DEET

As promised, I tried out a couple of non-DEET products at our summer camp this past week. Bear in mind that these are personal opinions from a sample size of one:

– Coleman Skin Smart Insect Repellent (20% IR3535) – This was completely ineffective for me, not even repelling mosquitoes or gnats within minutes after fairly heavy application.

– Repel Lemon Eucalyptus repellent (30% oil of Lemon Eucalyptus) – As far as I could tell, this kept the mosquitoes away as well as 40% DEET, and was more effective than DEET against gnats. Some of the boys didn't like the skin feel (there's a definite warming reaction), but I preferred it to the petroleum distillate feel of DEET.

Looks like I'll be switching to the Lemon Eucalyptus product as my go-to. Thanks to everyone who had suggestions.

Just a FYI –

Eucalyptus Oil can cause allergic reactions in some people, sometimes quite severe. Everyone reacts differently, so keep an eye on the others as use progresses.

I applied a Very low concentration, and ended up in the ER about 8 hours later, getting a shot cortisone to quell the reaction of my skin to the oil. 'Cause I'm such a sensitive guy.

n=1, YMMV, HYOH, etc.

As far as essential oils go, i think it's better to do a more complex mix, some of the better ones are lemon eucalyptus, peppermint (use sparingly), lavender, lemon balm, and lemongrass–these are also some of the cheaper EO's if you shop around. Mix them in Karanja oil as the base. Mozzies and the like, can build up a tolerance to more simple or isolated chemicals faster, but i'm guessing a more complex mix might take a lot longer.

Lavender might affect hormones some, has estrogen like properties, but frankly, a number of guys here probably could use a little more of that… LOL. Well, in any case, health "authorities" recommend younger, pre pubescent and boys just starting to go through puberty to not use lavender. Hey, but weed lowers testosterone, and look at all the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders doing loads of that.

We could have a long talk about natural vs synthesized or super concentrated/distilled, but i doubt even the best arguments from both sides will change anybody's mind on it. For me, i lean to using things that are less concentrated/distilled, that are more synergistic, and less refined/processed–what some refer to as more natural–though more correctly called semi-natural. However, i'm well aware that even natural and semi-natural products can have high toxicity or cause adverse reactions. I've been experimenting on my body for awhile in this alternative and holistic health field, AFTER being experimented on by mainstream western medicine with no help but worse problems. So, not likely to change my mind on something that i have deep and repeated experience with. (Btw, i think western medicine is great for acute conditions).

Btw, i do not use EO's myself anymore for bug repellency. If i know they will be real bad, i wear thin, breathable long sleeve shirts and long pants, and over that put a mesh/bug net top and bottom. Also a very breathable, tilley type had with bug net. In Fairbanks (and other parts of) Alaska last early summmer, the mozzies were truly horrendous, i mean thick clouds and swarms. I have never seen anything like it in my life previously, not in the north east or the south east.

I wore a semi tight weaved linen shirt (still pretty breathable and cool), a breathable tilley type hat with bug net over same, shorts with bug net pants over same. Technically they could bite me through the bug net because i was wearing shorts, but the bug net pants were so baggy that they had a hard time even when i was still, and could not bite at all when i was moving. My get up did pretty well, and lot's of people seemed kind of envious.

However, if i wanted more full protection i could have worn some lighter, breathable linen or hemp-poly pants and then the bug net, and i would have been fine temp wise too.

For those using DEET, what concentration/application do you like these days, and how do you keep your gear safe?

I've been using 30% Repel Mosquito Wipes. I can pack what I need (usually one for evening, maybe one for morning depending on conditions) in a zip-lock. One wipe is more than enough for my face, neck and hands. I wear long sleeves and pants. I can reuse one if I need help at a rest stop mid-day.

I tried Cedar oil once but not effective against mosquitoes

Thanks to input from bayden cline (see above) and research I did online, I made a concoction of:

4 oz. pine tar
2 oz. castor oil
1 oz. lemon balm – eucalyptus oil
1 oz. citronella oil

I also read that you can add penny royal oil. I heated them all on low till the mixture was thin and evenly combined.

I am yet to test it out, but the guy and I will begin our thru in about a week, starting up in Maine during the most 'social' time for bugs. I have read many great things about the effectiveness of all of these things (though castor oil is simply a carrier oil), but I will post my analysis of it all after I get through the buginess of New England.
Still using Permethrin for those dang ticks though.

Interesting, some sites say that catnip essential oil is supposed to be pretty good for the semi-natural stuff. Haven't ever tried it myself nor do i own any, i would be afraid of my cats busting into my EO collection and burglarizing it to get to the catnip and then selling it on the cat black market*, possibly "enhanced" with tuna juice or perhaps something more nefarious like ketamine. Not to mention indulging in it themselves…. No, i just cannot have this temptation there, it would weigh on my conscience too much, i mean, i "know" they are good cats and all and might not… but… i keep thinking, what would i do if i was a cat…and i've "seen" the way they reacted that one time i naively brought dried catnip into the house! :0 :/

*(the cat black market is not to be confused with the black cat market, which is more of a sort of fetish thang amongst the felines, possibly a repressed psychological subconscious reaction to humans making a big deal about black cats, crossing paths, etc for so long..????)

what is it about black cats?

some people want to do awful things to them

That stuff will likely take your skin off making it easier for the bugs to get to your red juice underneath… but only after the painful blisters pop and fester.. . :)

Billy

Simple ignorant prejudice Jerry, ignorant prejudice.

Along the lines of what Billy Ray said… Yes, i must say, that concoction does seem RATHER concentrated! I've never used pine tar before except in pine tar soap which was fine (it's an old timey, and use to be quite popular, soap).

When i've used EO's before, it was always in terms of "drops", not ounces, and always with the carrier oil being the huge majority of substance. Lavender oil is one of the only EO's you could put straight on your skin. Some, like clove, cinnamon, peppermint, or grapefruit seed extract, and i'm sure a number of others will give you quite the nasty chemical like burn or otherwise severely irritate your skin–remember, some of these are strong antimicrobials and generally speaking, what can kill microbes can also harm human cells as well…

Karanja oil is a great carrier oil for EO's though, because it has innate bug repellent properties (and has antimicrobial properties), but doesn't bother skin (at least it didn't bother mine, i used it quite a while for a persistent jock itch infection i had had). It has a bit of a funky smell, but not near as bad as Neem, which is downright horrendous though it works awesome.

Personally i would lower the concentration of EO and pine tar, and up the carrier oil some, if it were me Virginia. I've burned my skin with some EO's, wasn't pretty. One time of applying a certain concoction to me groin area (for the infection mentioned previously), with too much of some of the above, well i felt my skin was on fire, and it hurt so much i promptly downed an entire bottle of wine plus some in about a half hour. Thankfully, i passed out not too long after.

I approve of the random story that branched off from my comment! Hahaha!

As for burning the skin, I too have burned my skin with essential oils and I was afraid that might happen with this concoction; however, I tested it out with my leg as a Guinea pig, covering a fairly large area with no burning or discomfort (and I have since gotten the mixture on my hands and rubbed it in with no bad effects)! I chose Castor oil as a carrier because it is notoriously good for the skin.

Again, no reports how it works in the field for me, but the upcoming thru is the perfect opportunity.

Also, thanks for the tips about Karanja oil, Justin! I'll check it out

For those using DEET, what concentration/application do you like these days, and how do you keep your gear safe?

Having tried all the "natural" alternatives I've heard of as well as picaridin, I've come full circle back to DEET.

Currently, I'm using Repel Sportsmen Stick which contains 30% DEET. Since it's a stick application, there are no liquids or lotions to leak and ruin your gear. Also, it's easy to apply where you want it without getting DEET all over your hands.

Of the natural repellents, I found lemon eucalyptus most effective. I just didn't like the smell and was afraid that bears might mistake me for a large gumdrop.

Picaridin in the higher concentrations also worked well. If I could find 20% picaridin in stick form at a reasonable price, I'd give it a try.

There's an African disease carried now by mosquitos in the US. The first part of the name sounds like "chicken" and the entire African name translates to "pain that bends you over". It's not fatal but debilitating as he!! for a few weeks.

Evidently ANY mosquito can carry it after biting an infected person.

All the more reason to cover up and use DEET or the natural oil flavor that works for you – and NOT cowboy camp below tree line.

BTW, how about Pemethrin? It kills bugs and is "supposedly" safe for human contact. But will it repel them too?

Hello from 188 miles into the Appalachian Trail! Just an update on how the homemade bug dope has worked for us through the 100 Mile Wilderness and generally in Maine thus far.

Here's a recap, I made bug repellent from pine tar, lemon balm oil, eucalyptus oil, citronella oil, and castor oil (see above posts for exact measurements and procedure). My other half and I have been on the AT for about 2 weeks, starting in Maine heading southbound. The mosquitoes have been more tormenting than the black flies for the most part, though the black flies have just started making more of an appearance lately.

I took along 3 ounces of the concoction and have used about 2 of those ounces. I rub it in like a lotion, leaving it thicker in more prone places (face, neck, hands, wrists, ankles, behind the knees). It is extremely effective against mosquitoes, though application only lasts between 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how sweaty you might get. For me, I don't sweat a lot, so each application lasts on average over an hour. My guy gets sweaty quicker, so it's more like 30 minutes for him. The black flies are barely affected by the potion from what I've noticed, though they only really started coming out the past few days so I cannot say more.

The dope is really nice to put on before we start cooking/eating, because it stays on for the duration of the stop, while allowing us to smell something considerably more pleasant than DEET. (DEET in the nostrils when you're trying to enjoy your food kind of taints the whole meal, in my opinion.)

Overall, I've found that I would prefer to use my homemade bug repellent and reapply several times throughout the day than to use DEET. I also found that a light wind jacket and wind pants aren't too tormenting to wear in the heat when there's tree cover, like on the AT. A head net is also used often, mainly because if I don't use it I have to fish out gnats from my eyeball on a constant basis, as my eye juice seems to be their favorite swimming hole.

All of these things combined or switched off from one another has made my experience in the bogs of Maine not-too-infested. Of course, when pushing up near-vertical ascents in the frying sun, the bugs seems to bother the most; I blame Murphy's Law for that though. ;)