Preventing Mosquito Bites

marbar2k

I am going to Alcudia in spain on Friday and i am worried about mosquito bites. I always seem quite prone to them.

What is the best/cheapest way to prevent or detear them? Somebody once told me taking odourless garlic?

hollydays

You must have been reading my mind,was just going to post a question about mozzy repellants,so i will tell you what i have read and see if anyone can give us more info.
If you take vitamin B1 about 2 weeks before and while you are on holiday,your skin exudes a smell mosquitos dont like,same with garlic.I have read conflicting reports about an Avon product called skin-so-soft,a dry oil spray not made as a repellant but which is said to be effective,but then another report that says this is an urban myth and another says in trials it kept mozzies off you for 9 mins while "Deet "will do it for 5 hours.Re the avon product,its half price with triple nectar points at the moment,so id really like to know if anyone can confirm or deny.

marbar2k

i would like something i dont have to apply every day/hours while away, thats why i thought of taking garlic.

what would you say is better to take garlic or vitamin b1? and would it work as i am going on friday?

marbar2k

any more ideas? i might give the vitamin b1 a go

shammyjack

I blend a small bottle of eucalyptus oil into a bottle of aftersun, mozzies hate the smell and it works a treat.

Eucalytus oil is one of the main ingredients in the famous " Jungle Formula " insect repellant .

Also very cooling and soothing to the skin !

shammy

cheekymole

I've tried everything and NOTHING works for me, I think it's the luck of the draw. I carry antihistamines with me as some of the bites cause me severe swelling and pain. I'm sick of spending money on all the preventative things but my Dad swears by the Avon skin so soft

hollydays

B1 is worth a try- oh and apparantly eat lots of marmite before you go if you can-same vitamin i think.

cubegame

Deet. Or if you believe there is a risk from using it (you'll be far more likely to get a fatal form of cancer from your sun exposure while there) you should investigate Autan which uses Bayer's proprietry BayRepel repellent.

Vitamin B1, Garlic, Marmite, Avon So Soft will not work and anyone thinking they do had just been lucky. Eucalyptus oil is effective but short lived.

The_Bargain_Hunters

With regards to Avon Skin-so-soft after bath oil spray, original green, it was recommended to us by a few people and it was also in a travel guide when we went to Kenya, it certainly worked for us and we went twice! (Maybe it is just African Mosquitoes that don't like it!)

jenniferpa

Really, the only effective repellent is, as other have said, DEET. The tests they run, with poor volunteers putting their hands into mosquito swarms shows that quite clearly. One thing you can do to reduce your attractiveness is to use unscented products on yourself. Having said that, I believe that they are attracted to the carbon dioxide in your breath, so the only sure fire remedy is to stop breathing.

I am highly allergic (i.e throat closing up allergic) to mosquitos so apart from my epipen, I always use DEET, plus try to limit my exposure by wearing long sleeves/loose clothing.

Jennifer

FakeIrish

There are the coils you can use too. You burn them like an incense stick and the smell will keep them away. More suited to sitting on the balcony, picnics etc rather than being on the move. Available from most outdoor shops such as Millets, Blacks.