Bugs Away! DIY Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent That Works
Natural, DY mosquito repellents have a reputation for not working, but that’s just not true. You’ll be amazed at how well this essential oil mosquito repellent works (and how cheap it is!)!
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE spring and summer…longer days, warm weather, blooming flowers, gardens, and SO MUCH MORE. I love taking long walks and being outside with my family and my dog.
But you know what I HATE? Mosquitoes! With a passion.
While I really try not to hate anything or anyone, mosquitoes fall into that category. Because…really? What benefit do mosquitoes provide? They spread diseases and feast on people and pets. If you know of a redeeming quality of mosquitoes, please share, because I’d love to hear it.
Mosquitoes Begone! The Need For Repelling Mosquitoes
Here’s the problem for me and mosquitoes. They LOVE me. I mean moth-to-a-flame love me. If you have ever wondered if it’s really true that mosquitoes prefer some people over others, I’m here to tell you it is 1,000% true. I am living proof!
I have 5 people in my family. When all 5 of us are outside at the same time during the evening, 3 of us are left alone, but my middle son and I are total buffet material. I have SEEN mosquitoes fly over my husband and come land on me! It’s so annoying!
Goodbye Deet; Hello, Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent
I may hate mosquitoes but the truth is that I don’t have any love affair going on with mosquito repellents that contain DEET. They DO work to keep mosquitoes at bay (remember, I’m proof?!), but I like to avoid exposing my family and myself to any unneeded chemicals.
Not to mention that Mohamed Abou-Donia, a pharmacologist at Duke University, found that frequent and prolonged DEET exposure can result in brain cell death and changes sensory and motor functions, eventually concluding that humans should try to avoid using DEET.
And with the natural options that are available for repelling mosquitoes, DEET just isn’t necessary.
Essential oils, herbs and more do a wonderful job of keeping deterring mosquitoes. Wanna know how to use them so they REALLY work? Keep reading 😊
Essential Oils For Mosquitoes – These REALLY Work To Deter
Mosquitoes don’t like strong aromas, so they avoid herbs like mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and lavender. Even just growing these herbs in your yard near where you like to entertain or hang out helps keep them away!
Essential oils are chemical compounds extracted either through distillation or cold process from plants. The oils capture the plant’s scent, flavor, and beneficial properties. The catch? Essential oils are STRONG. Much stronger than just using the plant itself. A little goes a LONG way.
But that’s also what makes them so effective in the battle against mosquitoes. Here are the oils that work the best:
Ingredients Needed For Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent
My family has been using this recipe for a couple of years now with great success! Check it out and see for yourself!
- 4 drops citronella essential oil
- 4 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 4 drops rosemary essential oil
- 4 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 4 drops mint (preferably peppermint) essential oil
- 1/4 cup pure witch hazel
- 2 oz glass spray bottle (amber or blue, NOT clear)
**Don’t forget to grab funnels to make pouring into bottles EASY!**
How to Make Our Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent
This homemade mosquito repellent mixture is super simple to make! Here’s how:
- Add all essential oils to a colored 2oz glass spray bottle (to prevent UV rays from destroying the strength of the essential oils, don’t use clear bottles, but DO use glass spray bottles)
- Add witch hazel to the spray bottle and fill it to the top. If you are using a larger size spray bottle, use about ¼ cup witch hazel.
- Shake well for several seconds.
- Apply liberally. Reapply if you notice it’s starting to wear off.
Additional Essential Oils For Mosquitoes
What if you have don’t have certain essential oils but you have other mosquito-repelling essential oils?
The great news is that this essential oil mosquito repellent recipe is totally adaptable! This is a combination we have found that works best for us.
However, if you have lavender or geranium essential oils but don’t have mint essential oil, feel free to substitute what you have!
Don’t Want Chemicals But Don’t Want To DIY Either?
I know there are plenty of people who don’t want to DIY their own bug spray but also don’t want to expose their families to DEET. If that’s you, try these top DEET-free sprays:
- REPEL (plant-based lemon eucalyptus bug repellent)
- Babyganics (DEET-free and safe for babies and kids)
- Wondercide (DEET-free spray and they also have wipes, if you prefer that)
I hope you love this homemade essential oil mosquito repellent as much as we do! I love that I can use a natural product that actually works which means I don’t need to expose my family to harmful chemicals.
Plus, think of all the money you’ll save by making your own DIY essential oil mosquito repellent spray (I love that part too!)!
What essential oils do mosquitoes hate?
Essentially, mosquitoes hate strong-smelling oils. Oils such as citronella, lemongrass, eucalyptus, mint, and rosemary are at the top of that “avoid at all costs” list.
And that’s why they’re ALL in this DIY essential oil mosquito repellent blend!
More From Made in a Pinch
If you love this easy homemade essential oil mosquito repellent, you’ll love these other natural options too!
Heyy, so it calls for 1/4 cup witch hazel but then says to fill the spray bottle up with witch hazel so I’m not sure how much todo😂 my spray bottle is about half way filled rn so do I just fill it up with witch hazel the rest of the way??
Thanks!!
Hey Brooke! Yeah, so that 1/4 cup amount was based off of the size bottle I used. If you are using a larger bottle, you have two options. 1) fill your spray bottle up (you may want to add an extra few drops of essential oils to make sure they don’t dilute) or 2) stop where you are.
If it were me, I would want to make the recipe as few times as I had to, so I would just add additional amounts while I was working on it.
Ok Thanks!!!
I have to ask why is it necessary to use a glass bottle? I understand the dark bottle and I’m ordering the brown glass ones in your link. But right now I would like to try this out but I’m away from anywhere that sells them locally.
Thanks,
Small town mosquito magnet.
Hi Mona! First of all, I LOVE how you signed off – and sadly, and REALLY relate! So, to answer your question, essential oils (especially any citrus-related ones) soak into the material of plastic spray bottles. That means that were you to ever use them for something else, you could never FULLY clean them and use a pure bottle. COULD you use plastic bottles? Yes. Could you ever REALLY use them for anything else or trust that your mosquito repellant is full-strength? NOPE.
I hope that helps, and you love the spray!
On your picture it has Doterra oils l, but when I click in the links it’s different?
Hi Aleen! Yes! I used to use Doterra oils, but I’ve moved to Rocky Mountain Oils because they’re cheaper but still incredibly high-quality. The links go to the appropriate oils (if I messed one up, please let me know!), but they aren’t Doterra 🙂
Hello, this recipe sounds perfect for camping! The link for witch Hazel isn’t working, and there are a ton of options on Amazon. Non alcohol? Toner? I’m not familiar with it.
Hi Shannon! YES! It’s perfect for camping (without smelling like OFF)! Oh gosh, thank you so much for letting me know the link wasn’t working! I updated it with a link to witch hazel that’s in stock (and I updated the link for the spray bottles too because they weren’t available either!). I hope you love the recipe and enjoy your time camping!
I am looking for something I can use on my hair wet out of the shower or after drying when I go to Costa Rica in the fall. Could I spray spritz it on damp hair? Apply to dry hair.
Hi Keri! Oooh, that’s so exciting that you’re going to Costa Rica (one of my dream vacation spots)! Yes, you could totally spritz this spray on your hair. I spray it all over my body (including my hair but keeping it out of my face/eyes) when I go outside in the evenings. I’ve never tried it specifically on damp hair, but I don’t really see any reason why it wouldn’t work!
Clove is not a pet-safe scent or herb. Avoid it if you have pets, especially cats!!
Thanks for the information, Gina! I’m sure it’ll help other readers!
I’ve heard more than once that the reason mosquitos love me so much is that I have O+ blood. In my family it is true. It takes me using a bit more repellent….but that’s OK!
Hey Tanyss! I have A+ blood – maybe mosquitoes love that blood type too? Or maybe it’s because of my sweet personality 😂
I am still learning even today. There are several essential oils which are thought to increase seizures as well as some which help with relaxation. To appropriately credit those giving the information as well as the specific details of that, I have included a link. If this is not allowed, I sincerely apologize. Again, some of this is new to me and my daughter is 27. Look under aromatherapy.
Thank you so much for sharing your information and for being a resource for these wonderful alternatives!
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/living-epilepsy/wellbeing/complementary-therapies
You might actually need the link…
Hi Christy! Thanks for offering this extra resource! It’s important to be informed!
I gather that mosquitoes are pollinators. They do that more than biting us(so they say!). They are also food for birds, fish and other animals that eat insects. I’d bet the world would still turn without them! I sure wouldn’t mind, I seem to be one of their main targets.
Hi Barbara! Ha! Me too! I completely understand, and it’s miserable being one of their favorite targets!
Instead of spraying it all over me, could I spray it on the deck railings, arms and legs of chairs and table legs. Off and Cutter are good bug repellents but I hate that smell on me all day-especially when I am cooking and entertaining. Or maybe spray it on fabric scraps and tie them to the legs of chairs and tables? Do you think that would work? Thanks.
Hi Cal! So, if you’re like me and the bugs LOVE you, then spraying tables, chairs, and deck railings probably won’t be enough to keep the mosquitoes away. However, if they just kind of like you, it might be enough. Give it a try and see what you think. If it doesn’t work, I recommend spraying your body/clothing.
Peppermint is not a toddler (30 months a younger) safe oil as it can cause seizures. Easy swap is spearmint!
Thank you so much for this clarification, Elizabeth!
The skeeter repellent with all those different scents , what does it smell like? Do all those oils together smell pleasant ?
It IS a lot of different scents, but I like how they come together. The exact scent is hard to describe. It’s all personal preference, of course, but I highly prefer the smell of this bug spray to that of DEET sprays. The essential oils smell more natural and less chemical-laden to me, I guess!
And it’s important to note that if there’s a particular scent you don’t like, you can leave it out of the recipe. There are enough other scents that it should still work. The point of the spray is to make you smell terrible to the MOSQUITOES!