The Heritage Herb Gardens at the Ozark Folk Center grace the park with visual colors and textures, sweet and pungent aromas. With their natural display, they help us to interpret the history of the human use of plants.

This is the time of year when it is good to review methods for staying comfortable in your skin and still go outside to work and play. For me, protection against sun and biting bugs begins by dressing correctly. I wear jeans or slacks, socks and boots, long sleeves and big straw hat. My pant cuffs get tucked and secured inside the boot tops and, when working with plants with toxic oils, shirt sleeve cuffs are tucked inside work gloves.

Cotton, linen, hemp, raw silk and other natural fibers breathe and when, worn loosely, allow air to pass over perspiration on the skin, cooling the body. Meanwhile, mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers don’t have access to most of the body.

Before dressing I slather up with home-made insect-repellent oil. To 1/2 cup carrier oil I use 3 to 4 drops of each insect repellent essential oil that I am using in the blend. Please note: most pure essential oils should not be used directly on the skin unless they are diluted in a carrier oil or lotion. If you have a tendency towards allergies, do a patch test before using a new essential oil.

This season I am finishing a bottle of out-dated cold-pressed flax seed oil as my carrier oil. This is mixed with some ‘lite’ olive oil. The flax seed oil is thick and viscous and tends not to be absorbed as quickly as the olive oil. The light olive oil is a product that was left by a visitor and is not my first choice for cooking. Using these oils as a carrier for insect-repellent essential oils uses up groceries that would have otherwise be wasted. Any nut or seed oil that can be consumed can be used as a carrier for the essential oils. The lighter the oil, the faster it is absorbed. I prefer the oils that have thick consistencies so that the repellent stays on the skin surface longer than lighter oils that must be reapplied more frequently. I don’t worry about oil stains on my work clothes.

The essential oil blend that I am currently using is vetiver, cedar and patchouli. These essential oils are thick and heavy, sinking to the bottom of the carrier oil and have to be stirred or shaken well before applying. The fragrance stays with me all day. Lemon balm, lemon grass, peppermint, catnip, eucalyptus, citronella and lavender are just a few other essential oils that have insect repellent qualities. Some have been tested scientifically but most are judged in the field by gardeners, botanists and other outdoor enthusiasts. I can say with absolute honesty that between the physical barrier, stickiness of the carrier oil and the action of the volatile essential oils, I don’t have any itchy bites at this writing.

The essential oils can be obtained locally at the Herb Shoppe at the Ozark Folk Center and at Stone Ground Natural Foods on Highway 5-9-14 in Mountain View. Stone Ground also carries fine seed and nut oils. If I don’t see you in the future—I’ll see you in the pasture!