Mosquito Stay Away

No one likes getting a mosquito bite – they itch, they hurt, and they look bad. But what really matters is that they can get you and your family very sick. Mosquitoes carry diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and West Nile virus, just to name a few. These diseases kill millions of people around the globe every year. While many can be treated, your best bet is to never get bitten. There are lots of products on the market to help you do just that.

There are many factors that affect whether or not a mosquito is attracted to bite you, including heat, moisture, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals in your sweat. Your particular body chemistry is what determines whether you will get bitten or not – that’s why some people attract more mosquitoes. You can keep mosquitoes away by changing your body chemistry, and this is what mosquito repellants rely on.

The most popular way to keep mosquitoes away is still spray-on repellant. These chemicals help cover our own natural chemical triggers, masking us from mosquitoes. While every brand and type of spray contains different chemicals, the most effective and long lasting is DEET. While they don’t work as well and need to be applied more often, many people prefer to make their own repellants. Various oils work well, including citronella, cinnamon, cedar, clove, peppermint, and castor, among others.

Many people are hesitant about putting chemicals on their bodies. That’s why area repellants have become increasingly popular. These are scents and chemicals that go into the air, instead of onto the skin, and help mask us from bugs. The most well known product for this is citronella candles. The flame produces heat, moisture, and carbon dioxide that distract mosquitoes, and the citronella provides additional masking.

The problem with citronella and similar products is that you have to be within a few feet of them for them to work. That’s why companies have started putting out scented products that come with you. Plus, many of them are fun for the kids to wear, like buttons with sayings on them and glow-in-the-dark scented bracelets. While these products work great, most are one time use so you have to keep buying them.

When looking for mosquito repellant, most of us only consider using things that go on the outside of our bodies. However, repelling mosquitoes is all about changing our body chemistry so mosquitoes won’t be attracted, and this can also be done through what we put on the inside of our bodies. There are several daily supplements that can be used to keep mosquitoes away, as well as improve our overall health. While these pills can be very effective, they don’t work right away. You may need to take them for several months before you get the full effect. The good news about this is that if you forget to take a pill once, you’re still going to be protected.