Avon and Mosquitoes

[BTBoop]

Have you ever tried Avon's skin so soft to keep the mosquitoes away? I personally think the bath oil is better than the insect repellent for keeping the mosquitoes from biting.

 

[dinosaur]

SSS has been used for 30 years as a repellent and it does work but not when the mosquitoes are heavy. The places I go require 100 DEET.

 

[BigBackyard]

I've heard of it, frequently in fact, but wasn't sure how true it was. What is it in the SSS that acts as a mosquito repellent? It's almost worrying that a simple skin cream does that.

 

[Benny]

I've also heard that it is supposed to keep fleas off of dogs, but I don't know... Actually, it doesn't really seem to work to well with the mosquitos, either.

 

[Refrigerator]

When Avon first said that there SSS product would repel mosquito's they had no independent test done. A couple year later there was a Gov test on many insect repellents and SSS did not qualify as a repellent and John Stossel did a report on SSS several years back with an independent testing firm and they said SSS was not a creditable repellent.

 

[steves]

I have found it does help with Black Flies, but not so much with mosquitoes.

 

[hikingshoes]

My baby sister sales Avon,so maybe i need to check it out.

 

[BCBabe]

You'd be better off to back a gin'n'tonic every night before dinner: so long as it's REAL tonic water, that is.

The combination of the gin and real tonic does something to the blood chemistry and makes you very unappetizing to the flying pests.

This is one I've put to the test, in a region that is known for it's biting bugs: I may really dislike gin, but I'll quaff a gin'n'tonic daily regardless, because this one WORKS.

 

[Refrigerator]

BCBabe you are the 3rd person in the last 4 weeks I have been told this....I am going to give it a try...thanks...

 

[BCBabe]

Hey Refrigerator, can I share the history of how that was discovered?

1860's India, when Britain was in occupation? The officers didn't contract malaria near as often as the enlisted men, and about 20 yrs. ago someone decided to look into that bit of trivia.

It turns out that the flavoring in real tonic water is a derivative of the drug that treats malaria!

Add in that no self-respecting creature likes the juniper that gin is made from, and the two are a combination that is hard to beat.

There's a spot in the middle of BC that's actually called HORSEFLY, and if you've ever been bitten by one of those flying vermin you know the nuisance they can be. I told an uncle about this trick, and that's where he put it to the test.

The fact that I don't like gin'n'tonic with a twist isn't the point: I've actually given this one a try, and in an area that is known for it's skeeters. Hubby got 'had', I was let alone, and skeeters prefer the lightest head in the room for some reason: I'm blonde.

 

[Seven]

Avon does sell an insect repellent also besides the SSS oil. It works really well and I believe they have one with DEET in it. My wife and kids use it as it is less toxic than OFF.

 

[steves]

Deet is Deet, it's just the % that limits it's effectiveness and toxicity.
When it's needed nothing beats 100%,other times use the lowest % that is effective.

 

[Refrigerator]

Don't forget that DEET will delaminate Goretex and other laminated fabrics....

 

[steves]

Don't forget that DEET will delaminate Goretex and other laminated fabrics....

Thanks for the heads up,I did not know that. That might be what happened to 1 of my good wind shirts this summer. It kinda blistered and wrinkled up,but I didn't notice anything until I got home and wasn't sure if it was from the fire,laundry or what.

 

[Refrigerator]

STEVES this is exactly what will happen...Blisters and wrinkles up like you said. I learned the hard way with a Gore Tex rain parka several years back. Was not a happy camper when I pulled this parka off the rack to use.

 

[OpenAir]

Since dietary repellents were mentioned, a lot of people swear by garlic. We have also found that the Marmite lovers amongst us had no where near the level of problem that the others had.

 

[oldsarge]

Large doses of vitamin B complex will ward off mosquitoes, It will also ward off anyone who is near you! We tried this back in Panama when an SF operator told us about it. They were trying it and wanted some others to give it a shot too. I can't remember how much we took, but when you were in the field and started to sweat, you smelled so bad nothing would come near you. The big drawback was that the whole element smelled so bad it was a dead give away to your position. I can honestly say that for that whole week in the jungle, none of us suffered from any bug bites.