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Tea Tree Oil Bug Repellent Recipe

This tea tree oil bug repellent recipe is an effective insecticide against mosquitoes and an excellent deterrent for ticks and other pests. There are so many tea tree oil uses and can help in many ways, so it’s always good to have some on hand. 

Tea Tree Oil Bug Repellent Recipe

Tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca oil, is a popular essential oil extracted from the Tea tree leaves native to Australia with various skincare uses. This oil is used to soothe inflammation an all-purpose cleaner due to its antiseptic properties. However, tea tree oil has also been used for years as a mosquito and bug repellent, with many enthusiasts preferring it to chemical-based repellents.

Is Homemade Bug Repellent with Tea Tree Oil Effective?

Tea tree oil is a natural bug repellent that has proven to be a natural insecticide effective against bugs when used as a repellent on skin. Studies conducted have shown that individuals were less likely to be bitten by insects than individuals without tea tree oil when applied to the skin.

It was shown to be more effective than popular chemical insecticides such as DEET. Moreover, due to tea tree oils natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, bug bites are less likely to be irritating, red and inflamed as tea tree oil soothes the skin preventing any annoying itchiness. 

Tea tree oil has been in use for centuries for its medicinal purpose of treating acne, as an antiseptic to clean wounds, treating warts, and reducing coughs. Apart from its medicative value, research has suggested that it might ward off mosquitoes.

Tea tree oil has a unique, refreshing camphor-like scent. The scent might be pleasing to human beings but, it repels mosquitoes and other insects. A test-tube study reported that tea tree oil was more aggressive in repelling mosquitoes compared to DEET. A popular active ingredient in commercial insect repellants.

Apart from being a natural mosquito repellent, tea tree oil contains anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties that may help to reduce itching and mosquito bites.

mosquito on skin

How do you Use Tea Tree Oil as Bug Repellent?

Tea tree oil can be used as a great natural insect repellent in many ways. To prevent insects at home, you could rub down tea tree oil mixed in water on cupboards and windows where insects are likely to be or come through. 

To prevent insects from biting you, tea tree oil can be used in conjunction with other oils such as eucalyptus oil or by itself through mixing a few drops into an ounce of olive oil and applying the diluted form on your skin, sleeves and collar. This won’t just keep the bugs away but will offer a pleasant, soothing fragrance that can be used as a natural perfume as well!

tea tree oil

What Kinds of Bugs Does Tea Tree Oil Repel?

Tea tree oil has a proven effect against bed bugs, lice, mosquitos, ticks, flies, bush flies and biting midges, otherwise known as sandflies. This is because the essential oil is a solvent that can soak into an insect, thereby suffocating them, allowing it to work against many different bugs types. In children above 12, diluted tea tree oil can be applied to the hair to kill lice, proving a great alternative to traditional chemical-based lice killing shampoos. 

Tea tree oil can also be used to combat limited bed bug infestations by directly spraying a tea tree oil solution over them. The essential oil is also gaining popularity in animals to relieve them from ticks and flies. Certain dog shampoos contain tea tree oil which is useful to combat ticks, while scientists conducted a test in which cows treated with tea tree oil had 61% fewer flies than untreated cows. 

homemade bug repellent

Effective Tea Tree Oil Bug Repellent Recipe

There are numerous ways in which you could prepare tea tree oil bug repellent for use at home. As tea tree oil is a very potent substance, it must be diluted before use on the skin or in the house as a highly concentrated form may lead to irritation and may leave stains on clothes or surfaces it is applied on.

A popular homemade recipe to prevent mosquitos and other insects combine these essential oils to form a strong bug repellent that isn’t irritating and stain-free,

Spray Bottle

  • 30 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil
  • 10 drops of Geranium Essential Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Glycerin
  • 3oz spray bottle
  1. Add ingredients to spray bottle and fill almost to the top with filtered water
  2. Shake and apply as needed

Roller Bottle

To make this version you need a dropper bottle or a roller bottle. There several carrier oils that you can mix with tea tree oil to get that perfect blend they include jojoba oil, almond oil, or coconut oil.

  1. Mix ten drops of tea tree oil to 4 drops of your preferred carrier oil.
  2. Apply topically to any exposed part of your body twice or thrice a day.
  3. Apply directly to your clothes
  4. You can apply tea tree oil directly without diluting it. Place a drop or two on your clothes to keep mosquitoes away.

Diffuser Recipe

You can add a few drops of essential oils to your diffuser and let it run in your home or even outside when you are on your deck or patio to keep the pesky bugs away. Add eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass oil, rosemary oil or lavender oil to your tea tree oil in the diffuser.

diffuser

Tea tree oil is a powerful bug repellent that can be used in diluted forms on surfaces, clothes, and skin to repel annoying insects to avoid painful and itchy bites. All these oils are without the potential side effects of chemical insecticides, and a fragrant and sweet smell is much more pleasant!

Tea tree oil is also effective at healing insect bites because it because of the high concentration of terpinen-4-ol in tea tree oil, which is a compound well known for some anti-inflammatory properties. Tea tree is very active in reducing swelling and inflammation on the skin.

rocky mountain essential oils

I love Rocky Mountain Oils because of their quality 100% pure essential oils that require no minimum purchase and always gives FREE shipping! Plus they always have specials going on!

Rocky Mountain Oils’ essential oils are verified by a third-party, independent lab. GC/MS tests verify purity and quality of the oils sold so you can look at the bottom of the bottle to find your individual batch code and then input that number into our website to pull up the GC/MS test results.

Rocky Mountain Products can be returned for any reason, even if opened, for up to 90 days. RMO also pays for our customers’ return shipping expenses to make our ordering process completely risk-free.

RMO includes three different icons for recommended use on each bottle for easy reference: Diffuse, Topical Application and Household. So you can look at the bottle and know in what way it’s intended for use.

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