4 essential oil bottles in front of an amber-colored glass bottle

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.

If you’re a person who mosquitoes love to bite, then you definitely are going to want to try this. Those annoying bugs are relentless when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors on a perfect spring evening.

Homemade mosquito repellent with essential oils is a great first line of defense. It’s especially a good option if you hesitate to use commercial bug repellants for any reason or if you simply don’t have any and you need to make some homemade bug spray quick.

Another reason I like using this spray is because I don’t feel the need to shower it off ASAP like I do with store-bought sprays that have added stuff in them.

While there are other options for repelling insects, you might want to try this homemade, essential oil bug spray first.

Essential Oils that Repel Bugs (including mosquitoes!)

So, what goes into this homemade bug spray?

There are a number of essential oils that are known for repelling insects. Here are a few of them.

rosemary
lemongrass
lemon eucalyptus

geranium
citronella
cinnamon bark

peppermint
cedarwood
castor oil

There’s no need to use all of these oils, but if you need to substitute one of the oils that I use, this list is a good place to start. Not everyone has every oil under the sun in their collection!

picture with 8 essential oil bottles on. a wooden cutting board

As a side note, these oils repel insects in general, not just mosquitoes. You’ll find some of these oils in my Lice Repellant Hair Spray recipe as well as Aphid Spray for roses.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

Potential for Allergic Sensitivity

Always do a skin test to check for sensitivity before using any homemade essential oil recipe. Since essential oils are derived directly from plants, there is always the possibility of allergy to one or more oils. It’s really important to always test your spray on a small area of skin first before spraying it everywhere to make sure you aren’t going to have a bad reaction to it.

Other Ingredients in Homemade Bug Spray

Castor Oil

Castor oil is good for a lot of things (keeping your skin moisturized, removing eye makeup, cleansing your skin, etc.), so it’s a great oil to keep around.

Witch Hazel

Witch hazel acts as an emulsifier in this recipe, helping the water and oil mix together better. The unscented kind is what I prefer, so it doesn’t add another fragrance to the recipe. But use whatever they have at the store.

Distilled Water

Always use distilled water or water that has been boiled in DIY recipes. It makes your recipe last much longer when you do.

The tool that makes it easier..!

Maybe you’re like me and you don’t have the steadiest hand. Or maybe you’re not, and if you’re not, good for you! But I hate wasting my DIY ingredients because I spilled, so I invested in this little set of small funnels that are perfect for all the natural DIYs I’m doing all the time. Check them out!

set of three stainless steel funnels in large medium and small sizes

When to Use Homemade Bug Spray (& When Not To)

This spray is perfect for a summer evening barbecue in the backyard, a walk at dusk, or swinging at the park with your kids.

However, it’s really important to understand the limitations of homemade mosquito spray in order to make the safest choices for your family. Essential oils, while they do have proven insect repelling qualities, are not tested to stand alone as mosquito spray.

This means that you should definitely not rely on a homemade recipe if you are going somewhere that is known to have mosquito-transmitted diseases like Zika or West Nile Virus or someplace where ticks that carry lyme disease are a threat. In those cases, you should always opt for a spray containing DEET and you should not rely on essential oil bug spray.

Ok. Now that we are clear on when to use it, here is the “how-to.”

How To Use

To use this spray, I find it’s best to spray it on your hands first, and then rub it onto your skin. I use it on all exposed body parts except for my face.

It can be sprayed onto clothing as well. If you do this, just make sure that you avoid inhaling the spray.

Yield: 2 ounces

DIY Essential Oil Bug Spray

An easy, natural essential oil bug repellent that is a small enough batch that you can easily slip it in a purse, diaper bag, or keep it in your car.

Prep Time 2 minutes

Active Time 2 minutes

Total Time 4 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

1 Tablespoon castor oil
1 Tablespoon witch hazel
6 drops rosemary essential oil
6 drops cedarwood essential oil
6 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil
3 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
distilled water
2-ounce amber glass mister bottle

Tools

small funnel

Instructions

Using a funnel, pour the witch hazel into the bottle.
Add the castor oil.
Add all of the essential oils to your spray bottle.
Carefully fill the rest of the way with distilled water, making sure you leave plenty of space to replace the nozzle without overflowing your bottle.
To use, shake gently before each use. Spray onto skin or hands and rub into skin.

Notes

If desired, you can swap out any of the essential oils for peppermint, citronella, geranium, or lemongrass essential oils.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Essential Oil Bug Spray Recipe (for body)