Repellents should be applied to the body, especially when there are epidemics of dengue, zika and chikungunya, because they prevent the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that transmits these diseases. The WHO and the Ministry of Health warn of the use of repellents containing substances such as DEET or Icaridina above 20% for adults and 10% for children over 2 months of age.
However, home repellents are also great options to protect against mosquitoes because they have scents that are unpleasant to them and contain no toxic substances that can harm the body and are great options for adults, children and pregnant women.
Repellent for adults and pregnant women
An excellent home repellent for the dengue mosquito that can be used by adolescents and adults, including pregnant women, is clove, much used by fishermen because the clove is rich in essential oil and eugenol, an insecticidal property that runs away from mosquitoes, flies and ants. See the recipe:
Ingredients
- 500 ml of cereal alcohol;
- 10 g of clove;
- 100 ml of almond oil, mineral or any other.
Method of preparation
Place the alcohol and clove in a dark, covered bottle under the light for 4 days. Stir this mixture 2 times a day, in the morning and at night. Strain and add body oil, shaking slightly. Put the repellent in a spray container and apply to the skin daily.
How to Use Homemade Repellent
Spray home repellent on every area of the body exposed to the mosquito, such as arms, face and legs, and reapply repellent whenever you play sports, sweat, or wet yourself. The duration of the repellent on the skin is 3 hours, after this period it should be reapplied on all skin subject to bites.
Another important guideline is to spray this repellent over your clothes as the mosquito's stinger can pass through very thin tissues, reaching the skin.
Applying this lotion to the surfaces that usually have ants is also a great way to remove them. But if the ants usually stick to sugar, what you can do is put a few cloves of India into the sugar bowl.
Homemade repellent for babies and children
Another great homemade repellent for babies, from 2 months of life, is the moisturizer with lavender essential oil.
Ingredients
- 1 pack 150 ml of moisturizer Proderm
- 1 teaspoon of lavender essential oil
Method of preparation
In a glass container mix the contents of each of these packages very well and then store it again in the Proderm bottle. Apply to all areas of the body exposed to the mosquito daily, 6 to 8 times a day.
The B complex has an aroma that removes mosquitoes, preventing their bites. But one way to complement this homemade treatment is to light a citronella candle, which is also an excellent natural repellent in every room of the house to keep mosquitoes away.
See another repellent suitable for all ages in the video:
Electronic mosquito repellent
A great electronic repellent against mosquitoes and other insects is to put 1 rectangular slice of lemon peel or orange inside the place reserved to put the refill of the electronic repellents that is put in the plugs and to change the shell daily.
Homemade Fly Repellent
A great home repellent for flies is to place 15 to 20 cloves stuck in half a lemon or an orange.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of about 10 g of clove
- 1 orange or 1 lemon
Method of preparation
Sprinkle the cloves in the outer part of the fruit and leave it outdoors. To potentiate the effect you can even cut the orange, or lemon, in the middle and prick the nails in the middle. In addition, if you squeeze the fruit a little, the juice becomes more evident and has greater action in conjunction with the blackheads.
Indian cloves have properties that irritate insects and these properties are most evident in contact with these citrus fruits.
In addition to these natural repellents, there are also some commercial repellents like Exposis or Off which can be used by pregnant women and children and help protect against mosquito bites. Find out what are the industrial repellents that can be used by pregnant women and have been approved by Anvisa in repellents more suitable for pregnant women.
See too:
- What to do to avoid the Zika virus
- Homemade citronella repellent for dengue
