As something of a sun worshipper, I always seem to be gravitating to warmer destinations as part of my globetrotting adventures.
There’s only one problem with places that enjoy hotter climates however – the mosquitoes enjoy them too!
Not only that, but these pesky little nibblers also enjoy ME far too much as well.
Whether it’s because I eat too many bananas or have the wrong blood type I can’t decide, but you can be sure that if there’s a mosquito in a 10 metre radius it will hunt me out and enjoy a good feast!
As such, using repellent is a must for me in many places around the world.
The nasty DEET found in most conventional insect repellents however really turns me off.
I’ve been trying to minimise the amount of chemical I put onto my skin for some years now (one reason I always advocate natural sunscreen for example) and when I discovered that the DEET from mosquito repellent actually melted some of my clothing,
I knew it was definitely something I no longer wanted to spray on my skin.
Searching for alternatives however has proved difficult.
There are natural repellents on the market, but they’ve never worked as effectively as I’d have liked… and they’re expensive.
As a result of this disappointment, I started trialling my own recipes (with the help and advice of others) and have finally stumbled upon a DEET-free mosquito repellent you can make cheaply at home that keeps even the most determined tropical blighters at bay.
The Australian bush has been the real test for this recipe and I’m delighted to confirm that this excellent concoction has worked even there!
Better still, the recipe is quick, easy and, like I said, inexpensive to put together at home.
So, no matter where in the sunshine you’re jetting off to next, be sure to check out this recipe for a DEET-Free Mosquito Repellent you can make cheaply at home.
It’ll have you enjoying a bite-free holiday in no time!
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Recipe for DEET-Free Mosquito Repellent You Can Make Cheaply at Home
Container: 1x 300ml bottle
(if you have something with a spray nozzle, even better).
Make sure you clean and thoroughly dry the bottle first.
Ingredients: 140ml of Sweet Almond Oil 140ml of Dettol Antiseptic Liquid 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil 10 drops of Citronella
Method: Combine all ingredients well in a bowl and then pour into the bottle using a funnel.
Spray repellent on as desired and re-apply every few hours.
So there you have it, a DEET-Free Mosquito Repellent you can make cheaply at home.
Compared to the nasty chemical products you’ll normally buy, it’s a safe and healthy way to stop biting insects ruining your next trip!
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This is great, thanks for posting! I have (surprisingly!) not been too bothered by mosquitoes living in Singapore – but I have been _severely_ bitten in both South Korea and Alabama. To make matters worse, my mosquito bites sometimes swell up to be the size of golf balls!
Just out of curiosity, do you think coconut oil would work as a replacement to the sweet almond oil?
Mine swell up too Prianka – nightmare! and when 1 reason I have such an aversion to the little critters! I reckon coconut oil would work just fine – but keep me posted!
I’m just about to head out on a roadtrip to Uluru for around a week, and after being eaten alive by the mozzies in Cairns I’ve been looking for a more natural repellent, so thanks for posting this.
I’ve got a few more days here in Cairns before we head off, so I’m going to try it here and see how it goes. Really hoping it’ll work! 🙂
(PS, just discovered but really enjoying your blog!)
Thanks so much Carmen! Let me know how you get on with the spray – it worked for me in Darwin, so I reckon you’ll be good 🙂