The mosquitoes are out in full force in South East Queensland after the recent wet weather and they just love to bite Miss 4 and I with a vengeance. I have been making my own safe, natural and effective insect repellent for over 12 months now, and let me tell you it is the BOMB. This stuff works so well and I have saved a great deal of money by making it myself, rather than forking out $10+ per bottle for natural insect repellents from the health food store that aren’t always 100% effective.
Why would I want to make my own insect repellent rather than just buying good old Aeroguard or Bushman’s you may ask….well most standard commercial repellents contain a range of nasty chemicals, the most concerning being an ingredient called DEET, a chemical developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 following experience with jungle warfare in World War II. DEET has been scientifically confirmed as a neurotoxin, meaning it is can interfere with the functioning of our nervous systems…eeek!!! You can read more about the dangers of DEET here and here.
You can whip up this awesome insect repellent in a matter of minutes in the comfort of your own home and know that it is a safer, natural, effective alternative to commercial repellents. Many of my neighbours in my street now use this repellent and when all the neighbourhood children are out in the street at dusk (we are very fortunate to live in a quite cul-de-sac), you’ll see my little blue spray bottles resting on mailboxes and fences along the street. This warms my heart to know that I’ve empowered others with a safer alternative for themselves and their children!
So here we go…start by getting yourself a 100ml glass spray bottle. I like to buy mine from Glass Bottles Direct but there are plenty of places online that sell these. Get yourself a few bottles when you place your order, as you’ll soon find other ways in which you can use them (stay tuned for more toxin-free recipes!). It’s important to always use glass bottles when using citrus essential oils, as the citrus oils break down plastic (hence why they are great at breaking down petrochemicals in our bodies!) and you don’t really want to be spraying plastic particles on your skin or your home surfaces. The Purify oil blend in this recipe contains lemon and lime essential oils.
Add the following to the 100ml glass spray bottle and then fill the remainder with filtered water:
30 drops of Terrashield repellent blend
15 drops of Purify cleansing blend
15 drops of Peppermint essential oil
15 drops of Cedarwood essential oil
5 drops of Arborvitae essential oil
Be sure to give the bottle a good shake before each use to mix the essential oils and water together, as the oils will settle on the top of the water over time.
Cedarwood and Arborvitae are great oils to use in this recipe as the timber from each of these trees does not get attacked by insects in the wild, so the essential oil that’s extracted from the timber has powerful insect repellent properties. You can learn more about doTERRA’s Arborvitae essential oil in this beautiful short video.
We’ve received exciting news this week that another 13 products previously only available via the US warehouse will now be available locally from the Australian warehouse from 4 November 2015, and Purify and Cedarwood are two of these. Hooray! Stay tuned for some more information about all the amazing uses for the Purify cleansing blend, it is one of my absolute favourite oil blends.
Get started with your own wholesale account and purchase the oils for this recipe at 25% below retail prices here. As always, please reach out if you have questions about the best option for you.
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