When the weather gets warm, the mosquitoes come out in many parts of the world. They can seriously put a damper on hikes, outdoor activities, barbecues and those relaxing nights on the deck.
Most people turn to very toxic chemical solutions, like DEET, which even carries warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency to wash it off your skin as soon as possible after being outdoors. However, what they aren’t saying is that most of the chemicals in DEET have already soaked into your skin and absorbed into your bloodstream. This is no good if you are working on achieving health and wellness. It’s like adding another burden on the body.
At the same time, you want and deserve to enjoy the outdoors, so what do you do? Many people turn to Avon’s Skin So Soft, which has definitely worked in my experience but has mixed reviews and also a list of chemicals – although much milder than DEET. Others talk about taking vitamin B1 (thiamine) and Brewer’s yeast (also has B vitamins), which have mixed results.
Europeans love Picaridin, an insect repellant that is derived from black pepper, but also combined with other toxic chemicals considered less harsh than DEET. So this got me thinking…why not use some of the essential oils that help deter mosquitoes and add black pepper essential oil? Some studies have shown essential oils to not only do the job, but provide health benefits as well.
Here is my all natural mosquito repellant recipe, using the power of black pepper essential oil and a few other stars of the essential oil world. Try it and see what you think.
In an 8-ounce Bottle, Mix the Following and Shake Well:
- 3 ounces water
- 2 ounces organic witch hazel
- 15 drops jojoba oil (this is a mosquito repellant in and of itself)
- 3 drops citronella essential oil
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
- 3 drops black pepper essential oil (this is the natural derivative of the chemical mosquito repellant, Picaridin, the European best-selling alternative to DEET)
- 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 2 drops lemon essential oil
How to Use
You might consider putting this mixture on your skin after a shower, following up with using jojoba oil as your moisturizer (super moisturizing and absorbs really well, so won’t leave oil on skin), then taking a spray bottle of this natural mosquito repellant out with you. You’ll have to put it on more often during the day (maybe), but your body will get the health benefits of the oils instead of being poisoned. This is KEY if you have any health issues or low energy, hormone imbalance, headaches, on the way to menopause, etc.
Vitamin B Deficiency?
I wonder of being attractive to mosquitoes has something to do with a vitamin B deficiency. There’s shaky evidence that vitamin B1 helps repel mosquitoes, but that appears to vary based off of body chemistry. I’d wonder about vitamin B deficiency and consider either getting an OAT (Organic Acids Test from Great Plains Lab) or MAP (Metabolic Analysis Profile) to confirm and maybe supplementing if necessary.
B vitamins, along with minerals, are the first to go during times of STRESS. And who doesn’t experience stress? If you’ve had a lot of stress during an extended period of time, it’s not unusual to have a deficiency of B vitamins and minerals (magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc.).
Tips on Where to Find These Items
You can mix this up in a glass jar, shake up well and then, using a small stainless steel funnel (kitchen shops sell this or you can get it online), pour some into a small glass bottle with a fine mist sprayer top. I’ve cleaned and reused the glass essential oil hand sprays (often sold at Whole Foods checkout counters), vitamin spray bottles (B12 sprays often have these) or purchased small 2 oz. glass bottles online with fine mist sprayer tops.
Essential Oils
Many people have their own preferred essential oils, which is great! One excellent source to get all of these essential oils (even the black pepper) is Mountain Rose Herbs. You can also get organic jojoba oil there (or here at Amazon).
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