Mosquitoes are buggy little things, always showing up to an outdoor party without an invitation.. I prefer not to use nasty chemicals like Deet to keep away mosquitoes for my family, so I’ve done my research and found out that essential oils can be a great deterrent to those pesty pest.
In this post I’ll share with you 7 kid safe mosquito repellant essential oils plus a couple recipe for bug spray/mosquito repellant using those 7 essential oils. Also included is an all natural essential oil bug bite soother.
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About Natural Essential Oil mosquito Repellant
Natural mosquito repellant is easy to make. It doesn’t cost a fortune and you can make a lot of it very quickly if needed. Essential oil mosquito repellant is safer for your body and even the kids can use these essential oils. Compared to store bought chemical infused commercial bug spray, homemade is the way to go when dealing with pesky mosquitoes.
One thing to know about homemade bug sprays is that it doesn’t last as long as the deet bug sprays. Meaning you’ll need to reapply the spray more often. Usually, every 1-2 hours is the recommended application time.
7 kid safe essential oils for bug spray
Here are the 7 essential oils that I find to be useful for an all-natural mosquito bug repellant. They are all safe for kids ages 2 and up assuming you use the correct dilution. See more about dilution rates by reading the Ultimate Guide to Essential Oil Dilution.
- Citronella
- Cedarwood (atlas)
- Geranium
- Lavender
- Lemon eucalyptus
- Patchouli*
- Tea Tree
*A note about Patchouli oil. Patchouli essential oil should not be used before or after any surgical procedure as it is an anti-coagulant also known as a blood thinner. This includes dental procedures. Please consult with your health care provider if you have any questions.
When choosing your essential oils, please be sure to use a high quality pure essential oil. You do not want to use a “fragrance” oil as it contains other chemicals and it not intended for use on skin. For more information on choosing high quality essential oils please visit my post the Ultimate Guide to Choosing Quality Essential Oils.
Mosquito Repellant Recipes
Witch Hazel is our base for the bug spray. It allows the essential oil to properly dilute and mix. You can get scent free witch hazel on Amazon
Mosquito Repellant #1 2% dilution
For our first recipe you will need citronella, lemon eucalyptus, lavender, cedarwood Atlas and patchouli. Both citronella and lemon eucalyptus are both often used in natural bug sprays. Lavender, patchouli, and cedarwood have mosquito bug repelling insecticidal properties.
It is at 2% dilution rate and is safe for ages 2 and up.
You will need:
- 2 ounces witch hazel
- 2 ounces distilled water
- 10 drops citronella
- 10 drops lemon eucalyptus
- 10 drops lavender
- 10 drops cedarwood (atlas)
- 8 drops patchouli
Add essential oil drops to a 4 ounces glass spray bottle. Fill half full with witch hazel and fill the rest of the way up with distilled water. If you don’t have distilled water, you can use cooled boiled water.
To use shake the bottle to evening disperse the essential oils. Spray on all exposed skin. To apply to face spray hands and gently rub onto forehead and cheeks. Avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth. Reapply every 1 to 2 hours as needed while outside and exposed to mosquitos.
Mosquito Repellant #2 5% dilution
For the second recipe we will use citronella, lemon eucalyptus, geranium, and tea tree essential oils. This recipe is at a 5% dilution and should only be sprayed on clothing, as it is a higher than recommended dilution. This is also for ages 2 and up but remember due to its high dilution may cause skin irritations on delicate young skin. It is best to avoid skin altogether.
You will need to use a glass spray bottle larger than 4 ounces. So, a 6 ounce bottle will work. The 5% dilution recipe uses 120 drops of essential oil which works out to 6 milliliters. One ounce is approximately 30 milliliters.
You will need:
- 2 ounces witch hazel
- 2 ounces distilled water
- 45 drops citronella
- 45 drops lemon eucalyptus
- 15 drops geranium
- 15 drops tea tree
Add essential oil drops to a 6 ounce or larger glass spray bottle. Add 2 ounces witch hazel and 2 ounces distilled water. If you don’t have distilled water, you can use cooled boiled water.
To use shake the bottle to evening disperse the essential oils. Spray bug spray on clothing only. It is very important, especially for children, to avoid the skin to prevent any adverse reactions to the higher dose of essential oils. You will want to reapply every one to two hours, or when you notice an increase occurrence of mosquitos.
If you choose too, you can use any of the seven listed essential oils in any mixture to create a bug spray repellant for mosquitos. For the 2% dilution recipe you will need a total of 48 drops of essential oil. For the 5% dilution recipe you will need a total of 120 drops of essential oil. I recommend using more citronella and lemon eucalyptus as they are more potent as a mosquito repellant.
Anti-Itch Roller Ball Ointment
As a bonus I’m going to give you a simple recipe for an anti-itch ointment in case you do get a mosquito bite. It’s super easy and works well.
Lavender essential oil is of course, a great all-around use essential oil. It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-septic properties. All making it a great essential oil for a swollen, itchy bug bite.
Tea Tree essential oil is perfect for bug bites as it too is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-septic. It is perfect for natural healing.
Roman Chamomile is a gentle healing essential oil. And you guessed it also has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-septic properties. If you don’t have Roman Chamomile, it is okay to leave it out. I know it is a more expensive essential oil. If you do leave it out just increase the tea tree to 2 drops instead of 1.
You will need:
- 2 drops lavender
- 1 drop tea tree
- 1 drop roman chamomile
- 10ml roller ball bottle
- Fractionated Coconut Oil
To make your anti-itch rollerball ointment add the essential oil drops to a clean, empty 10 ml rollerball bottle. Fill with fractionated coconut oil. Swirl or shake gently to mix.
To use apply to mosquito bite. You will want to reapply every hour until itching has stopped.
Wrapping it Up
So, now you have 7 essential oils that are great for mosquito bug repellants, 2 recipes that contain great bug repelling essential oils and then, just incase you get a bug bite, an anti-itch roller ball recipe.
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This information is intended to educate and inform. Please do not replace this information with the advice and guidance from a doctor. This information is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or cure any disease. Please consult your health care professional if you have any questions.