I’m sure you are wondering what the best insect repellent is for you and your family and it can be hard! There are many products on the market and lots of information surrounding what’s most effective and best to put on your skin. Many of us here in Australia would have grown up using chemical insect repellents to avoid pesty insects from biting us. What we likely didn’t know at the time was the ingredients in those repellents. Let me break it down for you. The active ingredient in chemical insect repellents is deet, a synthetic household grade pesticide. Overexposure to deet has been reported to cause skin reactions, including rash, swelling and itching; eye irritation; and, less frequently, slurred speech, confusion and seizures. Scary stuff. This should be alarming and even more alarming to those with sensitive skin prone to reactions as mentioned above. Don’t worry, there is a solution!
Natural insect repellents have been proven to be just as effective as deet in repelling our insect friends. Active ingredients in natural insect repellents are all essential oils produced by our much-loved Mother Earth. Essential oils like Citronella, Pine, Eucalyptus, Lemon Eucalyptus, Cedarwood and Lemongrass all have natural insect repellent properties which won’t harm your skin or the planet we live in.
We are coming into Spring which is the perfect time to stock up on natural insect repellents to enjoy an insect free Spring/Summer!