Non-Toxic Bug Spray
Mosquitoes and other flying, bitey little bugs are annoying (and sometimes dangerous), for sure - but know what's even more annoying? Causing toxicity to your body while you're trying to protect yourself from bug bites.
DEET (used in many commercial bug repellants) is an absolute savage, and has been shown to wreak havoc on our central nervous system, skin, and microbiome.
The Environmental Protection Agency (though they say it's technically "safe" with "normal use") warns that you should wash DEET-treated skin with soap and water immediately after returning indoors, to wash DEET-treated clothing before wearing it again, to use "just enough" to cover exposed skin and clothing, to never apply under clothing, to not let DEET come in contact with cuts, wounds or irritated skin, to not spray directly on the face, and to not spray in enclosed areas. Sounds "safe" with "normal use", right? Ha.
I don't know about you, but applying things to my skin and clothes that come with a long list of warnings from the EPA isn't on my to-do list.
Not only is DEET toxic, but it hasn't proven to be more effective at keeping disease-carrying (Zika, West Nile, etc.) mosquitoes away than lemon eucalyptus essential oil based bug repellant. Lemon eucalyptus based repellants can keep them away for 7 hours - so legit!
I use a combo of organic witch hazel, fractionated coconut oil, Lemongrass essential oil, and this incredible essential oil Repellant Blend called TerraShield, which is a made of: Lemon Eucalyptus, Ylang Ylang, Nootka, Cedarwood, Catnip, Litsea, and Arborvitae essential oils, with Vanilla Bean Absolute, in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil and Tamanu Seed Oil.
That's a lot of bug-repelling power in one bottle!
Take a few seconds to whip up this 4-ingredient bug spray at home - and keep those creepy bugs + toxins away naturally.
Non-Toxic Bug Spray:
Ingredients:
2 oz glass bottle (I used amber to limit the amount of sunlight that's able to seep in)
10 drops TerraShield essential oil blend
3 drops Lemongrass essential oil
2 tbsp organic witch hazel
2 tbsp fractionated coconut oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in spray bottle.
Shake well before each use to combine, and apply as needed.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information contained on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.