Healthy Alternative Mosquito Preventions

Sunny weather and outdoor activities are right around the corner! That also means that mosquitoes and other insects will be coming back shortly as well.

While most people will pick up DEET spray products, you might want to think about find some healthier options! DEET while it is deemed the most effective (outside of clothing) can be harmful in large amounts and toxic to our environment. 

The CDC recommends only applying it to exposed areas of the body, not putting it in any wounds or hands/eyes/mouth, and not over using it. They also don't recommend it for children and note that it can be harmful to pets. We have some recommendations for what you can use as alternatives. 

Here is a short list of oils and botanicals that work pretty effectively at repelling those pesky little bugs!

#1 Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. This is the only CDC approved plant based effective ingredient in most bug repellants. Good for 60-200 minutes 

#2 Citronella oil. This is good alternative and many people have probably already heard of it! Good for 120 minutes.

#3 Lavender. This is also great for the skin! Good for potentially 8 hours!

#4 Geraniol. This is made from citronella or lemongrass. Good for 2-4 hours.

#5 Greek Catmint oil. Related to catnip. This can be good for 2-3 hours. 

Not only can DEET be dangerous to humans and animals, it takes a long time for our atmosphere to break it down. Have you checked out some of these alternatives yet? If so we would love to hear your thoughts! 

SOURCES 

https://www.healthline.com/health/kinds-of-natural-mosquito-repellant#What-to-look-for-in-natural-mosquito-repellents

https://draxe.com/health/deet/

https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2875-10-S1-S11