Natural Insect Repellant

I am a mozzie magnet and if you want to keep the mozzies away just bring me along and you will be left well alone.

All summer I have been testing out different natural insect repellents and I can now share with you the two that I was extremely happy with because they worked really well and did not leave you feeling greasy or sticky.

I also tested one that I made following a recipe online that used witch hazel and essential oils which was also pretty good.

The first one that I really liked was Bug Another made by Biologika.  It is an organic spray that is made with essential oils, ethanol, aloe vera, coco glucoside, glycerine, xanthan gum and potassium sorbate.

It goes on in a lovely light mist, leaves you feeling like you have not sprayed anything on at all and smells amazing (almost good enough to wear as a perfume) with the combination of essential oils.  
It works really well and I even applied it to my face when we were camping as the mozzies were trying to bite my forehead.  It retails for $11.00 - $13.00 for 125ml and can be purchased online or at many health food stores.

The second insect repellent that I really like is the Outdoor Body Spray by Perfect Potion.  

While not certified organic the ingredient list is only essential oils, ethanol and water.  It also smells really nice but slightly more of citronella than the other oils.  Just like the Bug Another it also sprays on in a nice fine mist and leaves you feeling like you are not wearing anything at all.

It retails for $15.95 for 125 ml online and in store at Perfect Potion.

Both of these sprays are Australian made and I feel very happy that I have been able to find insect repellents that meet my physical and ethical needs.

The home made recipe I tried was just a combination of 120 ml of witch hazel, 120 ml of water and 50 drops of essential oils and then shake to blend.

You can use any essential oils but if you want insect repelling ones you should use a mix of the following:
Citronella
Lavender
Basil
Tea Tree
Rosemary
Clove
Geranium
Mint 
Lemon Grass
Thyme
Cedar
Eucalyptus
Peppermint

I made us a test batch (1/5th the size) and used citronella, clove, eucalyptus, lavender, and cedar.  I think getting the proportions of fragrance right will take a bit of fine tuning and for now I am happy to purchase one of the others.

Have you got a preferred insect repellent or home made recipe?

Disclaimer: The Perfect Potion Outdoor Body Spray was provided to me by Perfect Potion for testing but I have not been paid to endorse their product.