Description

NATURAL BUG REPELLENT

My natural bug repellent contains ingredients that insects hate including Bitter Quassia, Neem, Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Eucalyptus, Distilled Rosemary water and more bug repelling ingredients.

Bugs hate it, you won’t.

Different types of bugs and mosquitoes are repelled by different ingredients so a mixture of ingredients including essential oils is thought to be more effective than any single ingredient.

BITTER QUASSIA TINCTURE

In Guyana, Brazil and Suriname, local people boil Quassia to make a spray to repel many types of insects including biting flies and mosquitoes. I soak my Quassia in apple cider vinegar and alcohol for many weeks to make a self-preserving tincture to add to my bug repellent recipe.

LEMON EUCALYPTUS VS DEET

New Mexico State University researchers found that oil of lemon eucalyptus was about as effective and as long-lasting as products containing DEET. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health: Oil of lemon eucalyptus (p-Mentane-3,8-diol, or PMD) – the synthetic form of an ingredient in eucalyptus leaves and twigs – “was tested against mosquitoes found in the US, and provides protection similar to repellents with 15%-20% concentrations of DEET.”

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) goes as far as to list Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus as one of 6 recommended insect repellents.

Please note that the above organizations are referring to “Oil of Lemon Eucalytpus” which is rich in p-Mentane-3,8-diol, or PMD, which is processed from lemon eucalytpus essential oil in order to last much longer.   The Lemon Eucalytpus in “Bug Me Not” does not have the same research backing and  would not be long-lasting like Oil that has been processed to contain high concentrations of  PMD.

If you are in areas where diseases are carried through insect bites, please use CDC approved insect repellents.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AS A BUG-REPELLENT

Apple Cider Vinegar is perhaps the safest of all bug repellents. It is thought to work in two ways, the strong smell probably confuses insects who use something like smell to locate their next victim. Vinegar also acts as a mild antibacterial, eliminating bacterial odors that insects associate with a host.

THE TRADITIONAL USE OF NEEM OIL AS A BUG REPELLENT

Neem is perhaps the most revered tree in India. The Neem Tree not only provides shade where children play, picnics are held and naps taken but provides shelter from mosquitoes who avoid the tree. Neem is also an insecticide.

THE FAMILIAR BUG REPELLENT, CITRONELLA

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Citronella Fact Sheet”, Citronella has been used extensively as a repellent of mosquitoes, black flies, fleas, and ticks for more than half a century with no reports of adverse effects.

Oil of Citronella is a volatile, liquid oil derived from dried cultivated grasses. It works on insects without harming or killing them. It has a distinctive odor which may make it difficult for some pests to locate a host. The length of repellency time varies with the inert ingredients and the amount of citronella oil in the product.

INGREDIENTS; Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, In-House Distilled Rosemary Water, Quassia Tincture, Sunflower Lecithin, Decyl Glucoside, Neem Oil, Sea Salt, Essential Oils of Lemon Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Citronella, Tea Tree, Cinnamon, Cedarwood, Fennel, Camphor, Rosemary and Eucalyptus, and Vit. E.

We also have the essential oil blend roll-on