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It's summer time again and along with it comes the host of little winged creatures, buzzing around our ears and looking for a nice spot to land. No, it doesn't sound so wonderful, yet somehow neither does the thought of spraying DEET on ourselves and our children's skin. Thankfully, many wonderful natural health alternatives are available -- and the active ingredients in most of these products are essential oils. In fact, some essential oils have been tested in the laboratory to be up to 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET. Your own natural formulation is exceptionally easy to make, and that way you'll find the base that suits your skin most. Many folks like using natural carrier oils on their skin, or something then like a witch hazel, rather than the semi-synthetic cream bases most often found. Besides preventing insects from being attracted to you and your children personally, diffusing essential oils is a perfect way to keep mosquitoes and other biting insects from your living space. The same scent they find distasteful insect repelling lotions can also be diffused into the air. This can also work for flies, gnats and other winged, buzzing creatures. And thankfully most people find they enjoy the scents used for these purposes, especially in the summer time as they are often bright uplifting lemony aromas. First for the topical formulations: These are simply essential oils added to a lotion, oil, or body spray base. You can add essential oils to any commercially available lotion, even sunscreen -- which creates an excellent dual purpose recipe for summer. Aromatherapy carrier oils can be used instead of lotions as many people appreciate their skin-hydrating properties; simply choose the carrier oils that suit your skin type. Finally, a spray can be made using a water and which hazel combination, misting your skin and clothes (without worry of stains), or even in the air around you. Witch hazel is a natural plant extract used as a preservative, and is easily found even in the aisles of your local grocery store. For a spray base, simply mix witch hazel and water at a one-to-three ratio. There are many essential oil formulations considered effective for repelling insects. The most common used around the world is citronella -- however in light of recent studies, there are likely more effective oils available. A simple blend of thyme, lemongrass lavender and peppermint is described by Valerie Ann Worwood in "The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy": 4 drops thyme linalool, 8 drops lemongrass, 4 drops lavender and 4 drops peppermint. This blend can be added to a lotion or carrier oil base, or the witch hazel formula, at the dilution of four drops per ounce. For an extra strength topical recipe, mix 3 milliliters of citronella, 1 milliliter of peppermint, three quarters of a milliliter of cedar wood, one half a milliliter each of lemongrass and geranium essential oils in the base of your choosing. Adjust this recipe for children by reducing the concentrations of essential oils by half for preteens, and again by half for toddlers, omitting the peppermint. For infants, use only citronella and/or lemongrass at a 1% concentration. As with any potent medicine, it is important to watch for any reaction -- while of rare, it is possible for anyone to have a reaction to pure natural essential oils. If you're interested in experimenting, the most potent mosquito repellent essential oil known is that of catnip. Catnip essential oil was the subject of a study in the 1990s that showed it at least 10 times as powerful as DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellent products. DEET is found in over-the-counter formulations in concentrations from anywhere between five and 20%; this means you should get the same effectiveness at concentrations between .5 and 2% of catnip essential oil in your base. Because not much is produced, catnip essential oil is still somewhat expensive, but the amounts needed are so low that it will likely offset the cost. Essential oils are also a fantastic way to soothe insect bites once they've already occurred. The anti-inflammatory of both lavender and blue can see essential oils are commonly used for such purposes. Lavender can be used neat, applying one drop directly on the bite. Blue can see essential oils should be diluted to less than 3% for best effect, as many aroma therapists believe it's anti-inflammatory and itch relieving properties will work best at these low dilutions. While DEET has been in use for many years, it's still a synthetically produced solvent chemical. It's nice to have a natural health options of essential oils for you and your family, and these recipes are so easy to make and use. Many of these essential oils are highly regarded for healing effects in regard to other health issues. Geranium is a well-known anti-fungal agent, and lemongrass is known for its antiviral action. These oils are also used in esoteric aromatherapy as antidepressants -- so while you're keeping the bugs away, you'll likely be putting a smile on your face too.
Article Source: http://www.climate-change.net.au
More information on using therepeutic grade organic essential oils is available at www.synergyessentialoils.com
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