The All Natural Bug Shield You Need In Your Summer Bag
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I don't know about you all, but here in the Midwest summertime means bug bites. From mosquitos to gnats to oak mites... they are everywhere and they are hungry LOL! It also seems like my children and I have some type of sweet blood that makes all the bugs head straight towards us, at any given summer moment you can usually find at least three or four welts on our skin! With that said, we are no stranger to bug spray, but as a chemical free living family I knew I needed to find a spray without all the harsh ingredients. I tried out many all natural brands and some worked while some didn't. I decided that I should try my hand at creating my own so I could find what was the most effective for us and at the same time know that there are no yucky ingredients that I am spraying all over myself and my family. So below you will find the recipe that I am currently finding that works well for us. You will find different variations of oils to use if you search the Internet and I have done no research to know if one is better than the other, but I do know that the one below works for us. And I feel safe using these essential oils for my children- some others varieties and/or percentages are not as child friendly although perhaps may be more effective. Whatever you use, I hope you are able to keep those pesky bugs at bay this summer and enjoy it to its fullest!
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
1 Tbs 70% Alcohol
1 Tbs Vegetable Glycerine
Optional: Mini Funnel
The All Natural Bug Shield You Need In Your Summer Bag
All Natural Bug Spray Recipe
The directions themselves are pretty easy to follow, you will be sending those bugs on a detour in no time! For this recipe I used a 4 ounce bottle so all the proportions and measurements that I refer to are based off of this. As a side note, for all those wondering, my essential oil suggested quantities account for about 4% total of the whole spray, so you are definitely not spraying a large amount of any of these oils on your skin or your child's!
You will first want to put your essential oils and 1 tablespoon of 70% alcohol at the bottom of your bottle, seal the lid and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to mix together all of the oils. Now add in your tablespoon of vegetable glycerine, seal the bottle again, and shake for 30 seconds. The glycerine component helps to keep all the ingredients together rather than having the oils separate from the rest of the mixture as is very common when oils mix with other ingredients. As the final step you will want to fill the remainder of your bottle with Witch Hazel, stopping at the neck of the bottle leaving a small amount of air at the top. Now vigorously shake all ingredients together for another 30 seconds and there you have it, your all natural bug shield! Now go enjoy your summer bug bite free!
