Repel mosquitoes naturally with essential oils.
Annoying gnats and mosquitoes can ruin an otherwise pleasant day, discouraging you from gardening, doing yard work or relaxing outside. As an alternative to harmful chemical repellents, you can use a variety of essential oils to deter these pests. Since essential oils can irritate your skin, you should mix them with sweet almond oil, witch hazel or vodka before spraying or rubbing them on your body.
Garlic
Garlic oil is an ingredient in many commercial insect repellent sprays. Its strong smell overwhelms an insect's sense of smell, preventing them from finding prey. You can reap the benefits of garlic oil by consuming more garlic, rubbing a slice of garlic over your body, planting garlic in your yard or spraying your lawn with a commercial garlic spray.
Citronella
Many insect-repelling candles and sprays use citronella oil. You can make your own citronella spray by mixing five drops of citronella oil with 1/3 cup witch hazel and 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar. To make a lotion, combine 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel with 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil and 25 drops of citronella oil.
Thai Lemongrass
Planting Thai lemongrass in your garden can repel mosquitoes and gnats, as it contains an ingredient similar to citronella. To protect your body from flying pests, you can rub the grass on your skin, or break open the stalk and rub it on your skin.
Eucalyptus, Mint and Clove
The scents of eucalyptus, mint and clove are also distasteful to flying pets. To use them in your yard, you can tie the dried herbs and spices in sachets and hang them wherever insects are a problem. Alternately, you can place a few drops of eucalyptus, mint or clove oil on an absorbent cloth and leave these cloths around your yard.
Tags: essential oils, your body, your skin, your yard, drops citronella, mint clove