Tested in: Northern Utah, Wasatch Range
Cost: $14 / 8 oz. bottle
Best Use: Mosquito repellant for those looking for an all-natural option, especially for use on kids or pets.
Selling Points:
All Natural, no DEET: I am not one of those “anti-chemical” people… especially when a herd of blood sucking mosquitos is involved. Bring on the DEET! But if I can find a chemical free solution that actually works, sounds good to me! So far the Mercola Bug Spray has worked great on the Wasatch brand of mosquitos. We’ll have to see how it does later in the summer in the Uintas, well-known for bad mosquitos.
Smells good! No bad bug spray smell here. It has a sweet, citrus smell that I can handle and my kids love it too.
Kid and Pet friendly! Because the ingredients are all natural, they are safe for kids and pets. (If you have sensitivity to lemongrass, please do not use this product.)
Significant Specs:
Ingredients:
Citronella: Oil of citronella has been used for over 50 years as an insect repellent. It protects you from insects without harming or killing them. Citronella’s distinctive odor may make it difficult for pests to locate a host. Oil of citronella has been used extensively since 1948 without reports of adverse side effects or concern.
Lemongrass Oil: Lemongrass oil is an herb widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, long appreciated for its ability to repel insects. It has an amazingly fresh, earthy and lemony scent. The amount of citral, the aldehyde responsible for its lemon scent, determines its quality.
Peppermint Oil: Researchers in India – a nation with a large mosquito problem – discovered that peppermint oil is effective as more than a flavoring or digestive aid. It also repels adult mosquitoes and kills the larvae. It has been particularly effective against the Anopheles culicifacies mosquito, which is a tyrannical menace in the northern plains of India.
Vanillin: Vanillin (the real deal, not imitation vanilla!) is also considered a substance that keeps bugs at bay, and is included in the Bug Spray formulation.
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for an all-natural bug spray, especially for prolonged use on kids and pets, give Mercola a try to see if it works! It worked well for us in Utah but I understand things sometimes differ by region.