London: People looking for alternatives to synthetic mosquito repellents may find that some natural repellents are effective in protecting them from bites. These products are also likely to be less toxic to humans and the environment.
Natural repellents and some essential oils may be effective in keeping mosquitoes away because they block their sense of smell, making it harder for these insects to land on a human to feed. Following is the natural home remedy to get rid of mosquitoes.
1. Citronella
Citronella is a well-known mosquito repellent. In a dose-by-dose comparison, citronella is initially as effective as DEET. However, citronella oil evaporates quickly, meaning that it is only effective for a short time. Also, high concentrations of citronella can cause skin irritation.
Research has shown that the topical application of 100% citronella can provide complete protection against three types of mosquitoes for up to 120 minutes in a laboratory setting. People traveling to areas where mosquitoes carry diseases may wish to use a more effective synthetic repellent than citronella.
2. Lemon eucalyptus
Lemon eucalyptus essential oil contains 85% citronellal. It is a popular product in the cleaning and cosmetics industries due to its fresh scent. The findings of both field and laboratory studies show that lemon eucalyptus oil can effectively protect against several species of malaria-carrying mosquitoes as well as yellow fever mosquitoes.
A 2014 study found that a formula containing 32% lemon eucalyptus oil provided at least 95% protection from mosquitoes for 3 hours. However, it has a shorter protection time than DEET as it evaporates more quickly.
