Mosquitoes are one of the biggest mosquitoes of the summer! We all love spending time outside, but it’s impossible to escape bites during your picnic, outdoor concert or trip to the park. When bugs bite, our instinct is to grab the nearest bottle of bug repellent and sink into a layer of protection. And for good reason: not only are bites itchy and unsightly, mosquitoes can also carry diseases like West Nile virus and Zika virus. Blindly choosing your repellent, however, can be just as dangerous to your health as the bug bite itself. That’s because over 500(!) EPA-registered bug repellent products contain DEET as an active ingredient.
But what is DEET?
N,N-Diethyl meta-toluamide, better known as DEET, is a chemical pesticide developed by the US military in 1946 to protect soldiers from disease-carrying insects in jungle combat situations. It was introduced for civilian use in 1957 and is still used today as a common ingredient to repel mosquitoes, ticks and other biting pests. Each year 1/3 of Americans use insecticides containing DEET, despite label warnings that exposure can cause headaches, shortness of breath, rashes, eye irritation, memory loss, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and tremors. The EPA recommends avoiding prolonged exposure to DEET and washing off skin and clothing immediately after returning indoors, but at Sally B’s we think we should avoid it all together. Research shows that up to 56% of topically applied DEET penetrates intact human skin and 17% is absorbed into the bloodstream.
But DEET isn’t the only ingredient to avoid when choosing a bug repellent. Bug repellents have the same ingredient concerns as other personal care products, including toxic alcohols, artificial fragrance, parabens and more. It is important to look beyond the marketing labels on the front of your spray and read ingredient labels in the back.
How can I protect myself without chemicals?
There are ways to protect your skin from mosquitoes without applying harmful chemicals:
- Minimize exposed skin by covering it with clothing
- Wear light clothing to reduce perspiration which attracts mosquitoes (they love lactic acid, which is excreted through sweat).
- Wear light-colored clothing. Mosquitoes use sight to find their ‘victims’ and dark clothing is an excellent target.
- Avoid spending time outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
- Remove all standing water in your yard as it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
- Eat garlic. It seeps through your pores and mosquitoes don’t like it.
- Place a bat box in your yard. Bats are rarely a threat to humans and bats eat their weight in mosquitoes every night!
- Plant an organic, mosquito-repellent garden with plants such as citronella, catnip, marigolds, lavender and peppermint.
- Use a non-toxic repellent, like ours B Adagotos.
Many essential oils—such as cedarwood, rosemary, cinnamon, thyme, lemon, eucalyptus, and geranium oils—have proven successful pest deterrents. We don’t recommend applying essential oils directly to the skin, but they can be quite effective after diluting them in water or oil. Sally B developed B Adagotos with an effective blend of organic essential oils and other good-for-you ingredients like organic fractionated coconut oil (coconut oil without the solids), which helps the product last longer on the skin and leaves it feeling silky smooth.
They still bit me. And now what?
The itch from a mosquito bite can be terrifying. There are natural, non-toxic remedies to soothe the sting. We’ve had customers tell us that applying a small amount of B Unbitten directly over the bite has been helpful in reducing symptoms, but here are other home remedies:
- Wipe a damp, cool tea bag over the bites. The tannins will reduce the swelling associated with the bite.
- Dab peppermint essential oil (diluted a little with water) on the affected area to add a cooling sensation, which will temporarily mask the itching sensation.
- Rub crushed basil leaves on the bite to relieve itching, thanks to its camphor and thymol compounds.
- Rub apple cider vinegar on the bite, as the acidity can be effective in controlling excessive itching.
This summer, stay one step ahead of mosquitoes. Keep non-toxic repellent in your car or purse so you’re not tempted to use a product full of DEET. Also, stock your garden with mosquito repellent plants as a first line of defense and natural medicine for when bites occur.
