citronella oil mosquito repellent

Citronella has been used for centuries in Asian cultures to treat health conditions like rashes and infections, but nowadays, this fragrant oil is best known for repelling mosquitoes and other flying insects,

Taken from the leaves of Cymbopogon, (that’s lemongrass to me and you) Citronella has a floral, citrus-like aroma and in its natural form is an Asian grass plant.

What are the benefits of citronella?

Insect repellent

It is all in the smell and if you hadn’t heard of citronella, you would definitely have smelt it - we like to say it’s the scent of summer!

Getting down to the specifics, and as the title explains, citronella oil repels rather than kills pests like mosquitoes and other flying insects. The scent helps to mask our human odour, making it harder for mosquitoes to identify their next victim.

We all love spending time outside during the warmer months and take pride in what our garden looks like, but it can be very hard to enjoy time in your outdoor space with mosquitoes seeing it as open season. Therefore, it helps that there are now many products that not only help to deter mosquitoes but also look pretty inside and outside the home. From Garden Flares and Bamboo Torches to the humble candle, there are plenty of choices to help decorate and protect you at home. One to shout out is the Zero In Citronella Colour-Change Pillar Candle, with its colour-changing abilities it's perfect to help bring a sense of occasion and fun to any alfresco dinner party whilst keeping the biting at bay.

Just remember that to stay bug-free you’ll need to keep the oil burning for the duration of your time outside. It’s a very good thing that Zero In citronella products have burn times ranging between 4 and 20 hours, isn’t it?

Wound Healing

As mentioned earlier, citronella has been used in Asian cultures for centuries to help treat certain health conditions. It’s said to speed up the recovery and healing process.

Mental health

It’s been said that inhaling the scent of citronella essential oils may have a relaxing effect on the body.

How to use citronella?

As I mentioned earlier, candles are a popular option for burning citronella oil, but there are alternative ways to use the oil.

Diffuser

This is a great way to protect your home from the inside out as diffusers dispense the essential oil of your choice through the air, Zero In citronella diffuser is a great choice as it lasts for 60 days, covers up to 40 cubic metres and is a bee-safe product.

Incense

Another that can be used in or outdoors, incense sticks work similar to diffusers but require a little more manual labour - meaning you have to actually locate a lighter to light the stick, rather than just pressing the go button of the diffuser. The coated sticks fill the space with fragranced smoke and come in many different shapes, sizes and smells but, in this case, Zero In Citronella Garden Incense Sticks are only for outdoor use and have a burn time of 2.5 hours so are a great option for a shorter period of time spent outside.

So, if you are looking to reduce the amount of flying insects in your home whilst also adding a pleasant smell then you've come to the right place!

Indoor Citronella