Especially during the summer months, most people need to use some kind of insect repellent to keep the bugs off of them. Warding off the pesky mosquitoes goes a long way towards making summertime activities as enjoyable as they should be. Increasingly, keeping the insects at bay is about more than just the annoyance of being surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes. There have been more and more reports of diseases being spread by these bugs. Mosquitoes and ticks in particular can spread life threatening conditions like Lyme disease and West Nile Virus. It’s important to find a natural bug repellent to keep the mosquitoes and ticks off of you and your pets while not causing any unintentional side effects.

To avoid the risks of these diseases, people go through tons of bug spray. Five to seven million pounds of repellent is used per year. The chemical DEET has been around for decades now and is one of the most common active ingredients in insect repellents. It is very effective in deterring insects when applied to the skin, but that doesn’t mean that you should be using it!

DEET has been deemed by the EPA to be “slightly toxic.” It’s absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream quickly, and can harm your organs, especially your brain, once absorbed. A more minor yet more common and still annoying side effect of this chemical is skin irritation. With most bug sprays you have to make the decision between risking potentially life threatening diseases like West Nile Virus, or taking a chance of brain damage. However, there are now natural bug repellent alternatives like Skedattle that are just as effective.

Even ignoring the health risk of DEET, there are more reasons to use natural bug repellent instead. DEET is a “plasticizer,” which means that it damages many materials such as plastics and rubbers. It’ll melt everything from golf club grips to fishing line and tackle boxes, which are exactly the things you want to be able to use when wearing bug spray. The chemical eats away at these materials, even ruining things like sunglasses, leather, and auto paint. If DEET can destroy cars and hardwood finishes, it certainly seems like an unnecessary risk to put it on a child’s skin. If nothing else, by switching to a natural alternative you don’t have to worry about what you touch.

Natural bug repellent has been improved over the last few years as ingredients have been discovered that naturally repel insects. Skedattle uses oils that smell good to humans but repel mosquitoes and ticks. Of course, it also helps prevents those illnesses like West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease, and Zika Virus. Vanillin is one of these ingredients that will add a fresh scent while deterring (not killing) all kinds of insects. It’s so safe that you can even apply it to your pets! Citronella, peppermint, and lemongrass oils are the other natural, biodegradable, and safe repellents that our Skedattle formula includes.