Natural Mosquito Repellents & Mosquito Bite Remedy

My daughter just returned from a lovely vacation in Topsail Island, North Carolina. It looks so serene and that water is so gorgeous with hints of turquoise blue. 

It reminds a little bit of the water in the Caribbean and my favorite vacation place Jamaica where the water is aqua, turquoise and deep blue green.

See my Caribbean Colors post!

She said it was wonderful except for all nasty the mosquitoes. They were really biting!

They were biting during the day around the pool and were even worse in the evening which was quite inconvenient when it was time for them to make s'mores! 

Not only do mosquitoes cause those itchy bite welts that we are all familiar with, they can carry diseases including West Nile Virus and the Zika Virus. 

Some people are allergic to the proteins in the mosquito saliva and have a severe reaction which creates large red swollen areas that are hot to the touch and take a long time to heal. I remember one time in Sea Isle City, NJ, my little nephew was actually so disfigured, from the mosquito bites he got on his face, that people passing by stared at him like something was seriously wrong with him.

We have to take precautions spending time outside when there are biting mosquitoes. I don't know about you, but I hate spraying chemicals like DEET on my skin and worry about putting DEET on children. I know products like OFF! work, but I'm a bit paranoid about certain chemicals. I like to take a more natural approach when ever possible.

I'm also paranoid about companies, such as Mosquito Shield, who spray entire properties with undisclosed chemicals. I recently received some great new info about Mosquito Shield's chemicals and added what I learned to my Mosquito Shield post.

Read: Are the Mosquito Shield chemicals safe?

Let's look at some safer natural ways to repel mosquitoes. 

Natural Ways to help keep the Mosquitoes away.

Essential Oils

Apply lavender essential oil to your pulse points. Lavender is one of my favorite soothing, healing, multi purpose essential oils that is safe to use undiluted on the skin.

Other mosquito repelling essential oils are Basil, Cedarwood, Citronella, Juniper, Lemon, Myrrh, Palmarosa, Pine, Geranium and Rosemary. A few drops of any of these oils need to be diluted in water or a carrier oil (olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc.) before applying to the skin.

Mix up a little essential oil concoction to repel them! Here are some easy recipes:

Recipe #1
Combine in a 16 oz spray bottle:
15 drops of lavender essential oil
3-4 tablespoons vanilla extract
10 drops of lemon eucalypus oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Fill the bottle with water and shake well.

Recipe #2
Combine in a 16 oz spray bottle:
15 drops of lavender oil
3-4 tablespoons vanilla extract
Fill the bottle with water and shake well.

Recipe #3
Combine in a 16 oz spray bottle:
15 drops of lavender oil
3-4 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
Fill the bottle with water and shake well.

Check your Clothes
Wear light colored clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors. I always forget which they are attracted to light or dark, so I think mosquitoes come out more at night when it's dark!

Burn a candle 
Light a candle but don't put it near you. The carbon dioxide it gives off will attract mosquitoes away from you. 

Blow them Away
Have a fan blowing near you. If the mosquito can't land on you due to the breeze, it can't bite you. This works great! I was outside on a friend's patio and there was a fan blowing. I got no mosquito bites that night!
  
More Topical Remedies
Put Listerine in a spray bottle and spray it around you and/or on you.

Mix a 50/50 ratio of Listerine and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on you and/or around you.

Apply a little Vicks Vaporub.

Apply vanilla extract to the pulse points.

There are some commercial, cruelty free, natural repellents that you can try.

All Terrain Herbal Armor. This DEET free natural repellent contains 6 oils that repel  insects. There is a great kids specific spray.

Jason Quit Bugging Me. This repellent contains Geranium, Soybean and Coconut oils. 

Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent contains Rosemary, Lemongrass, Cedar, Peppermint, Citronella, Clove and Geranium oils to repel. 

Read More on Natural Repellents: 
20 Natural Mosquito Repellent Tips & Recipes- Natural Bug Control from my friend Joan at Tips Bulletin!

Mosquito Bite Remedy

So you tried to repel them but they bit you anyway!

My favorite remedy for a mosquito bite is a facial mask containing mud and/or clay. Apply a thick layer of mask to a new bite. It seems to lessen the allergic reaction. I feel the clay or mud draws out some of the mosquito saliva and it helps calm the histamine reaction. Carry one with you in your bag when you are outside and apply it as soon as you are bitten. I find it really helps! 

My favorite YonKa Masque 105 contains three types of clay, montmorillonite, bentonite and kaolin along with castor oil and the healing essential oils lavender, rosemary, thyme, geranium and cypress to help calm and heal the bite faster.

This works great on wasp and bees stings as well! Read about my wasp sting!

You can also try Bug Bite Thing that was seen on Shark Tank to remove bug bite venom from the skin. It's a suction device to draw out the venom.

Click here to shop on Amazon for more mosquito repellents.

Read more about mosquito repelling at Thought Co.

       Have a Beautiful Day! 

xo

Jill

Licensed Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Makeup Artist

 Wedding, special occasion or everyday makeup and skin care services available in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. Visit my makeup page for more information!

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