DIY Mosquito Repellent Bracelets to Keep Bugs At Bay

Mosquito repellent bracelets are a must in the summer! Once the warm weather hits you want to get outside, right? Unfortunately, the mosquitos and other bugs are out too. Protect yourself from irritating bug bites (and possible illness) by deterring mosquitos and other pests with these easy-to-make, effective DIY mosquito repellent bracelets. With just a few simple supplies that you probably already have around the house, you can protect yourself from mosquito and other bug bites.

It’s that time of year! The weather is warming up and it’s time to get outside. Whether you’re playing in the backyard, hiking, camping, or just having an outdoor barbeque it’s time to think about repelling bugs.

When the weather warms up, the bugs come out. Mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects are coming out in droves and looking for a snack. Guess what they find? You. Ick! I hate the constant smacking and the insufferable scratching for days that comes with summer bugs. But with these amazing and simple mosquito repellent bracelets, you can enjoy the summer evenings safely and comfortably!

The Need For Bug Repellent

Being outside when you feel like you’re the buffet du jour for mosquitoes or other bugs is no fun, and honestly, neither are the bug bites afterward. Unfortunately, ticks and mosquitoes are more than just annoying. They can carry and transmit some pretty nasty diseases to people. This means that bug repellent isn’t just something to keep us comfortable, bug repellents can keep up safe!

Bug Repellent Bracelets: Because bugs can carry viruses and diseases!

Ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease while mosquitoes can carry diseases and other viruses such as:

West Nile virus
Zika virus
Western equine encephalitis
Eastern equine encephalitis
St. Louis encephalitis
La Crosse (LAC) encephalitis
Dengue
Yellow fever

DIY Bug Repellent Bracelet: DEET works but can have adverse reactions

So how do you protect your family from that unpleasant experience? Well, if you’re anything like me, for a long time we used bug spray that I bought in stores. Most (or at least many) bug repellent sprays contain DEET, a chemical that repels mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects.

DEET definitely works – it’s considered the gold standard of bug repellents. If you research the safety of DEET you’ll find sites (and opinions) that run the gamut possibilities when it comes to the safety of DEET.

Plus, according to the National Pesticide Information Center, some reported reactions to DEET to include:

Skin irritation and redness
Rash
Swelling
Upset stomach
Nausea
Vomiting

DIY Mosquito Repellent Bracelets with Essential Oils

Even though there are reputable sites that proclaim DEET is safe for use on adults and kids, I am one of those people who prefer to use as few chemicals as possible. My take is: why expose ourselves to chemicals when there might be an effective option that doesn’t contain extra chemicals?

That’s why I went investigating.

I tried using other “natural” mosquito repellents, but they just didn’t work. In fact, with some of them, I felt like they attracted the mosquitoes to us rather than repelling them.

Then I saw people making their own DIY mosquito bracelets and thought “I can do that!”

How Do You Make a Bug Repellent Bracelet?

After some experimenting, we found a couple of methods that work. These DIY mosquito bracelets will help deter mosquitoes and limit the number of bugs around you.

These simple DIY mosquito repellent bracelets will allow you to enjoy the wonderful outdoors without constantly smacking yourself and enduring bug bites.

There are two tutorials, one for an essential oil blend bug repellent bracelet, and the other is for a fabric bug bracelet. Enjoy!

Step One: Make your Mosquito Repellent

Two Ways to Make your Own Bug Repellent

Before we actually get to the bracelets, we need to cover what essential oils to use in order to deter those pesky bugs. I have TWO mixtures for bug repellent that you can try:

1. Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent

We made our “bug juice” from a blend of essential oils. Add the following to a dropper bottle:

9 drops of purification- This is a blend of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Myrtle, and Tea Tree oils.
4 drops of peppermint- Bugs seem to hate the smell of peppermint! I use peppermint oil in my garden to keep ants and aphids away from my plants.
4 drops of citronella- Citronella, like the candles, also works as a bug repellant.
3-4 tablespoons of carrier oil (ex: almond or olive oil)- to keep it all together!

2. Garlic Mosquito Repellent

If you don’t have essential oils handy, you can make a less pleasant-smelling concoction (that is also quite effective) from garlic cloves. Here’s how:

Cut the garlic and put it in some water.
Let it ferment for a day at room temperature.
Then store your mix in the fridge.

Step 2: Create your fabric bracelets

How to Make Mosquito Repellent Bracelets- Create your mosquito repellent bracelet with fabric

Braid strips of fabric together to make a fabric bracelet. Start by securing the ends of your bracelet together with either a piece of string tied tightly or a small rubber band. You can use old Tshirts for this. Pick out an old T-shirt and cut it into strips. Tie a knot on one end to hold your fabric strips together to braid. You could probably also make these with other absorbent materials, such as hemp cord. You could also apply mosquito repellent on hair ties for extra protection.

Step 3: Add your bug repellent to your fabric bracelets and enjoy the summertime!

Add a few drops of your DIY mosquito repellent

To use your bye-bye buggy mosquito bracelets, put the bracelets on and add a couple of drops of oil (or the garlic mixture). The scent of the oils will help deter the bugs and you will be less prone to mosquito bites. I would be less inclined to use the garlic repellent on my hair ties, I would stick to the fabric bracelet for that.

Step 4: Refresh your Mosquito Repellent Bracelet every few uses

In time, after repeated use, the scent will leave the fabric and you can add more drops. The bracelet should be able to protect you for up to 24 hours at a time as the fabric is saturated. If mosquitos especially like you, feel free to wear a bye-bye buggy bracelet on each wrist. Make sure you take your bottle of repellent with you to refresh your bracelets as needed!

Other tips for your mosquito repellent bracelets:

Use the DIY Mosquito Repellent you made to aid in bite recovery (if needed)

If you do get a bite, you can also use the mixture in your dropper to support your skin’s recovery. The oils have a cooling effect that feels great on bites. The purification oil can be used to calm down irritated skin on its own, too.

Adjust the recipe as needed for your mosquito repellent bracelets

If you are using this mixture on kids under the age of 5, omit the peppermint oil for a less intense blend. The citronella oil will still help keep bugs at bay, without the strong peppermint scent.

BONUS! Mosquito Repellent Bracelet Idea

If you are in a rush or realize that you don’t have the needed essential oils but want to make sure that you are protected from bug bites, there is another common household product that you probably already have that you can use.

Did you know that dryer sheets help to repel bugs like mosquitos?

I learned this when I went camping as a kid, and I keep a spare box of dryer sheets in the trunk for emergency situations. You can rub the dryer sheets on your clothes and skin like we used to do, or you can also tie a few together and create a bracelet or even tie it to your hair to keep bugs at bay! This is a simple and inexpensive way to help you and your family keep the fun going outside all summer long! What good are those late-night sunsets if you can’t enjoy them outside without worrying about bug bites, right?

I have heard of people creating pockets in their shirts to place a dryer sheet, although you can tie a few together to make a bracelet and add some of your essential oil bug repellents for extra protection. And as I mentioned before, it can be as simple as just rubbing yourself down with the dryer sheets.

Using mosquito and bug repellent bracelets can help us stay safe and having fun outside all summer long! So get out there and enjoy those long evening hours without worrying about smacking yourself, scratching, or the possibility of disease. Who knew that protecting yourself from nasty bug bites could be so simple (and smell so good!)?