Summer has come… finally!!
And with the awesomeness of warm weather, golden skin goals and spending a thousand hours at the beach, mosquitoes and sunburns become part of your dreamy sunny days!!
Although most summer essentials like sunscreen and bug spray can be pretty toxic, there are safe alternatives that are easy to make if that’s your way to go.
First lets talk about those annoying little flying bastards that can ruin your night sleep or that beautiful sunset aperitif; but most of all your skin. Incredibly itchy after a bite, swollen skin and I’m sure nobody likes to wake up in the morning with a huge deformed eye, right?
That’s when the beauty of essential oils comes to live. Every time you use one of these oils for any home made solution, cosmetic, air freshener or cleaning product, your health will benefit from it.
Some of the essential oils used in the next BUG OFF spray recipes, will not only repel the insect but they will also be helpful with another ailment/condition you are having. Tea Tree oil for example, has powerful antiseptic properties and the ability to treat wounds. Lemongrass essential oil is an analgesic therefore reduces pain and inflammation and that is just one tiny benefit of many more. Peppermint other than keep the bugs away is helpful as a carminative and antispasmodic when treating digestive discomfort.
So let’s get going with this keep the “BUGS OFF” natural repellents.
Recipe 1
Ingredients
10 drops tea tree
10 drops peppermint
15 drops citronella
10 drops lemongrass
50 ml distilled water
50 ml witch hazel
Directions
Pour all ingredients into a 100ml glass spray bottle mix well and use it.
Recipe 2
Ingredients
10 drops lemongrass
5 drops eucalyptus
10 drops citronella
15 drops lavender
10 drops geranium
50 ml witch hazel
50 ml distilled water
Directions
Pour all ingredients into a 100ml glass spray bottle mix well and use it.
Sun Protection
When it comes to sunscreen, it’s often pretty toxic containing Endocrine disruptors and many other chemicals that will harm your body. But there are ways to keep sunburn at bay with natural products. Let me remind you that homemade sunscreens don’t have the lab testing that conventional ones do, and as any other kind of sunscreen it will not protect you from sunburn if expose to strong sun during long hours (use common sense and get safe sun exposure).
Recipe 1
Ingredients
¼ cup bees wax
2 Tablespoons of non-nano version of Zinc Oxide (Be careful not to inhale the powder)
1 teaspoon Red Raspberry Seed Oil
½ cup almond
¼ cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon Carrot Seed Oil
2 tablespoons Shea Butter
10 drops Vanilla extract
Small mason jar (pint size)
(Do not use citrus essential oils as they increase sun sensitivity)
Directions
Put all ingredients besides zinc oxide, raspberry oil and vanilla extract into a glass jar.
Grab a medium saucepan and fill with a couple inches of water then place over medium/low heat.
Place mason jar in the saucepan.
Ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Stir occasionally to incorporate.
Once all ingredients are melted, add the raspberry oil, vanilla extract and zinc oxide, mix well and pour into mason jar for storage.
Let cool down and store at room temperature.
Recipe 2
Ingredients
2 tbsp shea butter
2 tbsp Zinc Oxide
1 tbsp pomegranate oil
10 drops lavender
3/4 Cup coconut oil
Small mason jar (pint size)
(Do not use citrus essential oils as they increase sun sensitivity)
Directions
Put shea butter and coconut oil into a glass jar.
Place a saucepan with 2 inches of water over medium/low heat.
Place jar in saucepan and stir contents until ingredients start to melt.
Once all ingredients are melted and mixed, add zinc oxide, lavender and pomegranate and stir well. Store in a cool place.
