Summer suggests sunshine, beaches, camping and good vibes. Unfortunately, it also brings bugs everywhere. We don’t want the insects to keep us from enjoying the great outdoors. Whether they are flies, bees or especially mosquitoes, they are hard to avoid, in particular for the babies or kids running around your backyard. The bites can itch and irritate the skin. Many herbs with natural scents that are appealing to humans repel mosquitoes, including cinnamon, lemongrass, peppermint. Essential oils as a natural insect repellent provide a highly efficient way to protect you and your family outdoors this summer.
Bugs, in particular mosquitos, do not like the strong smell of essential oils. There are many different ways that we can apply essential oils to keep insects away. For example, apply the essential oils to your wrists or angles, diffuse a few drops of oils on candles before they burn, add a few drops to a spray with essential oils and water, or add a few drops of essential oils to your lotion.
Top 8 essential oils to keep bugs away
Many plants contain various natural and unique smell that acts as barrier protection from insects. Essential oils with bug-repelling properties provide a natural alternative to the heavy chemicals in traditional bug repellents. The following are some of the top essential oils that you can use to repel bugs.
Cedarwood
Cedarwood and oil are good natural repellents. Cedars help keep away many pesky bugs, such as mosquitoes, flies, and silverfish.
Cinnamon
Not only is cinnamon oil a great addition to applesauce or oatmeal, but the strong-smelling cinnamon oil can also kill mosquito eggs, according to a study in Taiwan. Cinnamon essential oils are the perfect natural way to ants away from your home as their smell interferes with ants’ neuroreceptors.
Citronella
Citronella plays an important role in many repellents against mosquitoes. This oil is also high in citronellal and geraniol that are efficient in repelling bugs, such as flies, fleas, head lice. When outdoors, citronella can protect you with up to 50 percent extra protection.
Lemon Eucalyptus
Lemon Eucalyptus oil contains significant amounts of citronella and is extracted from lemon eucalyptus trees. It has a refreshing and lemon aroma that always be ideal for summer outdoor activities.
Lavender
Lavender oils are known for their calming and soothing effect. The crushed lavender flowers produce a fragrance and lavender essential oil resists mosquitoes, especially adult mosquitoes, and help to reduce further bites. Lavender oil has a relaxing effect to heal the irritant, itchy bites. Also, it is considered safe to use on children.
Lemongrass
Because children are more sensitive and need special protection that should not be exposed to certain chemicals in insect repellents. Lemongrass is an excellent natural substitution with a subtle citrus flavour. It is not only a popular ingredient in tea, but also useful against insects. Researchers found that a combination of lemongrass essential oil and olive oil showed a great activity with 98.8% protection against the southern house mosquito.
Peppermint
Peppermint naturally contains a large amount of menthols. This produces a cool and refreshing feeling on your skin that makes your skin feel less itchy. It also keeps everyone in your house from getting bitten by those pesky mosquitoes.
Tea tree
This oil is one of the greatest antiseptics. It contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can be applied directly to the skin. When properly diluted, tea tree oil can provide an immediate relaxing result without adverse health effects. According to a study in 2014, tea tree oil has insecticidal and repellent effects against the fly species.
Essential Oils for Bite Relief
Essential oils can be highly effective for bug bites if used correctly. These naturally derived oils target inflammation and itching, eliminating pain caused by mosquito bites. Any bug bite can become infected, especially if it is persistently scratching a bug bite or it leaves an open wound. The following oils could help reduce irritating the skin after a bug bite.
Basil
Basil is known in the natural medicine world. It has antimicrobial anti-inflammatory properties that help to prevent bug bites and to treat the skin. Extracted from the stems, leaves, and flowers of the basil plant, this plant oil has a sweet and spicy aroma.
Camphor
This plant is similar to cinnamon. It has a long history of being used to treat pain, irritation and inflammation. By producing a warm response on the skin, it can also help reduce pain caused by insect bites.
Lavender
Lavender is a popular essential oil that can be applied for treating bug bites. It can minimize swelling and optimize healing. The active compound in lavender oil, linalool, can also be pain-relieving.
Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is water distilled from the leaves and stems of the Hamamelis virginiana plant. Witch hazel prevents bites from becoming infected by fighting bacteria and keeping the wounds clean. Also, it has properties that reduce inflammation and bruising.
How to apply
For topical use simply mix the essential oils you desired in carrier oil with ratio between 1% to 3%.
Essential oils are referred as a good alternative to chemical repellents for treating mosquito bites or for use in repellents, also kids friendly. We have plenty of essential oil choices, check out our popular set to start a bug-free summer!
selamectin (trade names, revolt manufactured by aurora pharmaceutical & revolution manufactured by zoetis ) is a topical parasiticide and anthelminthic used on dogs and cats. it treats and prevents infections of heartworms, fleas, ear mites, sarcoptic mange (scabies), and certain types of ticks in dogs, and prevents heartworms, fleas, ear mites, hookworms, and roundworms in cats. it is structurally related to ivermectin and milbemycin. selamectin is not approved for human use.
usage
the drug is applied topically. it is isopropyl alcohol based, packaged according to its varying dosage sizes and applied once monthly. it is not miscible in water.
selamectin disables parasites by activating glutamate-gated chloride channels at muscle synapses. selamectin activates the chloride channel without desensitization, allowing chloride ions to enter the nerve cells and causing neuromuscular paralysis, impaired muscular contraction, and eventual death.
the substance fights both internal and surface parasitic infection. absorbed into the body through the skin and hair follicles, it travels through the bloodstream, intestines, and sebaceous glands; parasites ingest the drug when they feed on the animal’s blood or secretions.
selamectin has been found to be safe and effective in a 2003 review.
selamectin has high safety ratings, with less than 1% of pets displaying side effects[citation needed]. in cases where side-effects do occur, they most often include passing irritation or hair loss at the application site. symptoms beyond these (such as drooling, rapid breathing, lack of coordination, vomiting, or diarrhea) could be due to shock as a result of selamectin killing heartworms or other vulnerable parasites present at high levels in the bloodstreams of dogs.[citation needed] this would be a reaction due to undetected or underestimated infections prior to using the medication, rather than an actual allergic reaction to the drug itself.