If you are the type that loves long summer evenings and early morning walks, spending time gardening and generally outdoors, then this diy recipe is for you. I like to use an insect repellent balm that I can carry out with me, which is easy to re-apply to any exposed skin such as my ankles, wrists and neck. I also like to dab it around my hairline, it works a treat and smells really nice. I don't like the smell of citronella, but there are lots of essential oils that repel mosquitoes and other bugs. I like to use good quality organic essential oils.

I have adapted the recipe below to make it vegan, I use a combination of candelilla wax and jojoba wax, I combine these together because they give a nice glide and skin feel. Candelilla wax has a high melting point, which means that it is less likely to melt in the heat, it is more solid in high temps then beeswax. Candelilla wax has a melting point of about 68-72 deg celsius, whereas beeswax has a lower melting point of 62-64 deg celsius. I would still recommend keeping the balms out of direct sunshine. 

I like to use a combination of coconut, neem, and sunflower seed oil as the carrier oils in the recipe. Neem oil is a natural potent insecticide and coconut oil also repels mosquitoes, the neem oil must be used at a low dilution as it has a very strong and quite unpleasant odour. The essential oils and the coconut mask the smell of the neem oil. I will put a link at the bottom of the page for a couple of suppliers of raw ingredients here in the UK. There are many essential oils which act as an insect repellent. Here are my top 10 mosquito repelling essential oils.

1. Lemon Eucalyptus
2. Rosemary
3. Lemongrass
4. Scotch Pine
5. Lavender
6. Tea Tree
7. Geranium
8. Patchouli
9. Clove
10. Fennel

You can experiment with one or any combination of these oils. What is important of course is that you like the smell. You want to repel the insects, not yourself!

Trust me when I say insect repellant can smell good, I will give you my recipe below that I use which contains lemon eucalyptus. Why do I always include lemon Eucalyptus?

One essential oil I always add to my repellent blends is lemon eucalyptus, this essential oil has been proven to be as effective as deet in repelling mosquitoes. What is deet? 'Diethyl-meta-toluamide' is a chemical which is present is many over the counter insect repellents. "It is highly toxic if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin." As we are all now aware, it is scientifically proven that we absorb everything into our lymphatic systems that we put onto our skin. There are many side effects from using deet and personally having travelled and spent long periods in countries such as Cambodia, India and Thailand, I have never used it and haven't needed to. It is especially hazardous for children, seizures being listed as a possible side effect, I think that is enough reason to find a safe alternative. Here is my tried and tested recipe..

The dilution of essential oils in this recipe is just over 2%, I find this perfect for my skin, I wouldn't go above 3% dilution as these essential oils are quite potent. Always do a patch test with DIY skincare products. This recipe is anhydrous, which means that it does not contain any water. This assures that it has a long shelf life. Often I will add vitamin E to my oil recipes to extend the shelf life, this slows down the oxidation of the oils. When I make balms I don't add vitamin E because the high temps will destroy the properties, also because balms are solid they don't oxidize as quickly as liquid oils do. I give these a good 10 months or more shelf life as long as your ingredients are nice and fresh, always check the bbe on your raw ingredients.

The method is really simple, I like to use a double boiler to melt my oils and wax. You can make your own double boiler by placing a bowl or a pyrex jug over a saucecpan of boiling water, find one that fits nicely. The goal with a double boiler is to heat the top bowl with the steam from the boiling water underneath, the bowl shouldn't be touching the water below. This allows the raw ingredients to be melted gently. Make sure that the jars have been sterilized, this can be done by spritzing them with isopropyl alcohol and drying with a kitchen towel or by heating them in the oven, always make sure that they are dry, because any moisture can create an environment for mold / bacteria to grow and this can cause spoilage.

Weigh out the waxes and the carrier oils including the coconut, melt these on a low heat. Once they have melted, remove the pan from the cooker. Wait a minute and then add the essential oils, you must always do this step last. The essential oils are highly volatile and the high heat means that some will evaporate. When all the ingredients are added mix it well, and gently pour into your chosen tins or jars. Leave these to set, it will only take about an hour and then they are all ready to use. This recipe will make just over three 30ml size tins. Enjoy your gorgeous smelling diy, homemade insect repellent balms!

Listed below are a couple of UK based suppliers of raw ingredients and essential oils. There are lots more listed online which vary in quality and price range.

If you like this recipe and would like more, please pop over to my instagram account and give me a follow @aromawakening.

www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk

www.nhrorganicoils.com

www.aromantic.com