I’m not really a summer person.
The heat, the humidity, the mosquitoes….I’m not a fan.
I do love the longer days, though, and getting to work in my garden and play in the water, but I’m a cool weather gal.
So in an effort to avoid the misery that is a summer in the south,
I try to do most of my outside chores (and play) in the early morning or late evening.
But it’s in those twilight hours before the sun sets that a feeding frenzy ensues.
My ankles don’t stand a chance when the witching hour hits.
Since staying inside, sipping lemonade, and binge watching Outlander isn’t really an option,
bug spray is a necessity around here.
As you know, for me choosing a more sustainable lifestyle means
looking for ways to do & make things on my own.
It means looking for natural alternatives that are better for my family &
for this precious, beautiful, intricate earth that we inhabit.
It means ditching the mile long list of chemical ingredients on the bug spray can for
real, natural, effective ingredients…..ya know, that I can actually pronounce.
There are several recipes floating around with great combinations of essential oils that work wonderfully, and I have used them!
But, Mama likes to keep it simple, the fewer ingredients the better.
Fortunately for me (and you!), the wonderful company that I work for agrees and created an oil blend that combines all of them into one amazing, pest repellent blend.
Thank you!
This blend contains Ylang Ylang Flower, Nootka Wood, Cedarwood Wood, Catnip, Lemon Eucalyptus, Litsea Fruit, Arborvitae Wood essential oils.
It smells wonderful (unlike chemical bug sprays), and is super effective for repelling insects both on your body and around your home.
Natural Bug Spray:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup witch hazel (buy it here)
- 1/2 cup distilled water
- 25 drops TerraShield essential oil blend. Learn how to purchase here.
- 8 oz spray glass spray bottle (buy it here)
Essential oils are so potent and powerful that they can potentially break down plastic containers over time and leach toxic chemicals from the plastic into the solution. Always use glass when storing essential oil blends or solutions.
Directions:
Add all ingredients to spray bottle or roller bottle & shake before each use.
Other Ways I Use TerraShield:
- Dog Flea Collar- Place a few drops on my dog’s collar to combat fleas and ticks
- Garden- Apply to cotton balls and place around garden
- Outdoors- Add 5-10 drops to my diffuser and place on the back deck when we are eating or playing out there
- Home- Mix with water in a glass spray bottle (you want it to have a strong aroma) and spray around windows & doors, anywhere bugs might try to sneak in.
Those bugs don’t stand a chance, y’all.
Leave a Reply