Alright, so I’m way behind, and have too many things to get caught up on….if I can actually get them all typed out in a timely fashion, that should mean that I have enough Blog fodder to last the next little while…a backlog so to speak, which should hopefully keep things exciting around these parts…you know…as long as I’m actually able to get enough sleep to type out some coherent and hopefully funny sentances.
Siah waited until he was almost 11 months to cut his first tooth, and now hes going for a world record – number of teeth to come in all at once. No, he doesn’t have any more that are cut through right now, but he’s miserable and up at nights and you can see the outline and bumps from at least two more teeth that I’d expect he should have in the next minute or couple of weeks….just to narrow it down for ya’ll.
Well, the bugs are BRUTALLY bad right now. And we are being eaten ALIVE.
I’ve already been searching for some natural bug sprays, and I think that I’ll be making some up either today or tomorrow.
This is what I’ve come up with…….
This site here says this….
Natural Repellents
These natural products will effectively repel mosquitoes, but they require more frequent reapplication (at least every 2 hours) and higher concentrations than DEET. Because of the differences between types of mosquitoes, products that contain multiple repellents tend to be more effective than those containing a single ingredient. As you can see, natural repellents tend to be volatile plant oils.
• Citronella Oil
• Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
• Cinnamon Oil
• Castor Oil
• Rosemary Oil
• Lemongrass Oil
• Cedar Oil
• Peppermint Oil
• Clove Oil
• Geranium Oil
• Possibly Oils from Verbena, Pennyroyal, Lavender, Pine, Cajeput, Basil, Thyme, Allspice, Soybean, and Garlic
Here is a recipe that I found using some of the different Essential Oils, and I’ll probably be following this recipe to make up some bug repellant spray.
Making Your Own Natural Insect Repellent
Herbalist Debra Nuzzi-St. Claire suggests combining the following essential oils to make a natural insect repellent:
1/2 ounce citronella oil
1/4 ounce lavender oil
1/8 ounce pennyroyal oil
1/8 ounce tea tree oil
1/8 ounce jojoba oil
Do not use this blend undiluted on your skin. Follow these instructions for diluting:
To make an insect repellent oil that can be used on your body, add 16 ounces of jojoba or almond oil to the base oil mixture and blend thoroughly.
For an insect repellent spray, add 16 ounces of vodka to the base oil mixture, pour into a spray bottle, and shake before using.
I’ll let you know how it all works out. I know that you can get Essential Oils at a Health Food store, and even our local Pricesmart is carrying a decent selection of natural foods and health products and they have a selection of Essential Oils….in fact, they have one called “Buzz Off” which is a ready made mix of Oils that you can dilute and use to keep the bugs at bay.
Once you have the bites, however…that is a whole different story….especially if you live at our house.
I’m highly allergic to the bites, and so are the kids. Like, I will scratch for months – I’m not kidding – after I get a bite. And It’s so itchy that I will scratch until it bleeds, and even then it still itches. Gross, eh? But, not only is there the itching, but the swelling is unreal. One bite can swell up bigger than a loonie (our crazy Canadian dollar coin), and is so red and angry looking. It seems terribly unfair that they don’t see to like or even phase Jon AT ALL….little bugger!
We’ve tried a few different remedies, and one that actually seems to work and you probably have the ingredients on hand is vinegar and banana peel.
Spray a little household white vinegar on the bite, and then rub the inside of a banana peel on top. I have NO IDEA why it works, but Xani’s been rubbing herself down with these two things and it’s been working.
Another thing that has really worked for us is the Homeopathic Remedy “Apis Melifica”
You should be able to buy it at your local Health Food Store, and yes…it really does work!
Let me know if you have any other good, natural mosquito repellent ideas and natural ways to deal with the bites once they’ve happened.
I heard that if you rub a bounce dryer sheet on your skin that will keep the bugs away but that will only work if you are not allergic to the dryer sheet!! dryer sheets apparently are good at keeping spiders at bay too however I feel they are the lesser of the evils when it comes to things that bite you but that does not keep me from screaming when I see one! a spider that is.
I too use vinegar for our after bite…never heard of the banana peels and I actually heard that if you eat a lot of bananas you get more mosquitos..apparently they like bananas?! anyways I use a q-tip or my finger and lately the bottle of vinegar just sits out on the counter as we are pretty covered up here in the wild North…however this heat of late makes them retreat to the shade…which means you have to stay out in the blazing sun to avoid getting bite but then you get burnt and then try to itch a bite on a sun burn like I am doing right now and then vinegar doesn’t feel so good.
ok leaving a whole book of a comment for you here!!
ok…so you get a nasty crazy itchy bite right? grab your sage outa your spice cabinet, wet your skin around the bite, and make a little sage compress….seriously…it’s worked for me for years!
I have heard this from more than one person…
Listerine!! Put it in a spray bottle and spray away. SPray it around your screens & doors, on your patio furniture and on yourself.
MUST be Listerine, not scope.
Hi Patti Have you tried spraying Listerine mouth wash around the area you are sitting or sleeping? Apparently mosqitoes will not come near it. Was going to try it in Romania but we had no trouble with them this year. Love Grandma
You should update your “About me” photos!!!!
You don’t look anything like that pic.
PLEASE put your Good reads back up. PLEASE