Ulog 61: Making Citronella Oil
The other day when I transplanted my supersized citronella plant, I took off some of the larger and healthier leaves with the idea of making some citronella oil so I could use it for making a bug repellent for the upcoming summer season. Where we live, we have at the back edge of our property line a wooded area with a creek running through it; which can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests.
The lotion I make will be for us (mainly me as I work in the garden more than Mr Golden D- he just does my grunt work out there) and I will be keeping some of the oil to use on our chocolate lab to hopefully help deter fleas and ticks that seem to run amok where we live.
I've been doing some reading about using citronella essential oil on pets from the Maple Holistic website and have found some great advice there.
Normally I would have only made a pint of the oil for making lotion, but knowing I will need to have some of the oil on hand for our dog for the next eight months, I decided to make a quart size jar of it.
On the left, the clean cut and washed leaves from the plant. I rinsed them with a spritz of water and vinegar. I didn't want to saturate them as I was concerned with the leaves losing some of their essence and oil properties. On the right, the quart jar being filled with the cleaned leaves and stems. I learned the stems are full of the citronella oils more so than the leaves are. I filled the quart jar about an inch over the leaves with avocado oil and made sure ALL the leaves and stems were submerged in the oil.
After filling up the jar with the leaves, stems and oil I placed in a small crockpot filled with water about halfway up and placed the setting on low. From what I've read, you need to check on the oil every hour or so. If it cooks to long, and the leaves get too hard the oil will not turn out right.
When I make our lotion I will use beeswax, the citronella oil and some coconut oil- but for the dog's citronella spray I will add the prepared citronella oil to water and out into a spray bottle. Apparently this would be the best way to apply to the dog's thick coat.
Watch for a future post on how I make the lotion and spray.
You are super creative, I love your posts!
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Man.... you're like the Mcgyver of the gardens and herbs. Btw, what do the oil smell like? I know the repellent I buy from pharmacies are usually minty and has a bit of peppermint smell.
I love the essence of citronella! It reminds me of when we were young and would go camping as a family. We always had one of those candles burning near the tents and camper.
How to describe the essence? WOW! minty is good... with a tangy scent that infiltrates your nose- lol
Pretty much smells the same as the ones you buy in the store. When I was trimming it up my hands and shirt just reeked of the oils. But I loved it
I love this recipe so I just had to resteem it. Thank you for sharing.
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Looks like a delicious salad. I guess nice with some rice, sesame oil and tuna.
Wow, Dawne! @goldendawne You know I expect the school to be in session whenever I fly by here!
I am excited by the thoughts of how this citronella lotion (and spray for the dog) will work. It is hard enough for us to avoid those pesky little insects, but, the animals have no way to combat them, unless they stay inside, which is not an option.
I love the smell of citronella and have fond memories of sitting outside when we were camping, the gentle smell wafting through the air. I will be back to catch the rest of the story!
Thank you so much!
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Awesome :].
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Yep Yep I’m on it!! Thanks for calling me out @weirdheadaches
Good stuff @goldendawne! I hope it turns out wonderfully for all of you 🐾
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Hope it works!
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