Homemade Insect Repellent

We moved to the country last year and suddenly bugs I’d never really thought about became a daily problem. After finding ticks in the babies hair I decided I’d better figure out something besides deet I could use.

In a canning jar mix

Mint (peppermint, spearmint)
Rosemary
Lavendar
Marigold
Basil (lemon basil is good) see helpful hints
Optional: Citronella – see helpful hints

Pour olive oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, or peanut oil in (if plant leaves cover, if spices use a teaspoon of each for a cup of oil)
Let sit at least over night. I let the plants stay in the oil for 3 or 4 weeks even if we’re using it during that time then I drain off the oil olive and bottle it. I throw the herbs in the compost but you can toss them in the garbage too. You don’t need a lot of this. I put it on my ankles, wrist, and a little in my hair. I put more on the kids because they are usually out longer and put it on them more often. If the bugs are thick I’d say reapply every hour.

Helpful Hints: Citronella can irritate your skin so go very easy! I only use it when I have a citronella plant on hand and can cut off a leaf or two. Citronella is not edible.
Lemon basil is a great way too keep bugs from your tomatoe plants and will help the flavor of them. Most spiders seem to dislike the smell of lemon so that makes lemon basil the perfect choice.
Marigold is great around your yard and garden too. It will keep bugs and rabbits away from plants.
Almond Oil has some natural bug fighting properties so is a good choice but expensive and harder to find. I usually mix in a little Almond Oil with a lot of Olive Oil but any of the oils listed or some of each should work just fine.Mums are great for bugs in the yard.
I find Lavendar somewhat hard to grow but I love it! If you can find a plant instead of seeds it might be easier. It has many uses and is kind of expensive if you buy it dried at a flower shop so growing it makes the most sense.
I go heavy on the mint because of ticks and it smells better

Order herbs or essential oils by clicking below: