Sunday, June 27, 2010

Herbal Mosquito Repellent

Living in Wisconsin in the summer you deal with lots, lots and lots of mosquitoes. I personally refuse to put DEET on mine or my child's skin. So I thought what herbal remedies can I use? I did my research online and talked to some people here at the school. This is what I came up with:

1. Oil - any unscented oil that will stay on the skin will help with mosquitoes biting. They hate hate and I repeat hate oil. I have used bear fat, olive oil and coconut oil. Personally I prefer coconut oil. I would also suggest using natural oil vs petroleum oils.

2. Essential Oils such as Tee Tree, Lavender, Citronella, Cedar wood, Clove, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemongrass and Rose Geranium are all great mosquito repellents.

3. Eat lots of garlic

4. Vitamin B-1, Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg. Some say that this is more of a placebo effect but hey who knows till you try it. I have also read that this is good for pets too.

5. Diluted Yarrow Tincture. It has been said that it works better than DEET. I'm real curious on trying that one.

My own personal method is using non scented soaps and slathering ourselves in Coconut Oil infused with a few drops of Tee Tree oil and Lavender oil. Not to mention its antifungal, an antiseptic, a pain reliever, and antiviral. Plus it smells delicious.

Here are a few recipes I found for Essential Oil Blends for repellent thanks to About.com. My suggestion is to make these blends and dilute them with water. Pour into a spray bottle and mist the mixture on your skin and rub it in. Apply as needed.



Recipe #1 – Simple and Spicy
A simple blend with the wonderful sweet and spicy notes of the clove oil.
5 parts Citronella
5 parts Lavender
5 parts Clove

Recipe #2- Bright and Energetic

Likewise a simple blend, but substituting the Peppermint for the Clove changes it into a bright, energetic and sweet blend.
5 parts Citronella
5 parts Lavender
5 parts Peppermint

Recipe #3 – Deep and Green

A more complex blend with mostly “green” scents including wonderfully dark and smoky cedar wood.
10 parts Citronella
10 parts Cedar wood
5 parts Eucalyptus
5 parts Rosemary

Recipe #4 – Sweet and Citrus

Just a little lemongrass added to the mix blends well with the citronella. The Rosemary and Cedar wood add complexity and a base note to the blend. (Note: The lemongrass has a fair amount of the same constituents as the citronella oil, so reduce the amount of citronella.)
5 parts Citronella
5 parts Lemongrass
5 parts Lavender
5 parts Rosemary
5 parts Cedar wood

Recipe #5 – Lightly Floral

Here just a little bit of Egyptian Rose Geranium brings out the floral qualities of the lavender and balances out the citronella.
5 parts Citronella
5 parts Lavender
5 parts Geranium
5 parts Rosemary

Remember that essential oils are strong so test them on your skin before applying in larger amounts. Play around for what works best for you. Hey you might even find an oil blend you really enjoy and it could replace some perfume!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Quick Cute Leg Warmers

Okay so I know it's summer and all but when I get up in the morning around 6 a.m. working outside your legs get a little cold wearing a skirt. Yeah I know just put on some jeans or something right? Well I'm a skirt girl, I would wear skirts everyday of the year if I can. So I remembered what one of my good friends in Portland would do. She would go to a thrift store buy a warm looking sweater (doesn't really have to be cute but something that's not a sweatshirt). Okay so once you get a sweater to your liking cut off the sleeves. If you want to make them nice and neat you can always hand sew the tops of the leg warmer. I personally don't but hey I really don't care. And Viola, new leg warmers!