Mosquito Repellent Cream
Yield 12 ounces
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp stearic acid powder or beeswax pellets (find stearic acid here or beeswax pastilles here)
- ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil (find organic unrefined coconut oil here)
- ¾ tsp baking soda (find natural baking soda here)
- ¾ cup distilled water
- ¼ tsp Vitamin E oil (find non-GMO Vitamin E oil here)
- 10 drops each of two of the following: citronella, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender (if you’d like to repel ticks), pennyroyal (find 100% pure organic essential oils here)
Instructions
- Melt the beeswax and/or stearic acid, Vitamin E, and coconut oil over low heat. I like a double boiler or a large metal bowl on the lowest setting (around 100°F) in the oven.
- Heat the distilled water to almost boiling, remove from heat, and stir in the baking soda.
- This next part is the tricky part. Just like you are making homemade mayonnaise, pour water slowly into oil while mixing with a hand blender. It can be helpful to have a partner for this step. You will see the oil turn white immediately if you have successfully achieved emulsification.
- Immediately place pan in an ice water bath in the sink.
- Add essential oils. I prefer a combination of citronella and eucalyptus for general insect repellent. Mix occasionally until evenly and completely cooled.
- Place into the jar of your choice and label jar well.
Notes
This homemade mosquito repellent cream keeps me from having to apply both a moisturizer AND a bug spray. It kills two birds with one stone, and it works!
Also, we already shared a natural insect repellent spray, so this cream recipe offers a nice alternative.
Recipe by DIY Natural at https://diynatural.com/homemade-mosquito-repellent-cream/