Mosquito Repellents

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Crocodile Herbal Bug

Ingredients: Corn Starch, Tapioca Flour and Beeswax in an oleaginous

extract of organically grown Rosemary, Sage, Wormwood, Feaverfew, Lavender,

Thyme and Peppermint in Eucalyptus, Canola and Castor Oils.

 

 

At 04:57 PM 6/7/02 -0500, you wrote:

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/174

 

Mosquito Repellents

Health food stores now carry a wide variety of herbal bug repellents. Good

herbs that repel mosquitoes and took look for in products include basil,

eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, peppermint, rosemary, lemon balm

(citronella), onions, garlic, and feverfew. A Victor Poison-Free

non-poisonous mosquito spray and Victor Poison-Free Mosquito Barrier which

contains garlic, water, potassium sorbate, can be ordered online. Victor Pest.

 

You can make your own repellent with essential oils with this recipe:,br>

Mosquito Repellent Oil

10 drops essential oil (see list of herbs, above, for choices)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; stir to blend. Dab a few drops on

your skin or clothing. Note: Pregnant women should consult with their

doctor before using essential oils.

===================

http://www.wildroots.com/insect.htm

Herbal Insect Repellents

Do not copy or distribute any portion of this page without the authors

written permission. © 1996

Creating your own mosquito repellents is a safe and effective alternative

to commercial repellents. Using herbs and essential oils, you can prepare

your own mosquito repellents, and products for your pets and home with

little effort.

 

The most frequently used natural mosquito repellent is citronella essential

oil. The citronella essential oil is extracted from the plant Cymbopagon

nardus and has a pleasant citrus-like aroma. Usually the citronella is

simply mixed with a base such as oil or alcohol at a strength of 5-10% (see

ESSENTIAL OILS for precautions).

 

Citronella Repellent © Millie Fodor

2 ounces witch hazel extract

60 drops citronella essential oil

 

Preparation: Put 2 ounces of witch hazel into a lotion or spray bottle. Add

60 drops of citronella essential oil. Label properly. Shake well before

each use.

 

This is approximately a 5 % dilution. For a 10 % dilution add 120 drops of

citronella. Witch hazel extract is non-drying and medicinally soothing to

insect bites. You may use olive oil, rubbing alcohol, vodka, or prepare a

lotion in place of the witch hazel.

 

Citronella Lotion © Millie Fodor

2 ounces distilled water

2 ounces olive oil

120 drops citronella essential oil

 

A lotion is an emulsification of water and oil. To prepare: Put water into

a deep mixing bowl. Begin to drizzle in the oil slowly and beat vigorously

with a wire whisk. By the time all the oil is added you should have a nice

creamy white lotion. Stir in the citronella oil. Pour into a lotion bottle

and label.

 

Herbal Repellent Oil © Millie Fodor

1 part fresh pennyroyal

1 part fresh thyme

1/2 part fresh basil

1/2 part neem leaf (if available)

tea tree essential oil

citronella essential oil

olive oil

 

Pick your fresh herbs. Manually remove any dirt then set them in a sunny

place until the herbs are wilted.

 

Using 1/4 cup as your part, measure 1/4 cup of pennyroyal and thyme, and

1/8 cup basil and neem leaf into a crock pot. Pour in enough olive oil to

cover the herbs plus another inch of oil (approximately 1 cup). Turn the

crock pot on low temperature and heat the herbs for about 3 hours. An

alternative way to prepare your oil extraction is to place the herbs in a

clear glass jar and set it in the sun for about five days. Shake it once or

twice a day.

 

When you have finished heating your oil, strain your oil through a

cheesecloth lined strainer. Squeeze out as much oil as possible. Measure

out how much oil you now have. For each ounce of oil add 10 drops of

citronella essential oil and 5 drops of tea tree oil.

 

Pour into lotion bottle and label.

 

======================================

 

 

Herbal Bug Repellent:

First off, it should be heartening to know that most herbs are bug

repelling, including chamomile, geranium, lavender, artemisia, pennyroyal,

and many more. To make an herbal bug repellent, we use essential oils which

are highly concentrated.

This herbal mixture relies on two stronger repellents: eucalyptus and

citronella, to which you can add other essential oils as you wish. Since

both citronella and eucalyptus are on the smelly side, you may want to add

lavender, geranium, or other essential oils to improve the fragrance.

You will need a tight-closing glass container to store your bug repellent.

For a base: 2 oz. of vodka (a food quality alcohol) or 2 oz. of an oil such

as grapeseed or almond oil

Add:

1/4 tsp. citronella

1/4 tsp. eucalyptus

1/8 tsp. each of up to three additional oils, such as pennyroyal, geranium,

lavender, or cedar

 

Shake the mixture thoroughly, and store the container in a cool, dark

place. To use, just saturate a cotton ball and apply to exposed skin. I

often put a saturated cotton ball of the stuff into a plastic sandwich bag,

to carry on walks in the woods or to outdoor events, in case I need it.

The oils can be pricey, but both citronella and eucalyptus are in the $3-5

range for a small bottle. You should be able to make enough bug repellent

to last the summer from one purchase of essential oils as a little goes a

long way.

==================================================

 

Pennyroyal oil

In addition to DEET I use a few drops of Pennyroyal oil on each limb,

rubbing it in to thoroughly spread the oily extract evenly over the limb. I

have had dramatic success with this even on the beach at San Blas at

sundown (wearing shorts and t-shirt, no less!).

http://www.tomzap.com/mosquito.html

 

 

http://strawbale.msun.edu/related.htm

d55

> Sat, 27 May 2000 23:05:34 -0700

> Sarah Kopp <kopp, strawbale

> Re:Pennyroyal oil keeps critters away

>

> Dear Sarah,

>

> three or four drops of pennyroyal oil in your skin lotion will keep the

> pesky critters away. works on dogs, just drip a drop or two on a brush

> and brush their back up by their neck where they won't lick it off.

> Just a plant, but it works wonders. Brush some in your hair, too (no

> place to run, no place to hide, make em not want to get to friendly with

> you, and you won't be itchy).

> ; )

> Deb

> PS That's a no nonsense cure from the old timers in Ioway, a few leaves

> of pennyroyal in boiling water and the steam makes the bugs want to live

> in another state. Doesn't smell too bad, in fact it's sorta pleasant.