Monday, July 22, 2013

Natural mosquito repellent


Today I am going to share my natural mosquito repellent.

I am one of those people that attract mosquitoes...
yes, great, I know.
I must not be the only one...

One night, as we were working in our yard, 

I remembered that mosquitoes don't like rosemary. The smell of rosemary is really strong, so they stay away.
I rubbed rosemary on my arms and legs, and that was the best thing I could have ever done.
Also I have been using vinegar to repel mosquitoes and other insects/bugs (including ticks) on our dogs, since they don't like to taste the vinegar.
So here is my natural repellent to keep them away.
Fair warning: 
this stuff has a strong smell when it is wet, but the smell disappears as it dries, literally within a minute.

Here it is.
I fill a spray bottle 1/2 way with vinegar and grab some rosemary.

Cut it up and put in the bottle with the vinegar.
The longer the rosemary is in the vinegar, the better. 
The more rosemary the stronger the smell (which is a GOOD thing).
After about 2 weeks, it is now ready for use.
Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water to dilute it.

This is now ready to be used on your skin.
This mixture has antiviral and antibacterial properties. 
(thanks to the two ingredients)
Completely safe on your skin, even safe for children and pets.
This works extremely well.
No bug spray has ever worked this well for me. I apply right before going outside and bring the spray bottle with me.
Reapply as needed.
It does no harm to your body or skin.
(unless you are allergic to either rosemary or vinegar...which is not very common)

This bug spray cost practically nothing, as white vinegar is inexpensive and our rosemary bush is ginormous.
And it totally works.
I also make this repellent in a big jar simultaneously. 
When ready, I just add water and refill the spray bottle.
As I said, the all family use this, including our two dogs.

For more natural pet safe flea control
click here


Stay Frugal,

18 comments:

Sonny G said...

I'll definatly be making this..
thanks so very much.. sqeeters love us here in the south too:)

Ivy, Phyllis and Me! said...

Good Afternoon Daniela, Fabulous, a natural mosquito repellant.... thank you so much. When I lived in Cyprus mosquitoes were drawn to me, but never touched George. I live in the North of England now, and we don't suffer with mosquitoes as it is too cold for them to survive.
My daughter however, lives in India so I am going to pass this information on to her, as it is monsoon time at the moment and the mosquitoes are multiplying rapidly, so she will be glad of this repellant.
Best Wishes to you,
Daphne

Mary Palumbo Collings said...

Mi piace questa idea, devo assolutamente provare.
Grazie... buona giornata Daniela.

KC Coake said...

I need to try this because mosquitos sure seem to love me. I hope it works as well for me. Thanks for the idea.
KC

Revi said...

Mosquitos don't like me as well as they like some people, but still, sometimes there are some who have different tastes, I think, and they get me. I like the idea of your repellent! I love Rosemary. If I don't use it all as a repellent, I can always make a salad dressing of the rest. :)
-Revi

Anonymous said...

That's an even better solution than I have used. Listerine works as well, it actually kills them on contact. I spray the area with Listerine then enjoy. Of course that's only when I'm not at home because here we have such a large bat population that eats them we aren't bothered by mosquitoes.

Jen said...

Glad you shared this. They are horrible right now where I live.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Daniela,
That is a great TIP! In 2004 I had a basal cell skin cancer surgically removed from my lower leg. In my opinion this was caused by spraying those chemicals that are in mosquito repellent. I've never ever used it again, only natural oils like tea tree oil. This is a great tip and cheap! Thanks for always thinking outside of the box and for healthy solutions.
Hugs,
Mariette

PS I had to G + this post! More people should know about this.

Libby said...

This is a great idea. We are in sync this week - I have a very similar post on this scheduled this week. Gotta give yours a try. Have a great week!

Moe said...

Oohhh I will for sure be making this. Both my husband and kiddo are loved by mosquitoes and can't go outside without getting eaten up. I feel so bad for them since the bugs don't bother me nearly as much.

Laurie @ Laurie's Little Bits of Creativity, etc. said...

I'm not one of those people that attract mosquitoes, but my husband sure is. I'll have to give this a try. White vinegar sure has a ton of uses, doesn't it? Thanks for sharing Daniela.

Marissa said...

Daniela, I have a big plant of rosemary I will be trying this.. I hope I don't end up smelling like a pickle LOL.. what a great idea thanks for sharing...

Unknown said...

Great idea. We al put chopped garlic outside around us and they don't come near us. One can also put on some Vicks Vapo Rub as a repellant. Thank you.

Amy of While Wearing Heels said...

Mosquitoes love me too. Thanks for the great tips. What if I need it for this weekend? You mentioned just rubbing the rosemary on your arms and legs, how did that work?

SewSweetVIntage said...

I hear ya, the skeeters love me! Hate the smell of vinegar, but if it fades, worth a try:) Pinning! I posted anchor dress to Wow Wed! Stop over:)

Cristina Garay said...

Such a great idea, I would love to try it!

must love junk said...

Wow-great info! Love the pic of the dog! :)
Susan

thistlewoodfarm said...

Awesome idea! Thank you so much for sharing!!!! Your pictures are so pretty!

Happy day to you!
karianne