Homemade Natural Bug Spray Recipes That Work!

I make a natural insect repellent with many of the ingredients you suggest though I’ve abandoned the use of Tea Tree oil after two of my massage clients had an annoying skin reaction.
A convenient roll-on and best seller is available at
Niecey’s Naturals – Insect Repellent

where do you get the ingredients? I’m moving to LaCrosse too! 

Where do you get the witch hazel? I noticed on the website where you get the essential oils the extract was out of stock, and I’m not exactly sure what kind of “witch hazel” to use? I’m going to make this for family for Christmas this year and want to get the supplies in the next couple weeks or so. 

We are going up the Amazon, will this bug spray be strong enough for there

I’m actually looking for a natural recipe for my horse that is allergic to bug bites, especially midges it seems. I ran into your site and wonder if the thieves recipe would something to try.  Can you tell me the difference in potency or longevity between essential oils and dried herb mixtures?  We have tried a concoction with apple cider vinegar, pinesol and water…an old remedy that our vet recommends which helped a little, but not as good as we hoped.  I’d like to try the thieves recipe and wonder if there’s a oily base I could add to it to help it last longer or will it keep it’s effect long after it dries?  How often would you think we’d need to reapply?  We’re in MI, so she’s not really sweaty and it’s fairly dry and very sandy.   
Thanks for any advice you could share.

apparently, Thieves oil is also used to fight mold growth.  This is what I heard from my natural foods/goods store owner.  I’d like to try it, because Thieves oil is SUPER expensive.  Thanks for the recipe!

Great recipes! Are any of the recipes safer or more kid friendly? Or are there any oils I should make sure I DON’T use on a child? My two year old is a mosquito magnet … thanks for the help!

Hello, I was wondering does this  bug spray help against ticks too? We have them a lot here in the parks.

Well, do you have tick spray too?

technically, vodka or another hard alcohol would work…

oh, and if you want an all natural gel recipe google “flax seed hair gel”. I haven’t tried it yet but it is suppost to be great.

Great to know!

Mine has lasted since last summer and still looks/smells good in the fridge.

What brand and where do you purchase witch hazel? Thanks

Walmart and most drug stores carry it.  It is usually near the rubbing alcohol, peroxide type stuff.  It’s used as an astringent.

Should you dilute for children or while breast feeding? I know I dilute my at home sprays. What about the essential oil bug spray?

When you spray it on you, is it supposed to smell like the oils? When I spray it I don’t smell anything, Does that mean that I didn’t put enough oil?
 
 

I rub undiluted white vinegar on my exposed skin, including face, and it appears to send the mosquitoes packing. They hang around my clothing but not my skin, which tells me that white vinegar, by itself, is a repellant. My next experiment is to spray my clothing with it, also. I am convinced that there is no one repellant that will work with everyone. What works for one person doesn’t for another and vice versa.

yep

My dogs were being bitten to pieces when ever I walked them near the river or in the forest, the mosquitos and horseflies are awful – the dogs get bitten, I get bitten but they are the best places to walk them. I have now made the bug spray using the essential oils suggested above and IT WORKED!!! The horrid bitey wee beasties would fly towards the dogs, get to a few inches and fly away!!
The dogs came back bite free, my legs were bite free but like a twit, I forgot to spray my hands so got bitten on my thumb.
I just want to say a massive thank you!!!!

Does that keep more than just mosquitos away?

Thank you for the recipe for natural homemade mosquito repellent!  I’m so going yo try this…however, I have a few questions:
1. Can you use this directly onto skin, or should it be sprayed onto clothing?
2. What brand of essential oil would you recommend or does any brand work?

Hi…..why the vegetable glycerin in the spray? Just wondering is it definitely helpful as I don’t have any and wouldn’t bother trying to source unless essential – is there anythihg else you can use instead? Thanks!!!

Thanks so much, I am going on hols to Greece in September and am definitely gonna try your spray. Thanks!!

Thank you for this recipe.  Mosquitoes LOVE me.  I used to get bitten even using Off.  I’ve tried several natural bug sprays and none worked for me.  I made the one using witch hazel and essential oils and gave it a test run today.  30 minutes trimming my hedge and no bites!

How long do you recommend leaving the fresh herbs steeping in the water for? thanks!

Dear Wellness Mama,
I know you said you were looking for recipes for shampoo and detergent, my mother used to make her own shampoo and conditioner from these ingredients,
Coconut Milk, honey, water, and a little bit of soap(like hand soap) my mom told me that the coconut milk is rich with vitamins and oils that are good for the scalp, and the honey coats and moisturizes the hair, the water is there to just thin it out so your not left with a sticky mess and the soap is to clean all the dirt, if you want a fragrance you can also add some vanilla bean, lavender works well, or any other fragrance oils you find in a craft store work, just make sure they are okay for your skin(so not the stuff for candles) hope this helps. (sorry my mom couldn’t remember the measurements but i figured it was a good start)

Can i spray this on my clothing and on my clothes in my dresser to keep bugs out as well? thanks.

It is, with a hold comparable to most regular hold store brands. It’s very cheap to make!

I’ve used it indoors and out and it works great!

How long do these home made bug repellants last (in fridge and on the counter)??

Can I use this to repel bugs from my garden?

I’m replying to Wellness Mama’s post: How to Make Homemade Bug Spray:

“Essential oils” The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be. My personal favorite mix is: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus… it works great and smells good too!

Sheryl: Let me begin by saying that I don’t have ANY pets, because most “flea remedies” are aimed at ppl w/pets. I’ve apparently got a pheromone or something that attracts fleas (my doc said it could be the meds I’m taking because I’d never had this problem before & have had pets in the past). I sit outside on my patio daily & live in Florida, so it’s been a real problem!!

That said, I’ve spent countless hours online, talked to my docs, pest control ppl & have experimented with MANY different pesticides/sprays for the yard. I’ve tried different things that ppl have suggested to put in my hair, but nothing worked!

I want to give a BIG THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! to WELLNESS MAMA for your awesome essential oil recipe!!!!!!!! I had heard of these different things; Rosemary, Clove, Eucalyptus, etc… throughout my research & tried these scents alone (not essential oils), but nothing worked. Them, I decided to try yet another way to try to keep those little suckers at bay. I found a web-site (Botanic Choice) that is BBB accredited & it just so happened that they had a sale going the day I called to order the 6 essential oils you recommended. Then I went to the local health foods store & got a 4 oz. bottle of Jojoba for a carrier oil (great reviews on this), to the dollar store, which had the witch hazel for a buck & while I was there I picked up a colored spritzer container.

I used about an 8-10 oz. spritzer bottle, filled it 3/4 full of distilled water, put an oz. of witch hazel, 1/4 oz. of Jojoba oil, the around 4-8 drops each of the above listed essential oils, then filled it almost to the top w/more distilled water. I shook it up really well, then applied it to my hair & combed it through. It really seems to help keep those little suckers under control – they don’t like the scent, though I do seem to have to reapply often, it’s totally worth it to get some peace & it smells great too!!! AGAIN, THANK YOU WELLNESS MAMA, God bless you for helping me to find relief!!!!!!

Where can we buy the ingredients that are listed in this recipe? I want to give this a try since my husband and me are having some kind of flying-bug plaque everytime summer is starting.

Hi! I’d love to try this on me and my children, we are absolute magnets! Do any of the ingredients increase sun sensitivity? We live in Canada and even in the dead of heat we will get bit, we always wear sunscreen and I’d love to know if this will effect the our sensitivity to the suns rays. Thanks!

What do you think about Avon skin so soft bath oil? I have read that it is non-toxic.

Neem oil is considered a great insecticide for the garden

I just came back from a month of filming in the Louisiana swamps, and had AMAZING luck with using one of these recipes… I used witch hazel, distilled water, lemongrass essential oil and organic vanilla extract (no added sugar). It worked so much better than any of the commercial repellants and smelled fantastic. Everyone on set started using it and it really helped minimize the mosquito/chigger bites. We had to reapply quite often because of the amount of insects, about 30-45 minutes, but was worth it! Also having great luck with your coconut oil deodorant recipe. LOVE this site! Thanks so much for sharing!

I currently put a drop or two of geranium essential oil on my dogs collar to keep the ticks off. I’ve noticed that it helps, there doesn’t seem to be as many. I picked one off of one of them last year which is a huge improvement from previous years. And that may be because I didn’t apply the essential oil soon after the last treatment dissipated. My issue is that I have a small 12 pound dog that is highly allergic to rabies and distemper so I am assuming heartworm out of the question too. I am taking her to mosquito country this summer (not a real issue here in the Rockies). Is there something I can use to keep the mosquitoes from biting?

What is the purpose of the vegetable glycerine in the first recipe?

Regarding the Four Thieves Repellent, do you have to use the unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or will the regular kind sold in the salad dressing aisle work?

Dear Wellnes Mama, I love your website! I have found it while looking for a natural insect repellent, as I was bitten badly last night by midgies in the garden. Please can you tell me whether the first repellent (the one with essential oils) keeps fresh for a while? Does it need to be stored in the fridge maybe? I wouldn’t want to make too much and ending wasting it.. Many thanks and you’re doing a great job!