One option, though less than savory, if smelling like a salad is less than appealing, is to mix vinegar and water. Pour this simple compound into a squirt bottle: voila! This insect repellent, smelly though it might be, is great if you're out on heavily wooded trails in the dead of summer. Not only will the aroma refresh, but while in a sweaty outdoor environment, this stuff works wonders against all the usual suspects: ticks, gnats, midges, mosquitoes and deer flies. Nasty buggers!
Okay, another option, if your plan involves more refined activities, involves witch hazel. Simply take a bottle of witch hazel, pour this into a squirt bottle and add three to five drops of tea tree, lavender or peppermint oils. This is another great remedy and leaves you smelling wonderfully fresh. If you're looking for a moisturizing bug repellent instead, then take any one of those essential oils and mix with an organic lotion.
What's more, there are natural solutions for dealing with pests in your garden too, such as a hot pepper spray or a mint soap spray. These are just as simple to make. Take the hot pepper spray, for instance: All that's required is to boil 2 or 3 cups of water and add 1/2 cup of minced hot peppers. Reduce the heat to a simmer, allowing the peppers' oils to penetrate and mingle with the water. Then pour the compound into a squirt bottle and spray it directly onto the offending beasts. It works well on ants and other small insects. Words of caution: Do not spray directly on leaves or flowers.
With the rising incidence of skin cancer since the advent of synthetics, be good to your body by protecting yourself from insect bites with natural compounds that will actually rejuvenate your skin. Plus, you'll smell nice. No need to douse yourself or loved ones with awful aerosol sprays that irritate the skin and make you smell, at best, like a car freshener. There are hundreds of ways to repel the insects naturally, and all are cheap and simple to make. And with a little inventiveness, you'll soon compile your own list of homemade, natural remedies.
