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DEET-Free Mosquito Repellents That Work
Guest Blogger
Monday, July 26, 2010
Diane MacEachern, Big Green Purse:
Summer's not the only thing in full swing right now. If you live anywhere except a desert, you're likely to be plagued by mosquitoes.
Most conventional mosquito repellents contain DEET, a chemical that is toxic to a variety of flying and biting insects and has raised questions about its safety for people. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) analysed human health consequences from DEET exposure and found that the most problems occurred when DEET was applied in high concentrations and left on the skin rather than washed off.
However, the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia recommends consumers choose botanically-based repellents rather than DEET unless they face serious health threats from something like West Nile Virus. Reports the agency, DEET is "a member of the toluene chemical family. Toluene is an organic solvent used in rubber and plastic cements and paint removers. DEET is absorbed through the skin and passes into the blood. The Medical Sciences Bulletin, published by Pharmaceutical Information Associates Ltd. reports, "Up to 56% of DEET applied topically penetrates intact human skin and 17% is absorbed into the bloodstream." Blood concentrations of about 3 mg per litre have been reported several hours after DEET repellent was applied to skin in the prescribed fashion. DEET is also absorbed by the gut."
DEET may also negatively impact the central nervous system and cause serious skin rashes, says the association. For all of these reasons, Health Canada has banned products containing a 30% or higher concentration of DEET. Also banned are 2-in-1 products, like sunscreen that includes DEET.
DEET-Free Alternatives
The safer alternatives contain some combination of essential oils and another liquid, like rubbing alcohol, to make it easy to spread or spray on. The most common essential oils used in repellents seem to be citronella, lavender, geraniol (a derivative of the geranium plant), eucalyptus, lemongrass, mint, rosemary and thyme. There are many prepared options available in stores and online. Or you can make your own.
I decided to try Burt's Bees, essential lavender oil, vanilla extract out of my pantry, and DEET-based Cutter. I've used Buzz Away in the past, and found that it worked for about a half an hour at a time, so didn't re-test it this time around.
I sprayed one leg with Burt's Bees and the other leg with Cutter, which contains 21.85% DEET. I rubbed about a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract on my left arm, and dotted my right arm with the lavender essential oil. Then I went down to my garden to test the effectiveness of each of these four repellents.
Amazingly, the mosquitoes swarmed to the leg that was sprayed with Burt's Bees. Nothing at all anywhere else. So, on the herbal side, at least for me, vanilla extract and essential oil of lavender worked as well at keeping biting bugs at bay as did the Cutter, and far better than Burt's Bees.
To get more recommendations, I polled members of the Green Moms Carnival.
- Jenn of The Green Parent said, "I use California Baby Citronella Summer Lotion. My youngest gets really bad bug bites but just a little dab of this lotion and she remains bite-free all nite."
- Lisa of Condo Blues said "I use EcoSmart insect repellent and it works great! During our family reunion, one family used Off and obviously mine used EcoSmart. The active ingredients are wintergreen oil and rosemary oil. It kept the bugs away and everyone who used my insect repellent liked it better because it smells better than Off." Lisa also recommends Happy Critters Farm Natural Bug Spray if you don't mind the smell of citronella.
- The last time Beth of Fake Plastic Fish went camping, she used All Terrain Herbal Armor, another DEET-free solution consisting of various essential oils like citronella, geranium and lemongrass. (NOTE: This solution did not spray out of the several bottles I tried in the store. If you don't mind spreading it on rather than spraying it, it could work for you.)
- Anna of Green Talk uses Shoo Fly by Bioganic.
- Karen of Best of Mother Earth is also trying out vanilla extract.
Thistle Farms is another company selling an herbal-based insect repellent. Added bonus: the farm is being managed by women who have survived drug use and prostitution and are making a new life for themselves working to develop and market natural products.
My recommendations?
1) First, cover up. The less skin you expose, the less likely you are to get bitten. If you're working in your garden or hiking in the woods, wear shoes, socks, lightweight pants, a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt with a collar, and a hat. If you're sitting on the porch or at an outdoor event and don't want to wear long pants or long sleeves, drape a light-weight shawl or scarf over your legs or arms. If the bugs are really vicious, spray your clothes, not your skin (and launder when you get in the house). Another advantage of protecting your skin? You won't need to apply sun screen.
2) Light citronella candles when you're sitting outside. You may still need to squirt bug spray on your ankles and legs, but the candles will emit an aroma that helps keep mosquitoes away from your arms and face. The more candles, the better.
3) If you're the do-it-yourself type, pick up a bottle of an essential oil like eucalyptus, lavender, citronella, or geraniol, or try some combination. Get a 4- or 6-ounce pump bottle; add somewhere between 10 and 20 drops of each oil to a couple of ounces of water or rubbing alcohol and shake well. Spray on exposed skin, always avoiding your face. (Pay attention: some herbal oils may irritate the skin. Find one that works for you.)
4) Try one of the herbal repellents available in most grocery, hardware, and gardening stores, or order online. They generally cost about the same as conventional, pesticide-based sprays. If you don't see a botanically-based option, ask for one.
5) If you feel you must use something stronger than essential oils, choose a product containing Picaridinwhich does not seem to irritate the skin the same way DEET does. Always use the lowest concentration that will work for you. Never use DEET or other pesticides on infants or children; especially avoid sunscreens that also contain insect repellents. Wash your hands immediately after applying.
For more suggestions on how to protect babies and kids from bugs, see this issue of Consumer Reports.
- Tips to Keep the Bugs Away
- 10 Non-Toxic Tips to Keep Bugs From Biting
- Dr. Phil Landrigan: Sun and Insect Protection
Healthy Child Healthy World.
image courtesy of James Jordan / CC BY-SA 2.0
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natural oils extracted and sealed in a wristband are the safest way to maintain yourself protected against bugs, they are not expensive and they last up to 200 hours, and they are deet-free,of course.
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Posted by Dallas Divorce Lawyer on 10/19/2010 at 01:13 PM
I was researching non-deet repellents a few summers ago. I was living in Virginia and the mosquitoes were just too much to deal with. My children were scratching all over but I did not want to use deet. I had heard that there were some essential oils that worked but I couldn’t get a definite answer on which ones worked. I ended up just keeping my children covered up.
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Posted by Antisheephood on 08/31/2010 at 01:17 PM
I have used Burt’s Bees for years and it is the only repellent that works for me!
Posted by LW on 08/10/2010 at 07:06 AM
Bug Band works best for me. They have bands you can wear, wipes you can use and spray too! I found it at Wal-Mart. It feels so nice to put something on my kids that I can trust will work and is deet-free.
Posted by cheryl fenton on 07/28/2010 at 04:16 PM
Just did a post on this topic. found a few really great ones that work well, as well as that little one that you can clip to your belt. http://easypeasyblog.com/2010/07/deet-free-insect-repellent/
Posted by judi anderson on 07/27/2010 at 01:47 AM
I regret to say that your information is misleading. DEET does not kill biting insects or ticks. It repels them. That’s why you’re supposed to apply it to your skin, rather than spray it on the insects. The absorption information you have shared is not correct. While a small amount of DEET is absorbed, it is totally excreted within 24 hours. Comparing DEET with toluene is also in appropriate as toluene can be highly toxic when inhaled or via skin exposure. That is NOT the case with DEET-based repellents.
Finally, there is no scientific evidence that DEET has a history of impacting the central nervous system of people. A recent French study published electronically in August 2009 reached conclusions disputed by leading experts for several reasons. First, the study used 200 to 4,000 times more DEET than you would ever use in applying DEET-based insect repellents according to label directions. Even more importantly, it was based on experiments on insects, not humans, and on individual insect cells in test tubes, conditions that do not “…accurately reflect how DEET is used as an insect repellent in the real world,” according to Daniel Sudakin, M.D., M.P.H., U.S. National Pesticide Information Center (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8182052.stm). Finally, many scientists recognize, as do regulatory agencies such as the EPA and public health organizations such as the CDC, the wisdom of Prof. Brian Greenwood, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said “…the findings of animal studies do not always match what happens in humans.”
There are many urban legends surrounding DEET. But the medical/scientific community has reviewed all of the available data (which is extensive). For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics, after reviewing unpublished and published scientific data on DEET, advises that infants as young as two months of age can use a DEET-based repellent in concentrations up to 30 percent.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: “Repellents containing DEET are very safe when used according to directions. No serious illness has been linked to use of DEET in children when used according to manufacturer’s recommendations.” www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/WNVmyths.htm.
I work for the DEET Education Program, Washington, DC. We have access to leading independent experts and scientific information on DEET and other insect repellents. I hope you will contact me at 800-789-3300 if you have questions or concerns about the information above.
Posted by Audric Moses on 07/26/2010 at 08:18 PM
Great article Diane—one thing to add: a 2002 independent study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at natural repellents vs DEET in repelling of mosquitoes. They found that the high DEET ones lasted longest, i.e. needed less frequent reapplication, BUT, one natural one performed well, lasting as long as ~4.75 to 7% DEET (approximate concentration in OFF Skintastic products). This one was Bite Blocker (based on soybean oil), sold in Canada as Summer Survivor. The Bite Blocker lasted ~ 95 minutes, smells great, and would be worth a try. If you can’t find Bite Blocker locally, my wife’s online store funkybugnaturals.com carries it (the Summer Survivor version anyway). Sorry for the plug. The other natural ones (including citronella-based ones) lasted only ~20 mins or less. However, there may be better citronella-based ones now, 8 years later.
This is the original scientific article: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011699 Check out the Abstract and Article tabs, and the table in the article containing the protection times.
I think the FDA and Health Canada also recommend repellents containing oil of lemon eucalyptus as a second non-DEET alternative.
Posted by J. Lang on 07/26/2010 at 02:49 PM
doTERRA makes an amazing bug repellent called TerraShield, it is a blend of all natural essential oils and it really works. Much, much safer than Deet. You can get it here: http://www.mydoterra.com/wellnessessentials.
Posted by Bubble & Bee Organic on 07/26/2010 at 09:02 AM
Check out our 100% Organic Insect Repellent—it totally works too!
http://www.bubbleandbee.com/servlet/the-Organic-Insect-Repellent/Categories
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