The Summer holidays are here, which for many will mean jetting off to sunnier climes.
You’ll probably come back with a nice tan, a souvenir or two, and if you’re anything like me, a fair few mosquito bites!
Now I’ve heard many an old wives tale about how to prevent bites. Here are few of my particular favourites:
Place Marigold flowers around the house or garden.
Cut out sugary foods (they make you taste sweeter!)
Eat plenty of garlic (you emit its distinctive odour through your pores).
While some of these may sound obscure, many people favour these tricks to over-the-counter insect repellants which usually contain high levels of DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide). There have been a number of safety concerns over the topical use of this ingredient and it’s also known to be a bad skin irritant. It stings my skin on application, which is never a good sign!
Here are some of our suggested natural alternatives for both repelling mozzies and easing the discomfort if you do get chomped.
1. Mosquitoes come out to play when the sun goes down, so cover-up in the evenings. Wear light coloured long sleeved tops and trousers, mosquitoes are attracted to darker colours.
2. Put a few drops of Citronella oil on the four corners of your bed sheets. This oil has a pungent, citrus aroma that masks your natural carbon dioxide odour which insects are drawn to. DEET works in the same way.
3. Apply baking soda and water to a bite. It is thought that mosquitoes inject formic acid into bites so applying an alkaline substance will help to neutralise it.
4. Apply pure Aloe Vera. Aloe not only helps to ease the swelling and general discomfort but will also speed up the healing process.
Are you a mosquito magnet? If so, what tips and tricks have you found to work wonders?
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