Easy DIY Bug Repellent Lotion Bars

It’s summertime and that means, the return of pesky bugs – including mosquitoes. Here is an easy all-natural DIY bug repellent I keep on hand all summer. It’s also non-greasy and makes a great skin moisturizer.

Little Urban Nest’s DIY Bug Away Lotion Bars

The recipe I use requires only four ingredients and is chemical-free, so it’s safe to use on children.

You can substitute your favorite oil in place of Coconut oil, the suggested oil in this recipe. For example, you could use Sweet almond oil (2 oz) and about ¼ tsp of Vitamin E oil instead.

Always look for organic, cold-pressed and unrefined oils whenever possible.

TerraShield®, a proprietary blend from doTERRA®, is one of two recommended outdoor insect repellent blends. It contains Ylang Ylang Flower, Tamanu Seed, Nootka Wood, Cedarwood Wood, Catnip Plant, Lemon Eucalyptus Leaf, Litsea Fruit, Vanilla Bean Absolute, and Arborvitae Wood oils.

NatureShield™ from Plant Therapy® is the other recommended blend. It contains, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Catnip, Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Lavender, Litsea Cubeba, Tea Tree and Patchouli oils.

You can also add Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Geranium, Peppermint or other oils known to repel insects that are not present in the aforementioned blends.

Likewise, you can easily substitute the essential oils and adapt this recipe for other uses such as an invigorating lemon or calming lavender solid lotion.

Recipe for Little Urban Nest’s DIY Bug Away Solid Lotion Bars

To start, you’ll need:

1. Standing, hand, or stick hand blender

2. Large Pot

3. Medium mixing bowl, glass

4. Kitchen scale

5. Spatula

6. Molds – I used silicone molds from Ikea, but you can use something like this

7. Storage containers – Empty Altoid tins work or something like this

Ingredients: (I recommend using organic whenever possible)

1. 4 oz (113.4 g) Shea Butter – like this

2. 2 oz (56.7g) Coconut Oil* – like this

3. 2 oz (56.7g) Beeswax pastilles – like this

4. 35 – 40 drops of TerraShield Essential Oil Blend or NatureShield

Instructions:

1. Using a kitchen scale, measure out the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax into a medium, glass bowl.

2. Create a double boiler by putting the medium-sized glass bowl inside the large pot. Add water to the pot, about halfway up the side of the bowl. Keep on medium-to-low heat until the ingredients have completely melted. Don’t boil.

3. Remove from heat. Add the essential oils and mix well.

4. Carefully pour into the molds and allow to set up for about 24 hours.

5. Remove from the mold and put them into the tins.

Using the mold from IKEA I was able to make six bars – which is equal to two bars per tin container. These bars will melt when warm, so if you plan to carry with you camping or hiking, keeping them in a tin works best.

#DoItYourself