Homemade Mosquito Repellent
How to Prevent Insect Bites
A homemade mosquito repellent is an excellent way to avoid those annoying pests. Mosquitoes can transmit a wide array of dangerous diseases making the use of a repellent very important. Mosquitoes have a tendency to prefer tropical and hot climates so people living or traveling should prevent their bites. Mosquito bites are also very itching and painful sometimes. The continuous scratching over the skin will irritate it even more and make you desperate. A mosquito repellent is indeed one of the best ways to protect oneself from them. But there are many types of mosquito repellents and some of them can be dangerous to you and your pets. Others like the homemade mosquito repellent can be quite helpful without unwanted effects.
Just like in the rest of the Caribbean you might experience some mosquito bites in Punta Cana but no need to panic there are certain actions you can take to reduce the chances as you travel.
Since Punta Cana is located in the tropics you are probably going to see mosquitoes during the whole year; of course there are specific times when the chances of them appearing are higher.
First as you may know mosquito activity is somehow related to the
amount of rainfall recently experienced.
In other words the less rainy days you see the lower chance of seeing mosquitoes.
February, for example is a great month to visit Punta Cana since the amount of rainfall is quite low which means fewer mosquitoes to bother you. On the other hand months like September, October and November can be a bit more troublesome because of the greater amount of rain and mosquitoes around, but you can resolve that situation with some repellent.
Rain
is not the only factor affecting the presence of mosquitoes. The time
of the day and the wind speed also exerts a significant influence on
them. The pesky insects tend to appear more often early in the mornings
and during the evenings. So as soon as you wake up some homemade
mosquito repellent might come in handy, plus remember to use again
before dinner time. Mosquitoes have a harder time to bother when is
very windy so when winds are stronger it could help you diminish that
problem. May and October are not windy at all so at those
times
you might get more bites if you are not using a repellent.
Organic homemade vs chemical repellents
An organic homemade mosquito repellent is made from natural ingredients. Organic products have the advantage of having very small to none side effects, which is important particularly when traveling. Many people use organic products to protect plants and flowers from different pests at home. The chemical pesticides can be effective in getting rid of pests like mosquitoes but their use can produce significant side effects. Some of them can poison your pets as well if they consume them by accident.
They can also make people sick if they are exposed to them for too long; which is something to think about especially when traveling with babies or elders to Punta Cana for more than a week. You can easily find an organic repellent at your local health food stores.
Many
natural common ingredients can be used to prepare simple homemade
mosquito repellents. Herbs, juices and many more simple components can
be used to their preparation.
The following ideas are effective, safe on your skin so you can take the repellent with you when traveling (added to a body lotion):
- Lavender Essential Oil
This is a good scent and excellent lotion insect repellent. Mix lavender oil with some jojoba oil or body lotion and apply on the body.
- Basil Essence
The smell of basil is of great effectiveness as a homemade mosquito repellent that work on other insects as well.. Fill a jar with alcohol (you can use some brandy or vodka for example), then take some basil leaves and crush them gently and store them in the jar. For essence, let it sit for about 4 to 6 months sealed and strain. As soon as the essence is ready, just take a few drops, mix them with body lotion and apply on the body.
- Almond Essential Oil
Mix 100 ml of sweet almond oil and add 20 drops of basil essence and other 20 drops of geranium essence.
- Citronella Essential
Oil
When applied on the body is an neat mosquito repellent because of its powerful aroma.
- Chamomile
on the skin (or chamomile tea) is also a great
remedy to repel mosquitoes.
You can get the ingredients to make a homemade mosquito repellent at the supermarket or health food store.
Use fresh garlic to prepare an organic insect control for your plants. By mixing garlic with some mineral oil and diluting it in water you will have a nice insect control mix for your plants. Another alternative is to put several fresh basil plants near the windows of the house to keep mosquitoes away.
Some people also use black and red pepper sprinkled all over their areas with plants to protect them.
Mosquitoes
are attracted to the skin of humans for many reasons. Some claim that
they
come to humans by the smell of our skin. But doesn’t matter the
reason, they are very bothersome and potentially dangerous.
How repellents work
When repellents are used they prevent the mosquitoes from biting you and transmitting any kind of disease to you. Some people say the smell of the repellent prevents the mosquitoes from biting but the reason could be something else.
Anyways, if you are using a homemade mosquito repellent in your skin to prevent the mosquitoes from biting I’m sure you will prefer it rather than a potentially toxic chemical compound when traveling to the Dominican Republic.
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