Insect Repellent

Instructions

1 Purchase peppermint oil in its pure, concentrated form, and apply a few drops to focal points on your clothing. You can add a little peppermint oil inside pockets, and on areas where perspiration may attract mosquitoes and fleas, such as under your arms or around your collar. Test a few drops of peppermint oil on a hidden part of your clothing to ensure that it will not stain the fabric.
2 Dilute 1 part peppermint oil with 10 parts rubbing alcohol and place the solution in a plastic spray bottle. This will allow you to use peppermint oil in broader applications, such as on plants, pets and clothing. You can also spray the solution on your skin, although you may want to rub a little on your forearm first to make sure it does not irritate your skin.
3 Mix peppermint oil with other types of natural oils that act as an insect repellent, such as rosemary oil, lemongrass oil and lemon eucalyptus oil. Using a mixture of more than one oil ensures that a greater variety of pests can be repelled, and that the potency of the formula will last longer as well. Lemon eucalyptus oil, in particular, can extend the length of protection from pests to 5 or 6 hours.
4 Use peppermint oil as an insect repellent by breaking open a few Vitamin E capsules and mixing the oil with peppermint oil. A Vitamin E and peppermint oil mixture will keep your skin smooth and soft, and will act as an effective and natural insect repellent as well. You may need to re-apply the solution once every 1 to 2 hours, however, for best results.
5 Wash the peppermint oil from your skin thoroughly with soap and hot water once you return indoors. While peppermint oil is relatively safe in moderate quantities, it can irritate your skin if overused.

Read more: How to Use Peppermint Oil as an Insect Repellent | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2164042_use-peppermint-oil-as-insect.html#ixzz22j1FafGK


Tips & Warnings

A few drops of peppermint oil in a glass of water makes an excellent digestive aid, relieving gas, cramps and nausea. You can also use peppermint oil to treat headaches, colds and the flu.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Natural-Outdoor-Fly-Repellent-with-Essential-Oils

How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent with Essential Oils
Edited byFlickety and 12 others

Tired of fly sprays and the unwanted chemicals they contain? There is a very easy solution to keeping flies away from the outdoor dining area and you can do it yourself.

1 Clean out a small tin with a lid.
2 Take a clean piece of cloth or a small piece of dish sponge able to fit into the container. Saturate it with one of the following oils (after it has been diluted appropriately, see Tips):

Lavender oil - lavender is considered to be particularly effective against flies[1]
Citronella oil (dilute with water first)[2]
Eucalyptus oil (dilute with water first)[3]
Pennyroyal oil (dilute with water first)[4]
Peppermint oil (dilute with water first; likely more effective against mosquitoes but also considered to work against horse-flies.
Lemongrass oil (dilute with water first)[5]

3 Place the cloth in the tin and shut the lid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
4 Use. Whenever you need to use the tin, remove the lid and place on the entertaining table. Make as many as you wish to put around the entertaining area to deter flies.
5 Replenish the oil after each use; once open to the air, the strength weakens and needs to be topped up.
Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the saturated cloth, especially if you are handling food and/or have skin sensitivities.
  
• You can amplify the effect of the essential oils by using candles. Simply add a few drops of the chosen essential oil (or use different ones at different ends of the table) into the melted wax area of a burning candle. The odour will waft out as the candle burns.
  
• If you are familiar with combining essential oils to produce scents, try a combination of the above suggested essential oils for a pleasant odour and possibly a more powerful fly dissuader.
  
• Note that lavender oil can be used freely without needing to dilute with water. Water dilution should follow the instructions accompanying the essential oil. Providing you do not wear the oil, dilution at a ratio of 1 part oil to 3 parts water will likely prove sufficient for most oils but know the properties of your oils before making assumptions. If you intend to wear any of these oils as a repellent, the advice here does not apply and you should seek information from the appropriate source.

Warnings

• Always read the warnings accompanying essential oil products and do not use if you are pregnant, have a poor immune system or allergies unless you know the oil to be safe.
  
• Always keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Many are toxic if ingested, especially pennyroyal. Containers should be kept out of reach.
  
• As with any herbal remedy, you are the best judge of whether or not the herbal solutions are doing what you seek from them. If not, experiment with different types until something meets your needs. Sometimes the effectiveness of oils is dependent on local conditions.
  
• Exposure to lavender and tea tree oils may lead to gynecomastia in prepubescent boys.

Things You'll Need

Small tin with lid; ideal tins include confectionery tins, cough drop tins, candle tins etc.
Small piece of cloth, for example, calico, cotton, handkerchief etc.; or cut a piece of dish sponge down to size.

http://www.soapdelinews.com/2011/06/natural-mosquito-repellent-recipes-and.html

Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipes and Other Ways to Deter Biting Insects
Posted by Rebecca D. Dillon | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 |

I was outside listening to my boyfriend play the guitar on Sunday and kept getting bitten. It was enough remind me that it's mosquito season even though I'm not outdoors that often anymore. So I thought it fitting to share a natural bug repellent recipe that I found on Wellness Mama blog.

End of Time Bugspray, $6 from Good 4 You
There are a handful of widely recognized essential oils that possess properties that naturally repel biting insects. These oils include: cedarwood, lavender, lemon, patchouli, neem, peppermint, rosemary, basil, thyme, citronella, lemongrass, pennyroyal, tea tree oil, geranium, catnip, and eucalyptus. While the recipe from Wellness Mama doesn't include all of these ingredients, you can use any combination of essential oils you like based on availability or scent preference. Her bug spray calls for including an essential oil blend, boiled water, and witch hazel though you can also make a repellent using an essential oil blend and a carrier oil such as olive oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil or even rice bran oil which I like because it's light but effective.

Wellness Mama Essential Oil Bug Spray
Ingredients:

Essential oils: choose from Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint (Natural, organic essential oils available from Mountain Rose Herbs.)
Natural Witch Hazel
Distilled or boiled Water
Vegetable glycerin (optional)

Instructions:

Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin if using
Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be. My personal favorite mix is: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus… it works great and smells good too!

Be sure to visit Wellness Mama for other terrific recipe ideas including how to make bug repellent from fresh or dried herbs, a super strong insect repelling recipe, and other simple insect repelling ideas. There's also an article for making your own natural homemade sunscreen!