I never look forward to putting on insect repellent. While I am grateful for the protection against potentially disease-carrying insects that it provides, applying the spray always leaves my skin sticky and my eyes stinging. The paradox of – unpleasant but necessary – led me to look into other options.
BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH:
DEET is the active ingredient in the majority of conventional insect repellents.1 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates DEET to Category 3, which is the “slightly toxic” category. The EPA made this placement based on the assumption that the occasional use of DEET will not present any dangers to human health. However, if you live in a location that is plagued, for instance, by disease-carrying mosquitos and must use DEET daily, there are health and environmental side effects to consider.2
Using DEET-containing products incorrectly can potentially lead to skin irritation, disorientation, dizziness, or in some cases seizures or death.3 To sum up the situation, Urvashi Rangan, director of Consumer Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center states, “We think that DEET and other chemical-based repellents should be used only if other, safer methods don’t work for you.”4
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:
In addition to the health risks associated with DEET, there are detrimental environmental side effects. Studies have found that DEET is toxic to aquatic life in high concentrations. Presently, DEET is found in low concentrations in many water sources. Luckily, as far as soil quality goes, fungi and bacteria in the soil are able to break down DEET into less toxic chemicals.5 To err on the side of caution while research on the effects of DEET continues to be conducted, using insect repellents made out of all-natural ingredients seems to be the safest choice for the environment.
BENEFITS FOR ANIMALS:
Making your own insect repellent also ensures that you are not purchasing a product that has been tested on animals. Sadly, many popular store-bought bug sprays are tested on animals, but you can find some that are certified cruelty-free.
Cost: Medium
While the initial purchase of items for your DIY insect repellent, such as witch hazel (~$10) and essential oils (~$8), can be expensive, you will be able to make several rounds of insect repellents from these purchases, which will save you money in the long run.
Time and Effort: Low
Once you’ve bought the ingredients and the spray bottle, mixing the ingredients into the spray bottle will only take a few minutes.
Materials Needed:6
- Glass spray bottle
Ingredients:7
- Witch hazel
- Essential oils
- Distilled water
- Vegetable glycerin
Instructions:
- Fill an eight-ounce glass spray bottle halfway with distilled water. It is important that the spray bottle is made out of glass because the chemicals in plastic can leach overtime.8 Distilled water is a type of purified water; it has gone through an intense filtration process to remove contaminants. While it is useful for some instances, such as making bug spray, it is not ideal to drink because the filtration process unfortunately also strips the water of its natural minerals.9
- Pour witch hazel into the spray bottle so that it is almost full to the top.
- Pour ½ teaspoon of vegetable glycerin into the spray bottle. The vegetable glycerin will help the spray stay on your skin.
- Add about 25-50 drops of whichever essential oils you choose. Typical choices include citronella, lemongrass, lemon, tea tree, lavender, mint, eucalyptus, cedarwood, lemon, rosemary, and thyme.10 DEET-containing products often also contain one of these essential oils.11 I like to mix citronella, eucalyptus, lemon, and cedarwood all together but it’s also nice to switch things up every once in a while.
- Screw on the top to the spray bottle and shake. Your spray is ready to be used!12
Note: If you have sensitive skin, you should test the spray on a small patch of your skin first to see if a reaction occurs.
Other Insect-Repelling Methods:
In addition to creating your own spray, here are some other DEET-free repelling tactics to try:
- Avoid wearing any perfumed substances (lotions, deodorants, etc.) while you are outside during times of high insect activity (dawn and dusk are the most active). The fragrance will attract insects.13
- Burn citronella candles or sage nearby while you are outside.14
- Rub a pinched garlic clove over exposed skin before going outside.15
- Remove standing water sources near your house. If you have items such as a birdbath, change the water at least twice a week to avoid mosquito breeding.16
- Buy non-toxic, pheromone-based mosquito traps.17
- Plant marigolds in your backyard—marigold fragrance wards off many types of insects.18
