I’m a scent expert – the cheap hack to banish bugs in hours… and why peppermint is your best friend
ARE you tired of pesky bugs in your home?
It turns out that essential oils may be key to banishing creepy crawlies forever, according to a scent expert.
Dean Shaw, who is founder and CEO of Aroma Energy, told Fabulous: “Essential oils are a great-smelling and cheap way of keeping pesky bugs at bay.
“Not only that, but they’re 100 per cent natural and extracted from plants.
“People often opt for essential oils as insect repellents because they’re gentler for human use, don’t contain harsh chemicals, and they smell great.
“Essential oils that are great for repelling bugs can be found within candles, diffused through reed and/or electric diffusers, or spritzed using a room spray.”
Dean revealed five of the most popular bug repelling oil scents…
Peppermint
Peppermint is a great natural insect repellent that is known to ward off all sorts of insects and bugs, including spiders, mosquitoes, and ants.
That’s because of its active ingredient, menthol, which is thought to be overwhelming for insects and signify danger.
Its distinctly minty and fresh smell also makes it a favourite for summer.
Citronella
Citronella is arguably the most popular bug repellent scent and one that has been used for decades.
In fact, the citronella plant itself is often referred to as ‘mosquito plant’ because of its ability to ward off unwanted winged party guests.
Citronella has a strong and citrussy odour, which is lemony, light, and fresh.
Citronella is good at repelling bugs because it masks scents that are attractive to insects, meaning that they can’t locate their target to feed.
Cedarwood
Like citronella and peppermint, cedarwood has a strong flavour profile.
It has a warm, woodsy scent that is thought to promote calm and relaxation, alongside reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.
However, it’s also great for warding off bugs.
Cedar essential oil contains three main compounds (alpha cedrene, thujopsene and cedrol) which researchers have found effective as insect repellents.
These compounds are known to deter bugs because they interfere with bug’s pheromones that are used for searching for food, navigation and regulating bodily functions, among other things.
Lemongrass
Many people get Lemongrass and Citronella scents confused because they smell and look quite similar.
Lemongrass has a subtler smell, however.
Lemongrass contains three strongly smelling compounds that insects despise: cironellol, geraniol and citral.
Whilst bugs are usually attracted to sweet smells, like that of lemongrass, the cironellol and geraniol compounds give off a strong contrasting smell that insects stay away from.
Research has shown that lemongrass oil is an especially effective bug repellent against mosquitoes and houseflies.
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Clove Leaf
Clove leaf essential oil is another scent that bugs are repulsed by.
That’s because it contains the component eugenol.
Whilst this is a scent that bugs hate, it’s popular among users because of its sweet and spicy aroma.
Like most essential oils used for bug repellents, Clove Leaf effectively works by disrupting insect neurotransmitters.