Summer’s warm weather and long days are perfect for outdoor sports, lazy get-togethers, and festive barbecues with friends. But spending time outdoors in the heat and humidity often means there are unwanted pests sharing your space. If you’re sick of dealing with mosquitoes and want easy, healthy alternatives for repelling them, here are nine solutions you can keep around that will leave your skin smelling lovely, too.
9 All-Natural Mosquito Repellents
- Lavender Oil – Applying essential lavender oil to your pulse points will keep mosquitoes from biting.
- Black Pepper – Blending essential black pepper oil with lavender and neem seed oil is a more powerful mixture against unwanted summer critters. Use 20-30 drops of each.
- Eucalyptus Oil – Keep some eucalyptus essential oil handy to repel mosquitoes quickly. Blend with lavender oil for a fragrantly powerful combination. Use 20-30 drops of each.
- Lemon Balm – (From the Melissa Plant) Crush a handful of leaves from the Melissa plant and rub the essential oil over your skin to protect yourself from insects.
- Basil – Basil leaves have a fragrant scent that repels mosquitoes and other insects at bay. Keep some close by or crush and rub the leaves on your skin to create a barrier.
- Lemon Thyme – Same as with Lemon Balm, crushing and rubbing the essential oils in the leaves of lemon thyme can help keep mosquitoes away for short spurts of time.
- Lemongrass – A distant relative of the citronella plant, lemongrass is a great way to keep bugs away. Crush a handful of leaves and apply the oil to any exposed skin. Reapply every 30 minutes or so.
- Citronella – Keeping citronella plants nearby will naturally repel mosquitoes and other insects longer than a candle, along with providing a light, fragrant aroma for the yard.
- Garlic – This may not be the popular choice as it’ll likely repel people too, but eating fresh garlic will help keep mosquitoes away since they don’t like the aroma.
Just remember to test these in a small area of your skin to make sure you’re not allergic before rubbing on these natural repellents.
Do you have any tips for keeping summer’s pests away? How do you naturally fight off mosquitoes and other bugs?
