Insect Repellent
There is nothing nicer than enjoying the fresh air in the sunshine.
Whether it is a picnic in the sun, a trip to the beach or a walk through the woods, it can be an idyllic time.
That is until swarms of insects decide to start nibbling away on your arms and legs and spoil a perfectly nice afternoon!
Once you have been bitten, the result can be sore, itchy and unsightly, and some can lead to serious illnesses or spread diseases and there is little you can do to treat it.
As always, prevention is better than cure, which is why using an insect repellent is essential to stop little creatures ruining your fun or putting you off from enjoying some time in the great outdoors.
The rise of natural insect repellents
There is now an increasing move towards natural insect repellents which are plant based and therefore less harmful.
The most popular ingredients include citronella, soybean oil and eucalyptus.
We can encounter insects whenever we are outside, and it does not matter if we are in far flung destination or somewhere closer to home.
Simply walking through long grass can leave us with lumps and bumps where something has used us as their lunch. Using insect repellent to prevent these irritations can be incredibly useful.
Choosing natural insect repellents means that you use them on every member of the family without worrying about the that many of the traditional chemicals can do.
Not only do insects leave behind skin irritations, they can also spread diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, dengue fever, chikungunya fever and Lyme disease.
Insect repellent is something that has been used for years to help keep mosquitoes and midges at bay, but the product itself has often been highly chemical.
Repellents have frequently included products such as DEET, and are often highly toxic and therefore bad for both the body and the environment.
Insect repellent creates a vapour barrier that deters the insect from coming into contact with the skin as it both smells and tastes unpleasant.
Botanical insect repellents are much gentler for human use and can be incorporated into a wide variety of products to make them as effective as possible.
An effective insect repellent should be effective against a wide variety of biting insects without causing any irritation of its own.
You should look for a long period of activity so that you do not have to reapply it too often and it should ideally be water-resistant, particularly if you are on holiday and likely to be sweating, swimming and splashing in the sea.
Most people are used to using a good old fashioned insect repellent spray. This can be sprayed onto any exposed skin to help keep insects away in any situation.
Insect repellent sprays
The incognito Insect Repellent is free of any DEET or parabens and provides protection for all the family against mosquitoes, midges, sand flies, horseflies and ticks. It comes as a spray and has a light, citrus aroma and non-greasy texture. It is also suitable for vegans.
Insect repellent soap
There are a great number of natural mosquito repellents that have been incorporated into deodorants, moisturiser and body wash, including the incognito Luxury Citronella Soap.
This amazing soap contains citronella and coconut oils and contains natural ingredients. Usually, the perfumes in soap are known to attract insects, but this has been specially developed to have the opposite effect.
Insect repellent oils
Citronella is a well-known natural insect repellent, and it can have all sorts of uses. The Miaroma Citronella Pure Essential Oil can be used in a wax burner or mixed with a base oil to massage into the skin.
It has a fresh, sweet and slightly fruity aroma that keeps the insects away in a pleasant way.
Insect repellent sun cream
Protection is important, so a sun cream with insect repellent solves two problems in one.
As we are most likely to encounter insects in places where the sun shines, it makes sense to incorporate both forms of protection in one.
Incognito have created a Suncream Insect Repellent with SPF30 that offers broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
This uses the same insect repelling ingredients as their other products, cleverly coupled with sun protection in a moisturising, non-greasy formula with a light citrus fragrance.
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