Bug Repellent Spray

Hi, Im new here and I want to make a bug repellent. I dont have a recipe for it but, I was thinking about using Witch Hazel, catnip oil, lavendar oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, lemongrass oil, beranium, cedarwood and patchouil . But, Im not sure how much of these Eo/witch hazel to use to make this. Does anyone know if this is a good to mix?
I was thinking 4oz bottles. And, I think I have to use purified water too. Thank You!
Plus I am interested in making Shea Whipped Body Butter using a strawberry scent maybe (EO) is that what you use? and do you put a FO in there to change the color to red? Maybe Cocoa Shea Whipped Body Butter too.
So many question! But, if I dont ask I'll never learn
Thank You!

Welcome, PattyM! :wave:

Funny you should ask that, as I, too, have recently been working on creating an anti-mosquito blend. We had such a terrible mosquito season last year with what I think were tiger mosquitos- the kind that come out even during mid-day in full sun and will bite through ones clothing. I'd never ever seen the likes of them before last year. It was really freaky, not to mention extremely agravating. Anyway- I've been doing a lot research on different EO bug-repellent blends and these are the EOs I bought to experiment with:

Catnip (nepeta cataria - Canada)
Lemon Eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriodora)
Citronella (cymbopogon winterianus jowitt -India)
Geranium (pelargonium X asperum - China)
Virginian Cedarwood (juniperus virginiana - USA)
Palmarosa (cymbopogon martini- India.var.martini (var.motia)
Lemongrass (cymbopogon citratus- Philippines)
Peppermint (menthe piperita)

I'm still researching proportions and safe usage rates for skin exposure, so I don't have an actual working recipe yet, but this much I know- I'll be using the blend in either a lotion-bar recipe or making an oil-based spray out of it. The reason why I'm doing oil-based instead of water or alcohol-based is because I've read that doing so helps the EOs to stick around for better/longer bug-repelling efficacy.

Plus I am interested in making Shea Whipped Body Butter using a strawberry scent maybe (EO) is that what you use?

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You'll have to use a body-safe fragrance oil (FO), since strawberry EO (essential oil) does not exist (beware of those who try to sell you strawberry EO). Thankfully, there are several reputable vendors out there who sell good, body-safe FOs.

and do you put a FO in there to change the color to red?

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An FO is a fragrance oil. It will scent your body butter, but it will not change the color of it red (if it does, I'd be worried :shock: ). In order to color your body butter, you will have to use body-safe colorants such as mica's.


IrishLass

I used an oil-based bug repellent spray that I made 3 summers ago that was super effective. It worked in the summer of 2015 in California, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois and points in between. Later it worked just as effectively in various National Parks throughout the continental US as well as in Alaska, and New York. It kept mosquitoes off me and my teen-aged granddaughter without a single bite and it made my skin feel so soft. I also really like the fragrance. One of my grandson's moms liked the smell so much she said she wanted it for perfume as well as for use as a bug spray. Of course I gave her a bottle and the recipe.

This is the recipe if you want to try it:

8 ounce batch Insect Repellant Spray

7.2 oz Grapeseed* Oil

18 grams citronella EO
3 grams lavender EO
3 grams peppermint EO

Mix the Essential Oils together, then add to the Grapeseed Oil. Makes 8 ounces. Fills 4 small 2-ounce bottles.

I use small misting bottles I bought at Walmart and the mister never clogged from the oil.

I have even added this to soap to create a gardener's soap for my younger son and he told me it's his favorite soap scent.

* Due to the short shelf life of Grapeseed oil, you might want to try another oil, but in this batch size the oil never went rancid during use.

I have since looked several times for the website where I originally found this recipe so I could credit the author, but cannot find where I found it. Apparently I did not save the bookmark, or if I did, misfiled it under the wrong category and haven't run across it again.

However, I did find this and this about which EOs are effective against which insects, that I have bookmarked for future reference. And this one addresses skin & kid safety of EOs in DIY insect repellents as well as having a ton more of interesting information.

I make one with water and essential oil and of course emulsifier and preservative in this case Optiphen plus , Germal is not good for sprays

A few years ago Lemon Eucalyptus was acknowledged by FDA as a mosquito repellent, so I would not definitely add it

cmzaha said:

A few years ago Lemon Eucalyptus was acknowledged by FDA as a mosquito repellent, so I would not definitely add it

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That's what I was going to say, except I thought it was the EPA. Whichever agency, OLE at around 30% has been proven to distract (none of them really "repel") mosquitoes similarly to low concentrations of DEET, providing several hours of protection. (It should not be used on children under 3, though.) Well, to be absolutely correct, the synthesized version of OLE is a recognized deterrent while the natural EO is not, but that's good enough for me personally.

The other traditional EO combinations have not, AFAIK, have not yet been successful in rigorous scientific testing. Consumer Reports' story last year put several "natural" preparations including geranium and such at the bottom of their list. If they are effective at all, conventional wisdom holds that they are only effective for around an hour. YMMV.

I have my bottle of OLE, and have been researching and planning to ask the experts here for a few weeks. I was thinking the EO, ethanol, and water like a body spray. Thoughts?

I def wont add lemongrass or eucalyptus then thank you for letting me know that!
Earlene, Thank You for sharing your recipe with me and for the links! I prefer to stay with witch hazel and water.

IrishLass, Thank You for the information as well. I had found EO scent blends on amazon that ppl said they were using in soaps etc. But, you said to use FO for the scent and maybe mica's or is wilton a safe color to add to whipped body butter?

What is everyone using for FO? And, a good EO source?

Thank you

Thanks for this post! I really needed a recipe for bug spray that I can use this summer. Found citronella and geraniol the main oils in my natural bug repellants (and it seems to work? not sure) so I'll be sure to get those soon.

IrishLass said:

Catnip (nepeta cataria - Canada)

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If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase your catnip oil? I've found it at The Essential Oil Company and Bulk Apothecary, but it's rather expensive: $21.10 and $25.36 per half-ounce, respectively. Just curious if you were able to find it at a more responsible price (I noticed you listed the source of your oil as Canada--the two I found list USA and India).

I've got some dried catnip and I might try infusing it in some HO sunflower oil and using it in a lotion with "cheaper" EO. I hope the cat's don't mind me using up their stash. . . .

Saranac said:

If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase your catnip oil? I've found it at The Essential Oil Company and Bulk Apothecary, but it's rather expensive: $21.10 and $25.36 per half-ounce, respectively. Just curious if you were able to find it at a more responsible price (I noticed you listed the source of your oil as Canada--the two I found list USA and India).

I've got some dried catnip and I might try infusing it in some HO sunflower oil and using it in a lotion with "cheaper" EO. I hope the cat's don't mind me using up their stash. . . .

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Great idea to infuse oil and use it as a repellent. I am all for using what you have when you can.

Saranac said:

If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase your catnip oil?

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I don't mind at all. I bought it from Liberty Natural, which is an EO company that several folks here use and trust. Unfortunately though, they are out of their catnip EO at the moment. I'm glad I was able to purchase some before they ran out.

Re: the price: When I was shopping around, I found Catnip EO to be quite pricey no matter who sells it, but the prices you found are better than what I paid for mine. For what it's worth, mine was $31.62 for a half ounce from Liberty, but very little of it is needed in a bug spray blend. I bought it from Liberty because the one they sell is specifically sourced from Canada. I wanted Canadian because in my research on catnip EO, I read from a handful of different sources that the best catnip EO for use in mosquito repellents is from catnip grown in the colder regions of the northern continent of America, most especially Canada. We shall soon see once the mosquitos start buzzing about around here. :twisted:

You'll have to let us know how your infused oil works out!


IrishLass

Thank you for the response. I hadn't thought to check with Liberty as their shipping rates to the east coast are high. For EO I typically stick to New Directions but they don't carry catnip.
I hadn't come across the info about cooler growing conditions; I assume it has something to do with the volatility of nepetalactone. . . .
Anyway, I used the last of my cats' stash (which was low) in about 3 ounces of HO sunflower. I didn't weight out the catnip but it was about 2 tbsp. I'll let that go for a bit and see what happens. I'm really trying to convince myself that I DON'T need the EO. . . but I've been wanting to buy it for years now and my will power is running low. Besides, last summer we had really good luck with a "natural" product made with oil of lemon eucalyptus (not to be confused with lemon eucalyptus EO which is something entirely different).
I'll keep you posted on the infusion.

Saranac said:

...last summer we had really good luck with a "natural" product made with oil of lemon eucalyptus (not to be confused with lemon eucalyptus EO which is something entirely different).

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Hiya Saranac,

I thought "oil of lemon eucalyptus" and "lemon eucalyptus essential oil" are the same thing. No??? If not, and if it isn't too much trouble, could you please explain the difference? TIA

I'm asking because I make an effective mosquito repellent using the EO. My brother, the epidemiologist who is an expert on Dengue Fever (mosquito born), was impressed with the spray I sent and it also went with a very-satisfied customer on an expedition to the Amazon. I mean, it really works! What am I missing here?

Zany_in_CO said:

Hiya Saranac,

I thought "oil of lemon eucalyptus" and "lemon eucalyptus essential oil" are the same thing. No??? If not, and if it isn't too much trouble, could you please explain the difference? TIA

I'm asking because I make an effective mosquito repellent using the EO. My brother, the epidemiologist who is an expert on Dengue Fever (mosquito born), was impressed with the spray I sent and it also went with a very-satisfied customer on an expedition to the Amazon. I mean, it really works! What am I missing here?

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So sorry about that, Zany. I should have been more clear or at the very least phrased it better. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), as was mentioned earlier in this post, is recognized by the EPA as a bug repellent and consists of p-Menthane-3,8-diol. OLE is refined from Lemon Eucalyptus EO; the essential oil contains p-Menthane-3,8-diol but in low levels.

They're not quite the same thing, and many of the OLE products contain high levels of OLE (upwards of 30%). As I'm sure you're aware, no one would recommend such a high level of EO in a skin-care product!

I don't doubt the efficacy of Lemon Eucalyptus EO--it still contains high levels of other bug-repelling compounds--and it's on my short list of oils to buy. I just REALLY want catnip!

Thank you SO much for that explanation, (((Saranac))). I appreciate it.

ETA: I buy EOs from Sun Pure Botanicals on Ebay. They are 2 gals in NM. They have a high rating -- 98.9% I've been using them for several years and recommend them without reservation. They have catnip. Check them out.

http://stores.ebay.com/Sun-Pure-Botanicals?_dmd=2&_nkw=catnip

The best thing for me is that I can order small quantities of each EO I need to make 16 oz. or so of blends that contain several EOs. It's not only economical for me, but I don't have to find storage space for several large bottles. They also combine shipping and I often get a rebate later. Shipping is fast -- usually 3 days from NM to CO

Zany_in_CO said:

I buy EOs from Sun Pure Botanicals on Ebay. They are 2 gals in NM. They have a high rating -- 98.9% I've been using them for several years and recommend them without reservation. They have catnip. Check them out.

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I broke down and did it (there was never a doubt, really). They had a 1 oz bottle of Catnip (from Canada) on sale for $17.77 (and free shipping!). We shall see!

:clap: I am known to be an enabler... :mrgreen:

IrishLass said:

Funny you should ask that, as I, too, have recently been working on creating an anti-mosquito blend. We had such a terrible mosquito season last year with what I think were tiger mosquitos- the kind that come out even during mid-day in full sun and will bite through ones clothing. I'd never ever seen the likes of them before last year. It was really freaky, not to mention extremely agravating. Anyway- I've been doing a lot research on different EO bug-repellent blends and these are the EOs I bought to experiment with:

Catnip (nepeta cataria - Canada)


IrishLass

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Irish Lass, I am curious on what the Catnip Essential Oil smells like. I know how fresh cut catnip and dried catnip smells. I am sure there is a difference in the Canadian herb versus local wild catnip.

soaring1 said:

Irish Lass, I am curious on what the Catnip Essential Oil smells like. I know how fresh cut catnip and dried catnip smells. I am sure there is a difference in the Canadian herb versus local wild catnip.

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I have absolutely no idea what fresh-cut catnip smells like, but the EO that I have is not exactly the most loveliest of smells to my nose. It's hard for me to describe the scent, so let me put it this way- I would never, ever use catnip EO by itself in a spray or a soap or a lotion- no not ever! Thank goodness that it is supposed to be effective against mosquitos in low doses (according to my research so far- 1% to 3%), and that the addition of other EO's such as the much lovelier smelling Lemon Eucalyptus greatly helps to tone it down.

soaring1 said:

I am sure there is a difference in the Canadian herb versus local wild catnip.

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According to my book Essential Oil Safety by Tisserand/Young, nepetalactone (the active insect-repelling component of catnip) can range anywhere from 12.7% to 84%. And according to a handful of corroborating sources that I've read so far, the catnip grown in colder regions/Canada is supposedly known for having the highest % of nepetalactone. For what it's worth, the one I bought from Liberty has 79.9%, if I am reading its CoA (certificate of analysis) correctly.


IrishLass

Fresh catnip is horrible. A skunky smell to it. I never understood what cats like about it but they go crazy and act crazy with it. My curiosity got the best of me with the essential oil smell. If you put that in a bug spray, watch out for cats coming around. Just teasing.