Skin care, sunscreen, insect repellent (stores / no stores)

Garlic and Vit-B never worked for me.
We use permethrin for my son when he goes to scout camp during the summer. Really helps with ticks as they camp in the woods for a week or more. He's working at camp again this year, so he will spend 5 weeks camping, coming home on the weekends for laundry and a chance to sleep in his bed.

 

@kckndrgn I'm happy to know that this is an option. Permethrin was so effective when I was treating my flocks that and diatomaceous earth. When I went to outdoor school in WY the insects never bothered me. Especially not during the winter. Either we were at a high enough elevation or it was just young, dumb luck because everything likes to bother me now.

I'm not having any luck with the garlic and vitamin B either. I used to try the more natural remedies like essential oil based or lemongrass sprays, but none of that does the trick and I think my skin is sensitive to it.

 

Basil, Lemon Balm, Catnip and Rosemary are plants that repel mosquitoes and are safe for dogs and cats. If you have pets be sure to always double check to be sure any plants and oils are safe if they get into them. Citronella, peppermint, lavender and some marigolds along with other plants and oils are TOXIC to your furbabies.

 

Mom used to get on me about sunscreen and seeing the Dermatologist. “You have the same type of skin as me!” “Yes Mom.” I finally made an appointment, six or seven months out. Doc came in and looked me over for less than 5 minutes, told me to wear a hat and use sunscreen. Genius he was.

 

I use Skin-So-Soft, an Avon product.

 

The "no stores" in the title caught my eye and got me thinking. My problems with bugs and sun both tend to take care of themselves in the field. When the bugs are worst I wear light, loose fitting long sleeve shirts, blouse my trousers low on my boots and wear big hats. I have big hair and beard, so there's not much exposed skin to burn, Between the sleeves and the hats I have little worry about sun screen. Add the inevitable wood smoke smell to my clothes and after a couple days in camp I don't even notice bugs.

Given any choice at all I'll work in the shade, or carry some with me.

 

Old School Field expedient bug repellant:

Chew a couple of cigarettes, then spit the resulting juice on hands, run in and rub on face and neck.
Ya gross. Beats being eaten alive.

 

It was a nice surprise to see so much input on this topic. Thank you so much for sharing your insights. I always get eaten up by the insects here. I'm going to respond to each individual post in a few.

 

Thank you for recommending these plants. Thankfully my furbabies are indoor (since they have no survival skills and no fear of cars, lawnmowers, vacuums, or danger itself) and I have the peppermint and citronella in containers on the outskirts of the property. When you mentioned toxic plants I immediately removed the aloe vera plants from my lanai. Thanks again!

 

Very nice! Yes, now more than ever I don't even leave the house without my hat and sunscreen. It's getting so hot here.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. Avon looks like it has some nice products and affordable too!

 

@hot diggity I think you definitely have this whole bug and sun situation figured out. I have also noticed that I get bothered less when I am more covered up and wear thicker clothing. I want to find some good coveralls I think that would be so ideal. A lot of work wear is for tall people and I'm 4'11" so I'll probably have to shop around.

I have to agree that this probably does beat being eaten alive. I haven't ever smoked a cigarette before, but maybe I'll keep a pack just in case.

 

So far, nothing beats staying out of the heat. When I do go out I make sure that I'm covered from head to toe. I think it's time for me to get another sunbathe for a backup option.

 

I'm trying to step up my hair and skin care. I completely stopped wearing makeup (other than occasional lipgloss and sunscreen) back in 2020 and I never looked back. I have still used commercial products for cleansers and moisturizers, but would like to take a more natural approach. Today I applied some aloe vera gel from the garden directly to my hair.

 

Whipped shea butter has become my favorite staple moisturizer these last few months. I use it on my face every night and it feels very rich without clogging pores. Also works well as a body moisturizer, but feels a little sticky. I tried using it on my hair, but was a little oily for that.