It can be so pesky to be outdoors and forget bug spray! The wind picks up, or the camp fire smoke finally chases them away, or you just roll down your sleeves and button your collar all the way to the top, and things work out. But if you like upping your comfort game outdoors, especially by recruiting mother nature to work in your favor, you may enjoy keeping some insect repelling tools in your personal care toolkit.

Here’s what’s in it

The bug away sprays we carry don’t contain DEET, IR3535 or Picaridin, synthetic chemicals found in regular insect repellents. These ingredients are effective against insects, but if you prefer to avoid synthetic chemicals, the natural essential oils in our bug sprays work really well!

If you’re a DIYer and have a stash of oils, you probably already make your own! Any combination of these essential oils will work: Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Geranium, Lavender, and Mint. Many of the bug sprays we carry also contain Neem oil, which is actually better known as a pesticide for gardening, but is considered safe and is used in toothpastes and cosmetics all over the world.

Shopping list

We’ve got cobalt bottles and carrier oils to assist you with your shake-and-spray creations, or if you’re not into keeping a pantry of ingredients for DIY cosmetics, just pick up one of the pre-made bottles on our shelves and enjoy your bug-free day!

There’s your ounce of prevention – but we all need that pound of cure sometimes. Stay tuned, next week we’ll talk with Dr. Don Leathers about how to take good care of bites, stings and rashes when they do happen!