Natural Bug Repellent

[badstar]

This is the recepie, straight from the source for the stuff that I snagged from Jen over the weekend that kept bug away for several hours at a time:


As a base/carrier oil, you can use grapeseed, almond, jojoba, apricot kernel, or even olive oil.

5 oz carrier oil

Essential oils:

1/2 oz citronella oil
1/2 oz texas cedarwood oil
1/2 oz eucalyptus oil
1/2 oz lemongrass oil
1/2 oz peppermint oil
1/2 oz neem oil


mix 'em all together, shake before using. it can be put into a spray mister bottle. safe to use on pets, but try to keep them from licking their coat.

Jen had hers mixed with grapeseed oil, which is a lighter oil (good for your skin too). Gah, I can't imagine spreading olive oil on my skin, but I guess if you're desperate...

Comments

[fuego.livejournal.com]

just emailed you about that.

[nofate301.livejournal.com]

olive oil is good for the skin. It's also good to put on your hands to protect you from hot peppers

[ranger-hotsauce.livejournal.com]

Why would anyone want protection from hot peppers? I'm confused...

[nofate301.livejournal.com]

if you have cuts or open wounds on your hands the hot peppers could be problematic. And very painful.

[unprotoize.livejournal.com]

Olive oil is actually quite nice on the skin :)

[ranger-hotsauce.livejournal.com]

Since Lemon Grass is the common name for citronella, I wondered what the difference between "lemon grass oil" and "citronella oil" was. Wikipedia to the rescue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citronella). When you go to buy them, you might have to work with/around a salesperson who doesn't know the difference. If the bottles have species names, so much the better.

[ranger-hotsauce.livejournal.com]

I dunno, sounds like another way to enjoy them. Hmm, direct infusion of capsaicin into the bloodstream...
Sorry, you don't know me, so you don't know that my confusion was feigned, as a joke. Fuego got it, I'm sure.

[nofate301.livejournal.com]

no no, didn't miss it. I just know a lot of people who are big fans of peppers, from chilis to habaneros...

and well, they weren't exactly very happy when they landed some capsacin in an open wound.

That's all.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

but olive oil on your skin in the hot sun? icky!! seriously, I know that olive oil is good stuff but if I'm spending 4 days outdoors like I did, and it's fricken warm outside, I am NOT going to slather myself with olive oil. pass the grapeseed, thanks

[fuego.livejournal.com]

in the hot sun?

[fuego.livejournal.com]

yes, yes. John, meet Ranger Hotsauce.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

thanks for pointing this out, though I buy most of my oils from a place where they know what they're talking about

[twistedcat.livejournal.com]

or you can just boil catnip, let it cool, strain it into a squirty bottle, and spray yourself down.

ok, so it might be dangerous if you have cats

but some of us are sensitive to citronella and/or eucalyptus

[tantric-pixie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this. Mind if I repost it (with credit)?

[fuego.livejournal.com]

doesn't bother me any, just know that it's not my original recepie, i got it from soeone else

[fuego.livejournal.com]

i didn't know that about the catnip...but yeah, i think i'd best avoid that with the cats in the house :-)

[corpslave.livejournal.com]

That brings the image of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer used butter after shaving because he liked how it felt on his skin, went on the roof to sun himself, then started to cook and made Newman hungry.