7 natural ways to prevent mosquito bites

by Expat Life

 

 

As if we did not have enough to worry about we are coming into the mosquito season and have to be wary of Dengue fever. Please follow this sage advice from our American colleagues and stay safe from yet another plague.

 

When it comes to fending off itchy mosquito bites, synthetic repellents are not your only option. Find out what else works to ward off pesky mosquitoes.

 

Citronella candles and fans are two ways to keep mosquitoes away.

 

Warmer weather means revelling in outdoor activities like hiking, sunbathing, and barbecues. Along with these plusses comes one tiny nuisance: mosquitos. These pesky pests, which thrive in warm weather, can put a damper on anyone’s summer fun. But there are ways to deter mosquitos, so you can enjoy the sunshine.

 

The most common method used to repel mosquitoes is Deet spray, according to a survey published in July 2018 in Peer J — The Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences. Deet spray has the longest lasting effect against mosquitos, but there have been some concerns over potential side effects of the spray, including skin irritation, redness, rash, swelling. 

 

Joseph Conlon, a retired US Navy entomologist and technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association, says there is no need to worry, though.

 

“Deet is a product registered by the EPA [Environmental protection Agency], and poses no unreasonable risk,” Conlon says. “If you use it judiciously there should be no problem — I mean, don’t drink it.” Listen up Mr. Trump! But there are other ways to thwart mosquitoes if you don’t want to use a synthetic repellent. In fact, according to the survey, 36% of people prefer to use natural repellents.

 

“The results show that in the future, there won’t just be a marketplace for synthetic repellents, but for natural repellents as well,” says Immo Hansen, PhD, who worked on the survey.

 

When using natural repellents that are applied directly to the skin, it’s important to use EPA registered ones and always check the labels, reminds Conlon. If you have sensitive skin or known skin allergies, it’s a good idea to test your skin first by applying a small drop of essential oil on the inside of your forearm.

 

Here are 7 natural ways to prevent mosquito bites:

 

1. Lemon Eucalyptus

 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified lemon eucalyptus, an EPA registered repellent, as an active ingredient in mosquito repellent. In a study published in June 2014 in the journal Fitoterapia, lemon eucalyptus essential oil was found to provide 100% protection against mosquitoes for up to 12 hours.

 

“It is a very good repellent,” says Conlon. “Just do not use it on kids younger than three years old; it hasn’t been approved for them.”

 

Bonus: Lemon eucalyptus also helps relieve the symptoms of the common cold, like congestion and coughing.

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/health-and-beauty/7-natural-ways-to-prevent-mosquito-bites/

 

-- © Copyright Expat Life in Thailand 2020-09-18

 

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Mosquito bite causes itch that is really irritating right? No amount of medicated oils or creams will stop the itch fast.

An almost instant way to stop the itch is to place a warm towel(almost hot in term of intensity of heat) over the spot of the itch it will stop the itch almost instantly.

It always work and foolproof.

The reason being the warm heat from the towel dissipate the chemical the mosquito inject into your blood to dilute your blood.

Once the warm heat from the towel dissipated the chemical it no longer has the strength to cause itch.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

7 natural ways to prevent mosquito bites

article stops at 1...

21 minutes ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

article stops at 1...

The man got covid.....

44 minutes ago, poloshirt said:

Mosquito bite causes itch that is really irritating right? No amount of medicated oils or creams will stop the itch fast.

An almost instant way to stop the itch is to place a warm towel(almost hot in term of intensity of heat) over the spot of the itch it will stop the itch almost instantly.

It always work and foolproof.

The reason being the warm heat from the towel dissipate the chemical the mosquito inject into your blood to dilute your blood.

Once the warm heat from the towel dissipated the chemical it no longer has the strength to cause itch.

Use Tiger balm

57 minutes ago, poloshirt said:

Mosquito bite causes itch that is really irritating right? No amount of medicated oils or creams will stop the itch fast.

An almost instant way to stop the itch is to place a warm towel(almost hot in term of intensity of heat) over the spot of the itch it will stop the itch almost instantly.

It always work and foolproof.

The reason being the warm heat from the towel dissipate the chemical the mosquito inject into your blood to dilute your blood.

Once the warm heat from the towel dissipated the chemical it no longer has the strength to cause itch.

The itch will stop instantly with certain cremes containing novocaine or similar. I apply novocaine gel and an anti hameroid creme.

14 minutes ago, Davo369 said:

Use Tiger balm

Its a myth.

It's not a myth Tiger Balm works everytime! Put on the site of the bite it stops the itch and reduces the swelling to nothing  immediately 

I hate mosquito bites.  And double hate them for for my babies to suffer.

 

With that in mind, the best solution I have found for the pesky little munchers is latest product by Thermacell called Radius available in US.  It is non-flammable liquid dispersed via small rechargeable dispenser.  In-laws say it is best repellent they have ever seen and want all they can get. That is pretty good endorsement from the jungles of Issan. I always fill a bag with the refills every time I am in US.  And even ask friends I work with to bring arm full back when they to US.

 

Highly recommended if you have access. 

 

 

ETA:  I'll confirm Tiger Balm works for us.  The proof is the kids stop scratching until they bleed.........

59 minutes ago, Nout said:

Its a myth.

Works for me, every time. Am using the white one, just personal preference.

Skeeters love me too much.   

I have been using lemon eucalyptus oil for a few years with good results and sometimes I add Citronella and Lemon Grass.

Just take an empty spray bottle and fill with 11 drops of one or of the mixed oils and fill with water and shake it up a lot.

Since oils and water do not mix so well just add some alcohol - less than a teaspoon - and shake again.

Easiest way after the critter bites you I use 1 drop of Lavender oil (amazing fragrance) massage lightly into your skin.

Chemicals are so unnecessary and intrusive to your immune system.

4 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

article stops at 1...

no tinking to mut.

4 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

The man got covid.....

He was bitten by a mosquito and Nr.1 didn't help.

Still working on nr. 2

I use Aloe Vera.

Have some plants. Cut a leaf off and put the gel on. Done.

An old wildfire firefighter said they used antiperspirants out in the field to stop the itching.

7 hours ago, Davo369 said:

Use Tiger balm

It's placebo. It doesn't stop the itch immediately.  Because of the length of time it takes to stop the itch it is not considered effective.

What you want is an almost instant cessation of itch. That's where the heat from the warm towel does the job. Using cooking oil is the same as using Tiger Balm. Both are good oil base products.

Encourage the geckos inside, mosquitoes are good tucker for them.

9 hours ago, poloshirt said:

Mosquito bite causes itch that is really irritating right? No amount of medicated oils or creams will stop the itch fast.

An almost instant way to stop the itch is to place a warm towel(almost hot in term of intensity of heat) over the spot of the itch it will stop the itch almost instantly.

It always work and foolproof.

The reason being the warm heat from the towel dissipate the chemical the mosquito inject into your blood to dilute your blood.

Once the warm heat from the towel dissipated the chemical it no longer has the strength to cause itch.

Tiger balm gets rid of the itch within a few minutes. 

10 hours ago, Nout said:

The itch will stop instantly with certain cremes containing novocaine or similar. I apply novocaine gel and an anti hameroid creme.

My girl got some menthol rub for massage stops immediately my god I hope it lasts 

Today in my GF's village, there were local people in blue uniforms coming around checking each household. They were looking for mosquito breeding grounds, such as tins or tires with pooled water in them. Any property that has those is fined 100 baht.

Tiger Balm is definitely not a myth, but it's true the effect is too slow.  When I got a bad case of sand fly bites in Koh Kud, I used Tiger Balm to try and get some sleep and found it to be pretty weak stuff, but better than nothing.  Then I started using those muscle pain relief creams - the strongest I could find.  But even those start losing their effectiveness over time.  Then I found the magic "Tiger Fire" in BKK.  This stuff also does not work immediately, but quickly enough, and when it starts working, it really starts working. 

 

Beware that this stuff can be downright dangerous if you don't take precautions.  Even if you wash your hands with soap and water, it can still cause a huge problem if you later rub your eyes, for example.  After a shower, throw the towel to soak or at least into the washing machine if there's even a small chance there's some of this "Fire" on your body.  So, best to apply with a cotton bud or anything like that to avoid getting on your hands, especially if you have a baby or a child around.  Now of course I have found this extremely useful for mosquito bites, along with the hot water and oil idea discussed above.  I really hate mosquito bites, and I hope I am never afflicted with sand fly bites again, ever.

Yikes! thanks for this! been trying different insects sprays and I don't EVEN like the smell! 

On 9/19/2020 at 10:35 PM, Ireland32 said:

My girl got some menthol rub for massage stops immediately my god I hope it lasts 

Be careful where she rubs it

On 9/19/2020 at 1:29 PM, fabruer said:

Works for me, every time. Am using the white one, just personal preference.

And Tiger Balm contains eucalyptus.