Natural Insect Repellents and Essential Oils
Sharon York
I recently began a search looking for a natural insect repellents. I am not a fan of DEET or Permintherin. I heard about cedar oil or cedar tree oil used specifically as a TICK repellent. I need that .. these little buggers just love me. I think they love my aroma. I heard that by combining various essential oils I could create an insect repellent. I want one for ticks!!
My search led me all over the internet. NAAHHH!! really how did that happen? (sarcasm)
Making my own insect (tick repellent) to finding quality oils.. How do I define quality?
I have been learning about using essential oils in my daily living. Of course, I do not know of any specific “fact sheet” about any essential oils. I have found that most “fact sheets” or “Info-graphics” about essential oils are created by the manufacturer or the consultant, or salesperson FOR the manufacturer FOR the purpose of marketing their product. Now, keep in mind that the presentation (wording) is regulated.
Did you know...
If an Essential oil is marketed as a cure for any ailment it then falls in the classification as a drug. Which is regulated by the FDA or US Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/
Wow.. really..Would you like to learn more. My suggestion...Type in “Essential oils” in the search bar on the FDA website I shared above. Take a look. I found this very useful when deciding which manufacturer to purchase an essential oil from. My second suggestion is to then Type in the “specific name of the plant” then add "oil" . Example Cedar oil in the same search bar. There is some interesting information about essential oils overall.. but its simple we each need to determine what works for each of our needs.
Below are a couple other sources for information about insect repellents.
For the purpose of Insect repellent options. If you search each source website for “natural repellents” or “natural insect repellents” or “natural bug sprays”or “alternative mosquito repellents” most have listings about any essential oils that are found in various products. Here are a few resources..
US Environmental Protection Agency
Webmd.com has some information just use caution. Look at whom wrote and posted the article.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/alternative-mosquito-repellents
http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/safer-bug-spray
National Institute of Health https://www.nih.gov/
They just starting to offer information about essential oils. Keep in mind that NIH seems to have a very close relationship with the CDC and as a Lyme patient. I have my own hesitation about both as reliable sources for information. But, personally I believe It is very important to see all sides and all views when making ANY choices when it comes to my health so..search a search of “essential oils” will produce many articles. Just make sure of the source of the information.
I am not sure if any of you are aware of
Enviromental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/
They are a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.
http://www.ewg.org/about-us
http://www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-guide-bug-repellents/repellent-chemicals
http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2011/11/tea-tree-and-lavender-oils-what-we-dont-know
OSHA https://www.osha.gov/
Do a search there is information if you dig deep enough.
CDC Center for Disease Control. I am sure there is more so do a search but I found this link interesting
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/natural-repellents.html
http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/natural-repellents.html
On page 2 of the above link you will find more about Pemrethrin, I am personally not a fan of this or DEET!
I will however share that although specific information about specific essential oils is beginning to appear in various “reliable” sources. I use the term “reliable” very loosely because any “reputable” reference or source is always open to each individual interpretation. It is of my own personal opinion that most information about any topic can be tinted to suit the writer, manufacturer, including government regulating entities. So it is important to each of us to find their own source for what is reliable and reputable and Do, use, and treat ourselves and our families the way we each believe is best. Hope this helps!
