Recommended Mosquito Repellant?

suze200

Hi. When I went to India I used elastic wrist an ankle bands impregnated with repellent, as I could not take malaria tablets and we were going to high risk area. I bought them from Go Outdoors. I did not get a single bite but my college who used 100% DEET spray did.

Pollycat

Looks like there is the 100% deet type and the 55% type, not sure which one you've bought.

Where are you going?

I find it best to attack the little blighters in a number of ways:
by mosquito repellent
not sitting near stagnant water or greenery
making sure I have spray with me if there's a chance I might be out after dusk
covering up my legs with trousers or long dresses
using plug-ins in the room
keeping balcony doors closed after dusk
not sitting on a lit-up balcony at night

Lovelyjoolz

I am, judging by how much I used to get bitten, a delicacy in the mosquito world. Holidays used to be hell and I would wake up every morning bleeding from bites across my arms, legs, back and forehead(?!). Bet the maids loved me!

I've used Mosquito Milk for years now since my mum discovered it in Tenerife. Larger Boots stock it, but it's cheaper on the internet. It comes in a glass bottle with a roll-on. You just use a stripe up each leg, down each arm and across your back. It doesn't run everywhere which I like. Smells lemony, like citronella.

stephb34

I'm not sure which of these work but i use them all and i'm not prepared to drop any to find out which don't lol.
plug in, in the room, lavender spray in the room.
avon so soft (definitely green), mosquito milk, citronella, garlic capsules, brewers yeast, hayfever tablets (tree pollen this time of year) and a spray ie autotan.

Gloomendoom

Pollycat wrote: »

Avon S-S-S is not actually a mozzie repellant.

I was a bit dubious but having tried it, I can say that for something that isn't a mozzie repellent, it excels at repelling mozzies. At least, it works for me and my wife.

Pollycat

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I was a bit dubious but having tried it, I can say that for something that isn't a mozzie repellent, it excels at repelling mozzies. At least, it works for me and my wife.

It's not marketed as a mosquito repellant.

I've been using it for almost 20 years, even before it became the 'dry oil spray' - it was called Avon S-S-S bath oil spray and was very greasy - when it was mentioned in a free booklet that Thomson sent us for a holiday to Sri Lanka in 1996.

I mentioned it to my Avon rep and she said it was great for all sorts of different uses, (most of which Avon wouldn't want to be associated with a beauty product) such as removing tar from car paintwork after driving on a newly surfaced road.

101 uses for Avon S-S-S:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=37119588&postcount=7

I didn't say it didn't work at all, but it doesn't for everybody.

I've been reading threads on here and other holiday websites for years about it and know it doesn't work for some people.

As I said here:

Pollycat wrote: »

I use it after a proper mozzie repellant, never on its own.

I always use an after-sun with mozzie repellant in too, before Avon S-S-S.

And as stephb says:

stephb34 wrote: »

I'm not sure which of these work but i use them all and i'm not prepared to drop any to find out which don't.

balt

For a different approach have a look here, many other products for all pests also.

InsideInsurance

Pollycat wrote: »

Is 'Deet' the brand name?

Deet is the actual chemical in it, it can be marketed under many different brand names. Jungle Formula Maximum for example is 50% deet.

Deet does tend to work fairly well but it does smell very bad and so is equally good at repelling all but the most amorous other halves too

Pollycat

That looks quite an interesting unit.

If each butane canister lasts for 12 hours, you'd probably need to take spare canisters with you.

Are you allowed to do this on aircraft?

CAA regulations say you can't take hydrocarbon gas refills (for hair tongs).

Pollycat

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Deet is the actual chemical in it, it can be marketed under many different brand names. Jungle Formula Maximum for example is 50% deet.

Yup.

I thought it was curious that the poster who recommended 'deet', didn't say what the brand name was. :cool: