As a
hiker/backpacker, I've been scouring the internet looking for a natural recipe
that will repel insects. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I do not
like the feel or smell of DEET on me so finding a different solution has been
an ongoing research project of mine. I've found a few that have been effective
but unfortunately, not for long periods of time. Here's my problem...I sweat, a
lot. If I stop hiking for a few minutes, I start to look like I just jumped out
of the shower. My other issue is with black flies, midges, whatever you'd like
to call them. To me, they're more of an annoyance than mosquitoes since they
constantly fly around the face and eyes (sometimes right into the eyes, nose,
etc.). I have yet to discover a repellent that keeps them away for more than a
few minutes. My question is, giving I sweat so much, how effective can any
repellent be if it's just dripping off me after a short period of time?
My other
problem with finding a solution when going the natural route is that there are
so many available choices, it gets confusing and leads to much trial and error
and additional expenses, especially when you’re purchasing essential oils that
are said to be the “most effective” only to find out they aren’t. A few weeks ago, I tried Repel Lemon Eucalyptus repellent and while it seemed to work while I was standing still,
it’s counterproductive to the whole idea of hiking and once I started moving
again, the black flies would return to their normal post around my eyes and
face. To be fair, I didn’t apply it to my skin though, I sprayed it on my hat
and on my shirt around my upper back and shoulders. Giving I sweat so much
while hiking, I’m not sure how effective it will be if I apply it to my skin. I
guess at this point, anything is worth a shot. One thing I did find out and I
don’t know if this is true but if I take my sunglasses off and place them on
the brim of my hat, the black flies/midges don’t seem to fly around my face as
much. From what I’ve read, they’re attracted to dark colors which my sunglasses
have black rims around them with amber lenses. Perhaps this could be a reason
and it seems to work to some degree.
Another
issue I’ve noticed is that while I’m sure some of the solutions work, a lot of
the recipes for natural bug repellents focuses primarily on mosquitoes with only
some also touching on black flies (can’t forget ticks either). Most seem to
find mosquitoes to be the more annoying pest but I don’t have as much of a hard
time with them. They do carry diseases so I can understand the
attention they get and the reasoning behind finding a good mosquito repellent. Don’t get me wrong, they do
buzz me and I do occasionally get bitten but not very often as long as I keep
moving. I just don’t think I’m one of those mosquito magnets like others have
reported to be.
As far as natural
solutions go, here’s a “short” list of repellents that have been recommended by
some studies, blog posters and their readers who reply with their own
suggestions:
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Camphor
- Castor Oil (Carrier)
- Catnip
- Cedar
- Cedarwood
- Citronella
- Clove
- Coconut Oil (Carrier)
- Eucalyptus
- Geranium
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Lemon Eucalyptus
- Lemongrass
- Neem
- Patchouli
- Peppermint
- Rose Geranium
- Rosemary
- Rosewood
- Sandalwood
- Soybean Oil (Carrier)
- Tea Tree
- Thyme
All of the
above carrier or essential oils (and vinegar) can be used externally and you
can attempt to mix and match to your liking. Please make sure to read the
instructions and cautions for each essential oil carefully as some of them are
very strong and can be skin irritants and others should not be used if you are
pregnant or trying.
As you can
see, there’s a lot to choose from and this is not by any means a complete list.
It’s just a matter of finding a combination that will work and how much you’d
like to spend on a “maybe”. The beneficial part of purchasing essential oils is
that they have multiple uses so if they don’t work for repelling insects, you
can always find another use for them (candles, lotions, soaps, etc.). If it
does work though, another factor to take into consideration is how much you
sweat and how often you’ll have to reapply. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus is said to
be as effective as DEET for up to 6 hours but it doesn’t take into account
those of us who sweat a lot.
In my
research and with realizing that anything I apply to my skin will likely not
last very long, I've started to look into internal solutions to see if any of
them will help. Two that have been mentioned and recommended by blog posters
and their followers are garlic and vitamin B (B1, B6 and B12 have all been said to work
so a B complex might be your best choice). After reading up on this, I decided
to take the plunge and bought both. I don’t like the taste of garlic so I went
with the odorless pills and can confirm they do not have any odor, didn’t cause
bad breath, and I didn’t stink like garlic when sweating. I did stink, but not
like garlic!
A little
something to keep in mind if you decide to start taking vitamin B, or more
specifically B6 and B12, is that B6 may give you vivid dreams that can wake you
up, and B12 may keep you awake because it affects your melatonin levels. I
didn’t know this and have been having some sleep issues recently! Live and
learn. More on this later as obviously after finding this out, I won’t be
taking the B complex in the evenings anymore. I was taking them with dinner as
it’s recommended to take them with a meal and I don’t normally eat much in the
morning.
Like with
essential oils, there are some who will swear by garlic and vitamin B and
others who have said they tried it and it didn’t work. Although I’m not fully
convinced yet, I’ve been taking the garlic pills and B complex for the last few
weeks and during my adventure at Wissahickon Valley Park, I wasn’t bothered
nearly as badly by the black flies as I normally am. I did see them and was
buzzed a few times but it was only for a short period of time and it was
definitely not as annoying as it has been throughout the summer. I’m
also not sure how much the weather plays a role in this either. It rained the
day before I went and while it was still warm, the temperature was lower than
it has been and it was quite humid. Time for some more research!
In all, I’m
hopeful that the combination of garlic and B complex will work for me but will
have to do more testing to see if it’s actually true. I still use my repellent
lotion and will continue to do so as an additional preventative measure and
will be sure to report back my findings.
Resources:
Please note that the above links contain
contradicting information regarding the use of vitamin B and garlic as effective
repellents and are provided only to give you some insight. If you browse the
internet looking for additional information, you’ll find claims for and against either but not much in regards to official studies. From my very limited
experience, I was not pestered by the black flies nearly as much as I normally
was while out on my adventure. It’s only been a single weekend of being my own
human guinea pig so the results in my opinion are hopeful but not yet conclusive.
I'm also working on another concoction using catnip and soybean oil which I eventually plan on making into a lotion. Once I do so, I'll report my findings.
