Everything you ever wanted to know about bug spray (and then some): Part 2

Part 2

In our May 11 issue we began an (extremely) in-depth look at the best bug sprays available to us here in America. That first article talked about the gold standard, DEET, which is effective but which a lot of people, for a lot of reasons, don’t like to use.

I was intrigued by a product my friend Tara had found with lavender oil in it. She’d had good results using it, so I looked into other products made with essential oils to see whether they’re reliably effective.

‘Natural’ does not mean safe

First off, it is true that some plant oils can be effective in keeping away biting bugs, according to all sorts of insect authorities. 

A study published by the National Institutes of Health said that in descending order, the most effective plant oils are oregano, clove, thyme, vetiver, sandalwood, cinnamon, cedarwood and peppermint. Geraniums are also supposed to do something that keeps bugs off your body. Scent seems to be the reason why; apparently bugs find us by our smell. Most products keep insects from biting us by  blocking their smell receptors.

So natural strong-smelling products can confuse the bugs. But, a National Institutes of Health study stresses, “None of the tested essential oils demonstrated a level of tick repellency found with DEET.” The same applies to mosquitoes.

All the health organizations I researched and that talked about plant oils also warned that they’re more toxic to your body than you might think. Just because they’re all natural doesn’t mean they’re benign. Also, there there hasn’t been a lot of testing on a lot of natural and plant-based products and what dose is a good dose for humans. 

So feel free to buy bug sprays such as Buzz Off that are made with plant oils. But avoid the temptation to mix a bunch of essential oils in your kitchen and then smear them on your body. As a study in Malaria Journal said, “Natural does not equate to safe.”

PMD: strong and citrusy

There is one plant-derived essential oil that is so effective that it is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control as an alternative to DEET. It’s made from the oil of the Australian lemon eucalyptus tree and it’s called PMD.

It’s safe to use and its effective, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Like DEET, it repels nearly every kind of biting bug. (I mainly care about mosquitoes and ticks).

And it reportedly smells good and is pleasant to use. (I appreciated that all these big government agencies took into consideration whether or not people like to use a product.)

If you search online for bug sprays with PMD, you’ll find that Repel is a popular brand. It’s inexpensive and it gets about 3,000 good reviews online. You can buy it at places like Target and Walmart.

Wipe it on, don’t spray it

People stress in their reviews that you can’t spray Repel on, you need to wipe it on your body, like a lotion. In general, according to my research, you’re going to find that spray repellents are not going to last as long as the ones you wipe on. 

The reason why seems fairly obvious: If it’s designed to come out of a bottle in the form of  a mist or spray then it has to be thinner and more volatile than something thicker that you have to pour into your hands. 

Also, you’re not supposed to ever spray repellent onto your head; you’re always supposed to put it on your hands first and then wipe your face and neck and ears with it.

In the next installment: 

picaridin, the one I plan to buy.