Natural Bug Spray with Essential Oils {Free Printable Label!}
Making your own bug spray is an easy and effective way to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and black flies, without using harmful chemicals. This all-natural insect repellent contains witch hazel, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, cedarwood, thyme, peppermint, and geranium essential oils.
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When we moved to the country, everyone warned us about how bad the bugs would be. I don’t know if we won the bug lottery or what, but for some bizarre reason, the bugs are actually not that bad here!
I’ve been to other people’s houses who live in the country, and you almost can’t stand to be outside. Maybe it’s because we have a lot of cleared area for gardens etc., or maybe it’s the moving creek, but either way – I’m not complaining!
However, there are certain times the bugs do come out – such as right after it rains, or early in the morning, or around dusk. So these are the times we want some bug spray to put on.
Our family went toxin-free many years ago, so those store-bought bug sprays full of all kinds of who-knows-what are off the table.
And while I love to support local, small businesses – truthfully, hand crafted products are very expensive. And rightfully so – because people should be fairly compensated for their time and materials – but if I can make it myself and get the same result for far less money, then why wouldn’t I?
What I love about DIY products, is that so many of them use the same ingredients. So once I have my DIY apothecary stocked, I can make pretty much anything I want.
It’s so convenient to just mix a few things together, versus trying to search for safe, natural products to purchase.
Why Use Natural Bug Spray
Traditional bug sprays use harmful ingredients – like deet – which can lead to a myriad of negative health effects.
These toxins accumulate in our bodies over time.
Many people don’t think about all the products they use on their body on a day-to-day basis – like soaps, lotions, shampoo, conditioner, laundry products, etc – but each of these products contain toxins, and the cumulative effect can lead to long-term chronic illness.
Our family chooses safe, natural products whenever possible.
Natural Bug Spray Supplies
Spray Bottle
To make this simple bug spray, all you need is a small spray bottle. I used a 2 oz glass spray bottle, which is small enough to throw in my purse or stick in my pocket. You can use a larger bottle if you wish, just increase the ingredients proportionately.
Another nice option is an aluminum spray bottle, which is much lighter to carry, and safer since it won’t break if dropped.
Natural Bug Spray Ingredients
Essential Oils
I always mention how important quality is when it comes to essential oils, but it bares repeating.
When it comes to essential oils, quality definitely matters!
You may not know that the essential oil industry is not regulated. What that means, is anyone can put whatever they’d like in a bottle, slap a label on it that says ‘100% pure essential oil’, and it could be partially or entirely synthetic, or be cut with cheap carrier oils, or have added fragrance boosters.
Before I started making natural products for my family, I did a ton of research on what the best brands were, and dōTERRA showed up over and over again as the highest quality essential oils on the market.
Their essential oils are ethically sourced, from private growers, they undergo multiple levels of testing for purity and potency, and dōTERRA is fully transparent when it comes to test results. Each bottle has a code printed on it, so you can look up the test results for that specific batch of essential oils. No one else on the market provides this (probably because they wouldn’t want you to know what’s in it).
The other reason to choose a high quality essential oil, is because it’s much more concentrated. It might be tempting to buy cheaper essential oils, but if you have to use twice as much to get the effect you want, are you really saving any money?
A few drops of a high quality essential oil goes a long way, and a 15 ml bottle contains 250 drops. Depending on what you’re making, and how often you’re using it, a bottle will last you a very long time.
Think quality vs. Quantity.
What Essential Oils are Good for Bug Spray?
There are tons of different essential oils you can use to help repel bugs. I’ve listed some of my favorites below.
You can choose any combination of essential oils you’d like.
I used 10 drops each of geranium, lemongrass, peppermint, cedarwood, lemon eucalyptus and thyme, for a total of 60 drops in a 2 oz spray bottle.
You can use my recipe, or you can experiment and come up with your own! Now that you have the general ratio, feel free to play around.
Witch Hazel
Aside from essential oils, the only other ingredient you’ll need to make this bug spray, is some witch hazel.
If you recall from high school science class, water and oil don’t mix! So the witch hazel acts as an emulsifier, allowing the water and essential oils to mix together.
Witch hazel is a great thing to have in your home apothecary kit, as it has so many benefits. It’s wonderful for any kind of skin irritation, and is great for applying to bug bites or stings.
It’s also very soothing, and great for the skin in general.
Once again, quality matters here, too. Don’t buy the cheap drug store brand of witch hazel, which contains a high percentage of alcohol.
We use the Thayer’s brand of witch hazel, which is alcohol free, and much more gentle on your skin.
Thayers Alcohol-free Unscented Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera Formula Toner 12 oz. (Pack of 2)
Buy Now →How to Make Natural Bug Spray
- Add your 60 total drops of essential oil to your empty spray bottle.
2. Fill the bottle approximately halfway with witch hazel (a little less than 1 oz).
3. Top off the rest of the bottle with distilled or filtered water.
4. Apply your spray cap, and you’re done!
How to Use Essential Oil Bug Spray
Spritz your homemade bug spray on any exposed skin, or even on your clothing. (High quality essential oils won’t leave a stain).
After applying it to my skin, I gently rub it in to ensure it stays put and doesn’t evaporate as quickly.
You will probably want to apply this natural bug spray a little more frequently than you would a chemical bug spray. Essential oils are naturally volatile, meaning they do evaporate – so regular re-application will be necessary.
Safety Precautions
Although essential oils are natural, they are still potent, and you want to treat them with respect.
Avoid spraying near the eyes. If you want to apply the bug spray to your neck and face, spray it on your hands first, and carefully apply. Then wash your hands so you don’t accidentally touch your eyes.
The essential oils I listed are safe for children and pets, but only if using a high quality brand like dōTERRA. I can’t speak to the safety or efficacy of other brands.
To be extra cautious, keep the bottle out of reach of children (apply the bug spray on them yourself).
Pre-Made Essential Oil Bug Spray
Don’t want to DIY your own bug spray?
dōTERRA created an awesome insect repellent blend, called Terrashield.
It contains citronella, lemongrass, thyme, cedarwood, geranium, and peppermint essential oils, in a base of sesame seed oil.
Since it’s already diluted in sesame seed oil, it is ready to use right out of the bottle! You can buy it in a regular 15 ml essential oil bottle to add to your own spray bottle, or you can purchase it in a 30 ml reusable spray bottle.
When I don’t have any of my DIY bug spray made up, this is my go-to!
I keep a bottle in my vehicle at all times. The bonus is that it smells ah-ma-zing! I confess, sometimes I put it on just because it smells so good.
Other DIY Essential Oils Posts
I hope you enjoyed this post about all-natural bug spray.
Do you like to DIY with essential oils? Here are some other posts you might like:
All-Purpose Cleaning Spray with Essential Oil
Simple DIY Toothpaste
Homemade Mouthwash with Essential Oils
Hot Process Crock Pot Soap
Free Printable Bug Spray Label
I made this cute label for my bug spray bottle, you can download and print it here:
Frequently Asked Questions about Essential Oil Bug Spray
Pin It for Later
Save this to your favourite natural living Pinterest board!
Homemade Bug Spray with Essential Oils
All-natural DIY bug spray with essential oils
Materials
- 1 oz distilled or filtered water
- 1 oz witch hazel
- 10 drops lemon eucalyptus
- 10 drops lemongrass
- 10 drops cedarwood
- 10 drops geranium
- 10 drops thyme
- 10 drops peppermint
Tools
- 4 ounce spray bottle
Instructions
- Start by adding your essential oils to your spray bottle. The easiest way to do this, is not to shake the bottle, but simply hold it on a 45 degree angle and count the drops as they come out.
- Fill the spray bottle the rest of the way with your water and witch hazel (50/50)
- Put the spray top on and give it a shake to mix everything together.
- Spritz on your exposed skin, or your clothing
Notes
This bug spray recipe uses 60 total drops of essential oils in a 2 oz spray bottle.
You can use the ones I have listed in the recipe, or you can experiment with different ones.
If you use a larger sized bottle, just increase your oils proportionately (ie - 120 drops for a 4 oz bottle).
If using on children under age 2, cut the essential oil drops in half.
Shake well before each use to ensure the essential oils are well-distributed.
Store in a cool, dark place when not in use (the refrigerator works great!).