If you’ve been using essential oils for as long as I have, you’ve built up quite a stockpile of empty essential oil bottles. I don’t like to waste anything, so I put them to good use.
I’ve turned those little bottles into all kinds of useful things: hand sanitizer, sleep spray, roller bottles, mattress refresher, homemade Febreeze, a car diffuser, and so much more. I’ve shared over 30 ideas & recipes for using empty essential oil bottles here.
And today, I’m sharing another of my favorite ways to use those awesome empty essential oil bottles — travel size bug spray!
It’s perfect for tucking in your purse. Keep one in the car so it’s always handy. Put one in every family member’s outdoor bag or backpack. Use it for travel (at 15ml it’s well within TSA limits for liquids). It’s the perfect on-the-go bug spray.
Use these homemade bug sprays to keep away all kinds of annoying pests — mosquitoes, flies, ticks, flies, gnats, spiders, no-see-ums, and more.
How to Make Travel Size Bug Spray with Essential Oils
step 1:Â remove drop reducer from 15ml essential oil bottle
tip:Â A tool like the one in the photo below is really handy for removing the orifice reducers at the top of essential oil bottles.
tip:Â This one came included with my 15ml spray tops I used to make the travel bug sprays, but you can also buy them separately.
This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.Â
step 2:Â add about 1/4 teaspoon of a carrier oil
tip: I like to use fractionated coconut oil for this because it’s clear, odorless, and absorbs quickly into skin. Other carrier oils you could use instead include olive oil, apricot kernel oil, almond oil, or rosehip seed oil, among others.
tip:Â if applying bug spray to clothes, you may to omit carrier oil so that it doesn’t stain clothes.
step 3:Â 8-10 drops of essential oil
tip: You can use a single essential oil like lemon eucalyptus, cedarwood, or citronella, or make up a simple blend of a few essential oils to combat multiple types of pests from mosquitoes to flies to no-see-ums and ticks.  Find my favorite bug-repelling essential oil combinations below.
step 4: swirl the oils around in the bottle to help them mix
step 5:Â fill the 15ml bottle with witch hazel
tip: be sure to leave a little space at top so room to add spray top. If you fill all the way to top of bottle and they add spray top, it will overflow.
step 6:Â add a spray top
tip:Â Be sure to get a spray top that’s specially made to fit 15ml essential oil bottles, otherwise it likely won’t fit properly on your bottle.
This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.Â
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- find colorful spray tops for 15ml essential oil bottles here (These fit all brands of 15ml essential oil bottles including doTERRA, Young Living, & Plant Therapy)
- find black spray tops for 15ml essential oil bottles here (These fit all brands of 15ml essential oil bottles including doTERRA, Young Living, & Plant Therapy)
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step 7 (optional):Â Â add a label
tip: You can print this label on full-sheet label paper or do what I do and print the label on regular printer paper and attach it to the spray bottle with packing tape. It’s cheap and easy to do. Plus, I find that the labels stay on better using packing tape than with regular label paper, and the packing tape protects the label really well, which keeps the labels looking great for a long time.
Best Essential Oils to Keep Bugs Away
Do you have an almost empty bottle of essential oil? Turn it into a travel bug spray. Lemon Eucalyptus and citronella work best, but there are a lot of good options for essential oils to keep bugs away this summer. See the list below for ideas. Just add about 1/4 teaspoon of a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil to the almost empty bottle, swirl the oil around to mix with the essential oil, then top off with witch hazel. That’s it. You’ve just made bug spray.
- lemon eucalyptus
- citronella
- lemongrass
- cedarwood
- lavender
- geranium
- rosemary
- eucalyptus
- peppermint
- spearmint
- sweet orange
Read more about these bug-repelling essential oils here to learn which bugs they’re best at repelling. Plus find lots of recipes for using each oil to keep away spiders out of your home, ants out of the kitchen, how to make moth balls, how to keep flies away, how to get rid of fruit flies, and much more.
Essential Oil Recipes for Travel Size Bug Spray
There are 12 variations of travel bug spray blends below. Choose the one that you like best for your bug spray.
Use in the travel size bug spray recipe above (1/4 teaspoon fractionated coconut oil, 8-10 drops essential oil, then fil 15ml bottle with witch hazel)
- 2 drops geranium + 3 drops lavender + 1 drop patchouli + 2 drops lemongrass + 2 drops citronella
- 3 drops lemongrass + 3 drops eucalyptus + 4 drops citronella
- 4 drops lavender + 4 drops lemongrass + 2 drops peppermint
- 4 drops rosemary + 4 drops cedarwood + 2 drops peppermint
- 3 drops lavender + 2 drops basil + 2 drops rosemary + 3 drops spearmint
- 3 drops eucalyptus + 4 drops lavender + 3 drops lemongrass
- 5 drops lavender + 5 drops citronella
- 4 drops lavender + 2 drops geranium+ 4 drops cedarwood
- 6 drops lemon eucalyptus + 4 drops lavender
- 5 drops geranium + 5 drops spearmint
- 2 drops geranium + 3 drops citronella + 1 drop patchouli + 2 drops lemon eucalyptus + 2 drops spearmint
- 3 drops citronella + 4 drops lemon eucalyptus + 1 drops patchouli + 2 drops lavender
Tips for Using
- oils and water don’t mix, so be sure to shake the bug spray before you use it
- avoid spraying on face
- avoid touching eyes and mouth if you have bug spray on your fingers
- apply as often as you need it
More Great Ways to Use Essential Oils to Keep Bugs Away
- find full size bug spray recipes here
- make a bug repellent candle to keep bugs out of your yard, picnic, or party
- make super cute bug repellent lotion bars with this easy recipe
- find mosquito and tick repellent roller bottle recipes here — swipe on wrists, ankles, and along clothing openings for extra bug protection
- find Bugs Away diffuser blend here
- And find lots more essential oil bug repellent recipes here — natural spider repellent, how to keep ants away, diffuser bracelet for mosquitoes, fruit fly trap, how to keep bugs out of your garden, essential oils for bed bugs, how to prevent lice, how to get rid of dust mites, and lots more
where to get supplies
This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.Â
- click here for fractionated coconut oil
- witch hazel– you can find it here online or at Target, Walmart, or drug stores in either beauty section or pharmacy section, depending on store
- find colorful spray tops for 15ml essential oil bottles here (These fit all brands of 15ml essential oil bottles including doTERRA, Young Living, & Plant Therapy)
- find black spray tops for 15ml essential oil bottles here (These fit all brands of 15ml essential oil bottles including doTERRA, Young Living, & Plant Therapy)
- click here for printable label & recipes
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Please note: Products mentioned in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This website is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your medical doctor regarding your medical care. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Disclaimer: Please know that this website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. Â
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