Homemade Bug Repellent Spray | Natural Tick, Mosquito, & Flea Repellent

When we moved into the woods a few months back, I realized very quickly we would need a Homemade Bug Repellent Spray. There’s a lake close by. The amount of bugs, insects, creepy crawlies is unbelievable. My 3 boys (7,10, 11) are getting used to them. When we first moved in we were being attacked by ticks. I just knew I had to come up with a solution quickly!

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to treat, cure, or diagnos are disease or disorder.

I pulled out a bottle of stuff I bought at the pet store that was safe for our dog and for humans too. I bought it for my dog thinking we could beat a spell of fleas over the counter.

I didn’t end up using the second bottle I bought. I still had it lying around and thought maybe we could use it on ourselves.

Halfway through the week and through the bottle, I realized that I would have to figure out how to make this myself.

Looking for a natural tick, mosquito, and flea repellent? Homemade repellent. Tick repellent. Mosquito repellent. Flea repellent.

The bottle costs $20 for 32 FL OZ. It only took us about a week to use the entire bottle. I surely couldn’t spend $20 bucks a week on this stuff. So, I did what I usually do when I want to make something myself, I simply look at the ingredients!

That’s right I look at the bottle to see what’s in there. I saw peppermint oil and clove oil. I knew I could make something with essential oils.

It’s pretty easy these days to find a Whole Foods Market, or an Earth Fare, or other natural foods market where they sell essential oils.

They come in small bottles but don’t be alarmed, you’ll only use a tiny bit of them for this recipe. I knew I wanted something that would deter mosquitoes as well as ticks if possible and if it worked on fleas that would be a bonus.

So I looked in the cabinet to see what I had on hand. I noticed I had citronella.

I don’t even remember buying it or ever using it. Citronella candles are used for mosquitos, right? So, I looked more into it and saw that there were a couple of studies saying it was about as good as deet.

Mixing up the natural tick, mosquito, and flea repellent is a breeze and takes probably under 2 minutes, including grabbing the supplies.

I also did a bit more research. Learn more about citronella, peppermint and clove oil too. I found a video where a lady put peppermint oil on a tick, and it seemed to die, although I can’t be sure.

Also, look at more uses for peppermint oil!

IMPORTANT NOTE AND DISCLAIMERS:

Speaking of animals. Is this safe for animals? You should ask a veterinarian. They may talk you into buying an expensive prescription like my dog is on, but hey it is pretty foolproof it seems.

This repellent is just that it aids in repelling fleas, ticks and mosquitos. It’s not going to repel every single insect or bug. Ticks or other bugs may still get on you and bite. Some insects/bugs carry diseases. If you need an absolute solution you should seek other sources.

Also, this spray must be applied very often, every hour or so. Make sure to spray shoes well. Use common sense and don’t spray it in your eyes.

My observations on how well this repellent works…

Before use, we were seeing about 7 or 8 ticks on each person give or take a few. When spray was applied (to skin, shoes, & clothing) about every hour (when outside), we only saw about 1 to 2 ticks per person. It’s a significant difference but not absolute.

Homemade Bug Repellent Spray Recipe

You will need 32 FL OZ bottle.

25 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
15 drops Clove Essential Oil
5 drops Citronella Essential Oil
1-2 tsp of natural degreasing soap or just Dawn dish liquid
Enough water to fill up the rest of the bottle

Mix together the ingredients in a 32 FL OZ Bottle, place the top on and swish it around a bit. That’s all there is to it!

OTHER OPTIONS:

There are a couple of other good repellents you may not find in the store that seems to work pretty well.

One is called Picaridin. – This works up to 12 hours on mosquitoes, ticks (14 hours for lotion); up to 8 hours against biting flies, gnats, chiggers, and sand flies.

The other is called Permethrin. – Works on ticks, chiggers, mites, and mosquitoes. It says on Amazon, in the product description, it lasts up to 6 weeks (or 6 washings.)

Have questions? Leave me a comment!

I would love to know what you think, Please leave me a comment! Thank you for visiting. 🙂

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Homemade Bug Repellent Spray | Looking for a natural tick, mosquito, and flea repellent? Homemade repellent. Tick repellent. Mosquito repellent. Flea repellent.

Comments

Kekentia says
June 2, 2016 at 9:38 pm

So it doesn’t say so but I’m assuming you top it off wit water correct?
- Homestead Wishing says
  June 4, 2016 at 3:52 pm
  
  Yes, I’m sorry. Not sure how that got left out. Thanks so much for pointing it out, I updated the recipe to show the water included!
sherry says
August 11, 2016 at 8:52 am

is this safe to put on my pets?
- Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
  August 11, 2016 at 3:28 pm
  
  Here is a quote directly from the post, “Speaking of animals. Is this safe for animals? You should ask a veterinarian. They may talk you into buying an expensive prescription, like my dog is on, but hey it is pretty foolproof it seems.”
  Your Vet, is the only person who can safely tell you if this can be used on your pet. I am not a veterinarian, and cannot give this advice. Sorry, but when you need professional advice seek a professional!
  - Jane says
    June 25, 2018 at 8:30 pm
    
    A bit of research will show you that Peppermint is VERY toxic to dogs and cats.
    - Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
      June 25, 2018 at 11:25 pm
      
      I did a “bit” research, some say it’s fine if you do it right. Some say not at all. At the end of the day people need to speak to a Veterinarian before putting essential oils on their pets. PERIOD.
      Have a blessed day Jane!
Lori says
June 7, 2017 at 11:22 pm

What is the dish soap for?
- Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
  June 8, 2017 at 9:05 am
  
  If this recipe was just oil and water, the oil would just float to the top. Oil is less dense than water, therefore it floats. Oil and water also don’t mix because water molecules are MORE attracted to other water molecules than to oil molecules. Soap molecules are attracted to both water and oil. Thus, helping to mix them together.
  Science! Hope this helps Lori!
Rita says
April 4, 2018 at 2:03 pm

I used mayonnaise, and it killed the fleas in the hair and fur. Didn’t kill the flea eggs. If the fleas get in your hair, just put mayonnaise all over your hair – like a hair mask, cover your hair with a plastic bag, and leave it on for 35 minutes. Give it a good rinse, and you’ll notice all fleas are dead. Straighten your hair at high heat (use heat protector spray), and all flea eggs will die as well. You just have to comb them out after straightening your hair. A nice little bonus for using mayonnaise on your hair- it makes it so soft!
- Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
  April 4, 2018 at 9:52 pm
  
  Thanks for the tips Rita.
Leslie says
May 27, 2018 at 10:23 am

Hi wondering if this is sprayed on clothes, directly on skin, outside around the yard , or all three?
- Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
  May 27, 2018 at 11:24 pm
  
  Well, I’ve sprayed it on skin, shoes, and clothing. Never tried spraying the yard so not sure how/if it would work. It might kill plants or could possibly be bad for pets (if you have them) if ingested. You never know so I’d do some research and/or be careful what you spray in the yard just in case.
Vanessa says
June 7, 2019 at 2:46 pm

Thanks for sharing! Does it last long?
- Kristi @HomesteadWishing says
  June 16, 2019 at 8:15 am
  
  Not really, you need to spray pretty often. I usually re-spray once it dries. I hope to figure out something I can add to help it last longer.