How to Naturally Protect Your Family From Bug Bites: Bug Bites: Part 2 of a 3-part series
Jun 16, 2026
In Part 1, we talked about why some people get eaten alive while others walk away untouched, and how the real work happens on the inside, by building the terrain.
But while we're building that terrain, we still want to protect our families now. So today is all about your natural protection lineup. No DEET, no synthetic junk, just real tools that work.
First, an Important Distinction
There are situations where getting bitten is just... normal. If you're hiking through the woods at dusk, or sitting by the lake in peak mosquito season, everyone is going to get bitten. That's not your terrain failing you. That's exposure. And for those situations, you protect the body from the outside, which is exactly what today is about.
But there's a different situation. Someone told me just yesterday that when his son gets a single bite, it blows up like the Empire State Building. That's not about exposure. The kid who gets swarmed in the backyard while no one else is touched, or who reacts to one bite like it's twenty, that's terrain. And terrain is the long game we started in Part 1.
So today is about the first situation: caring for your family when you're out in nature and bites are simply part of the territory. The deeper work, changing how the body responds in the first place, is always happening underneath.
Make Your Own Bug Spray
Homemade bug spray takes about five minutes and you can customize it endlessly. Here are my two base recipes.
Bug Spray #1
- 2 oz distilled water
- 2 oz vodka or witch hazel extract
- ½ tsp olive oil (or another carrier oil)
- 30 drops Citronella EO
- 15 drops Lemongrass EO
- 15 drops Rosemary EO
Bug Spray #2
- 2 oz distilled water
- 2 oz vodka or witch hazel extract
- ½ tsp olive oil (or another carrier oil)
- 12 drops Peppermint EO
- 12 drops Eucalyptus EO
- 12 drops Basil EO
- 12 drops Rosemary EO
- 12 drops Lavender EO
Combine everything in a glass spray bottle, shake well before each use, and spritz onto exposed skin and clothing. Making a larger quantity is wise; it goes fast, and frequent reapplication is helpful when you're dealing with feisty mosquitoes or flies.
A note on potency: for every 4 ounces of liquid, you'll want 50 to 60 drops of essential oil total for maximum effectiveness.
Customize Your Blend by Insect
Different oils repel different bugs, so you can build a blend around exactly what you're dealing with. Swap any of these into the recipes above based on your intention (and muscle test your blends if that's your thing).
- Cedarwood — mosquitoes, flies, ants, fleas, ticks, lice
- Cinnamon — wasps, bed bugs, spiders
- Citronella — ticks, fleas, gnats, mosquitoes
- Eucalyptus — mosquitoes
- Lavender — bed bugs, lice, ticks, mosquitoes, ants
- Lemongrass — flies, fleas, chiggers, mosquitoes, ticks
- Peppermint — ants, bed bugs, wasps, fruit flies, cockroaches, spiders, lice
- Rosemary — flies, mosquitoes, ants
- Tea Tree — lice, bed bugs
- Thyme — mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks; one of the most effective oils in a natural repellent
Safety note: always dilute, patch test first, and skip the stronger oils like peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary for babies and the very littlest ones.
Going Into the Thick of It? Cover Up.
If you're headed somewhere the swarm is real, don't be too good for the basics. Hiking pants (not your yoga pants), long sleeves and yes, even a head net if it's that kind of trip. Physical barriers are still the most reliable protection there is, no reapplication required. Cover up first, then spray whatever skin is still exposed.
For the Energetic Layer: Unbitten
This one is a favorite of mine. Unbitten by Freedom Flowers is a flower essence formulated specifically to make your energetic and biochemical signature less appealing to biting insects.
How it works: Flower essences operate at the energetic and vibrational level, similar to homeopathy. The body recognizes the formula's signature and shifts its own resonance accordingly. The effect is subtle but consistent, users report real reductions in tick and mosquito attraction during high-exposure seasons.
How to use:
- Adults & children: 4 drops in water, 1 to 2 times daily during tick season and/or high outdoor activity
- Add drops directly to your daily family jar of FEMfusion
- Or apply topically to wrists, neck, or pulse points before going outside
Practical tip: Swap the dropper cap for a spray top and turn the bottle into a topical mister. Spritz directly on skin or clothes before heading out.
For On the Go: Young Living Insect Wipes
I absolutely love these wipes from Young Living. I carry them in my hiking pack at all times, and they work wonderfully.
They're individually wrapped, essential-oil based (no DEET or synthetic chemicals), and quick to apply on yourself or your kids in the middle of a hike, a kayak trip or any outdoor adventure. One wipe covers exposed skin and clothing in seconds.
The Lazy Option
If you're not in a high-bug zone, just dab one of those essential oils on before you head outside. Easy, and often plenty. (But if the mosquitoes mean business, reach for the spray or the wipes.)
Protect on the outside, keep building on the inside. That's the rhythm.
In Part 3, the one I've been most excited to share, I'll walk you through real-time treatment: exactly why I check my son's skin and treat every single bite, every night, and what I use to do it.
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