Store the mix in a dark plastic bottle so it won’t degrade. If you can’t find a dark bottle, just cover a clear one with duct tape. I found that using an old (well-rinsed out) shampoo worked well as it had a small opening for pouring the repellant out. I also tried putting it in an old window cleaner bottle with a spray nozzle so that we could spray it on. However, pouring a bit out from the shampoo bottle and then rubbing it on seemed to work better for us, probably because we used more of the mix, so I wouldn’t worry about trying to find a spray bottle.
Now, on to the formula. The mixture should be 5 to 10% essential oil(s) and the rest the “carrier” oil or alcohol. So, to make a reasonable quantity:
1 fluid ounce essential oil(s) — total of all oils (this is 2 tablespoons, or 30 ml)
9 to 19 fluid ounces carrier oil or alcohol (1-1/8 cup to 2-3/8 cups)
I opted to make it on the strong side and used 1-1/4 cups of carrier, which made a total of 1-3/8 cups of the mix (11 ounces).
Make Your Own Insect Repellant
Store the mix in a dark plastic bottle so it won’t degrade. If you can’t find a dark bottle, just cover a clear one with duct tape. I found that using an old (well-rinsed out) shampoo worked well as it had a small opening for pouring the repellant out. I also tried putting it in an old window cleaner bottle with a spray nozzle so that we could spray it on. However, pouring a bit out from the shampoo bottle and then rubbing it on seemed to work better for us, probably because we used more of the mix, so I wouldn’t worry about trying to find a spray bottle.
Now, on to the formula. The mixture should be 5 to 10% essential oil(s) and the rest the “carrier” oil or alcohol. So, to make a reasonable quantity:
1 fluid ounce essential oil(s) — total of all oils (this is 2 tablespoons, or 30 ml)
9 to 19 fluid ounces carrier oil or alcohol (1-1/8 cup to 2-3/8 cups)
I opted to make it on the strong side and used 1-1/4 cups of carrier, which made a total of 1-3/8 cups of the mix (11 ounces).
What essential oil(s) to use? It depends on what you need protection against:
IMPORTANT: With all of these, you need the highly concentrated “essential” oil. For example, you can get “citronella oil” for Tiki lights in lots of places. But that’s not what you need — it’s already been diluted (and with things you probably don’t want to rub on your skin).
Carrier oil or alcohol (choose one or a combination):
- olive oil, sunflower oil or any other cooking oil
- witch hazel
- vodka
Just pour the essential oil and the carrier into the dark bottle you’ll store it in, cap it and shake to mix. If you prefer a “gel” consistency, you can mix in some aloe vera gel — but be aware that you’re cutting the concentration of the essential oil.
You can either rub it on or spray it on. Apply about once an hour or more often if you’re swimming or sweating a lot.
And one final related note: If you need to replace — or make — a no-see-um screen, it can be hard to find the material. Try bridal veil material, which you can find in most moderate-sized towns.
Full article: http://theboatgalley.com/noseeum-repellant/
What essential oil(s) to use? It depends on what you need protection against:
IMPORTANT: With all of these, you need the highly concentrated “essential” oil. For example, you can get “citronella oil” for Tiki lights in lots of places. But that’s not what you need — it’s already been diluted (and with things you probably don’t want to rub on your skin).
Carrier oil or alcohol (choose one or a combination):
- olive oil, sunflower oil or any other cooking oil
- witch hazel
- vodka
Just pour the essential oil and the carrier into the dark bottle you’ll store it in, cap it and shake to mix. If you prefer a “gel” consistency, you can mix in some aloe vera gel — but be aware that you’re cutting the concentration of the essential oil.
You can either rub it on or spray it on. Apply about once an hour or more often if you’re swimming or sweating a lot.
And one final related note: If you need to replace — or make — a no-see-um screen, it can be hard to find the material. Try bridal veil material, which you can find in most moderate-sized towns.
Full article: http://theboatgalley.com/noseeum-repellant/
This morning on CNBC there was a discussion about the long term changes that investors and savers are looking at without the growth potential of the past. We are in a new high debt world and the workforce is growing far slower than in the past. Robert Arnott discussed the expected returns we’ve all been taught and is pretty convincing in just how underfunded pension, etc have become. Considering retirees and senior citizens don’t have the large workforce as did previous generations, I do see reasons to worry. The future may have more in common with the past ten years than the gains we saw in the last half of the 20th century.
