natural bug repellent?

[KoalaMama]

Going to the cottage this evening, and not looking forward to the mosquitos. Any recommendations for a natural repellent?

[Hibou]

Mix about 10 (or more) drops of oil of oregano in about half a cup of aloe vera gel. Works pretty good!

[KoalaMama]

Thanks Lea! Unfortunately oregano is one oil I don't have here at the moment (of course!), and I doubt I'll be able to pick any up before we head north. Any other ideas?

[KyleAnn]

Lavendar is supposed to work, have any of that?

[mooliette]

from: http://www.naturodoc.com/library/lif..._repellent.htm

Making Your Own Natural Insect Repellent
Herbalist Debra Nuzzi-St. Claire suggests combining the following essential oils to make a natural insect repellent:

1/2 ounce citronella oil

1/4 ounce lavender oil

1/8 ounce pennyroyal oil

1/8 ounce tea tree oil

1/8 ounce jojoba oil

Do not use this blend undiluted on your skin. Follow these instructions for diluting:

To make an insect repellent oil that can be used on your body, add 16 ounces of jojoba or almond oil to the base oil mixture and blend thoroughly. For an insect repellent spray, add 16 ounces of vodka to the base oil mixture, pour into a spray bottle, and shake before using.

[KoalaMama]

Ok - I have lavender, tea tree and jojoba! I see I'm going to have to get creative here. :LOL

Thanks for chiming in everyone! Much appreciated!

[KoalaMama]

Duh

Well, I have no idea why I didn't think of this before posting but I have The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Woorwood, so I just took a peek in there and found a couple of great ideas. In case anyone else is interested...

-2 tablespoons of veg. oil to 30 drops lavender. Rub on skin.

-Thyme (4 drops), lemongrass (8d), lavender (4d) and peppermint (4d). Mix and add 2 drops to 2 teaspoons of oil or to an existing body cream. You can also use a few drops of this mix on a ribbon or tissue paper placed around the room.

Anyone else find that their first reaction to a question is "I know, I'll post on MDC!" :LOL

[mooliette]

Originally Posted by MamaToFallon

Anyone else find that their first reaction to a question is "I know, I'll post on MDC!" :LOL

Oh yeah

[late-night nan]

Thanks, Melanie! Do let us know whether these work for you. We have lots of Beat It! (natural repellent traded from another MDC mama), which works pretty well if you are looking for something ready-made in the future.

Nan

O.T...
p.s. thanks again for the trade of the sling! 2 days after it arrived my friend with a newborn called feeling very discouraged about bfing because the baby would cry every time she was laid down. So it is going to someone who is really in need and will hopefully allow her to continue nursing, as she's totally exhausted without babywearing gear. blessings to you!

[DesireeH]

We use Burts Bees but its basically the same ingredients as the make your own listing above.

[KoalaMama]

Well, I went to the cottage and discovered a couple of things...

1. Lavender and Jojoba oil make a good mosquito repellent, but you need to cover everything you want protected and reapply often.

2. When you are ignorant of rule #1 and happen to have a mild allergy to mosquito bites they will swarm you and eat you alive.

3. Neat lavender makes an *awesome* after bite care ritual. The back of one of my legs was a mass of swollen welts and the lavender kept the bites from itching as much as they normally do, and the bites were reduced to almost nothing the next morning. Much better results than anything I've ever tried before, and I smell yummy to boot!

We're going to the cottage again in a couple of weeks, and now that I have advance notice I will be a little better prepared. I plan to try a couple of these other recipes to see what works best. I'll keep you all posted!

Nan...

Could you please post a link to the WAHM that makes Best It!?

I'm so glad to hear that the sling is going to a good home and will be of use to someone who really needs it. Your friend is quite lucky to have you watching out for her.