I hate mosquitoes. However, I hate DEET even more. Something about spraying myself and the kids down with DEET every time we step outside the house, to avoid the nasty little blood suckers that seem to be waiting for us, just doesn't sit right with me ya know?
So I've been on this search to find something that is safter and more natural that actually works. Over the years I think I have tried everything I could get my hands on. I don't know about you, but sprays made from citronella and/or cat nip just don't cut it for our family and no matter how much or how often we applied them we still were a walking buffet for the mosquitoes in our neighborhood.
Last month however, I happened to notice a conversation going on on a Yahoo group that I'm a member of and they were all talking about a certain blend of essential oils that apparently were working like a charm. Could it be? A natural alternative to DEET that really, really works?! I was definitely intrigued and I'll admit a little skeptical at the same time.
Later I happened to be our local Community Natural Foods here in Calgary and I stumbled across a book called The Fragrant Pharmacy - A Complete Guide to Aromatherapy and Essential Oils by Valerie Ann Worwood. In there was a section on insect repellents using just a few easy to find essential oils. I grabbed the book and bought the extra oils I needed, excited to get home and mix up this lovely little concoction and put it to the test. The mosquitoes are awful around here and some days a heavy duty DEET based spray doesn't even work. If this blend of essential oils actually worked, I would be totally impressed.
I wasn't sure how to apply the bug repellent that would be easy so I decided to mix it up into a small mason jar with my Green Beaver Sunscreen (which totally rocks btw, I LOVE this sunscreen!) and apply it that way since we are using the sunscreen all the time when we are outside anyway.
You know what? The essential oils work! It really, really worked!
I took the kids to the park and we all had our bug repellent/sunscreen combo on that I had mixed up. We also had a couple of neighbourhood kids tag along and they didn't have any type of bug repellent on. I was sitting there on the grass and noticed that me and my kids weren't getting bitten. The poor neighborhood kids however were being feasted on by all the mosquitoes swarming around. I offered my jar of sunscreen to them explaining it also had a natural 'bug spray' if they wanted to scoop their hands in and put some on, but they weren't interested and seeing that they weren't my kids I obviously couldn't (and would never) force the issue. It was hard watching them get bitten like that though! To say I was impressed with the fact that the kids and I were going home 'bite free' would be an absolute understatement.
It is worth noting that the mosquitoes were landing on all of us, but they weren't biting me and the kids. Not once (and we were at the park on the grass for a good 45 minutes or so). The blend of essential oils as well, didn't keep the mosquitoes from buzzing around us, but I can handle that if I'm not going to get feasted on every 5 seconds or having to coat myself in DEET to try and avoid them.
So,without making you wait any longer, here this lovely little blend I found in The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood. :D
Insect Deterrent Synergistic Blend
From The Fragrant Pharmacy, page 60.
Essential Oils of:
Thyme - 4 drops
Lemongrass - 8 drops
Lavender - 4 drops
Peppermint - 4 drops
That's it! Of course double, triple, quadruple etc as you see fit. But that is the proper ratio according to the book and the ratios that I have been using and having success with so far this summer.
I knew I could mix it up in a good carrier oil (sweet almond oil is my go to favourite), but at the same time I didn't want to smother my children in oil during the hot summer days and inadvertently roast them to a crisp in my attempts to keep the bugs away. I didn't have a small enough spray bottle handy to spray it on them sooooooo, I settled on squeezing my sunscreen into one of my trusty little mason jars and mixing it all up together. :Þ
It's the synergistic effect however that works, not just one oil in particular. Like Valerie says in her book, "By mixing together two or more essential oils you are creating a chemical compound that is different to any of the component parts, and these synergistic blends are very particular and powerful."
Another apparently fabulous safe and natural mosquito repellant is The Insect Defend Patch. It's a transdermal patch that contains 75mgs of vitamin B1. I haven't had a chance to try it simply because I haven't been able to find it anywhere, it's all sold out!
For this great little find I have to thank my friend Nadine who posted about it on Facebook! She lives in an area that has had to deal with ridiculous mosquito populations this summer and it's been soooooo bad that people are staying inside, even on beautiful sunny days. When school was finishing up in June the schools had to keep the kids in during lunch and recess and people have been commenting that any and every bug spray isn't working at all. Nadine happened to mention that her girls wore the Insect Defend Patch patch to day camp and didn't get one single bite, which is absolutey astounding considering the mosquito problems they have been having this year!
We, as a culture, have this complacent way of thinking and believing that if it is on a store shelf it must be safe and that just isn't true. Sunscreens can contain toxic ingredients, bug sprays contain toxic ingredients and what happens every summer is that we coat our skin, one of the most absorbable organs we have, in carcinogenic creams and sprays in our efforts to stay healthy. Rather ironic isn't it?
Now, if you are travelling or live in places where you are at risk of contracting malaria, Lyme Disease and other serious diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks etc then you need to weigh the pros and cons obviously. But here where I live, running around the park shouldn't require massive amounts of chemicals when there are safer and natural alternatives that actually work. Like anything in life, do your research and make informed decisions. :o)
Click here to read more about the dangers of most sunscreen ingredients and to find a list of safer alternatives. Also, be sure to read about DEET and the long term impacts it can have. DEET has it's place, but it is not something to be taken or used lightly.
There are safer alternatives out there, you just have to look for them. Yes sometimes they cost a little more but sometimes spending the extra few dollars if you can afford to, is worth it in the long run.
Do you have a natural alternative to a commonly used product that is safer and actually works? Let us know!
Better and better ♥,
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