Neem Oil As An Insect Repellent for Pets, Home, & Gardens:
Neem oil has repellent capabilities that can be used as a general prevention of insects and mosquitoes. However, using neem oil as a repellent only works if you use the product daily onto your horses and not just a one and done until they bathe as neem oil can break down and lose its effectiveness over time.
The best way to do this is to dilute pure neem oil with warm water in a spray bottle and then simply spray the product onto your horses coat. Alternatively, to make the most of your store bought fly spray, simply add a few drops of neem oil to your sprayer and shake.
This will make your fly spray last exponentially longer as the neem oil binds to your horse’s coat and is sweat and water resistant. The thick oil works much like coconut oil and will remain in place for several days without reapplication.
For biting midges that target the belly, face, and ears, simply apply undiluted neem oil to protect those sensitive areas. Not only will it repel nasty biting insects, but it will soothe and heal previous bites and calm itchy irritation caused by the midges saliva.
Make your own insect repellent in 3 Easy Steps:
1. Start with a base
Start with a base of good-quality neem oil or neem leaf extract.
Look for 100% pure oils, also called crude or raw neem oil.
It needs to be cold pressed as head destroys the Azadirachtin, and you might like to look for organic neem oil as well as this will ensure no contamination with petrochemicals or solvents has taken place during the purification process.
2. Emulsify
Since neem oil does not readily mix with water, you’ll need to use an emulsifier like a mild liquid soap, or coconut oil.
3. Mix
To make one litre of general-purpose neem oil spray, mix 5 mL neem oil, 2 mL of liquid soap and 1 L of water.
Add the soap to the water first and then slowly stir in the neem oil.
4. Pour and Spray
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and it is ready to use.
You’ll need to use the mix within 8 hours as beyond that the ingredients will start to break down.
Neem oil is an effective repellent of a wide variety of common garden bugs, including caterpillars, nematodes, locusts, aphids, Japanese beetles and mites. It works by interrupting the reproductive cycle of insects. Once ingested, it affects the hormonal system of the insect, causing it to forget to eat and stop moulting, mating and laying eggs.
This eventually sees the complete destruction of the insect population in the designated area as the older insects die off without producing offspring.
Neem oil is also powerfully aromatic and gives off an odour that insects do not like, protecting plants by making them unappealing.
In the home, neem oil can be used to combat ant, cockroach, fly, termite, mosquito and bedbug infestations.
It has no known adverse affects on mammals, birds, bees, butterflies and ladybugs.
General Skin Care For Horses using Neem Oil:
With a large variety of different uses, neem oil is an extremely versatile substance that carries beneficial medicinal properties and is commonly used to treat fungal and bacterial skin infections and heal minor wounds.
All natural 100% cold-pressed neem oil contains high levels of Vitamin E and essential amino acids that penetrate deep into the epidermis where the antibacterial agents are able to kill the bacterium at the source.
The anti-inflammatory properties of the oil reduce pain and swelling while the restorative Vitamin E and amino acids work to reverse damage and promote tissue and hair regeneration.
While the oil packs a powerful odor that is offensive to some (commonly compared to sulfur and peanut oil) our barn chooses to use neem oil over medicated shampoos because we’ve found it be just as effective with better, healthier results.
For isolated trouble spots along the pastern or cannon bone that frequently come into contact with wet grass and moisture, you can apply a generous amount non-diluted neem oil directly onto the legs by massaging it into the scabs.
This works great for treating the area but also as a preventative for future outbreaks.
For full body breakouts, add a generous amount of neem oil to warm water and shake in a spray bottle to combine.
Liberally spray the solution to the entirety of the body and brush in with a gentle curry or body brush.
Apply every other day or until the condition improves.
Not only will this help treat the infection but it will promote hair growth so your four-legged friend isn’t left bald or with dry, irritated skin that is common when using harsh medicated products.
Using Pure Neem Oil On Your Horse
Pure neem oil is highly concentrated and as a result, should only be used in very small amounts. It helps to treat horse skin and coats and heals inflammations and other disturbances of the skin.
Additionally, you can utilize the oil as a preventative measure against mosquito bites. Often, neem oil is manufactured with other essential oils but pure neem oil is not mixed with anything else and will need a carrier oil such as coconut oil or tea tree oil when applying it to horses.
Typically, an owner would trickle small drops on the horse’s coat and rub them in with a little cloth. Because of how concentrated the product is, doing this just once or two times a week is enough for horses to benefit from the oil’s positive effects.
Neem oil is water-repellent and even if there is heavy rainfall or precipitation, the neem oil will still stay on the horse and benefit their skin. Using the product undiluted can be tricky in the winter as the oil works much like coconut oil and will solidify in cooler weather. To bring it back to a liquid state, simply run warm water over the bottle for a few minutes and voila- the oil is liquified and ready to use!
General Skin Care For You:
Before putting neem oil on your face, do a patch test on your arm. If within 24 hours you don’t develop any signs of an allergic reaction — such as redness or swelling — it should be safe to use the oil on other areas of your body.
Pure neem oil is incredibly potent. To treat acne, fungal infections, warts, or moles, use undiluted neem oil to spot treat affected areas. Neem oil may also be used to treat the symptoms of psoriasis, eczema, and other disorders of the skin.
- Lightly dab the neem oil onto the area using a cotton swab or cotton ball, and allow it to soak in for up to 20 minutes.
- Wash off the oil with warm water.
- Use daily until you achieve desired results.
Because of the potency of neem oil, it’s a good idea to mix it with equal parts of a carrier oil — like jojoba, grapeseed, or coconut oil — when using it for larger areas of the face or body, or on sensitive skin.
The carrier oil can also subdue the odor of neem oil, or you can add a few drops of other oils like lavender to improve the smell. Once the oils are blended, use the combination as you would a moisturizer on the face and body.
If you find the oil combination to be too oily, you can mix a few drops of neem oil with aloe vera gel, which also will be soothing to irritated skin.
Neem oil can also be added to a warm bath to treat larger areas of the body.
Shampooing Horses With Neem Oil
A neem shampoo for horses with neem oil can give off a natural shine and make the horse’s coat nice and sleek. On top of that, a neem oil shampoo rinse can inhibit any organisms living on your hoses skin and help cure up conditions like rain rot, mud fever, and other curious bumps or lumps that crop up. Use as part of your regular grooming regimen to keep your horse’s skin and coat healthy, shiny, and moisturized.
You can easily add a few drops of the concentrate to a shampoo you already use to clean your horse.
Then, start washing your horse with water and shampoo and use a small sponge to carefully massage in the neem oil shampoo.
Allow the shampoo to soak for 5 to 10 minutes to maximize the full healing and nourishing benefit. We recommend to generally use a small dose of neem oil because a little really does go a long way.
We encourage you to learn more about the many benefits Neem Oil has to offer. For further reading on Neem Oil, check out this Neem Oil General Fact Sheet.
Looking for more information on Essential Oils? Check out "Best Essential Oil Brands Based on In-Depth Reviews" written by ConsumersAdvocate.org
See what Neem Oil can do for you and purchase your 100% COLD PRESSED AND UNREFINED NEEM OIL today.