Sun, Summer and Bugs...

If you are like me, and probably most people on the planet, you despise the little creepy-crawly, flying, stinging and biting critters that pop out half an hour after the onset of warm weather.
My friend went out to collect her laundry and had to run back inside to take cover from the swarm of black flies that immediately targeted her. Fortunately, I had just shared this recipe with her, and she applied this mixture of essential oils to her skin, went back out, and was able to fold the entire load outdoors without being harassed.
Interested?

You have 2 options, either a roller ball or a spray. I say this because although I had a spray recipe, I was fresh out of spray bottles, so she did the next best thing, and put them in a roller ball with fractionated coconut oil (liquid).

So, to make this beautiful, 'make the outdoors fun again', roll-on or spray, you only need a few ingredients.

Fractionated coconut oil, avocado oil or sweet almond oil are great carrier oils. (You can choose your favourite oil, these are just a few suggestions)

Just realised that I forgot to put the witch hazel and glycerin into the picture

Fill your bottle with the carrier oil, leaving a little space for the essential oils. This will reflect a 15 ml bottle. Adjust your essential oils accordingly, using 3-5 drops of each.

Basic oils:
Purification essential oil,
Lavender essential oil,
Peppermint essential oil,

Pop on a roller-top and voila!
If you hop on the internet you can find specific oils for specific lil buggers.

By the way, I spent a few days in the bush with my cadet unit. Bug infested bush -enough to drive you crazy bush. I am pleased to say, I made it through without a single bite. Now if you look closely at this picture, every single white speck is a black fly, gloriously lit up at sunset. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. What you don't see is that there are easily twice as many bugs on their clothing.

Save me from 'em spray:

Glass bottles are always the best, but in a pinch, even the dollar store can set you up with a travel sized plastic spray bottle.

Spray bottle
pinch of salt
3-5 drops of Purification, Lavender and Peppermint essential oils.
an inch of witch hazel (regardless of bottle size, I use an inch or 2,5 cm high)
1 tsp glycerin or liquid coconut oil
filtered water is best to not clog the spray nozzle, but not absolutely necessary.

Add a pinch of salt to the bottom of your bottle and add the essential oils to it. This will help you keep the oils blended into the liquid, rather than have them float on top.
Pour an inch of witch hazel into the bottle and swirl the mixture around.
You can add a teaspoon of glycerin or coconut oil (liquid) to the mix.
Fill the rest of the bottle with filtered or distilled water. Cap, shake and spray.

Keep in mind that wearing light coloured clothes helps. Black or dark colours attract those annoying little pests.

If anyone was wondering what was in Purification, I got the list for you:
Lemongrass, Rosemary, Melaleuca (M. Alternifolia), Myrtle, Citronella. Which is why it's an awesome choice in our mixture.