Make your own insect repellant?

[hustler898]

Has anyone tried fooling with different home made and herbal extract insect repellent reciepies? Just curious if anyone has had any sucess. Would be a good alternative to using deet products all the time. Some studies have shown that deet may be cancer causing. Also since much of what is applied to our skin is absorbed by the body, who would want to be "wearing" toxic substances if it can be avoided??

Heres a few I came across that have received good "reviews".

1. Rub a dryer sheet on all exposed skin

2. Take one B-1 vitamin tablet a day to repell mosquitos.

3. Mix 4 tbs of babyoil or oliveoil and 1 tbs of dettol and apply

4. Mix 1 tbs of vanilla extract and one cup of water and apply

This one sounds good if you can find the "stuff"

5. In a 16 oz spray bottle mix the following:

---25 drops of essential rosemary oil

---25 drops of essential lavender oil

---25 drops of essential citranella oil

---2 tbs of mineral oil or extra light olive oil

-fill remainder with water, shake well and spray on anything you want to repell insects from including skin.
[signature]

[cat_man]

Hey hustler, maybe some of those things will repel mosquitos, I don't know,

but spraying all that on you so you smell like vanilla and flowers would sure attract the bees and wasps I would think![shocked]
[signature]

[Jedburton]

the alcohol in bug repelent isopropyl alcohol or another type which is not absorbed by the body. If it were ethyl alcohol it would be absorbed and would cause all kinds of problems. One of my chemistry teachers accidentally did that once and ended up sick.

jed
[signature]

[hustler898]

you may be right, lol. Give it a shot and let me know what happens []. I doubt it though since the oils from these plants have known insect repelant properties. I aint no expert though.

The idea developed merit in my mind after trying "off botanicals". All natural botanical ingredients including cytranella. I have some sample tubes that I have been using on occasion. It works and no deet, just all natural botanical oils in the form of a cream. Never caught on though I think since I don't see them in the stores anymore. Probably too femanine looking for us rugged out door types.[]

Anything that saves some$$$ and is better for you health wise is worth a shot. BTW, after using insect repellant for long periods of time I get a bit light headed. It may be from the chemicals absorbed through my skin, the odor of the repellant, or just in my head. Does this ever happen to anyone else?
[signature]

[hustler898]

I don't think it's the alcohol that is in question. Mostly the deet and other chemical additives. I also ran across some recipies that require alcohol or better yet Vodka as the main ingredient as opposed to water. Didn't post those for obvious reasons.[cool] Not with this lot, no way!!! they would end up drinking all the bug spray on the way to the fishing hole and I would get the blame for all the insect bites. LMAO!!!
[signature]

[Jedburton]

probably the best insect repellant I ever used was a botanical repellant. I used to work for duchesne county mosquito abatement, and when we were there we used to get this botanical stuff from wall-mart that was by far the best thing I have ever tried. It kept everything off, mosquitos, horse flies, deer flys, knats, midges, etc. The only problem and this is probably why they discontinued the stuff was that as the day wore on it would take on whatever strong odor you were around ie. sweat, fish, smoke, whatever. I think it was worth it though. I wish I could still find it,

jed
[signature]