Summertime is a wonderful time to be outdoors, but bugs can make your life miserable. Using bug spray is almost essential, but who wants dubious chemicals in the air you're breathing or on your skin? Fortunately, essential oil insect repellent sprays work wonderfully well. There are many on the market, or you can easily make your own.
There is good reason to avoid chemical formulas. Many effective chemicals used in the past have been banned because they proved to be dangerous to humans and harmful to wildlife. The favorite one today, DEET, has many cautions attached to its use and a long list of suspected cases of illness and even death. The many consumers who use sprays that contain DEET may not know that there are safer alternatives.
Essential oils are extracted from herbs. There are many familiar ones that keep biting and stinging insects away. Prepared formulas come in sprays, topical solutions, rub-on sticks, and pre-soaked wipes. These work well for garden use, for when you're at the beach, or even for camping in the deep woods. People use them for pets and horses, and to keep spiders out of the house.
You can also make your own with essential oils (volatile oils naturally found in plants that are isolated by one of a number of extraction methods) and some simple carrier solutions. Although some hard-to-collect oils might be expensive, there are many that you can buy that are affordable. There are several diluting solutions you can use, including water, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, and apple cider vinegar.
Go online for recipes for bug spray. You will see they vary greatly in the herbals used and the amount of oil added. There are many formulas. Almost all include one or more of the mints, and some even tell you how to use dried herbs. Dried herbs still have volatile oils; boiling them in water releases the oils and the fragrance.
Popular herbs to use in personal bug sprays include peppermint, citronella, lavender (even though this smells wonderful to us, bugs don't like it), lemon balm, cedar, rosemary, and lemongrass. A spray of water, witch hazel, and several of these aromatic herbs smells so nice that it's a pleasure to use. In dilution, these oils are safe to spray on skin, and you don't even have to hold your breath. If you like, you can add clove or vanilla for added aroma.
It might be a good idea to spray your hat rather than your face to keep gnats off, to spray your trousers when walking in brush to repel ticks, and to spray children's clothing rather than putting it directly on skin. Most people, however, find that the recommended mixes are non-irritating when applied directly, like to your ankles when sitting outdoors in the evening. People often rub the fresh herb on themselves in a pinch, using a few leaves of lemon balm or catnip to keep pesky gnats away when they want to pull a few weeds on an early morning walk in the garden.
Try a natural repellent. You'll like it. And - you'll know you and your family, as well as the environment, are healthier for it. A mix of fragrant oils will help make summertime more enjoyable than ever.
There is good reason to avoid chemical formulas. Many effective chemicals used in the past have been banned because they proved to be dangerous to humans and harmful to wildlife. The favorite one today, DEET, has many cautions attached to its use and a long list of suspected cases of illness and even death. The many consumers who use sprays that contain DEET may not know that there are safer alternatives.
Essential oils are extracted from herbs. There are many familiar ones that keep biting and stinging insects away. Prepared formulas come in sprays, topical solutions, rub-on sticks, and pre-soaked wipes. These work well for garden use, for when you're at the beach, or even for camping in the deep woods. People use them for pets and horses, and to keep spiders out of the house.
You can also make your own with essential oils (volatile oils naturally found in plants that are isolated by one of a number of extraction methods) and some simple carrier solutions. Although some hard-to-collect oils might be expensive, there are many that you can buy that are affordable. There are several diluting solutions you can use, including water, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, and apple cider vinegar.
Go online for recipes for bug spray. You will see they vary greatly in the herbals used and the amount of oil added. There are many formulas. Almost all include one or more of the mints, and some even tell you how to use dried herbs. Dried herbs still have volatile oils; boiling them in water releases the oils and the fragrance.
Popular herbs to use in personal bug sprays include peppermint, citronella, lavender (even though this smells wonderful to us, bugs don't like it), lemon balm, cedar, rosemary, and lemongrass. A spray of water, witch hazel, and several of these aromatic herbs smells so nice that it's a pleasure to use. In dilution, these oils are safe to spray on skin, and you don't even have to hold your breath. If you like, you can add clove or vanilla for added aroma.
It might be a good idea to spray your hat rather than your face to keep gnats off, to spray your trousers when walking in brush to repel ticks, and to spray children's clothing rather than putting it directly on skin. Most people, however, find that the recommended mixes are non-irritating when applied directly, like to your ankles when sitting outdoors in the evening. People often rub the fresh herb on themselves in a pinch, using a few leaves of lemon balm or catnip to keep pesky gnats away when they want to pull a few weeds on an early morning walk in the garden.
Try a natural repellent. You'll like it. And - you'll know you and your family, as well as the environment, are healthier for it. A mix of fragrant oils will help make summertime more enjoyable than ever.
About the Author:
Find an overview of the benefits of using an essential oil insect repellent and view our selection of essential oils at http://www.paulopolis.com/product/petitgrain-orange-essential-oil-2-oz right now.