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.

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In my opinion DEET containing products such as “Off” should be used sparingly and with caution.  I see parents every summer drenching their children in DEET without stopping to consider the possible side effects of prolonged use. With repeated exposure humans may experience headaches, memory loss, muscle and joint pain, and other terrible conditions. These symptoms may not become evident until months or even years of regular exposure.

Studies on rats have shown DEET to cause neurons to die in the brains regions that control muscle movement, memory, and learning.  Rats exposed to an average human dosage perform far worse when performing task involving coordination and muscle control.  More studies are needed to feel comfortable enough for me to use DEET products.

My current suggestions on DEET use:

Use products containing DEET sparingly and infrequently. If you must use it in the smallest amount possible and wipe it off after it is not needed anymore.

Use precaution when using products containing DEET on children. Children are more sensitive to subtle brain changes caused by chemicals because their skin more easily absorbs them. Also, their developing nervous systems are more easily affected.

Never use products containing DEET on infants.

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