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Make your own home-made natural mosquito repellent

Every year, mosquitoes colonise a little bit more of our towns and countryside. It is therefore essential to prepare for summer properly and make sure you have a mosquito solution, be it a natural repellent or other mosquito traps, to tackle the summer season. But, faced with so many products on the market, how can you choose between them? The supermarket aisles are full of sprays for your skin, sprays or products which circulate in the air, natural or chemical repellents, mosquito traps, UV lamps, ultrasound devices and products based on essential oils.…

There are more and more of these products and they are not always effective or natural. But, above all, their price varies enormously! So, today we’re going to give you 3 tips and recipes for natural mosquito repellents you can make yourself at home.

THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES TO MAKING MOSQUITO PRODUCTS YOURSELF.

You know exactly what’s in the mosquito repellents you’re going to use at home. So, you can choose biodegradable and environmentally-friendly products. It’s also a way of avoiding raw materials which harm the environment and you!
You save money! Protecting the whole of your outside space from mosquitoes requires an incredible budget. By making these homemade mosquito solutions, you’re only buying the raw materials which are truly necessary. You’ll possibly be reusing objects you already have at home. So, you’ll generate less waste and do your bit for the planet.
Personalise and customise your objects! It’s much nicer and more satisfying to make something yourself rather than buying it, don’t you think? Why not make it a family affair?

TUTORIAL NO. 1: MAKING A NATURAL MOSQUITO CANDLE WITH CITRONELLA ESSENTIAL OIL

Most of the mosquito candles found in shops do not have any repellent or insecticide effect! Why? They are only perfumed with citronella and do not contain any active substance to repel mosquitoes. We, on the other hand, have chosen citronella essential oil because these oils help to repel mosquitoes naturally. Mixed with wax, the essential oils will circulate in the air permanently, creating a repellent effect and spreading a nice aroma.

To make this 100% homemade mosquito candle, you will need:

A container into which you can pour your wax and make your candle. For example, you could reuse an empty glass jam jar!
A cotton wick and its metal base
50g of plant-based wax
10ml of your choice of vegetable oil. The colour of the oil will colour your candle’s wax. Olive oil, for example, will give a slight green colour.
20 drops of citronella essential oil
10 drops of real lavender essential oil
10 drops of rose geranium essential oil

The process:

Melt the plant-based wax over a low heat in a bain-marie
When the wax has melted, add the oil and mix well.
Off the heat, let it cool slightly and then add the various essential oils.
Mix.
Place the wick base in the bottom of your container and lift the wick up so it comes out at the top.
Pour your wax into your container. Careful: the wick must stay straight while it dries.
Let your candle set for a few hours before using it for the first time.

There you have it! A perfect, homemade natural repellent!

TUTORIAL NUMBER 2: MAKING CUBES OF NATURAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT WAX FOR YOUR FRAGRANCE BURNER

Here’s a variation on the recipe for a citronella mosquito repellent candle with the same properties and the same ingredients.

If you have a fragrance burner, these little cubes of scented wax will be perfect natural solutions for repelling mosquitoes! To make them, just follow the same recipe as in Tutorial 1.
When you pour out your wax, use an ice-cube tray to make small quantities in the shape of little cubes.
Once it has set, take a wax cube and put it in the cup of your burner. Let it melt. Like with the candle, the essential oils will circulate around you, helping to keep mosquitoes away.

The best thing about this natural, homemade tip for keeping mosquitoes away? You can make several and alternate different scents to vary the pleasure!

TUTORIAL NUMBER 3: MAKING A NATURAL, HOMEMADE REPELLENT SPRAY WITH ESSENTIAL OILS!

To go with your mosquito candles which you have placed around your patio, you can also use a natural mosquito repellent spray to avoid being bitten too much. They are very easy to make and can be used by the whole family. Warning: they should be used with care. Moreover, they are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children under 7 or people with allergies.

To make this 100% homemade mosquito spray, you will need:

A disinfected spray bottle. Choose opaque or dark glass models because light alters the quality of the oils.
30 drops of essential oil You can mix rose geranium or geranium bourbon, citronella and real lavender essential oils.

For your base:

45ml of vegetable oil if you want to make a moisturising and nourishing spray. As regards your choice of oil, you can choose: jojoba, apricot kernel, plum, shea, raspberry seed, hemp or camelia…. They all have different properties. Choose the one you want and which suits your skin.

90ml of thermal water or hydrolat. For hydrolats, you also have a choice: peppermint, calendula, sage, May rose, cornflower, lavender, nettle, lemon, grapefruit or eucalyptus…. Each hydrolat has different properties for the skin. Choose one which suits yours.

The process:

Poor your base (oil, thermal water or hydrolat) into your bottle.
Add the 30 drops of essential oil
Close the bottle and shake it well before each use.

A few precautions about use:

Reapply every two to three hours.
Avoid applying it to the face and sensitive areas.
Keep your bottle away from light and heat.
Avoid exposure to the sun after application because some essential oils can cause photosensitivity.

These natural homemade mosquito repellents are very easy to make. However, they are not very effective against a real invasion. Their effect is very localised and their effectiveness is relative. So, these are tips to be adopted alongside a real mosquito repellent or control solution.

If you have a garden and would like to use it without being bothered by mosquitoes, we advise you to get proper mosquito traps which will have a far greater range and are truly effective, such as Qista’s Smart BAM trap.

Beware of tutorials on making natural mosquito traps yourself! As well as not being effective, they will attract wasps, hornets and midges without working on mosquitoes. Give these tutorials a miss. Choose proper mosquito control solutions which really work.

Are you looking for a natural and truly effective large-scale solution? Choose Qista’s trap which catches mosquitoes!