Make your own mosquito repellent spray

Mosquito repellent spray
Recipe courtesy of my talented sister :)

In a spray bottle, mix and shake well to blend:
2 cups witch hazel
15 drops citronella essential oil
15 drops lemongrass essential oil
5 drops lavender essential oil*
5 drops peppermint essential oil*

*If you don't have lavender and peppermint essential oil on hand, you can substitute 5 more drops each of citronella and lemongrass.

We used these essential oils:  citronella, lemongrass and lavender.   You could also use peppermint or cedar wood essential oils as well.

I cleaned out an empty detangler spray bottle for our "on the go" spray.  

1.  Pour the witch hazel into the glass jar then add your essential oils.  We put about 15 drops of both citronella and lemongrass, and about 10-12 drops of lavender.

2.  Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until it is mixed.

It should be pretty cloudy.

3.  Pour into your spray bottles using a funnel.

Make a label (or write in Sharpie).  I used an old Scrapbook sticker to make it look "cuter".  :)

You can spray this on the exposed parts of your body:  arms, legs, neck, ankles, feet, etc and then rub it in.  Make sure you don't spray it on your face or get it in your eyes.  If you put this on your kids, be sure to try just a little bit first on one area of their skin to make sure they're not allergic to any of the essential oils.  

Or you can use it to spray the area around where your sitting outside.

Helpful Hints and Tips

• Do not spray directly on faces. Instead, spray in your hands and then rub onto your face, avoiding your eyes and mouth.
• This spray is not waterproof/sweat-proof, so you will need to apply again hourly to ensure continued protection. Also, it will not protect against ticks, so if you are planning an outing where tick exposure is likely, I would recommend a store-bought product that contains DEET.

Have a terrific, bite-free day!