• New? Start Here!
  • Products I Love
  • My Books
    • Milkies In The Morning
    • Coconut Oil For Your Skin
    • Winter Soups
    • Naturally Sweetened Treats
    • Gluten Free Snacks
    • I Will Breastfeed Anywhere
  • About
    • Who Is Hybrid Rasta Mama?
    • About This Website
    • Subscribe To My Newsletter
    • Policies
      • Disclaimer
      • Terms and Conditions
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Work With Me
  • Contact Me
  • Home
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Hybrid Rasta Mama

DIY Natural Living - Simplified

  • Toxic Mold Resources
  • Mold And Your Health
  • Coconut Oil
  • Holistic Health
    • Natural Health For Everyone
    • Women’s Health
    • Men’s Health
    • Child Health
    • Natural Remedies
    • Herbs and Essential Oils
    • Everyone Poops
    • Natural Skin, Hair, and Teeth Care
  • Recipes
    • All Things Pumpkin
    • Sweets, Treats, and Baked Goods Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Main Course Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Sauces and Condiments
    • Fermentation and Lacto-Fermented Food Recipes
  • DIY Natural Body Care
  • Non-Toxic Cleaning
  • Natural Pest Control
You are here: Home / Natural Skin, Hair, and Teeth Care / DIY Natural Body Care / Natural Bug Spray Recipe – 4 To Choose From

Natural Bug Spray Recipe – 4 To Choose From

By Jennifer Updated: June 6, 2024. First published: June 28, 2012. This post may contain affiliate links. 4 Comments  

438 shares
  • Facebook3
  • X

It’s Summertime- that means, GET OUT THE NATURAL BUG SPRAY!

I love summer time, don’t you? The sun shining down, the fresh air, outdoor parties, daylight savings time and with all of that fun comes the mosquitoes, deer flies, no see ‘ems, and other pesky insects looking for their next meal… you!

When you think of bug spray, what normally comes to mind?

I think of Deet, or Off. I think that is probably what the average consumer thinks of as well. This summer, instead of reaching for chemical laden insect repellents, why not create your own all natural bug spray with essential oils?

What we put onto our skin is absorbed into our skin, bottom line, so let’s go the natural route using pure unadulterated essential oils.

When it comes to making your own bug spray, the stronger the solution, the greater the effects.

Have you ever noticed that? If your Deet has less than 7% solution, you are more likely to get bit.  When it comes to making your own natural bug spray, you have control over the solution and you can make it stronger, if so desired.

The basic formula is 12 to 25 drops of essential oils to 1 ounce of carrier. Adding 12 drops of essential oils per 1 ounce would be a 5% essential oil solution and 25 drops per ounce would give you a stronger 10% solution. The stronger the solution, the better.

You are going to need essential oils and carrier oils to make these recipes. Let’s look at the products I high recommend.

Essential oils I use and love to make natural bug spray:

1. My hands down favorite brand is Rocky Mountain Oils. These are seriously the BEST brand I have ever used. They are strong. And I mean strong. I have seen some amazing things happen when using this brand.
2. I am really enjoying Plant Therapy essential oils as well. They are easy on the budget as well as being a high quality oil.

Carrier oils and non-oils I personally use with great success:

  • Coconut Oil
  • Almond Oil
  • Apricot Kernel Oil
  • Avocado Oil
  • Distilled Water
  • Aloe Vera Gel
  • Witch Hazel

Maple Holistics is my go-to for amazing carrier oils like the ones I mention above!

Back to this natural bug spray recipe collection! You ready for all these awesome ways to repel insects? Here you go!

All Natural Bug Spray Recipe #1

  • 10 drops citronella essential oil oil
  • 5 drops lavender essential oil
  • 5 drops lemongrass essential oil
  • 5 drops eucalyptus globulus es
  • 1 oz. of your choosen carrier
  • Put essential oils in an empty spray bottle. Add the carrier. Shake well and spray on as needed.

All Natural Bug Spray Recipe #2

  • 10 drops purification essential oil
  • 5 drops lemongrass essential oil
  • 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 5 drops melaleuca alternifolia essential oil
  • 1 oz. of your chosen carrier
  • Put essential oils in an empty spray bottle. Add the carrier. Shake well and spray on as needed.

All Natural  Bug Spray Recipe #3

  • 5 drops thieves essential oil
  • 5 drops lemon essential oil
  • 5  drops purification essential oil
  • 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 5 drops lavender essential oil
  • 1 oz. of your chosen carrier
  • Put essential oils in an empty spray bottle. Add the carrier. Shake well and spray on as needed

When summer comes, we not only need recipes for repelling insects, we also need ways to keep bugs out of our home. Here are a couple of different recipes that are good to help keep insects out of your home or office.

  1. 10 drops Citronella essential oil and 3 drops Peppermint essential oil.
  2. 5 drops Lavender essential oil and 5 drops Citronella essential oil.

Using either recipe #1 or #2, put the drops on a cotton ball and place them in areas of your home where you know the insects are entering.

Have you ever made your own natural bug spray? Do you have a recipe you can share with us?

Be sure to check out all my other great natural pest control posts as well. I will teach you how to get rid of ants, keep mosquitoes at bay, keep earwigs and silverfish away for good, keep moths out of your pantry and closets, prevent a spider invasion and more!

A mom spraying a child's leg with homemade bug spray

Visit My Amazon Storefront

A screenshot of the Hybrid Rasta Mama Amazon Influencer Storefront

About The Author

Jennifer, author of Hybrid Rasta Mama, is a former government recruiter turned work-at-home mama to a daughter brought earthside in early 2009. She is passionate about and writes about holistic health and wellness, natural/green living, toxic mold awareness, and the benefits of coconut oil. She frequently shares allergy friendly recipes on her site as well as DIY herbal remedies, DIY natural body care, and natural cleaning recipes.

Jennifer graduated with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Ethnic Studies. In January 2019 she became a certified mold and moisture intrusion inspector. She has completed coursework in the naturopathic series offered by the Avicenna Institute and accredited through the Board of Natural Medicine Certification Council.

Jennifer is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors as well as the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness.

Stuff I Have To Tell You

Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with your health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking any medication, please consult your physician. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment.

I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post.

Hybrid Rasta Mama is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliates sites. For additional information, please visit my Terms & Conditions page and/or my Affiliate Disclosure page page.

« Oxalates and Juicing
Healing Crystals For Children »

Comments

  1. Joyce says

    June 28, 2012 at 3:03 PM

    Thanks Carrie for the recipes, anything homemade is a winner with me.

    Reply
  2. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal says

    August 25, 2012 at 2:28 AM

    we not only need recipes for repelling insects, we also need ways to keep bugs out of our home. compare and contrast essay

    Reply
  3. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal says

    August 27, 2012 at 7:28 AM

    This is also a very good post which I really enjoyed reading. It is not everyday that I have the possibility to see something like this.http://www.effectivefa.com

    Reply
  4. ash. says

    March 2, 2013 at 12:37 AM

    Oh excellent post! I have bookmarked this for when the weather warms up and bugs start biting! I am much ore comfortable using this for me and babe than any of the other stuff! Thanks!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Your Free Gifts Here!

Copyright © 2025 · Divine theme by Restored 316

The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. | By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. | We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | Please do not use my words or pictures without my permission. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |