Living in tropical Singapore means eternal sunshine, dreamy afternoon rain showers, beach vibes, and of course — mosquitoes. With dengue warnings plastered conspicuously in neighborhoods, the threat of mosquito bites is a constant nagging at the back of our minds. Especially if you have little ones who love to frolic outdoors.
As a parent, it is natural to want to find the best mosquito repellent for your kids to protect them from nature’s adversities. If you find yourself wondering if conventional mosquito repellents are safe for yourself and your kids, you’re not alone.
While conventional mosquito repellents such as DEET effectively keep away mosquitoes, there is an increasing body of research that suggest DEET-based repellents may be harmful to kids, pets, and people with allergies and skin issues. They are known to cause seizures, skin irritation, and neurological issues.
Do you want to risk your health with harmful chemicals while trying to keep away mosquitoes? There are highly effective ways to do this without jeopardizing your health in the process.
Natural Mosquito Repellents
There are several natural, safe alternatives to DEET mosquito repellents. Essential oils such as lemon eucalyptus oil is a great option option if you’re looking for a plant-based, eco-friendly, non-toxic mosquito repellent. Many essential oils have comparable mosquito repellent properties as DEET.
Plants often produce essential oils to keep away insect pests. Taking a leaf out of nature’s notebook, humans can use the same insect repellent properties of essential oils to keep away pesky mosquitoes.
Several of the essential oils I sell, such as peppermint oil, lavender oil, cinnamon oil and more, have good mosquito repellent properties. But you don’t have to rush to buy every single essential oil I have and slather them on your skin. If I had to pick one essential oil that is most effective at repelling mosquitoes, I’d go for Lemon Eucalyptus Oil.
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Mosquito Repellent
Mountain coolness meets summery citrus to give you lemon eucalyptus essential oil. Corymbia citriodora or the lemon eucalyptus tree, native to North-Western Australia, produces one of the strongest mosquito repelling essential oils you can find.
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil has natural mosquito repellent properties, thanks to the presence of Citronellal and PMD (para-menthane-3,8-diol). Studies have shown that PMD is as effective as DEET in keeping away mosquitoes. Lemon eucalyptus oil’s naturally occurring PMD repels bugs and is also gentle on skin.
If you are pregnant, lemon eucalyptus oil can be used in small quantities, always diluted with a carrier oil such as jojoba or almond oil. If you are looking to use lemon eucalyptus oil as a mosquito repellent and you’re pregnant, try Ollie’s Mosquito Repellent spray which is a pregnancy-safe alternative to 100% pure lemon eucalyptus oil.
Lemon Eucalyptus is also safe to use around children and pets. Just be careful they don’t ingest any of it and always dilute with a carrier oil before using!
How to Use Lemon Eucalyptus Oil to Repel Mosquitos
If you’re looking for a mosquito repellent you can carry around with you, I have a 5-minute DIY mosquito repellent spray you can make with lemon eucalyptus oil.
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Mosquito Repellent Spray
This DIY lemon eucalyptus mosquito repellent spray hardly takes 5 minutes to prepare and will provide you with 1-2 hours of protection per use. Reapply every 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 30 drops of Ollie’s Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
- 100ml spray bottle
- 50ml distilled water
- 50ml witch hazel or vodka
Combine all the ingredients and shake thoroughly before each use. You can add 3-4 drops of one other essential oil of your choice if you like to experiment with scents (we suggest lavender oil).
You can make also dilute 10 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil in 1.5 tbsp of witch hazel or any carrier oil and dab at exposed areas.
Ollie’s Mosquito Repellent Spray
At Ollie, we love DIY-ing as much as any other person. It can be a really fun way to bond with your family or friends!
But DIY-ing can also be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you have to go out and buy multiple ingredients or have busy schedules.
If you’re one of those people who want to be safe from mosquitoes but don’t want to buy too many ingredients to make your own mosquito repellent, we have the right product for you — Ollie’s Mosquito Repellent spray.
It is made with a blend of 10 essential oils that repel mosquitoes and is safe for use by adults, pregnant women, kids, and around pets.
It is a sweet-smelling concoction that features essential oils such as lemon eucalyptus, rosemary, cedarwood, sweet orange, etc. to give you both maximum protection from mosquitoes and health-protecting benefits through the aromatherapeutic properties of the various essential oils.
You can purchase your bottle of essential oil mosquito repellent spray from here.
