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ARTICLES Spring is Here, the Bugs are Back With the coming of the warmer weather, there's a tendency for those of us who live in the temperate regions of the world to want to spend as much time outside as possible. Whatever turns you on, whether it's hiking, canoeing, camping or just lounging around in your back yard, one thing is for certain: sooner or later you are going to be getting a free acupuncture treatment. It can be very hard to accept that everything in nature has its place when you are out there in paradise getting eaten alive. When I was much younger and more naïve, I used to do what most Canadians do this time of year: layer on the DEET. That was until I discovered that it melts plastic. I decided then and there that I was not going to put anything on my skin that melts plastic. It was many a year before I knew what the word "organic" meant, and longer still before I knew that there are natural alternatives to DEET and related poisons. Unfortunately, knowledge can be a little scary sometimes. Now that I know that you can absorb more pesticides during a couple of outings in the woods by using commercial insect repellents than by eating non-organic produce for many months, I wonder if I am still detoxifying the stuff. Fortunately, there are natural, non-toxic alternatives. Even better, you can make them yourself! Natural insect repellents include two basic components. The first is the "active" component. This is part that actually does the repelling. It includes a mixture of herbal essential oils that work by either disguising the human scent, smelling/tasting bad (to insects, of course) and/or actually having the potential to harm or kill insects with sufficient exposure. The active part of your insect repellent should make up about 5-10% of the finished product. The second part of your repellent is the base. It should be primarily an oil base so that it does not run off or wash off your skin easily. By far the best base is olive oil. This is because olive oil is a mono-unsaturated oil and will not oxidize and become rancid as easily. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to add an oil-soluble anti-oxidant to your base as a preservative. I recommend some natural vitamin E for this purpose. Use the contents of one 400 I.U. capsule for every 25 ml of oil. You can reduce the oiliness of your base by adding in…. If you want to add to the benefits of your insect repellent, instead of using straight olive oil for your base, use an herbal infusion. This can be easily made by filling a bottle with finely chopped herbs and then topping it up with your olive oil/vitamin E mixture. Let it sit in a warm, dark location for at least one month and then strain out the herb(s). Obviously you will want to have prepared this some time in advance of the bug season. Use herbs that are healing and soothing for your skin. Some of my favorites include pot marigold flowers (Calendula officinalis), mullein flowers (Verbascum thapsus) and purple loosestrife flowers (Lythrum salicaria). Catnip herb (Nepeta cataria) can also be added because it has insect repellent properties of its own, but is not readily available as an essential oil. Once your base is ready, you will have to choose which essential oils that you are going to use for the active portion of your repellent. There are three general categories of essential oils that are effective for this purpose. They are: (1) Evergreen herbs including pine, fir, cedar, cypress, spruce and hemlock. (2) Lemony herbs including lemon, lemon balm, lemon grass and citronella. (3) Strong aromatic herbs including lavender, clove, geranium, eucalyptus, rosemary, mint and camphor. I have found that the best approach is to use at least three to six oils, including at least one from each of these three categories. When using natural bug repellents there are a few things that you should keep in mind. They are not as effective as synthetic repellents, being about 80-90% effective compared with 95-99% effective for commercial repellents that contain DEET. You must cover as much of your accessible body surface as possible. Mosquitoes, and especially black flies, have an uncanny ability to find any spots that you miss like along your hair line and behind your ears. Natural repellents also have to be applied more often than their toxic counterparts. Generally about every 45-60 minutes. Although it takes a bit more work and you may suffer a few more bites, I am sure you would agree that it is better than dosing yourself and the environment with toxic chemicals. Have a great summer. This article was originally published in Common Ground Magazine, June 1997. Back to List of Articles |
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