Natural Ingredients That Repel Mosquitos
Mosquito bites are an issue for everyone. Instead of using inorganic and chemicals to repel the mosquitoes, one can also opt for the organic and natural ingredients. They are less or not at all harmful to the skin. However, before applying any you should opt for a patch test.
Natural Options for Mosquito Repellants:
- Lemon eucalyptus oil: We suggest eucalyptus oil as one effective ingredient as a mosquito repellant. As per recent studies, a mixture of 32% lemon eucalyptus oil gave over 95% safeguard from mosquito for 3 hours.
DIY: We can create a mixture containing 1 part lemon eucalyptus oil to 10 parts of sunflower oil or the witch hazel. As per another research using this mixture shall be prohibited for children below 3 years.
- Lavender: Crushed lavender flowers make a fragrance & oil which can repel a mosquito. As per one animal study performed on hairless mice, lavender oil was effective in repelling the adult mosquitoes. Lavender comprises of antifungal, analgesic & antiseptic features. Hence, this ingredient, in addition to repelling mosquitoes, can also calm & soothe our skin.
DIY: We can grow lavender in our outdoor garden or even in our indoor planters. We need to crush the flowers & apply the oil to the site-sensitive parts of our body such as arms and ankles. We also can drop little lavender oil on some clean cloth & rub it onto our skin.
- Cinnamon oil: Cinnamon oil could kill off the mosquito eggs, as per a study in Taiwan. It also can repel adult mosquitoes, very notably the Asian tiger mosquito.
DIY: For making a diluted 1% solution, we shall mix a ¼ teaspoon or 24 drops of oil per 4 ounces of water. We can spray this fluid on our clothing and skin, across our homes & on upholstery or the plants. However, we shall be careful with this oil as its concentrated dose may irritate our skin.
- Thyme oil: Thyme oil is one of the best mosquito repellants. As per an animal study, 5% of thyme oil applied on the skin of hairless mice and it scored 91% protection rate. We may also throw thyme leaves in a campfire. As per a research, burning thyme leaves give 85% safeguard for 60 – 90 minutes.
DIY: To make a homemade brew, we should combine 4 drops of the thyme oil into each teaspoon of the base oil like jojoba or olive oil. To make a spray we can mix 5 drops of the thyme oil along with 2 ounces of water.
