Safe Insect Repellant

Vanilla home remedy for personal use:
8 oz water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange oil
Spray on liberally.

Also, believe it or not - dryer sheets in the pocket can be effective too. :)

Blessings, S.

We found some citronella stickers either at Academy or Wal-Mart. We can put them on the child's back so they don't want to play with them and they work great keeping away mosquitoes.

Kiss My Face makes a nice one called Swy Flotter, I've only seen it on their website even though Whole Foods and Sprouts carry many of their other products. http://www.kissmyfacewebstore.com/detail/KMF+###-###-####

DO NOT rub dryer sheets onto your skin. Dryer sheets are one of the most toxic things in you home!!!! The orange oil, vanilla recipe is totally safe. It is from Howard Garrett, the organic gardener. He is very careful to use only things that are safe for us and the environment.

C.,

I have completely switched our home to "green", non-toxic products and it has helped my family tremendously. The wellness company I shop from does not have an insect repellent but offer other natural remedies that work GREAT to keep the bugs away when my girls are outside (22 month old and 4-year old). My 4-year old daughter no longer has to take her asthmatic inhalers or nebulizer treatments! She and I used to have terrible eczema and that's gone, too. Kind of scary to think all of this escalated by the harmful chemicals I had in our home. We not only use better, safer products for laundry, cleaning, bath, etc; I'm saving about $200 a month by making this switch. Let me know if I can tell you more or visit my site at www.momsgoinggreen.net; as I started as a customer with this wellness company but 6-months later looked into the business side of the company as well because my daughter's pulmonologist and I were just amazed at her improved health! YEA!!

I highly recommend Howard Garrett's website--it's full of information on organics and the "natural way."

http://dirtdoctor.com/

You will love it! He also hosts a weekly radio talk show and he has the best advice for those who are trying to rid their lives of toxic, synthetic, and also unreliable chemicals!

Avon has a Skin So Soft spray that was found to repell insects. And it softens skin to boot. (I used to sell Avon and some of my former customers swore by it.)

P. <><

Burt's Bees makes a great repellant that is botanical and safe for babies. It smells really good, in fact my husband prefers to use it instead of Off or something like that.
You can find it at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods, where they generally have a bigger selection. I have sometimes found it at Walgreens - depends.

HTH - L.

I second the Burt's Bees...actually found it at Target. It's also at Vitamin Shoppe in Southlake if you're near there.

I have seen many great reviews recently for the California Baby brand bug repellent.

This will not work for everyone- BOUNCE fabric sheets
will repel misquitos. My grandson has soap allergies and
could not use these, so have a care. We found out the hard way.

Burt's Bees makes an insect repellent -- "Lemongrass Oil" It is completely natural and even smells kind of good. It is a little greasy, but it eventually soaks in and makes their skin soft.

I have a water based product, all natural, no chemicals that keeps off the bugs. I use it on my granddaughter. And, it's very inexpensive. Call me for more information. S.

Hi there,
I haven't been able to find one that I like, so I've decided to develop my own. It's all natural, mostly organic, no chemical preservatives, etc. I'm currently consulting with a dermatologist to make sure everything's A-OK for the kiddos, then I'll be offering it on my website. If anyone's interested, send me an email at ____@____.com and I'll let you know when it's ready for trial. (I do a free-trial phase to get good feedback all my products.) It'll be lotion-based, non-greasy and very pleasant smelling. I also have a bite-soother that's just about ready as well. I've been using them both on my favorite Guinea pigs (my own kiddos), and they're working really well. I'm amazed at the bite soother -- it works like a dream (even on fire ants!) I'm probably about 2 weeks away from having both of them ready to go. Let me know if you're interested.

D.

My friend told me to use regular Listerine to spray around the yard and it really gets rid of the bugs. L.

Whole Foods has a variety of different ones, I have used Nelson Sting Gel and one called Stop Bugging me and they are all natural and are not sticky or smelly

I love the Badger Balm insect repellant. It smells like camomille, lemongrass and cintronella, and a little tin lasts my whole family all summer. There are also some all natural wipes but I can't remember the brand - I got them at Central Market.

Good luck!

Put listerine in a spray bottle. It works really well.
VickiS

Crocodile Herbal Insect Repellant. It's a roll-on. Smells great and got good reviews for effectiveness. You can get it online. I got it at the Flower Mound Pharmacy.

This is an all natural product that we use as a mosquito repellent. It is called natural 7. (it is sold as a fly spray, but it works great as a mosquito repellent and is safe for the kids too!) go to naturalgroomer.com
good luck!

I use a mixture of SolUMel and Tough N Tender and Melaleuca Oil. It works great and it's safe. I also Sol U Mel to clean tough stains and Tough N Tender for my counter tops. Melaleuca oil is fantastic for healing. No harsh chemicals or toxins. Safe for family, pets and environment!!

T.

Hello, we live near the lake& have bug problems also. You can buy dry dusting sulfur which is all natural & non toxic used the right way. Its only a few dollars for about 1/2 pd bag at most lowes, or home depot , etc. You then take an old tube sock, fill it about half way& tie a knot. Dust it around the ankles for sure, u can also dab a bit under arms , and thighs ,& waistline. It deffinitly keeps the chiggers off& helps with mosquitoes. The only down side is a bit if" rotten egg " smell, but it beats getting eaten up by chiggers by far. Wipe off when done, then wash later. It's really helped us alot. Also, skin so soft from Avon works well on mosquitoes. Hopes thus helps your pesky problems. We keep a sock , outside each door of the backyard& garage, one in a ziplock bag for going to parks$ stuff we keep in car for an unexpected drive by getaway. Hope this helps you.

A little about me, married 33, with 2 kids13 & 4. Happy& love the outdoors!!

Green Mamma's ###-###-#### | 5324 Davis Blvd North Richland Hills, TX 76180, is a plant nursery that also sells a great organic insect repellant. WE bought one can which is over half full and have used it for 2 years. It's called Natural 7 by Equi-Organics and is actually a horse care product without any harmful pesticides, harsh chemicals, dyes or fragrances. The label says, "safe for you and your horse." It smells wonderful! Active ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel, Citronella Oil, Clove, Rosemary, Melalueaca Oil (Tea-Tree Oil), Eucalyptus, Cedar Wood, and Orange Oil. It needs to be diluted at 6 parts water, to 1 part Natural 7 and put into a spray bottle. It's a lot cheaper than Burt's Bees, and smells better than other natural products I've tried using Lemon Eucalyptus oils.

My favorite is Bygone Bugz from www.lakonherbals.com. I have been using this for 7 years on my son. It lasts a long time because it is made with oils and a little goes a long way! It's also inexpensive. I am personally allergic to dryer sheets, but I have heard they are effective.

C.,

Go to this website:

http://products.mercola.com/Summer%2DSurvival%2Dkit/

You will find into on safe non-toxic sunscreen and insect repellent. If you order before July 8, you get 10%off.

There is a short video by Dr. Mercola as well.

Good luck.

I use a product that a lady makes by hand in Oklahoma, but she has a web site. http://www.goodiesunlimited.com/
What you are looking for is the solid lotion bar, but you want a specific scent, too, the lavender Tea Tree. When you get it, it looks like deodorant, it's in a stick, so it's really easy to apply, and it's not greasy at all.
We were out in Eastland county where they are having a terrible time with mosquitoes. I had put the Lavender/tea tree lotion on me and my kids and we had no problems, while out friends were slapping and scratching.

I love this lady's products, her e-balm is great for achy muscles, the everything balm is the best all purpose balm I've ever used (even works great on diaper rash! The Wood beams is great to use on your wooden cutting boards (she uses all food grade ingredients so you can still use it for food!)and I use the body polish on my feet in between pedicures as a great touch up. I can't say enough nice things about her products.
If you decide to order, tell her I sent you (R. in Keller)
If you are concerned abot ingredients, just email her and she will send you a list, she is really easy to work with.

Hey C.,

I use Arbonne Awaken Mist Spray and it works wonders. It is 100% botanical and herbs. If you would like more information on that please visit my website www.healthynutrition.myarbonne.com

Good Luck,

I cannot remember the name, but they sell it at the Right Start. Its all Citronella. No Deet. Worked great on one kid - did nothing the other. I found that alternative insect repellants don't always work the same on different people. Avon Skin So Soft works too.

I use skin so soft by Avon they have a spray mist.Also I have these bug band braclets that I ordered online by Spray N Grow they are really nice.

Hello C.! I use a brand called California Baby, and it is completely all natural made without the harmful chemicals that they put in most of the common insect repelent brands. The only ingredients are Citronella, lemongrass and cedar essential oils.

Here is a direct link to the product that you can buy online:
http://www.californiababy.com/natural-bug-blend-bug-repel...

I am all about using natural ingredients on my baby boy as well, and glad to see other mothers out there with the same concern! You should check out my Green Moms myspace that I set up to try and spread the word about the dangers of the everyday products we use. www.myspace.com/greenmoms

Hi C.!

I use clove oil. It comes in a teeny little bottle, and is somewhat costly for the amount you get, but it's great. I'm sure you can find it in any organic store, maybe even your regular supermarket. Little drops on the back of your neck, arms and legs and you're all set. I can't used the regular stuff we have because it has deet - not good during pregnancy. Also, you can put some drops of the clove oil around window/door frames - that should help keep mosquitoes out. Be aware if using it on your body - you will smell like a big walking clove, which is only a problem if you don't like cloves.
Good luck!

-Christina

Hi C.~
I have heard testimonies that Arbonne's Reactivate aromatherapy spray rids bugs away! Also, all of Arbonne's products are vegan and natural. Arbonne stands for Good things from the Earth so all of the products are botanically based.
Want to give it a try sometime...
let me know =).

This will sound strange I know but......if you know anyone that has or sells Avon products you should ask them. They have a product that I believe is called Skin So Soft that if you put it on it seems to repel insects - I don't know why, it smells good to humans! But it works....sorry I wish I could remember exactly which product but I don't venture outside much anymore for any length of time anyway!

There is a product called Bug Bam that is all natural and plant based. It looks like one of those "cause" bracelets, but is adjustable. It is waterproof, sweatproof and lasts for 100 hours. I have heard of mothers with young children/infants putting it on their child's ankle. You don't have to spray anything, it's nontoxic and has received rave reviews. Their website says it's available at Walgreens and Wal Mart, but I've yet to find a store that carries it. I'm ordering mine through their website www.bugbam.com

Good luck!

This will sound funny but believe me, it works. Rub dryer sheets on your child and then put the dryer sheet in their pocket or safety pin it to them or something. It works great!!! My great grandma told me about this and I laughed when she told me but I tried it and I'll never laugh at something that sounds crazy again because it works, probably even better than sprays and lotions.

Bounce dryer sheets are the best at keeping the insects away. Especially mosquitos. Just rub on arms, legs and neck and then stuff them into your pocket if you have any. It really works.

T.

my pediatrician recommeded Skin-so-Soft (avon) he said it is better and safer for kids and adults and works great!

Hi C.,
When my son was a baby, about the age of yours my doctor advised me to use Avon's skin so soft. I don't know about this being organic, vegan, or botanical but I do know that you can bath in this and it does appear to be safe. I used it regularly and he was protected from the horrible mosquito bites. We live in Texas and the mosquitos are terrible and this stuff works! Good luck! S., Euless, Texas

C.,

We use the Don't Bug/Bite Me patches from Kroger (lime green/orange packaging). I use it on my whole family (triplet 1 year olds, 6 year old daughter, and DH & I). FYI, my father contracted West Nile Virus last summer and it was totally devastating (I thought we would lose him) so I'm all about protecting my family from those horrible bugs (he was wearing Deet)!

T.