You read it in the title ... Summer is coming, and so do the mosquitoes ! We hate them: the noise they emit, the severe itching they cause ...

In our article, we are going to share with you the secrets of a natural routine to help you fight against these. The flagship products of this mosquito repellent routine are essential oils.

Warning : essential oils have many virtues and benefits if used properly but can also be harmful. Before using them, be sure to learn about each of them and read the precautions for use. In addition, if you are pregnant, we do not recommend their use.

Good reading !

There are several types of mosquito: the so-called "common mosquito" also called the "Culex Pipiens", the named tiger mosquito"Aedes Albopictus"and his cousin the"Aedes Aegypti". The latter is the carrier of diseases such as dengue, zika or even chikungunya. In France, the mosquito that we meet the most is the first.

The mosquito makes its appearance during the hottest season, summer, and is more present in certain geographical areas. On June 21, it is therefore natural that we remember his presence and the famous itching that his bites generate. You might be wondering why these are so nasty? Indeed, when a mosquito bites you, it draws your blood but also injects saliva. This contains an anti-coagulant to neutralize our platelets so that our blood remains liquid and its proboscis does not become blocked. The injected product causes a reaction on our mast cells, cells found in the bottom layer of our skin. These cells produce what is calledhistamine. It is a neurotransmitter that causes a strong itch in us.

Essential oils such asylang ylang also called "Cananga Odorata" or Lemongrass also called "Cymbopogon Citratrus", are those which are best known for their effectiveness. Comparable to the two most common chemical repellents (IR 3535 and DEET), they fight effectively against the traditional mosquitoes mentioned above (Culex Pipiens). However, they perform less well on other types of mosquitoes.

These pure essential oils should absolutely not be applied to the skin! For safe use, it is strongly recommended to dilute them in vegetable oil . Your mosquito repellent should only contain 5% to 10% essential oil.

To help you, we have selected a recipe made up of a mixture of ingredients to help repel mosquitoes of all types. This recipe combines classic essential oils mentioned above with others less common, but very effective, especially for the toughest of them!

Here are the ingredients for this recipe:

• 80ml d'jojoba oil or coconut oil: if you live in a hot country, favor coconut oil. It allows to better combine essential oils in case of high temperatures.

• 2ml geranium essential oil

• 2ml of cajuput essential oil

• 2ml lemon eucalyptus essential oil

• 1ml of palmarosa essential oil

• 1ml clove essential oil

To know : 1ml corresponds approximately to 30 drops of essential oil.

This recipe can be used for any adult or child over 10 years old.

You will first need to introduce your essential oils and then your vegetable oil. We recommend that you use a pump bottle in 100ml glass. Mix your preparation to obtain a homogeneous protective oil . Once your preparation is ready, you can apply it to areas exposed to mosquitoes. However, be sure to avoid the eye area!

Extra tip : you can turn your mosquito repellent oil into a moisturizing and soothing after-sun treatment. You just need to mix in a bowl 1/3 of this product and add to it gel de lin. You will obtain a smooth and very pleasant preparation! 

And you, what are you doing to fight against mosquitoes? Have you ever used essential oils for this?