One of the scariest sounds for
me is when I’m just about to fall asleep and I hear the buzz of a mosquito like
a vulture patiently circling for his prey to finally surrender. How can the noise of such a tiny insect in
the dead of the night be able to create such panic in my life?
I happen to be one of the lucky
(?) ones to get all the mozzie bites while everyone else is wondering ‘what
mosquitoes?’ I’m actually still suffering from bites received 3 years ago. Usually within a week they’ve disappeared, 3
years does seem extreme and I’ve never had such a reaction prior or since that
time. I’ll just put it down to being the
lucky one again and of course no one else got bitten that night either.
So summer is not far away for
those in the southern hemisphere and we all need to prepare ourselves for the
feast that is about to take place.
Avoiding places near still waters and staying indoors around dusk is a
head start and of course insect repellents can be a great help. There are a variety of insect repellents on
the market and a quite a few that are still using the repellent DEET also known
as N,N-diethyl-metatoluamide. This ingredient is primarily used as a pesticide
for crops. I am not one for
scaremongering and we have to acknowledge that the percentage of DEET used for
crops is considerably higher than used in insect repellents sold in retail
outlets. We must also keep in mind that
many manufacturers advise as a precaution that the products with DEET should
not be used under clothing or on damaged skin and that it should be washed off
between and after applications as it can be an irritating to the skin or cause
reactions
The DEET type insect
repellents do not kill the insect; they are repelled by the smell of the
chemical. Insects are also repelled by
Geranium, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Cedar wood & Rosemary which are much
nicer ingredients to put on your skin.
Carla Riva Insect Repellent
"The Insect
repellent works an absolute TREAT! My son is very susceptible to mosquito
bites... Easily applied and doesn't have a nasty strong smell to it, would
purchase this on a continual basis."
"With
a gorgeous scent like this you will want to use this repellent every day. It’s
fresh, lovely and seems to work to keep away the insects and best of all we all
use it. Love the easy to use packaging."
"Both
my boys are absolute mosquito magnets and I have thoroughly enjoyed lathering
them in the beautifully fragrant Insect Repellent to find that they have not
received a single bite. It is not at all greasy and leaves such a fresh
fragrance. This will definitely be replacing our other greasy,
petro-chemical
repellents."
"The
first product we tried was the Baby Insect repellent as everyone was suffering
from mossie bites. I can't recommend this product enough. Not only did it stop
the mosquitoes biting but it also relieved the constant itching of the bites
received before the spray. When it's sprayed on it also leaves a gorgeous smell
and it worked on everyone, babies to really old adults."
"The
first thing I noticed it didn't leave any stickiness, and the fragrance was
beautiful, but didn't linger on the skin like other sprays ... & it was
comforting to read that it contains no DEET or any other synthetic insecticides
and uses all natural ingredients."