Homemade Anti-Mosquito Salve
Whether you are indoors or outdoors, you can never stay away from mosquitoes. While mosquitoes don’t like winter and cool weather, you can still experience them during spring, summer, and fall. Summer is usually the peak of the mosquito season.
Because of this, most of us could not enjoy outdoor activities such as camping and hiking as much as we wanted to. That is why we need to arm ourselves with protection against these annoying insects.
Mosquito repellents are essential for outdoor events. There are many forms of repellents sold in the market today. There are electric killer lamps, patches, insect traps, and even ultrasonic plug-in repellents. However, the most common repellents are lotions, creams, and sprays that come in direct contact with our skin.
While skin repellents are truly effective, I am not a fan of such repellents because of the harmful chemicals they contain. Hence, I would always resort to my own homemade recipe for anti-mosquito salve. This recipe is very simple to do and contains all-natural ingredients. You do not have to worry about chemicals that are added because there are none.
How to Make a Natural Anti-Mosquito Salve?
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup beeswax pastilles
- 2 oz shea butter
- 2 tbsp castor oil
- 30 drops peppermint essential oil
- 15 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 10 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops basil essential oil
About The Ingredients…
- Coconut Oil – coconut oil is a great base oil for most essential oils. Moreover, it is nourishing to the skin and contains polyphenols as well as fatty acids that make the skin healthier.
- Shea Butter – shea butter is an added ingredient to make the skin more supple and soft. It can help soothe irritated skin, especially those that have insect bites already.
- Castor Oil – castor oil speeds up the healing of mosquito bites. It also contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It has been used as a natural insect repellent for hundreds – if not thousands – of years now. Moreover, mixing castor oil with other essential oils can maximize its healing and repelling properties.
- Essential oils – the essential oils that I used in this salve are all effective insect repellents. Their scents, as well as chemical properties, repel not only mosquitoes but other bugs and insects as well. However, you should not use essential oils in their full concentration. It is important to dilute them in carrier oils, which is the coconut oil in this recipe, to make them safe for use. Also, be aware that some people may have allergic reactions to some essential oils. Thus, it is important to put proper labels on every recipe that you make to serve as a warning for those who will use the salve.
Steps:
- Mix coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and castor oil in a heat-proof container. If you have a double boiler, you can make use of it. If not, you can make your own makeshift boiler by using a stainless bowl (like what I did here), or a mason jar.
- In low-medium heat, boil water. Place the heat-proof container on the water to melt the ingredients. Once melted, remove the mixture from heat.
- Set aside and let it cool slightly. Add the essentials oils once the mixture has cooled 50%. The reason for this is to preserve the efficacy of the essential oils. Since essential oils cannot withstand heat, mixing it with the beeswax mixture while hot will destroy the natural components in it. Hence, it is best to let the mixture cool off a bit prior to adding the essential oils.
- Transfer to a mason jar, glass jar, or tin can. Let it cool and harden. This recipe produces approximately 4 oz of salve. So, prepare a container enough for 4 oz.
- Label the container with the name of the salve, the date, and the ingredients used. This is to avoid confusion among all of your other salves. The date will also give you an “expiration date.” This salve will last for 6 months to 1 year if stored correctly in a dry and dark place. Meanwhile, the ingredient label will help you remember what you put into the mosquito salve. It will also alert you and other people should someone be allergic to one of its components.
How to Use It?
This salve is strictly for external use only. Simply rub the salve on your skin to keep mosquitoes – and other bugs – away. However, you should not apply it near your eyes, nose, and mouth. People who have sensitive skin might find some of the ingredients such as lemongrass, peppermint, and citronella strong. However, you can always adjust its content for a milder salve.
Moreover, this recipe is not recommended for pregnant women because it contains basil. Basil may cause contractions. You can remove basil from this recipe should you want to make an anti-mosquito salve for pregnant women. It should also not be used for infants and children since their skins are sensitive, and some of the ingredients such as citronella, sweet orange, and lemongrass are not advisable for little kids.
Now that you know this amazing and effective anti-mosquito salve, I truly hope that you will be able to enjoy outdoor (and indoors) activities more often. Mosquitoes are annoying, but we can get rid of them using safe and natural methods such as this salve!
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I thought Lemongrass attracted Bees. I am wondering about using this scent which I know repels mosquitos but will it attract Bees?
I use euculyptus (sp) and lemon for nats etc. but it attracted honey bees, so I added tea tree oil. works great; also repels tics working in the yard.
How much tea tree oil did you use? I recently got bit by a tick and got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Don’t want to go thru the antibiotic regime again.
You mention citronella inn the notes but not in the ingredients list.
Hi Tan,
Thank you for your comment.
Most of the mosquito repellent products contain citronella, however, the author did not use it for this recipe. People who have sensitive skins might find some of the ingredients such as lemongrass, peppermint, and citronella strong. She mentioned citronella in case some people want to still use it for their salve.
Any chance you sell this already prepared? Sending my boy to scout camp in a few weeks and would love to buy some. .
I will buy too a d my family. I hope so
What is “Japanese” peppermint? Is that different from regular peppermint essential oil?
Great question, I want to know about the Japanese peppermint, too!
Hi Kathryn,
The main difference between Japanese peppermint oil and its variants across the world is the amount of menthol naturally occurring in the plant. Japanese peppermint oil has a very high percentage of menthol in its structure, allowing a few leaves to go a very long way. But any Peppermint Essential Oils should be ok for this recipe.
Orange oil is a photosensitive oil. I use caution when using it on my skin if I will be exposed to the sun. Is this salve recommended for nighttime use or is it diluted enough so as to not cause burns if exposed to sun?
Hi Pat,
Yes, indeed the orange oil is a photosensitive oil. Actually, all citrus fruit oils are. When you use these oils you should not go out into direct sunlight or at least avoid going into direct sunlight up to 12 hours after use.
This salve can be used during the day as well, as long as your skin will not be exposed to direct sun. If your skin is sensitive to the sun, it’s better if you use this salve in the evenings only. Or you can simply replace this essential oil with other essential oils that help repel mosquitos.
Would normal peppermint EO do? What is special about Japanese Pepp’t? If it is better at least for this purpose, where can one get it? And thanks for all your great info! XOXO, Evan
Hi Evan,
Thank you for your interest in our work.
The main difference between Japanese peppermint oil and its variants across the world is the amount of menthol naturally occurring in the plant. Japanese peppermint oil has a very high percentage of menthol in its structure, allowing a few leaves to go a very long way. But any Peppermint Essential Oils should be ok for this recipe.
You can always find good Japanese Peppermint Essential Oil on Amazon.
this WORKS!!! do yourself a favor and make it too if you work in a place that’s mosquito-ridden!!
Thank you for sharing. I just made it by following the instructions. I will let you know if it works on my family.
I really appreciate the recipe for a homemade mosquito salve. I found that a 4 oz jar is NOT large enough for the whole recipe. Also, I find the salve to be too hard/thick so as to make application difficult. I did not know about the orange oil until reading the comments. I will leave it out in the future as we are ALWAYS in the sun. Is it possible to reduce the amount of beeswax in the salve to produce a more spreadable salve?
Hi Valerie,
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Yes, definitely. You can reduce the amount of beeswax in the salve until you get the desired consistency.
Many blessings and good health!
I made it, but after two weeks the salve is becoming grainy, like the beeswax might be separating?
Is this effective against chiggers?
Can I use a plastic jar instead of metal or glass? Also, is there a difference between lemon and lemongrass essential oil? I could only find lemon essential oil at the store.
Hi Charolette,
Salve containers can be plastic, glass, or metal. However, we avoid using plastic, as it can negatively impact the quality of medicinal and essential oils stored within. Glass jars are non-reactive.
Many blessings and good health!
I woke up with mosquito bites all over me this morning. They were starting to swell up on my legs and the itching was high so I needed to find something to help. I ran across this recipe and had all the ingredients so made a batch. As soon as it was in the jar I was spreading it on my arms and legs. The relieve started in about 5-10 minutes. I have never been so happy with a chemical free recipe. Thank you for this wonderful salve recipe as it was a life saver for me today.
How do you make this with fresh herbs
I just made a batch, which I shared with my neighbor. I’ll see how it works out.