Mythbusters: What’s Actually in Your Insect Repellent?

Bugs are the most notorious party crashers of your Fourth of July celebration. No matter how exclusive the party, they are sure to show up and bring along all their friends.  In preparation to party with these unwanted guests, friends and family shower themselves in a fog of commercial insect repellents.  While the ingredients in these products succeed at keeping the bugs from biting, they are incredibly harmful to the body.

Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Repellents

Many repellents on the market today are riddled with synthetic fragrances and toxic pesticides.  Such ingredients not only run the risk of irritating the skin, but also damage to the body’s internal systems. A recent study, done by Duke University Medical Center’s Dr. Abou-Donia, revealed that exposure to DEET can impair brain function and even result in poor muscle coordination, muscle weakness, and memory loss.  Fortunately, many scientists like Dr. Abou-Donia are calling for urgent investigation into the dangerous chemical ingredients found in common bug sprays.  In the mean time, is there a natural alternative to shield this Fourth’s backyard barbequers from pesky insects, without possibly damaging brain cells and irritating the skin?Since our skin is the body’s largest organ, it is important that we educate ourselves on what we are putting on it.  This is precisely what prompted Barbara Chappuis to create Bee Naturals, to educate her customers on how natural ingredients can help heal and protect the skin.

The Power of Natural Ingredients

Bee Naturals’ Natural Insect Repellent

is specially formulated to keep pests away without the use of harmful chemicals or DEET. Scientists have observed that biting insects, such as mosquitoes, choose their victims based on scent.   Certain scents, although pleasing to humans, send most biting insects flying in the other direction.  Bee Naturals cleverly chose a blend of ten different essential oils to incorporate into their natural repellent: Geranium, Rosemary, Lemon Eucalyptus, Vanilla, Lemon Grass, Clove, Cornmint, Pine Needle, Cedarwood, and Citronella.  Unlike the toxic aroma of commercial bug sprays that leave you smelling like a chemical spill, this blend leaves you perfumed by the concentrated essence of flowers, fruits, herbs, and plants.  Who decided that in order to enjoy the outdoors without being eaten alive, we had to smell like a toxic waste dump?  Since these essential oils are as potent as they are pleasant, we no longer have to sacrifice one for the other.

Soybean oil and neem oil are further added to the formula to enhance the all-natural deterrent factor of the repellent.   Soybean oil was recently added by Canada’s national health agency’s list of recommended mosquito repellents, and for good reason.   In Consumer Report’s of 2010 reported that natural products containing soybean oil rated as well as products containing 7 percent DEET.  Additional studies have shown that repellents with a soybean oil base provided longer lasting protection than those with a citronella base.

Neem oil, derived from the seeds, leaves, and/or bark of the neem tree, is reported as being the most heavily researched herbal remedy in all of India.  In fact, Indians have referred to the tree as “the village pharmacy,” and can be found in approximately 75 percent of their holistic remedies.   In addition to its bug repelling properties, it works to nourish and moisturize the skin.

The Natural Insect Repellent is the perfect addition to bring along on all outdoor occasions.  The spray can be applied directly onto the skin, or on clothing.  Think of Natural Insect Repellent as your personal bouncer who politely, yet forcefully, escorts unwanted guests away from all your outside endeavors.