How to Make DIY Homemade "Bug Off" Spray

How to Make an Effective Natural "Bug Off" Spray with Essential Oils

So those darn blood suckers are out! Yesterday, we saw one on my dog and one on my husband and... THAT WAS IT!

I went right to some of my new books that I picked up at the Young Living Empower event to find a new outdoor spray that would be safe for everyone in my house, including my pups. Tick, flea, and mosquito season are upon us so finding safe alternatives with proposed benefits are a must!

Trust me you can look around and find various blends for outdoor annoyance. Personally, I would just look and see which oils you have in your home or which one you want to order and just make a blend that works for you. 

My opinion, you can't go wrong you will see we have a lot of oils to support our furry pups and ourselves outside. 

Below are several recipes that I found during my quest. If your using oils and you have animals in your home, please do yourself a favor and grab  the life science animal reference book. This book is where I picked up all of my animal care secrets and has been a go-to resource for us.

A Quick Word on DEET

There is continued concern that use of DEET may be hazardous. Limited evidence is available on the long-term use of DEET and its' health risks. Contrary to popular belief, it is not currently listed as a human carcinogen. Be advised however, scientists are not certain of the exact mechanism by which DEET works as a repellent. With all of this concern, and lack of knowledge on the mechanisms behind DEET's actions, it is reasonable to search for alternatives. 

Our Journey

I have found that using essential oils has been a good alternative for us. Please do your own research.

The essential oils I use most often are Citronella, Geranium, and Lemongrass.

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Here are some of our favorite recipes:

Recipe 1- Blood Sucker Roller:

• 15 ml Roller Bottle 
• 1/2 oz or 15ml carrier oil base
• 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
• 3 drops Geranium Essential Oil
• 2 drops Laurus Nobilis Essential Oil (bay leaf)

Recipe 2- Blood Sucker Spray:

• 4 oz glass spray bottle 
• 10 drops Purification 
• 10 drops RepelAroma 
• 10 drops Eucalyptus 
• 1/4 cup Thieves cleaner 
• Approximately 1 oz carrier oil
• Fill rest with water
• Shake well and spray on dog daily

Recipe 3-  Tiny Little Jumpers:

• Approximately 0.5 oz carrier oil or add to 8 oz of Animal Scents Shampoo
• 2 drops Citronella 
• 2-4 drops Lemon 
• 2-4 drops Clary Sage 
• 5-6 drops Peppermint  

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Recipe 4- Flyers Annoyances/Little Jumpers: 

• 8 oz bottle 
• 7 Citronella 
• 5 Lemongrass 
• 5 Geranium 
• 10 Myrrh 
• Aloe Vera

Other Oils to use for Jumpers:

Singles- Lemongrass, Melaleuca Alterniforia, Eucalyptus (all types), and peppermint. 

Blends- paragize, digize ​

Thieves, Lemon, Citronella, and Purification are also four great oils for outdoors and dogs, so feel free to replace an oil above with one of those. 

You can add these essential oils to Animal Scents Shampoo or you can apply these mixtures or essential oils to the collar, neck, back, chest, legs, and tail. Please remember to dilute appropriately for your puppy.

I hope this helps and I hope you can see you have tons of options that are safe for your four legged friend. I feel comfortable to make a blend for my pups with any of these essential oils, diluted appropriately. But I only trust the integrity of Young Living for my fur babies, because of Seed To Seal. 

When anyone is using oils, including your animals, it's important to start slow, let them become used to oils first before you start putting them on your pet. Wear them in yourself and diffuser so that they can get used to an oil lifestyle. 

For more awesome information for pets and animals, check out the Essential Oils Animal Desk Reference. This reference is a must for all serious oilers who also have animals in the family. I have personally utilized this to advance my knowledge and learn how to safely use essential oils with animals! I know you will love it too!!!

Please remember for all recipes use correct dilution for your animal, best place to learn those is through the books.  

Related Essentially Well Posts:

• New and Improved Premium Starter Kit by Young Living
• 9 Calming Essential Oils for Dogs
• Best Essential Oil Hack for Cleaning Dogs Ears! 

Please feel free to comment and let us know how you are using Young Living Essential Oils to help keep the outdoor annoyances away!

As always, if you are new to essential oils and do not have any of your own, consider a premium starter kit from Young Living. This is widely regarded as the simplest way to get started with essential oils. When signing up for your first kit, you will have the opportunity to choose one of our leaders. This is an important step as they will provide you with ongoing support for the lifetime of your Young Living journey at no added cost to you! You can do this simply by visiting the our team page and selecting the individual you would like as your direct upline.

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living products are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Please see our disclaimer.