Best Alternative To DEET - Helpful Hints For Living Well

Citronella Oil is considered by most people in the natural industry to be the best alternative to DEET oriented mosquito repellants.  Pretty much all the natural repellants on the market today are based on citronella oil as there main ingredient. This includes many of the name brand natural products you may be familiar with like Burt’s Bees and Jason’s.

Citronella oil is derived from a heat loving plant that grows as an annual in the United States. It has attractive lavender blooms. Just growing the plant in your garden or especially on your patio can deter many unwanted pest including mosquitoes. The natural odor of the plant is very strong and many bugs and animals don’t like it. Most of the citronella oil in the world is grown in China and Indonesia.

The United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) states that citronella has little or no toxicity when applied for use as a topical insect repellant. Over a 60 year period there has been no adverse reactions reported. I believe that all insect repellants, even natural ones should be used sparingly and with caution.  There is little question that when compared to DEET citronella is a much better and safer choice, but don’t overuse any of these products.

Tags: citronella, DEET —