Essential oils are great for first aid but you can also use them to ditch the DEET in favor of a greener safer alternative for keeping mosquitoes and other insects at bay. You can make your own natural insect repellent with a variety of different essential oils including:

Bay Laurel
Cajeput
Cedarwood Atlas
Cinnamon Bark or Leaf
Clove
Eucalyptus
Fennel
Geranium
Juniper Berries
Lavender
Lemongrass
Patchouli
Peppermint
Rosemary
Spearmint
Thyme
Vetiver

You can experiment with combining different oils from this list to create an insect repellent that you like. You’ll want to make it at a minimum 5-6% concentration for it to be effective. In cases where the insect population is high you may need to increase the concentration of your blend to 10-12% if you’re not getting the results you need at the lower recommended concentration.

Here are some sample recipes you can try too:

Natural Insect Repellent Oil

25 drops of Distilled (not cold pressed) Lime essential oil
20 drops of Cedarwood Atlas essential oil
12 drops of Geranium essential oil
9 drops of Patchouli essential oil
2 ounces of Carrier Oil (jojoba or coconut)

Combine in a dark glass bottle and apply as needed.

Natural “Bug Off” Spray

35 drops of Lavender essential oil
15 drops of Rosemary essential oil
10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil
8 drops of Juniper essential oil
6 drops of Lemon essential oil
2 ounces of Witch Hazel or Vodka

Combine in a dark glass bottle with a spray top. Rub a little jojoba or coconut oil onto your skin first then spray bug repellent on top of the oil. Re-apply as needed.