What makes herbal mosquito repellents safe and effective?

While sitting in a garden, eating a wonderful meal at a picnic, or just relaxing in the balcony, mosquitoes always make sure to join the party uninvited. As per the World Health Organization, mosquitoes are one of the deadliest insects in the world. Mosquitoes are responsible for causing vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya that can rapidly turn fatal if not detected and treated in time. Research says that the lactic acid and carbon dioxide present in the sweat of warm-blooded animals attracts mosquitoes. These ectoparasites also have a sensitivity to odor due to the chemo-receptors on their antennae. What can you do to get rid of these nasty stinging creatures? Use a repellent, of course. However, while aiming to thwart mosquitoes, can the chemicals in your repellent could be harmful to you, too? How effective is a mosquito repellent that’s made of herbal ingredients?

Mosquito repellents: chemical or herbal?

Mosquito repellents work primarily by masking the human scent. Just like any other product used in our daily life such as food or beauty care, natural as well as chemical variants are available in mosquito repellents. The chemical mosquito repellent formulations are safe, but some side effects to these products do exist. Natural mosquito repellents were introduced to make the repellents safe and non-toxic. A review study published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical, Chemical and Biological Sciences did a comparative study of both natural and chemical mosquito repellents. They found symptoms such as skin rash, swelling, and eye irritation in persons using chemical repellents. Some of the unusual side effects were low blood pressure and brain swelling in children. The study concluded that natural mosquito repellents were preferable over chemical mosquito repellents.

Now that we have seen how harmful chemical mosquito repellents could be, let’s take a look at how effective natural mosquito repellents are. Today, herbal mosquito repellents have made it to the market along with herbal soaps, shampoos, and creams for the skin and hair. Plant-based mosquito repellents have been used for many generations as a personal protection measure. Nature Sure’s Mosquito Repellent Roll-On includes ingredients like eucalyptus oil, lemongrass oil, and neem oil, which makes it 100% natural and 100% safe. But will it be enough to keep you away from the mosquitoes?

Why choose herbal mosquito repellents?

Let’s see how powerfully these natural ingredients stand in competition with strong chemicals to drive away mosquitoes.

LEMONGRASS

Lemongrass has traditionally been used as a cure for many ailments. Other than providing relief from gas and preventing acne and pimples, lemongrass is also quite popular as an insect repellent. It is being used as a bug repellant in pet shampoos to keep the pets clean of ticks, fleas, and lice. The solution and cream forms of lemongrass were tested in the Drug Research and Production Unit of a university in Nigeria. Both showed a more than 50% repellency that lasted for 2 to 3 hours. Imagine this power of lemongrass packed up in a roll-on container.

EUCALYPTUS

Eucalyptus or Nilgiri oil is a strong and popular naturally obtained mosquito repellent. The oil does not kill mosquitoes but repels them as it seems they do not like the smell of the oil. When this oil is applied to our clothes and skin, it is seen that mosquitoes do not come near us.

NEEM

Neem is an effective insecticidal and mosquito repellent. It is available in the form of dried leaves (to burn as incense), cream, or oil. Neem cream was found to be a safe alternative to mosquito coils. A study published in the Indian Journal of Malariology tested neem cream as a mosquito repellent. Neem cream was found to be 68% effective for four hours with one application. Nature Sure’s Mosquito Repellent Roll-On provides the same effect in a portable formula, which is hassle‑free to carry and apply.

So protect yourself from mosquitoes with Nature Sure’s Mosquito Repellent Roll-On. You do not have to worry about dabbing on multiple layers of mosquito creams and mosquito repellent sprays or lighting up those smoke-belching mosquito coils any more, because this product comes as a roll-on applicator. Just 4 dots of the roll on and your “suraksha kavach” is ready to fight the battle against mosquitoes.