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Each and every year
people are bothered and bitten by the annoying insect known as the mosquito.
The mosquito can quickly ruin a day spend in the outdoors or put an end to a
warm evening spent sitting outdoors with friends. Many times over the
counter mosquito repellents don't work and those that do work are often full
of chemicals that are harmful to the human body.
The first thing that you need to understand is what attracts mosquitoes to
certain areas and what conditions are necessary for mosquitoes to thrive.
Once you understand what are the attractions and conditions, you can avoid
them and limit your exposure to mosquitoes.
One of the things that attract mosquitoes is wearing clothing that is dark.
This is because these annoying insects are able to visually see dark items
better from a distance than they can see lighter objects. When you're in an
area where there are sure to be mosquitoes try to wear light colored
clothing.
Mosquitoes are also attracted to perfume or other products that are flowery
and fruity in smell. Don't wear perfume if there is a possibility that
mosquitoes may be in the area. Perspiration also attracts mosquitoes.
This means that if you've been exercising and sweating, and you're in an
area where there are mosquitoes, you're likely to attract these insects to
your body.
Mosquitoes are also drawn to open water, in particular water that has been
standing and stagnant for some time. If you're going to be around open water
for some period of time you'll want to protect yourself ahead of time so
that you can avoid those nasty mosquito bites.
You'll be able to find many mosquito repellents that you can use on your
skin, or around you, that will keep these insects at bay. However, most of
these repellents contain large amounts of chemicals that can be toxic to
you. There are several other methods that you can attempt to use that
naturally will keep mosquitoes near you to a minimum.
Some of the best repellents are natural oils. Some of the most effective
natural oils are rosemary, cedar, lemongrass, citronella, castor,
peppermint, clove, and geranium oils. Put a few drops of one of these
oils on your temples, wrists, behind your knees, on your neck, and along
your shoulders to keep the mosquitoes away. These natural oils irritate
mosquitoes and prevent them from landing on your skin.
Other natural ingredients that seem to have the effect of reducing
mosquitoes are garlic oils, the scent of cinnamon and allspice, as well as
the oil from the pennyroyal plant. When using these natural products
keep in mind that you need to reapply them often. This results in the scent
remaining strong smelling on your skin. Be careful, some of these oils if
used heavily can irritate your skin. If you notice a redness or a rash,
discontinue the use of the natural oil.
These natural oils work best on their own and if you use them in combination
with other lotions etc they may not work their magic as their smell get lost
in the other smell. You will have to careful if you want to combine these
natural oils with any other lotion.
If you find these methods ineffective you may have to resort to using a
strong mosquito repellent that contains some chemicals. The only option is
to limit the amount of time that you spend outdoors so that you use as
little repellent as possible.
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