It's enough of an effort to get outside to enjoy nature and summer weather when you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome -- the last thing you want to do once you're there is make yourself sicker by spraying on a bunch of chemical mosquito repellents.
Not all of us have chemical sensitivities, but they're extremely common. My chemical and fragrance problems have gotten significantly worse in the past few months, so I definitely want to explore alternatives to traditional sprays. I'm also allergic to mosquito bites -- they get red, swollen, hard and sometimes quite painful, in addition to a burning itch that can radiate out several inches.
Last summer, I tried an all-natural spray a friend of mine had put together, and while it wasn't a mosquito-heavy camping trip, I did get far fewer bites than usual. Here's the recipe she used: All-Natural Mosquito Repellent.
I've also found more resources around About.com:
- Essential Oils as Natural Insect Repellents, by Alternative Medicine Guide Cathy Wong. It includes a link to an article on using essential oils safely.
- Natural Mosquito Repellents: Strategies That Work, by Chemistry Guide Anne Marie Helmenstine. This contains great information about how to make yourself a less appealing target.
For those of you who are sticking with DEET products, I saw recently that the CDC recommends avoiding sunscreens that contain DEET. The problem is that you should apply sunscreen far more often than repellent, so you could be getting too much chemical exposure with combination products.
If you're heading out camping, see my Fibromyalgia Camping Checklist to make sure you remember the things that'll help you get through the trip with the fewest repercussions.
Have you tried natural repellents? What did you use, and how did it work? What helps you enjoy camping and minimize the resulting flare? Leave your comments below!
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Alfresco is brilliant, all natural and smells like a floral perfume. It also works better on me than chemical repellants, never had a single bite with it, but was a midge magnet before!
I suffer from chemical sensitivities. I have terrible problems with perfumes, soaps, shampoo and basically anything that other people take for granted that they can use. I have still not managed to find a shampoo or conditioner that I can use, but I have found that the Avon
Skin So Soft,Original,Replenishing Dry Oil Body Spray, has stopped me from getting bitten. (apparentley they use it in the forces on the troops and it works). Try it, but check you are not allergic to any of the ingredients first. luckily I can use this.
I have severe MCS, too, and have found nothing that works…..and when I get bitten, the bites generally get really huge and often get infected, and honestly they bother me more than most of the pain I feel…..seriously I cannot stand itching like that
I bought an outfit made of mosquito netting……seemed like a good idea, but doesn’t fit well, at all – too big overall, but when I sit down it pulls on my shoulders and the pants don’t want to stay put, so it doesn’t cover everything if I sit….and the part that goes over the head bunches up so that it is really hard to see
so I have basically no options at this point except get bit or stay inside and I am stuck inside due to CFS/FM, etc and due to weather so much as it is, it kills me to have to be inside bc of stupid darn mosquitoes, too
I also was going to mention Avon’s Skin So Soft. My father used to live in Florida and I told him I’d heard it was good. He tried it and liked it and continued to use it. He didn’t have chemical sensitivies, but he wanted a mild product. He’d never had an Avon rep. come to his home before and didn’t know they did that.
I suffer from Fibromyalgia but i aggree with the comment from Nancy, I find that Avon skin so soft is brilliant. I am rarely able to but when i am I love to go fishing and here in Scotland the Midgies are like Chinook Helicopters. When I can go I always use Skin so soft and never get bitten, where as the others who refuse to use it look as if they have Measles.
Would someone please list the ingredients in Avon SSS? I have tried finding them online with no luck.
I have been lucky, so far, to not have the severe sensitivities that so many have – CFIDS and Fibromyalgia are plenty. But wondered if those of you that have the skin issues if you have ever tried bars of soap that are all natural? My Mom’s girlfriend has a soap shop and she does all sorts of research on what to use in her soaps. She has even come up with a soap that can help those that have Cancer. She also has a bar of soap that is called Bug Off. I bought one last Fall from her, but I keep forgetting to use it. In fact, I didn’t think about it until I started typing this. (I hate all of this memory loss!!!!). I don’t know if I am allowed to post her website or not, but I’ll try… oregonsoapshoppe.com The lady’s name that owns it is Lynnel and she is a wonderfully compassionate person. I’m sure she could answer many questions about skin issues too. She also has a Facebook page under the name Oregon Soap Shoppe. I sure hope this tip can help someone.
Listerine may help. Dab some on your body. Put some in a spray bottle and spray your patio or wherever you want to be. Hope this helps someone get outside this summer. You could also try a sheet of Bounce fabric softner tucked into your clothing somewhere.