How to Make Yarrow Herbal Insect Repellent

Chances are you have yarrow growing wild near you. This article will provide step by step instructions for making a yarrow herbal insect repellent.

Yarrow is a common wild plant that grows all over the world. It has white flowers and fern like leaves. This plant is a great way to repel mosquitoes and other pesky bugs. Making your own herbal insect repellent is easy not to mention a cheap alternative to expensive store bought insect repellents. With the absence of DEET it also is a safe choice for those who might be chemically sensitive or avoiding toxic chemical products.

Yarrow has insect deterring properties and is gentle so it makes a great choice to make an herbal insect repellent with. It is also super effective. it's great to be able to use plants from your environment for useful applications such as insect spray!

The following are a list of what you will need and directions to make yarrow herbal insect repellent. This formula will take about 4 weeks to make.

What you will need;

Clear dry glass jar

Rubbing alcohol or vodka

Approximately 2 cups of yarrow

Lavender essential oil

Label

Cheesecloth

First you will need to be able to identify the yarrow plant. Once you locate some you will want to gather about a jarful. Be sure to not deplete full stands and take just a little from various open stands. A good rule of thumb is to take no more than 20% per stand of plants. This will ensure the plant will thrive in it's current surroundings and not be over harvested in your area.

Fill your jar with yarrow.

Cover plant material with vodka or rubbing alcohol. (Be sure to label and NEVER consume this mixture- this is for a topical formula only.)

Let sit in a cool dry place for up to 4 weeks.

Strain through the cheesecloth reserving the liquid.

Place in a spray bottle and add 15 drops of essential oil. Your yarrow herbal insect spray is now done and ready to use! Be sure to bottle up any extra and give some to your friends and family.

This insect repellent will stay good indefinitely. It should be kept out of reach of children and animals and labeled properly. To use apply to skin liberally. Be sure to reapply every 4 hours or as needed.

This formula would make a great project for your family to make together. It also makes a nice gift for those who like to camp or hike., It is a great addition to any herbal remedy repertoire.