Natural Insect repellent and a giveaway!
I have really been enjoying learning about the essential oils! I really appreciate Joy sharing her knowledge with me and all of you! I thought that Natural Insect Repellent was a perfect topic for the 4th of July recipes week since cookouts, get togethers, and fireworks mostly involve being outside. Being outside means you will encounter those lovely bugs,ticks,and mosquitoes! I am also super excited that Joy has decided to do a giveaway with us!! (You can enter at the end of this post!)
Now onto the post from Joy!
Natural Insect repellent and a giveaway!
Summer is here! I love summer but it also can bring with it all sorts of bothersome bugs with the main annoying ones my family deals with being mosquitoes and ticks. We love to spend time outdoors hiking, camping, and exploring, but there can be an added risk with these pests. I was just reading about an ailment that has shown up recently in the Americas called “Chikungunya” which is spread by mosquitoes. Ticks also can sometimes cause Lyme disease.
While the risk of disease from these pests is slim it is not something I want to chance with me or my loved ones, do you? To the very least it can cause itchy sores that can get infected. My son who has special needs is a mosquito magnet. (maybe he is sweeter than most people? J ) When he gets bit by a mosquito he has an extreme allergic reaction to the bites and they swell up big! Add to the fact that he tends to pick at them and you better believe we try and avoid him getting bit. Just this month my nature loving girl who spends most of the day outside with her many critters (chickens, rabbits and dog) has also been having an allergic reaction to the bites. What have we been doing to prevent the bites? We have been using essential oils! Here are two recipes. One is just using a premade blend of oils and the other is mixing individual oils yourself.
TerraShield is an all natural formula of lemon, eucalyptus, citronella, lemongrass, and 9 other therapeutic grade oils blended with fractionated coconut oil. If you have more aggressive “skeeters” than we do you could just add more drops of TerraShield to the water. I try and spray this on all of us before we spend much time outside. After my daughter’s recent reaction to the mosquitoes she is remembering more and more to spray herself before she goes outside. This is a much healthier and safe way to repel these summer pests instead of using other insecticides that contain things like Deet. I feel much safer putting this on my son with special needs than the toxic stuff as it never fails, when I spray him he puts his nose and sometimes his mouth up to where it was sprayed. While I wouldn’t drink this mixture it is certainly not toxic like Deet. We have also used this on our dog on his collar and leash. (DO NOT use EO’s on cats!)
Here is another recipe I found using essential oils that looks like a winner!
Once again thank you Amber for allowing me to share about essential oils in your wonderful blog. If any of your readers are interested I will be doing a post in my own blog in the next few days on what essential oils to use when you do get a bug bite! I will also let you know what to do if you do find a tick on your dog or loved one. (As soon as Joy gets those up I’ ll post the links)
Now I told you Joy was doing a giveaway! Before we get to that part-
If any of you would like to purchase any of the Essential Oils , Joy does sell them. I would love for you to get them from her becasue you won’t just get a great product – you will also get great knowledgeable customer service! That is hard to find nowadays! If you would like to check out her store and the other Essential Oils she sells click here.
You can also keep up with Joy and her husband Chris on their social medias! They post about all kinds of really interesting things including essential oils, homeschooling, special needs, autism, backyard chickens, and lots more! Come tweet ,tweet with Joy or Chris or check out Joy’s blog or Chris’s blog!
Did you miss any of the other posts on Essential Oils? You can catch them all here!
Who wants to enter a giveaway for a bottle of TerraShield so you can make your own Natural Insect Repellent !
TerraShield®
Outdoor Blend
TerraShield® is an all-natural formula of citronella, cedarwood, and a blend of 11 other therapeutic-grade essential oils blended in a base of pure fractionated coconut oil. A primary function of essential oils in plants is protecting against insects and other predators. Unlike other products that contain synthetic and toxic chemicals, TerraShield is a natural approach to managing exposure to biting insects. TerraShield’s fresh, light citrus smell is wonderfully invigorating and can be used safely by everyone in the family. One application provides coverage that lasts up to 6 hours!
Ready to enter? You can do so below!
What EO’s are good for varicose and spider veins?
Hey Starla! I will get Joy to answer this for you! I am curious too!!
Hey Starla. I just asked about this and Chris ( Joys husband) sent me this for your question- http://www.everythingessential.me/HealthConcerns/VaricoseVeins.html#page=page-2
Which EO’s would be good for sunburn relief?
Lavender is amazing for any kind of burn including sunburn. You can apply lavender “neat” (not mixed with a carrier oil) but coconut oil is also good for your skin so that is what we have used.
We haven’t needed anything but that for a sunburn but here is another suggestion I found- Rub a generous amount of Peppermint, Frankincense and Lavender directly to area of burn every hour or as needed to help cool burning, reduce inflammation and to heal burn and prevent scarring or blistering.
Dag nabbit good stuff you whrpepisnappers!
What are essential oils that could help combat mold exposure?
I’ve never dealt with black mold before but I bet diffusing Onguard (thieves oil) would be good for helping get rid of mold and it is also good for your respiratory system. The blend Breathe would also be good!
What EO are good for UTIs??