Erika Bragdon is a Certified Essential Oil Coach from the Essential Oil Institute.
Insects can quickly turn a pleasant summer evening or a fun family camping trip into an annoying experience. Luckily you can make your own non-toxic, DEET-free homemade bug repellent for safer relief.
This easy DIY insect repellent lotion uses all-natural ingredients, including essential oils, to repel mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, and other pesky insects. It’s gentle and safe for kids too!
Why should you make homemade insect repellent?
1. When you make your own insect repellent, you know exactly what ingredients are included, unlike many of the ready-made repellents that are loaded with chemicals like DEET.
This essential oil bug repellent recipe is non-toxic with simple ingredients. It’s easy to tweak depending on what essential oils you already have too. Just use the base recipe and try your own essential oil blend.
2. This particular mosquito repellent recipe is great because each essential oil can be used to repel different insects.
Lemon eucalyptus and citronella are great for repelling mosquitos. Geranium oil has been found to repel mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, ants, fleas, gnats, and ticks. Cedarwood repels certain ants. Tea Tree oil repels mosquitos and can also bring itch relief if one bite does sneak in.
Related: got bug bites? Try these essential oils for mosquito bites
I love using this homemade natural bug repellent lotion for my family (and myself!) because the lotion makes it easy to apply and in my experience, it lasts longer than sprays!
Prefer a spray? I have a natural DIY recipe for that too! Our essential oil mosquito repellent spray takes just a couple minutes to make.
DIY Insect Repellent Lotion
It takes just a few minutes to make a batch of this essential oil bug repellent recipe. You can use a microwave or if you prefer not to, you can make this over low heat on your stove.
Ingredients for the lotion base of this homemade bug repellent:
- 1/3 cup of fractionated coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 oz of beeswax (which is just one stick from what you can order here.)
- 1 tsp. of vitamin E oil
- 2 Tbsp. of Organic Shea Butter
- 8 oz jam sized mason jar
.)
This amount will fill one 8oz jam sized mason jar.
The essential oils are the key to turning this into an effective DIY insect repellent lotion.
You will need around 10-15 drops each (a total of 60-75 drops) of the following essential oils:
Note: use fewer drops – a total of 20-30 if you are using with young children.
- Lemon Eucalyptus – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Citronella – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Cedarwood – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Geranium – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
This combination has worked well for us (we live in the northeast.) However, it’s helpful to remember that different areas of the county (and world) have different insect species which react differently to various essential oils.
Tip: mix and match essential oils to find your ideal bug repelling combination!
You don’t have to limit yourself at just these five essential oils. Other insect-repelling essential oils you might include are:
- patchouli – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- vetiver – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- eucalyptus – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- catnip – Eden’s Garden
- lavender – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
How to make Homemade Natural Bug Repellent
1. Add ingredients to a glass measuring cup
If you are using a microwave, use a microwave-safe glass measuring cup
. If you prefer over the stove, use a small saucepan over low-medium heat.
Add:
1/2 cup fractionated coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 oz beeswax
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
2 Tbsp of organic shea butter
2. Melt and stir
You will want to microwave the ingredients in 30-second intervals, with stirring in-between, until all of the oils, wax, and butter are fully melted.
Alternatively, melt slowly over the stir stirring occasionally.
The beeswax takes the longest to melt – so breaking it up and stirring more in-between heatings will help to dissolve it faster.
3. Add essential oils
When your lotion base is fully melted and well stirred, then its time to start adding essential oils.
The liquid should be warm, not hot, so as to not alter the effectivity of the essential oils. If your mixture is hot, let it cool for a few minutes (not too long or it will start to solidify, making it more difficult to evenly stir in the oils.)
Add 10-15 drops each of lemon eucalyptus, citronella, geranium, cedarwood and tea tree oil. (Use 5 drops each for younger children, you can bump to 7-10 drop each for older children, and 15 drops each for teens/adults.)
Bug Repelling Essential ↓
Read this post on essential oil safety tips.
4. Pour into a mason jar
Pour your homemade essential oil insect repellent lotion into an 8-ounce glass mason jar.
It will look golden-colored in it’s melted state
Its a beautiful golden color in its liquid stage, but will lighten up as it cools and hardens into a lotion.
Let it sit to cool for a few hours before applying.
5. Optional: apply this pretty “homemade bug repellent lotion” label
I created this label and applied it to my jar using a glue stick. Wrap clear packing tape
around it to make it waterproof.
Click here to save this free printable label, then print to use this for your own homemade bug repellent lotion. Note: if you use the PDF version, you will probably want to resize it before printing. Or you can right click and save this smaller JPG file here.
Tip: Use two 4 oz mason jars for more convenient on-the-go use instead of one larger 8 oz. You can take one on the go and leave the other at home.
I also recommend this homemade essential oils for bug bites “itch sticks” for convenient bug bite relief.
If anyone is going on a camping trip this summer, this is a must-have for your packing list!
It’s a wonderful feeling to know that when we apply this to our skin, it is moisturizing, natural, and we don’t have to worry about taking a shower before bed to get rid of commercial bug repellent chemicals off!
If you make some of this yourself, be sure to leave us a comment and tell us how well it has worked for you!
For more ways to use essential oils to repel insects, check out these posts:
- DIY essential oil tick repellent spray
- Natural tick repellent for dogs (vet approved!)
- How to make a mosquito repelling bracelet using essential oils
- Essential oil mosquito repellent spray + roller blend
- Essential oils for fire ant bites
Which Essential Oil Brand is Best?
For the best results, you will want to choose a high-quality essential oil brand that is 100% pure and offers third-party testing for quality control. Read this post for more info on how to choose essential oils that work for you and your family (beyond the brand.)
My favorite essential oil company is Rocky Mountain Oils, followed by Eden’s Garden, and Ancient Apothecary by Dr. Axe
All-Natural Homemade Bug Repellent Lotion
This easy-to-make insect repellent lotion uses non-toxic ingredients, including essential oils, to repel mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, and is safe for kids too!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of fractionated coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 oz of beeswax (which is just one stick from what you can order here.)
- 1 tsp. of vitamin E oil
- 2 Tbsp. of Organic Shea Butter
- 8 oz jam sized mason jar
- Lemon Eucalyptus – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Citronella – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Cedarwood – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
- Geranium – Rocky Mountain Oils | Eden’s Garden
Instructions
To start making your DIY insect repellent lotion, add 1/3 cup fractionated coconut oil, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 oz beeswax, 1 tsp. vitamin E oil, and 2 Tbsp of organic shea butter to a microwave safe glass measuring cup.
You will want to microwave the oil in 30 second intervals, with stirring in-between, until all of the oils and butters are fully melted. The beeswax takes the longest to melt – so breaking it up and stirring more in-between heatings will help it dissolve faster.
When your lotion base is fully melted and well stirred, then its time to start adding essential oils. Add 15 drops each of lemon eucalyptus, citronella, geranium, cedarwood and tea tree oil.
Stir until all of the oils are well mixed, and pour into an 8 oz glass mason jar. Let it cool for a few hours before applying it to your skin.
Andrea says
I made this and, while I’m very happy not having toxic chemicals in my home, it’s really, really greasy and doesn’t absorb into my skin – like, at all. I certainly have enough ingredients to make another batch or add to this one (melt it down and add whatever is needed). What can I add to make it less greasy – or what can I omit or reduce to make another batch less greasy? The only difference I made was using pure Vitamin E as opposed to the one you linked, which is Vitamin E plus other oils. I didn’t use a full tablespoon, too. Thanks, in advance, for your help!!
PS. Since it stays on my skin, it makes a great shave oil in the shower!! LOL!! 🙂
Carolyn says
Heyyy , unfortunately coconut oil is one of the greatest but is very greasy & doesn’t absorb into the skin so well … you can add a little Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch to a melted mis which will help stop that greasy feeling on your skin but it may become more of a cream than an oil but would still be effective … good luck 🙂
Sam says
Did NOT try this yet. But i would use the two coconut oil only as the base. Use more or less fractionated coconut oil to adjust the thickness maybe?
Karen Urbanski says
Okay not seeing how this is a lotion. I ended up with 5 oz instead of 8. And in the beginning of recipe you state 1/3 cup of fractionated coconut oil then later it states 1/2 cup.Was this supposed to be whipped to get the continsency like in the second picture. Mine I would say is a salve.
Erika says
The correct amount is 1/3 cup fractionated coconut oil however you may choose to use a little more (1/2 cup) if you prefer a thinner consistency. We did not whip the lotion, it tends to get thinner in warmer temperatures.
Liz says
This works incredibly well, thank you! Your instructions are well written. I used oils I had at home and didn’t have to buy anything. We traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and live in Iowa! It works well everywhere we visited! People love it and have asked for your recipe!
Erika says
I’m so glad to hear that, Liz! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Myriam says
Hi!
I really want to try this recipe but not sure if my skin can handle coconut oil (I have had mild unpleasant reactions to it before) so what other oil would you suggest I replace it with? I read that you said coconut oil is the best but then what would be the 2nd best?
Thank you!
Erika says
You could try melting beeswax or even shea butter. The consistency will be different and you’d have to play around with quantities. We haven’t tried it so I can’t say how well it would work.