I've been doing a bit of research into natural mosquito repellents. Initially I was happy to go along with the DEET, it seems to be most peoples recommendation when it comes to keeping beasties at bay.
After looking into it, DEET seems to be nasty stuff. It's a solvent, and apparently it can dissolve some plastics, and spandex. I can't be doing with that, my yellow catsuit will never survive. For something present in low concentrations in many insect repellents, it's actually recommended that you don't expose your skin to it directly too often, it can cause irritation and reactions.
Oh and don't use it in or near water because it MAY be toxic to some aquatic animals.
Oh.....and, you know....wash it off when you don't need it....it's nasty stuff.
So, I want something a bit better for me and for the environment. Problem is, whatever it is is gonna make me stink!
I've come across some weird and wonderful suggestions. I think the best ones must be Vicks Vapour Rub and Listerine (I actually have a travel-size listerine and spray bottle...just incase nothing else works).
Here are some of the more sensible suggestions:
Garlic! You can use this in a number of ways, I'll go through them in order of descending stinkiness. Some people swear by actually squeezing a fresh clove and rubbing it on wrists and around ankles. Hmmmm. Others suggest just eating a decent quantity of garlic, and others suggest taking an odourless garlic supplement. I'm unsure whether the last one would work, as it's the stink that keeps the insects (and fellow travellers if you're not careful) away.
Vitamin B1. Apparently for some people 100mg tablet of vitamin B1 a day works really well. Again, it creates a smell that is repellent to the beasties. I live in optimism that it's undetectable to humans! Some people say that they've tried it and it doesn't work at all, I guess it's down to peoples individual physiology, some people may exude substance through the skin more effectively than others. Judging by the scummy state I'm in the morning after a heavy session...I'm thinking I do that quite well!
Lemon and Lime. I asked Wilfy for his advice, having grown up in Pakistan and travelled the world with the navy. After immediately mentioning garlic, he then said lime. I've heard that lemon performs similarly. I may purchase some citrus fruits and rub myself all up with them ;o). Kinky eh? Anythings gotta be better than taking a raw garlic bath.
Essential oils. There are a LOT of essential oils that are mentioned in relation to keeping the insects at bay, some better for your skin than others. The four main oils I seem to keep coming across are citronella, lavender, lemongrass and eucalyptus. Mix them up with olive oil/water in a spray bottle and voila! Homemade repellent.
Apart from this it seems that you shouldn't use perfumed anything, or perfume itself...these nice scents attract the beasties!
So! I have decided I'm going to:
- Invest in some essential oils
- Eat tonnes of garlic...nom nom nom
- Start taking vitamin B1 on Friday
And turn to the listerine if all else fails (natural??)
If I was a kind and sweet person, I'd try them all one at a time so that I could see which work and which fail, then let you know what the findings are. I'm not kind and sweet and I hate mossie bites so I'm going all out.
Wish me luck, and if you have any natural remedies that have never failed you, let me know :o)
I wonder if they sell Vicks in Cambodia??.....
