Better Safe Than Sorry
Once again I find myself trying to find that perfect balance between being proactive in preventing mosquito bites but not completely overdoing it with chemical repellents. I know the safety of DEET and other synthetic chemical repellents is a controversial subject. I've also heard the Specialists say that in J's situation he's better off risking the chance of side effects from the DEET rather than risking the chance of increasingly worse reactions from the mosquitoes. I wonder what they would say should J develop some sort of cancer or neurological impairment down the road due to the excessive use of synthetic chemical repellents as a young child? Would they still argue he was better off?
I'll be the first to admit I have not invested a significant amount of time in researching this topic... yet. Mother's intuition played a big roll in my initial concerns about using DEET products long term. I quickly discovered that OFF! brand insect repellents offers a whole line of products containing varying levels of DEET. I've been most happy with the FamilyCare unscented pump spray containing 07% DEET and the FamilyCare Smooth & Dry aerosol spray containing 15% DEET. The pump spray lasts for up to 2 hours while the aerosol lasts up to 6 hours. I use the pump to spray J if I know the mosquitoes have been thick and he wants to go outside and play. I limit his playtime to 2 hours maximum before I make him come in for awhile. I'm sure to reapply before he heads out again. I use the aerosol when the mosquitoes have been thick and we're headed off to an outdoor activity. For example, the aerosol is used before going to the park, soccer practice, outdoor birthday parties, the zoo, etc. I am NOT comfortable using either one of these products on a regular daily basis when J is going to be primarily indoors or before bedtime and after baths as the Allergist had instructed.
Avon Skin So Soft was recommended by a few different family members and friends. I ordered their Bug Guard Plus SPF 30, Bug Guard Plus Picaridin Insect Repellent Spray and a couple packs of their Bug Guard Plus Picaridin Towelettes. There seems to be a common misconception (at least among my family and friends) that the entire Avon Skin So Soft line is chemical free and uses a natural bug repellent. I had never heard of Picaridin before receiving the products but it is in fact a synthetic chemical repellent. It is a newer product which the CDC claims is very similar to DEET in effectiveness and safety. Forgive me if I don't automatically take their word for it. However, it is nice to have an effective alternative to DEET when I know J will either be outdoors for extended periods or when the mosquitoes are particularly bad. It's nice to have a product in the form of a sunscreen as well for when we go swimming. The towelettes are very handy to keep stored in my purse or the glove box of the car just in case we get caught outdoors somewhere or I forget to spray him before we leave the house. I like to be prepared.
One day... thanks to my massage therapist sister... WE STRUCK GOLD! She had recently begun studying and integrating the use of essential oils into her client's therapy sessions with much success. She purchased a blended oil she had heard about which is a 100% all natural essential oil blend developed to repel insects! She brought the oil over to my house insisting we give it a try. The truth is I was a slightly skeptical and more afraid that I would use the product and it would fail resulting in J getting a bunch of bites and suffering a reaction. My sister showed me an application technique she'd been taught by a fellow co-worker. Instead of rubbing drops of the oil onto your skin as demonstrated in the video, we dumped the whole bottle into a blue glass essential oil spray bottle and diluted it by twice refilling the oil bottle with distilled water and then also dumping it into the spray bottle... resulting in a 1:3 ration of oil to distilled water. We put the lid on, shook up the mixture and sprayed a mist of the repellant blend all over J. Not only did it smell great, but I'm happy to say it actually worked!!! This was a big game changer for us. This product was all natural, safe and effective. This blended oil has become our default spray repellent for J and I have no guilt or anxiety about using it on a daily basis or long term. I spray J multiple times per day... when he wakes up in the morning, when he gets home from preschool, before he heads outdoors, after bath and before bedtime. While it might be true that the essential oil spray does not last as long as some of the synthetic chemical sprays, I consider it a small price to pay. In fact, if I know we're going to be outdoors for extended periods or if the mosquitoes are particularly bad I will use the oil spray as well as one of the chemical products mentioned above. Thanks to essential oils... the overall levels of synthetic chemicals J is being exposed to on a daily basis have been drastically reduced.
Another great aspect of using a 100% pure essential oil as an insect repellent is that you can diffuse the oil into the air... Essentially "fogging" your living room or bedroom with an all natural repellent oil which is amazing!!! Don't worry... it's not actually a fog, in fact you can't even see it but it works! There's nothing I hate more than when J wakes up in the morning with a new bite... diffusing a repellant blend in his bedroom actually allows my little guy to sleep in peace!
If you are looking for an all natural product that is both safe and effective like I was... I highly recommend certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils. I have actually ended up ordering so much product from a particular company that I decided to sign-up as a distributor... which put me on an automatic monthly shipping program. I also order for family and friends who are interested in trying what has worked out so well for us. I wanted to make this disclaimer simply so that no one feels like I was trying to pull a fast one. I genuinely want to help others suffering from Skeeter Syndrome by sharing what has or hasn't worked for us... and oils have worked!
We've also experimented with the OFF! brand clip-on and Bug Band bracelet repellents. I had heard good things about each of them from friends. We didn't seem to have much success with either product. I think they may work just fine on typical kids for general insect repellent purposes... but they simply did not provide enough protection for J with his Skeeter Syndrome.
So happy to find your blog! My daughter was diagnosed with skeeter syndrome last fall. The allergist advised me to make sure we apply at least 15% DEET every time she goes outside. I am somewhat hesitant to apply that much chemicals to a four year old, but I didn't want to ask other moms I know for alternative methods because they are probably much less concerned about bites than I am!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks so much for this post! I just ordered the Terra Shield and love the idea of diluting it in a spray bottle with distilled water. The Terra Shield I bought is in a 15 ml bottle, is your blue glass essential oil spray bottle a 45 ml size? If so, where did you buy it?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
We are in British Columbia and in our area, we have very few mosquitos. Our youngest is 4 in a month, it was only last summer where we went into the mountains and he got some bites. I was amazed at the reactions he got, having never heard of Skeeter Syndrome before.
ReplyDeleteNow we are about to move back East where we are going to really be challenged by mosquitos. I am so happy I came across this blog. I will give the essential oils a try and hopefully we have a solution that will work for our little guy.