Mosquito soap recipe |

There are many essential oils that fight off mosquitoes and ticks. Citronella is the most widely known and the most recognizable when it comes to the scent. Mixing citronella with other oils that have similar properties create an effective bug-fighting soap with a more appealing fragrance.

24 ounces soybean shortening
10 ounces olive oil
10 ounces coconut oil
13.5 ounces water
6.2 ounces lye
1 ounces citronella essential oil
1 ounce lemon eucalyptus essential oil
1/2 ounces lemongrass essential oil
1/2 ounces cedarwood essential oil
¼ teaspoon yellow oxide colorant

A few years ago, the CDC put out a report stating that lemon eucalyptus oil was a safe and effective alternative to Deet for fighting off mosquitoes. When you have the CDC on your site, that is a great testimonial for your product.

I came up with this particular mixture of essential oils somewhere around 2002 or so. A friend mentioned that her son enjoyed camping but would come home covered in mosquito bites and occasionally, with ticks. She asked if there was anything I could come up with that would help. After doing some research, this blend of essential oils is what I presented to her, blended with a little alcohol and water in a spray bottle. He used it the next time he went camping and came home without a single mosquito bite.

So, it made me wonder. Would this blend work the same way in a soap. I mixed up a batch and after it was cured, gave her a few bars of it. Around that same time, I went on a camping retreat of my own – four days on a mountain top at a nature commune. I took the soap with me, even using it to wash my hair. While I could see mosquitoes hovering around the tent, not a single one ever landed on me. Another friend reported that while her daughter was in the yard, after using the soap, she saw a tick crawl into her daughter’s sock. Right away, the tick crawled back out and jumped off of her. In other words, our customers say it works on them and I know it works on me when it comes to mosquito and tick season.

see HOW TO MAKE SOAP link at top of page for basic soap making directions.