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Be naturally repellent to insects!

22 November, 2011.  Tags: Holidays Beach and Sun

What's in insect repellents anyway?

DEET is the common ingredient in strong insect repellents like Aerogard. It has been shown to cause seizures and even death in a handful of cases, by the Environmental Protection Agency (don't panic though - the likely seizure rate is only about one per 100 million users).

Cornell University researchers also showed that regular DEET users were more likely to suffer from insomnia, mood disturbances and impaired cognitive function. It's toxic to freshwater fish so you shouldn't swim with it on because the local wildlife won't thank you. DEET is also an effective solvent and I've used it for cleaning permanent markers off whiteboards!

In short, if you're into natural skin care and looking after your health, why would you put this stuff on your skin?

How to repel insects with natural skin-friendly spray

The good news is that citronella, lemongrass and eucalyptus essential oils have been clinically proven to act in a similar way to DEET in masking the body odours that attract the bugs to us, effectively making us invisible to the pesky critters.

Natural insect repellent recipe

Try the wonderful Neem-based insect repellent, Allez Allez, from REMEDICa. Or, you can make your own and put it in a left over spray bottle. Just mix 30 ml of almond oil with 6 drops each of citronella, eucalyptus and lavender essential oil. Add a bit of water and shake it up.

Now, carry it around in your bag and spritz it on liberally, reapplying regularly. In fact, you don't even have to worry too much about the quantities - I lost count and resorted the random pour method - the resulting mixture smells and works just fine. The natural skin care way to keep the critters at bay!

Chuck out your Aerogard

I've even been complemented on the scent - someone asked me what was the lovely perfume I was wearing - that definitely never happened with Aerogard.

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