in our shop. It is chalk FULL of all kinds of resourceful DIY tips and tricks organized month by month according to the season. You will LOVE it. We sure do.

Bug Spray Recipe: makes 2 oz

Fill a 2oz spray bottle with:

• 1 ½ oz lemon verbena or mint tea brewed from the plant
• 1 tbs good quality olive, almond, or jojoba oil
• 1 tbs witch hazel
• 1 tbs aloe vera gel *optional
• 7 drops of lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of citronella essential oil
• 7 drops peppermint or tea tree essential oil
• 7 drops rose geranium essential oil

Store in a cool, dark place and shake well before using.

TIPS: 

*I use these bottles for storing herbal sprays. It makes it super easy to use and they have amber glass to protect from the light. 

* Don’t stress if you don’t have every oil on the list. It will smell amazing if you do, but if you don’t just add more of what you do have to compensate. 

* If you don’t have mint or lemon verbena to make tea, you can try substituting distilled water.

Bug Repellent Oil

Makes 1 oz

Fill a 1 oz with:

• 1 tbs good quality olive, almond, or jojoba oil

Add to this mixture

• 5 drops of lavender essential oil
• 5 drops of citronella essential oil
• 5 drops peppermint or tea tree essential oil
• 5 drops rose geranium essential oil

TIP: I use these mini roll-on vials to make it super easy to apply! They are tiny enough to make a few to throw in your purse, camping gear, and some to share.