Looking for a natural DIY bug spray recipe that will not leave you soaked in toxic chemicals (…who needs that!??) AND actually works?
Here is where I would usually go into my spiel about individual ingredients in products that make them bad for us. I think that I can skip that with bug spray (BUT, if you want to know more I tackle toxic bug sprays in this post). We know it’s pretty darn nasty stuff, right? Okay…good.
Now that we have that out of the way, when it comes to bug spray for your body there are two ingredients that the big chemical corporations do not want you to know about. They just so happen to be essential oils (if you need a quick review about essential oils, check out this post).
So, let’s learn a bit more about these two specific essential oils.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil (also known as Melaleuca Oil) is a wonderful essential oil and has been studied quite a bit throughout history. Among other uses for humans, it has antimicrobial, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Not only is it healthy and healing (in appropriate doses) for humans, it is toxic to many insects. Woo Who!12 Not to mention, I think that it smells quite lovely. I use it in many things around my home, even in my handcrafted body sprays and lotions.
Geranium Oil
This essential oil has been shown over hundreds of years to be a strong wound healer. It also holds many of the same properties as Tea Tree Oil, but is also hailed for its ability to keep insects (especially mosquitoes) away.456
How Do You Make It?
Easy! First, you’ll want to get your hands on a spray bottle (I used a small 3oz travel spray bottle for the following recipe).
Second, you’ll need to locate the following ingredients. Don’t be worried by prices. Essential oils go a loooooong way, so you’ll have plenty of batches you can make from this purchase.
I prefer to purchase the vast majority of my essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs, BUT I am NOT one who thinks ‘only this company ALWAYS’. I’m also quite fond of Plant Therapy (and they offer very affordable smaller sizes of EOs, which is nice to get started).
Vegetable glycerin!?? Huh? Non-GMO & ethically-sourced vegetable glycerin plays a part in many of my DIY projects! Having a bottle of this on hand is not only a great idea since you can use it a lot, but it’s also cheap. You can get a wonderful organic, non-GMO sourced vegetable glycerin in my online herbal boutique.
Just as I explained in my recent post Non-Toxic Spray For Pests, vegetable glycerine is a great vessel to help essential oils bind to whatever you spray them on (in this case, you). If you type vegetable glycerine/glycerin into the search bar at the top of my blog you’ll see quite a few other posts using this great ingredient.
DIY Bug Spray Recipe
Combine ingredients in a 3oz bottle (glass is best, like these)…
- 30 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 10 drops of Geranium Essential Oil
- 1 T Vegetable Glycerin
- Fill to (almost) the top with filtered H2O
- Shake and apply as needed
- See the additional add-ins listed below (which are included in my Pronounce Skincare Bug Spray)
Now, you will smell great, keep the mosquitoes and other buggers at bay, all while being healthy and non-toxic. Isn’t it great learning new health conscious ways to treat problems?
Oh, and before you ask…YES! There are other essential oils you can use to help stop bugs from biting you when you are outside. This just happens to be the recipe that I like to use (again…it smells great and I know that this formula works).
DIY Bug Spray Recipe Add-ins
***You can also add a little Neem Oil…I am in love with it. For this recipe 1 t will do.
***I also now suggest that you add a bit of homemade or organic (non-GMO, sustainably-sourced store bought) vanilla extract. It has been an amazing addition to our spray at home. Those crazy little flies (that seem to have been running rampant this year) can’t stand it. Again, for this recipe 1 t will work.
***I encourage you to do essential oil research here…they have a plethora of excellent information about essential oils on their website and I think that they are a great company.
If you would prefer to purchase this bug spray already made and shipped right to you, no problem!
Check out my Pronounce Skincare Shop to purchase this bug spray, Makeup, Body Butters, Body Lotions, Lip Lotions, and many other handcrafted Pronounce Skincare products.
Head on over and take a look!
Until next time…
xoxo,
Jess, aka Scratch Mommy
Comments 61
Does this work with ticks (in other words, does it prevent ticks)? Mosquitos are a nuisance, and I know that they can carry disease. But it just seems like ticks have become the bigger problem.
I made this recipe @ 9:21 7/17. Sprayed on screens, self, countertop and garbage area. The gnats DIDNT LIKE IT. Woke up this morning, No gnats on countertops, fewer ones near screens and garbage. Sprayed again @ 12p.m., Less critters, then at 4p.m. and 6 and 11p.m. Very few to be found. Looks like this is a winning solution!
I too would like to know if this works on ticks. I have a hay farm in Missouri and have to use lots of spray. I would like to use something natural. Maybe now we have two asking about ticks, scratchmommy will answer us.
Lol. I wasn’t purposefully not answering. I’ve been a bit busy getting my son in preschool for the first time and opening a retail shop in town. Bittersweet and exciting things going on all at once!
Yes. Rose Geranium Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oil have both been shown to be effective for repelling ticks. Hope this helps. 🙂
Best,
Jess
Thanks so much. Ticks are so bad on our property. We have only had it a short time and are in the process of reclaiming it. Therefore, we are fighting the tick population too. I will try your product so t will have less fear of the little critters. Thanks.
No problem. 🙂 I’m not sure what would grow happily in your area, but you could look into planting lavender and lemongrass (just a couple of examples) to naturally repel them, too.
Congrats and good luck with your new property!
Thank you for sharing this great post at the HomeAcre Hop. I hope you’ll join us again this Thursday.
Hi! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out
from New Caney Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the fantastic job!
Why do you choose to use vegetable glycerin instead of a carrier oil like coconut oil? Thanks.
I will have to try this recipe. The last one I tried actually had catnip oil in it… Our housecats went crazy for it, they would come over and nip at you when you were wearing it… made me wonder if it would attract cougars in the woods??? LOL Not going to find out! Thanks for sharing!
Please don’t promote NEEM OIL. It is toxic.
Hi Sandra,
I’m not sure where you received your information. If you can send me a peer-reviewed research study to read I’d be happy to do so.
All of the research I have read supports the use of neem oil topically, and supports the many great health benefits. That said, I would not ingest neem oil, as that can be toxic, but I am not promoting that.
Best,
Jess
How much Neem Oil should I add? I too did some research and didn’t find anything negative about applying Neem Oil, in spray, on skin.
Ehhh, maybe a T for this recipe. That part isn’t an exact science. Neem oil is actually pretty healthy for your skin, so add more, if you like. 🙂
Is T for Teaspoon or tablespoon?
Tablespoon. 🙂
Would this work for fleas?
Wow, this is a must try for me. They love me so much I could sit with citronella candles under me and still get bit by these little good for nothing bugs!. Thank you for this period. I’ll have to buy and maybe I could finally enjoy being outside. Xoxoxo
Anyone know how well it works on fleas?
I would not recommend using this around cats (for fleas or anything else) EO’s are toxic to cats! http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/a/aromatherapy.htm
I’ve successfully used EOs on and around my cats. Info can be found here: http://www.oilyvet.com
And more specifically here:
http://www.animaleo.info/cats.html
Great post! First time I have ever been to your site. Just signed up on your mailing list. You rock!
<3 Thanks for the kind words! Happy DIYing!!! :)
Great idea! Thanks for posting. What does glycerine do for this formula?
Can a plastic spray bottle be used, or should it be glass? Thanks!
Sure, you can use plastic…I just prefer glass whenever I have a choice.
You should always use glass when using essential oils.The oils can break down the plastic. I sell doTERRA and that is one of the first things they teach us.
Thank you for sharing this. It is a great recipe and I am definitely going to start following your blog. You rock.
I live in Southeast Texas where mosquitoes are large and in charge! Last night I went out to make sure all of my chickens were in bed and I noticed that the mosquitoes were swarming them. Do you know if this spray would be safe for them? I have the shea butter bug be gone and I took that and rubbed some on their back and their combs. I watched the mosquitoes disappear! I felt relieved because mosquitoes can be very detrimental to a chickens health . I have been using it on my family as well but I was so thrilled for my chickens! We can all go inside but I don’t think my husband would be very happy with me if I let the chickens sleep inside 🙂
Do you think I could use Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Alcohol-Free Toner as the base and just add essential oils to that? It already has water, veg. glycerin, and witch hazel (which some people use instead of veg. glycerin in their diy bug sprays). I don’t think it has anything that would have a negative impact on the bug spray, and it can be used to soothe bug bites, so two-in-one?
Absolutely! 🙂
Can anyone please let me know if the T in the recipe is for teaspoon or tablespoon? I hope this works because my daughter is allergic to Mosquitos!
T is for table spoon
t is for tea spoon
I love the idea of using glycerin. I need to try this!
I always respect that you share your recipe how-tos even when people can purchase direct from you. I have two of the three ingredients. I will look to getting the third soon. Thankfully we don’t contend with mosquitoes in the high desert (not enough precipitation) but we do have lots of other bugs!
I’ve heard so many good things about tea tree oil. Thanks for the easy-to-make natural bug spray recipe. Mosquitoes, not weeds, are the most annoying thing I deal when working in my garden.
This is definitely a post I need. The mosquitos are so bad right now! Will definitely have to give this a try!
What a great idea. We have some mosquitoes around here (Malaga, Spain) and I hate those mosquitoes sprays as they smell awful and make me cough for hours. I will definately try your spray next time 🙂
Love this! I hate mosquito’s!
ooo! I’m gonna try this! we use a garlic based spray on our yard at home that keeps the mosquitos away completely, but there is a park the girls like to play at that is just swarming! I would love to try this!
Hi there! Could you use liquid coconut oil instead of the vegetable glycerin? And is this safe for kids? Thanks, can’t wait to try it out!
Author
Great questions. Yes, and yes! Just make sure not to spray it on their faces, of course. And yes the liquid coconut oil would serve you just fine in this recipe. Happy DIYing!
Its’s always a good idea to check for sensitivity to essential oils even though they are totally natural. During my early career as a massage therapist, I had a couple of people have an uncomfortable reaction to tea tree oil.
Now I go with other essential oils (citronella, cedarwood, eucalyptus citridora, and more) to repel the buggy critters.
I also use organic products whenever possible.
Warmest regards,
Niecey
Author
Great point. People have all sorts of sensitivities…tea tree, lavender, cedarwood, etc etc etc. Testing first is important. And yes, I always advocate for organic goods! Thanks for sharing.
Can I use this recipe on my 20 month old, I live close to many park lakes and have a bad problem with my little girl being eaten by these pests?. Please let know.
Author
I personally used this recipe on my son at that age. That said, feel free to contact your dermatologist, doctor, naturopath, etc etc etc if you need more guidance.
Is this bug spray safe for women who are pregnant? Any anecdotal reports?
I’ve read that tea tree oil should be used cautiously during pregnancy, but the advice seems more related to use during labor than during the second or third trimester?
Great question, Hugo. It’s hard to answer, since everyone is so different. Personally, I would be comfortable using this while pregnant – especially when I compare it to products that contain DEET. It’s always good to check with a naturopathic doctor if you are worried about any issues.
How much neem oil do you add, and how much vanilla specifically?
Thank you!
Author
Good question. Just a drizzle will do. I use about a tablespoon for my larger bottles (8oz or so). This part isn’t really ‘rocket science’ and doesn’t need to be totally precise. Just a little bit will do ya. If anything, I’d add less neem and more vanilla…because vanilla is just yummy! 😉
Have you ever heard of using Diatomaceous as a flea/tick repellent for animals? I think I read in a previous post that you don’t have any pets. Anyway, let me know if you can! I’m going to continue to do my research on it. Thanks, Alex
Author
Hey Alex. YOU are in LUCK! Yes, yes…check out my recipe for DIY Flea and Tick repellent. Enjoy!
If using diatomaceous earth, only use food grade. The kind used for swimming pools is not good for anything but pools.
How long does this last for (as far as expiration)?
Author
Honestly, I’d say indefinitely. Just keep the lid tightly secured, keep it out of extreme cold or hot, and you should be good to go.
How about the shelf life this recipe, since we use water don’t we need preservative?
Author
Nope, not at all. This is a water-based spray with essential oils that help ‘preserve’ it. Keep the lid on tightly and spray away. I can’t fathom that this would ever go bad (although it could lose efficacy, depending on how long you have had it). Happy DIYing!
Definitely want to try this out. Sounds like a much better option than using horrible sprays that have loads of chemicals in them. Thanks for sharing.
What else would u recommend using instead of the geranium essential oil. I’ve just found it to be a tad expensive.
And this is probably a silly question but is it fine to spray on your self , just noticed a lot of comments is about spraying it around the room.
Author
Great question! Citronella and eucalyptus are both great for mosquitoes and fleas. For ticks, geranium is best, but you could also add juniper or oregano. And yes, this is fine to spray on your body (avoid your eyes). Happy DIYing!
Hi there! Thank you for this recipe! If I wanted to make an 8 oz version would I just quadruple each amount? So it would be 4 tbsp glycerin, instead of 1 tbsp, etc…?
Thanks!
Haley
Author
Great question…yes, you got it! Just quadruple every amount for an 8oz version. Happy DIYing!