Dr. Anisa Shomo
Herald Beauty Contributor
I know what you are thinking. Herald Beauty? Bugs? Yes. This is your favorite running, hiking, adventuring doctor. Enjoying nature helps my body stay healthy and my spirit stay beautiful. In my world, bugs are a part of the territory. I spend so much of my professional life fighting bugs that cause illness or carry illness. Alas, my hobbies are also plagued with bugs. Outside of the office the chief bug is the mosquito. I loathe mosquitos. Loathe. More than the cicadas that I experienced this summer for the first time. At least I could avoid being around them because I could hear and see them. Furthermore, they died off after 2 weeks. Mosquitos are quite the opposite. It takes a lot of effort to avoid them, their itchy bumps, and the diseases that they carry. Effort that is worth the result.
My husband recently spruced up our outdoor space to allow us to spend more time outside. Once the cicadas calmed down, we needed more solutions to our mosquito problem than our 2 citronella candles. We sought and found 3 natural bug repellant products to join the table:
1. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellant, Amazon 11.00 for 4 oz
Pros: easy application, non-greasy, smells like lemons
Cons: works for shorter time (6 hours), works for mosquitos only
2. Sawyer Picardin Insect Repellant, Amazon 8.99 for 4 oz
Pros: long lasting (12 hours), works for mosquitos and ticks, unscented
Cons: you have to rub it in after spraying it onto your skin
3. Natrapel Tick & Insect Repellant, Amazon 10.00 for 6 oz
Pros: long lasting (12 hours), works for mosquitos and ticks
Cons: it has a pleasant smell but it makes me cough; can be greasy so have to apply outdoors.
All of these products work well for mosquito protection but my choice is the Sawyer Picardin Insect Repellant. Thanks to this product, I have been enjoying the beauty of nature this summer. We have enjoyed our small victory before the next battle against the bugs. Enjoy the rest of your summer!