Natural Mosquito Repellent
All you need to know NOT to end up as mosquito dinner

You are looking for a natural mosquito repellent because last night you were again the main course at a mosquito banquet...right?

We thought so. The old saying that the best mosquito bite treatment is mosquito bite prevention, stands stronger today as ever. If you can avoid getting bitten you avoid the annoying itching and swelling and in some places in the world you avoid more serious diseases like malaria, West Nile virus, Yellow fever or Dengue fever. So prevention is the key

To make your search a bit easier we divided the mosquito bite prevention tips and natural mosquito repellents in bite size sections

Simple Precautions Natural Repellents Essential Oils as Repellent Plants as Repellent What about DEET?

Tested & Approved

The following natural mosquito repellent ideas have been tested and they proved to work. Apply them as much as possible in normal mosquito conditions but apply always when you are in malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus or yellow fever country

Before you go on a trip ask your doctor if you need special precautions for the destination you're going to

Simple Precautions as a Natural Mosquito Repellent

Spray the mosquito repellent you use also on your clothes because mosquitoes will bite through thin clothing. We will discuss the use of DEET and natural mosquito repellents later

Wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, a hat, shoes, and socks when going out into mosquito territory

Mosquito netting is also recommended in places where you find swarms of mosquitoes

Dark colored clothes attract more mosquitoes, so wear light colored clothes

Mosquitoes use sources of standing water like in containers, kiddie pools, birdbaths, old tires, hollow trees etc to lay their eggs and to breed in them. Try to find these places and, if possible, empty and scrub them and change water regularly. Also unclog roof gutters

Burning Pyrethroid coils and heating insecticide impregnated tablets all help to control mosquitoes (we agree, maybe they're not always the most natural ways but they are very effective, and that's what counts in this situation. Later on we will discuss the more natural mosquito repellents)

Avoid going out at times when you are more likely to suffer from mosquito bites such as early morning and evenings

Try not to wear scented products like perfumes, body lotions, shampoos etc. these will attract mosquitoes

Studies have shown that all the electrical devices which are supposed to keep mosquitoes away are not effective!

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Natural mosquito repellent
Scientific findings

More and more natural mosquito repellents are on their way up, and scientists and people in the field are researching the best ones available

Studies have already shown that natural mosquito repellents which contain the natural oil eucalyptol are highly effective and a nontoxic alternative to DEET. Also products which contain soybean oil proved to be very effective

Another promising discovery is that the natural active ingredient in catnip called "nepetalactone" is 10 times more effective than DEET! Unfortunately it is not as effective as a repellent when applied on human skin, but still a good point for further research

Uninvited guests will be kindly asked to leave

Home Remedies to prevent mosquito bites

Some of these natural mosquito repellents are very obvious, but when people really get bugged by mosquitoes (ah that's where that expression comes from...) they really become resourceful and sometimes discover the most peculiar ways to prevent mosquito bites. Either way all of them have been found useful to keep mosquitoes at a distance

One of the peculiar ones is to apply Listerine on your skin and clothes with a gauze pad or other piece of clean cloth

Or mix Listerine with household vinegar and spray it on; be careful with the eyes

Eat a lot of garlic or garlic supplements; the smell is not a real "turn on" for mosquitoes (and not only for mosquitoes...)

Another Garlic option is to make a garlic powder and water paste. Put it on pulse points, behind knees, on shoes and ankles and some on your cheeks and somewhere on your face and neck

Remember to keep it out of the eyes

Rub vinegar on exposed skin and clothes, keeps the mosquitoes at bay. The smell might be an objection but it's worth a try when nothing else is available

Bite Blocker contains soybean oil. This natural mosquito repellent is especially useful for children

Using Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil as a natural mosquito repellent is a huge favorite for many outdoors people

The opinions on vanilla extract seem to differ from left to right. Some say use only on pulse points, others say rub it all over your skin and clothes. Some say use only pure vanilla others say that the cheap stuff is most effective. Some say use it pure straight up, others say to dilute it with water and spray it on

So the obvious conclusion is that it is a personal discovery which way works best for you. So play around a bit and find out

You can try bathing in a very diluted solution of chlorine bleach before going outdoors. Mix two caps of bleach in a tub of warm water. Soak in it for 15 minutes

Be very careful not to get the solution near or in the eyes!

Some sunscreens work also as mosquito repellent. Pre-Sun seems an effective mosquito bite prevention

Eat a lot of vitamin B complex (especially thiamine, vitamin B1) and/or brewer's yeast

Daily doses of zinc (at least 60 milligrams) can work as a natural mosquito repellent. However it can take about a month to build up enough zinc in your system to repel insects

(Whenever you want to take supplements first contact your doctor)

Avoid eating sugar and white flour. These make you a smelling mosquito magnet

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Natural Mosquito Repellent
Essential oils

As you can see it is a personal discovery trip to find the most useful natural mosquito repellent for you or your situation

Use them alone or in combination with other methods to make sure you stay bite free

Basil oil Cedar oil Catnip oil Citronella oil

Tansy oil Lavender oil Pennyroyal oil Lemongrass oil

Thyme oil Tea tree oil Peppermint oil Lemon Eucalyptus oil*

Don't use this product on children younger than 3 years

Some eucalyptus oil products are: Fite Bite or Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent

Plants as a natural mosquito repellent

You can plant the following plants in and/or around your house. Or take their leaves and crush them roughly and rub them all over your skin and clothes; scatter the bruised leaves around as a repellent. There are many ways to use them. You can't find a more natural mosquito repellent than this

Basil Catnip Citronella Lavender

Tansy Thyme Pennyroyal Lemongrass

What about DEET?

Because of all the questions around DEET we want to discuss the use of mosquito repellents containing it and a give you a comparable alternative

Again we know it's not the most natural product available but until now still one of the most effective ones. In all possible tests products containing DEET have shown to be more effective than most others. The higher the concentration of DEET in a product, the more effective

One of the more unattractive aspects however, is that DEET products can solve plastics. The Environmental Protection Agency however found that DEET is very safe when used according to label directions, and it's not classified as a cancer causing agent. Read the precautions carefully since these products can irritate the eyes & more. Products with 5 to 25% DEET provide excellent protection

Keep away from children

You should not allow young children to apply DEET repellent themselves, but it is safe for them to use

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement saying that DEET is safe for children aged two months and older. Before that the age limit was set at two years. The academy also raised the maximum DEET concentration in mosquito repellent for kids from 10% to 30%

A Good Alternative

There is however another equally strong but slightly less irritating repellent available, which contains Peperidine / Icaridin (also known as Picaridin or the trade name Saltidin.) It is a very effective alternative to DEET but less irritating and doesn't dissolve plastics. We advise to look for repellents containing this ingredient

So these are safe to use as mosquito bite prevention whenever you go outdoors in mosquito season

We state again that they are not the most natural options, but they are still highly useful and advisable. Especially seeing the dangers when traveling in malaria, West Nile virus, dengue and yellow fever country

Got Bitten? Why you, why they itch & how they look Natural Mosquito Bite Treatments & Bite Relief Natural Repellents & How to prevent getting bitten

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Wikipedia

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But serious, we hope some of our tips have helped you to either get rid of those nasty itches and bumps or to have helped you set up a natural line of defense against our mosquito friends

Our First Aid section provides many more Natural Cures, Home Remedies, Herbal Cures and Natural Treatments for all kinds of emergencies. You might want to bookmark it for quick reference

Or start from our home page so you can expand your knowledge about specific natural cures and home remedies or start to set up a solid basic understanding

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