Study: Citronella Repels Mosquitoes For Hours Longer Than Chemical-Filled Repellents

Citronella oil is commonly known and celebrated for its aromatic benefits. While it’s often used in aromatherapy, recent studies have proven that its benefits stretch far beyond these bounds and can be used for countless health issues or functional daily uses.

Most recently, it has been researched for its repellent properties (especially against mosquitoes), ability to calm barking dogs and killing infections due to its antibacterial components. With its growing popularity and availability in health food stores, swapping out common chemical-based products for this natural essential oil is a no-brainer!

The Lowdown on Citronella Oil

Citronella oil comes from the Cymbopogon genus plant family. Depending on the type of Cymbopogon it is extracted from, it can have a number of aromas, ranging from warm wood scents to bright citrus lemon-like scents.

While citronella oil is widely available in natural food and beauty stores, to avoid commercial processing and steep prices, you can make your own! On that note, included with each of citronella’s uses below, we’ve included a simple DIY method or recipe for using citronella.

Repels Mosquitoes

Citronella is most comply used as a insect repellent, and can commonly found as a primary ingredient in registered pesticide products such as lotions, sprays and candles. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies citronella as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action, making it a smart and safe edition to any repellent.

The International Journal of Advanced Research announced that citronella oil is efficient for an impressive two hours of repellency, with a 2011 Tropical Medicine & International Health study proving that it provided a whopping three hours of protection against mosquitoes. These studies both found citronella oil comparable to chemical-based store-bought DEET products on the market.

Spray-on Repellent Recipe

Make a simple spray-on repellent by combining citronella oil with a liquid base of your choice – olive oil, rubbing alcohol and witch hazel are all great options.

Ingredients

2 oz base (olive oil, rubbing alcohol, or witch hazel)
60 or 120 drops citronella essential oil (60 drops will make a 5 percent solution, 120 drops will make a 10 percent solution)

Instructions

In a spray bottle, combine base with 60 or 120 drops of citronella essential oil. Choosing which solution depends on how often you wish to reapply the solution and how sensitive your skin is to citronella oil

Calm Barking Dogs

If your pup is always barking (for no apparent reason) then citronella oil may be your saving grace. According to Cornell University, calming “nuisance-barking” is as simple as a spritz of citronella oil fragrance under the chin – as compared to the conventional stigma of having to resort to electric shock collars. Citronella oil makes dogs uncomfortable, conditioning them to stop barking to avoid being sprayed.

Gentle barking collars that include citronella are widely and easily available on the pet market. But, making your own citronella bark spray is just as easy:

Ingredients

4 ounces distilled water

4 ounces witch hazel
30 drops citronella oil
Spray bottle

Instructions

In a spray bottle, mix the distilled water and witch hazel together with the citronella oil.
When your dog gets riled up and begins to bark, send a light mist of citronella spray in his direction to stop his barking. Never spray a stream of the mixture at him, nor should you spray him if he’s barking from fear, stress or anxiety.

Kills Infections

Citronella has great antibacterial and antifungal properties, making it perfect for killing bacteria and inhibiting bacterial growth in the body. This makes it the perfect solution when treating infections in wounds, as well as colon, urinary bladder, stomach, urethra, intestines, urinary tracts, kidneys and prostates.

To make your own Citronella Oil to use topically, try out this easy recipe that can be applied to the skin for wounds and infections.

Ingriedients

¼ ounce nard grass leaves and stems (you may use lemongrass as substitute)
1 cup olive oil

Slow cooker (ex. Crock-Pot)
Cheesecloth

Instructions

Mix the olive oil and nard grass leaves and stems in the slow cooker.

Leave and cook the mixture for about four to eight hours.
With the cheesecloth, strain the mixture, which is actually the citronella oil. Remove nard grass.
Repeat steps 1-3 with the strained mixture with fresh nard grass leaves and stems. No need to add more olive oil. Keep on repeating until the oil obtains the desired scent.