TerraShield - The Key to Outdoor Happiness

I am a mosquito magnet and so is my poor daughter. With the exception of during my pregnancies, mosquitoes eat me alive every time I enter the shade or go near a wooded area. It's exhausting, and even worse are the huge welts that I get which seem to last for 5-7 days a piece. In fact, it wasn't until I was a young adult that I found out that some people find the little bump goes away within a few hours to a day if they don't scratch it. How nice would that be?!

I've tried various bug sprays over the years, some of which were effective, and some not. I tend to wear long pants and sleeves if I know I'll be on the mosquito buffet table, but they get me through my clothes quite often. Sometimes I'm diligent about using bug spray, but I often "forget" because it's stinky and makes me feel gross, tastes awful if I get it on my lips at all, and just does not seem like it's very good for me.

However, this summer, I have been using TerraShield, dōTERRA's repellant blend. I started out by purchasing the pre-made spray bottle (you also have the option of buying just the oil blend itself in a 15-ml bottle, which contains about 250 drops of repelling goodness). Too timid to try it out myself first, I lent it to a teammate whom said she had great results with it! Next, another oil-using friend tested it out at a campground and found she was the only one not itching the next day. That's how I knew it was finally my turn to take the test.

Two weeks ago I was at an Ultimate tournament in Ottawa and our first game on Sunday morning was right near the treeline. As soon as my teammates started swatting and I got my first bite,  I pulled out my TerraShield spray. I spritzed it on my exposed skin and then rubbed the oil in to cover my arms, legs, and neck. And guess what? That one mosquito bite that I got before I applied the TerraShield was the ONLY bite I got that day.

Since then I've been using it at practice and evening games and I pulled it out while visiting my parents up north this past weekend. The kids know to use it now, too, and they've also had great results.

Obviously the best part is the lack of bug bites, but the second best part is the smell and feel of it! My teammates say I smell like a nice wooden sauna when I wear it and I find that I'm not put off by the smell of it at all! My son still smelled like it a little this morning when he put on his hat to go to camp and I found myself thinking "mmmm .... he smells good!"

TerraShield is a blend of Ylang ylang flower, Nootka wood, Cedarwood wood, Catnip, Lemon eucalyptus, Litsea fruit, Arborvitae essential oils, as well as Vanilla bean absolute, Fractionated coconut oil, and Tamanu seed oil.

It's obviously intended to scare bugs away, but it's also good for cellular health, polishing wood, and when combined with lavender, it's good for skin irritations. Add some helichrysum and lavender to it and it's the tough that some homemade sunscreens are made of!

You can use the pre-made spray, or you can purchase the bottle and make your own spray bottles. You can also make roller bottles up of it so that you can use the spray on clothing and hats and use the rollers on exposed skin. This past weekend we went on our first "family of five" camping trip and I made some "Bug Rub" that made the weekend so much better!

If you want more info or want to try a sample, send me a message through the blog, facebook, or directly through my dōTERRA site.

Bug Rub

1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp beeswax pastilles 
30 drops TerraShield

In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil and beeswax. 
Remove from heat and pour into a tin. 
Add essential oil and stir with a bamboo skewer. 
Let set and keep in a cool dry place. 
Apply to exposed skin to scare the bugs away!