For anyone who is safely social distancing outside, I highly recommend making your own bug repellent or bug off spray to take with you! These bugs this season are not messing around. Usually when it gets this hot out they disappear, but it seems like they are hanging on for dear life. If you forget your bug off spray, it is essential to roll the bug relief serum on those bug bites immediately to ease the itching. To really complete the trifecta, I pre-made my own bug repellent diffuser blend so it’s even easier for me to get outside with my cordless diffuser (mines from Target). If this seems like a lot, don’t worry – I have the info mapped out below. But first, here’s some words from a few happy friends who’ve tested my bug off spray and bug relief rollers.

*I need to mention that “Friend #2” received the kid version of the spray and bug relief roller. I was extremely conservative with the amount of essential oil drops that I used and removed any instance of peppermint since her baby is under 1 year old. 

Friend #1: “UM I LOVE IT!!!! I love the smell and I feel like it works for me. Every time I douse myself in the spray I have not been bit!!!! Every time I’m out and about and I forget it I immediately regret it because I get bit😭😭😭 and so that’s where the bug bite roller comes in handy. For instance, I was at my neighbors house the other night and didn’t spray myself down and got bit around my ankles and used the roller the second I got home and it helped a ton.” “Used this stuff again this weekend and got great results!!!! No bites!!!!!”

Friend #2: “I think it smells good! I’ve never had an issue with it and neither has my daughter. It’s kind of refreshing spraying it on haha. I’ve forgotten to use it a couple times and would get bit outside then I’d spray it and didn’t notice anymore bites. I tried the itch relief roll on and didn’t really notice any actual relief unfortunately. I still needed to use my Benadryl cream to calm the hives down. Overall the spray was really worth the price!”

Friend #3: “Hi. So i think it’s good. I personally don’t like the smell cuz that’s just me. Don’t love the essential oil smells. But hate mosquito bites more so definitely use it! Most people like that kind of smell. I love the packaging that you have the glass bottles are so cute.”

One more thing about those other bug sprays… take a peek at this graphic! The fact that a completely natural do-it-yourself bug spray still works against bugs leaves me in utter shock that I ever used something that was so bad for me!

Supplies | Spray Bottle, Roller Bottle & Dropper Bottle

Vessels: 2 oz Spray Bottle, 5 ml or 10 ml Roller Bottle, 3ml or 5ml Dropper Bottle — For the recipes below, I use enough ingredients for a 2 ounce Bug Off spray bottle, but you can easily duplicate the recipe to create a 4 ounce bottle instead. For the Bug Relief roller, the recipe calls for a 10 ml bottle. However, if it’s easier to transfer a smaller bottle in your purse I recommend dividing the recipe in half to fit in a 5 ml bottle. Lastly, the recipe for the diffuser blend is based on a normal sized diffuser that covers a small area/room like a bathroom or desk. It calls for 5 total drops, however everyone has a different scent level, so as long as you start small you can always add additional drops to increase the scent strength. You can drop the different oils directly into your diffuser or if you’re going to use this mixture a lot, you can add all of the oils in the mixture to an old Young Living essential oil dropper bottle. I’ve also purchased 1 ounce and 3 ounce dropper bottles that have come in handy when I’ve wanted to make sample or mini mixtures of something so that I don’t have to remember the recipes next time I want that scent. 

Outdoor Diffuser: I highly recommend a cordless diffuser from Target. You can charge it up and take it outside. The one I got lasts for a couple hours before I need to recharge it, and I have to sit fairly close to it to get the effects without spraying bug spray on me. Another option would be to make a Citronella candle out of these ingredients. I have not attempted this, but found a promising recipe on a friend’s blog called, Most Lovely Things, or on the Young Living blog.

Labels: 1″ sticker labels (for 5 ml bottles or smaller) or 2″ labels (for 1-2 oz bottles or larger) — Another item I use for each of my DIY essential oil products is water-proof labels that I can print at home. I’ve found that 2″ square labels work best for 10 ml roller bottles or anything larger than a 1-2 ounce bottle. For anything smaller, I recommend using a 1″ square label for 5 ml bottles and possibly cutting that label in half for 2 ml bottles or trimming the edges. You can always purchase labels on Etsy that are already designed and printed for you, or even purchase only the design and still print at home too. However, I find it more cost effective for me to create a basic design on Canva (free website) and use the easy online print template that the label company offers. I make so many labels and different mixtures that I’d spend a fortune on Etsy. Plus, I like to include the name of the mixture, the ingredients in the mixture, and the size of the bottle so that I don’t forget what I’m using. This makes it much easier when it’s time to refill the bottle too.

Ingredients (other than essential oils): Witch Hazel, Distilled Water, Fractionated Coconut Oil (or another carrier oil of choice – Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, etc.) — For all of these ingredients I purchase them from Amazon and save my favorites under various Amazon Idea Lists. I made a special Idea List just for Bug Off related items, so check it out if you’re interested! All of the ingredients I choose are gluten free based on the information shared on their packaging, website and/or product description. I’ve spent a lot of time researching prices, reviews, shipping windows, etc. too.

My Favorite Target Diffusers Under $35!

RECIPE GRAPHICS: (click and save image!)

Where & How to Purchase Your Essential Oils:

If you’re not sure where to purchase your high-quality essential oils from, I recommend Young Living! I recently had a friend try another brand of essential oils and she mentioned that those oils weren’t as “strong” as Young Living – there’s definitely something to be said about the quality, price and how the oils are harvested by other companies compared to Young Living. I’ve linked this article from The Lavender Life to expand on this topic along with this one from Hello Essentials, but feel free to do your own research too!

I’ve been using their oils for 6-years, but recently got into making my own mixtures when I found out that I’m allergic to many of the hidden ingredients found in beauty and household products – the main one for me is gluten! To read more about why I love and exclusively use Young Living oils, read my blog post titled, “Why I’m Using Essential Oils from Young Living“. 

A few other reasons why I love Young Living…

  1. The online community! I have received so much guidance and easy information from this community that it makes learning about essential oils and their benefits fun! Anyone who purchases a starter kit from our community is automatically added via Facebook, which allows you to search and have access to so much great info. If you’re already purchasing Young Living products, but don’t have access to these resources, I can definitely help you to access them through your next order. (The graphic at the bottom of this blog post is a great example of what you can find in our Facebook group!)
  2. Rewards program for free products! Young Living has a program called Essential Rewards (ER) that allows you to earn points towards free product if you place a monthly order that is at least 50 PV, which equals roughly $50. You can always stop and pause the program at anytime. If you’re already purchasing Young Living products, but are not taking advantage of the free gifts through ER, let me know and I can help you get your account set-up to earn points.
    • This month if your total purchase equals at least 100 PV you receive a 15ml bottle of Citronella for free!
  3. Premium Starter Kits! The premium starter kit options that Young Living offers have the most popular oils at a drastic discount along with other goodies. You can select between a few different options based on whether or not you want a diffuser, cleaning products, etc. Plus, it allows you to receive wholesale pricing for the whole year without another purchase. At the end of your annual membership, a 50 PV purchase will renew your wholesale pricing. To view all premium starter kits, go to oilwith.me/tfk. If you’re purchasing products online at retail cost, I’d be happy to help you take advantage of the special wholesale pricing that members receive.                                                                         
    • With a purchase of a Premium Starter Kit, you’ll automatically receive a free bottle of Citronella for signing up for ER too. The only oil left that you would need is Lemongrass, which is only $6.25 with wholesale member pricing. Or I’d be happy to gift you a sample as part of your welcome gift (keep reading…)

Please comment, email, or DM me with any questions – or if you’re ready to sign up as a new member with a premium starter kit, wholesale pricing, and Essential Rewards, go to oilwith.me/TFK

WELCOME GIFT!

All new members who sign-up with a premium starter kit and activate their Essential Rewards membership with me will receive a free gift valued at $15-25. I’m happy to customize this gift to fit your needs and I have some examples saved to my Amazon Storefront Idea List called “Essential Oils – Accessories + Welcome Gifts“. I want you to receive a gift that gets you just as excited about your oils as I am about mine! Plus, I want to gift you something that you’ll actually use. Let me know if you don’t see something that accomplishes that for you and we’ll create a gift package together. Here are some welcome gift examples:

  1. Bottle of sweet almond oil along with a 5ml or a 10 ml roller bottle (depending on your preference) and a label – you would add the essential oils once you receive your starter kit! 
  2. Small diffuser in case you want a secondary one or in case you are purchasing a starter kit that does not come with a diffuser. I have a secondary diffuser next to my bed that is small enough so only I can smell it and my husband does not. I also have an old diffuser in my office from the first premium starter kit that I purchased 6-years ago. Like I mentioned above, I found a cordless diffuser at Target that I love. Target’s diffusers are so cute too – so if you see one that is within the free gift value I’d be happy to send one to you instead OR a Target gift card for $25 so you can pick your own out! 
  3. A variety of glass spray bottlesdropper bottles, and roller bottles so you can start making your favorite recipes along with a carrier oil of your choice.
  4. Essential oils book for how to use oils with babies/kids, pets or how to use essential oils in general.
  5. Hanging diffuser that you can use in your car, closet, etc. and/or a handmade oils travel case along with 10 ml roller bottles to fill it with. My favorite accessories are from BaggageandCo on Etsy!
  6. Or if you’d rather have the ingredients or supplies to make one of my other recipes that I’ve shared, please let me know that too!
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