27 Insect Bites in 2 Days… This Means War
Written: Sep 20 '06 (Updated Sep 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lemon scent, works well for 2-3 hours, no DEET, seems to heal bites
Cons: oily, dispenser jams, not as long lasting as other insect repellents
The Bottom Line: I smell nice and the bugs avoid me. Awesome!
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| jeavinl's Full Review: Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent 4 Floz |
As I established in my review of Natrapel, bugs like me. They really like me. They really, really like me. I, on the other hand, cannot stand the little pests. But I also tend to get lazy about my beauty regimen, which basically revolves around staying clean, burn free, and bite free in the summer. But an experience I had earlier this summer cemented my use of bug repellent into my routine.
My husband and I decided to clear the narrow section between our driveway and our neighbor’s. It was overrun with weeds and we wanted to put some nice bushes. Our new neighbors have a beautiful new house with nice landscaping and we were feeling a bit lowly in comparison. So we spent a couple of hours pulling and hoeing and shoveling the weeds. We tacked down some weed-preventing cloth and called it a day. That night I noticed 15 bites on my legs. Some were little red spots, others were bigger, slightly raised welts. My husband had none. The next day we went to a gardening center, bought the bushes, and planted them. Actually, my husband did the planting while I watched our daughter inside. All I did was smooth over the mulch he had dumped between the plants. Later that night, I looked at my legs and noticed a lot more bites. I counted them all up and came up with the grand total of 27 insect bites in two days. I was so upset with myself for not using my Natrapel. But at the same time, I knew that the scent of that stuff would’ve made me so sick that I wouldn’t have been able to help my husband. But still, I wanted to find something DEET-free so I could use it around my daughter. Although DEET has been used as a repellent on humans since the 1940s, it still makes me nervous since prolonged exposure has been tied to loss of brain cells and behavioral changes in at least one study I've heard about.
I looked on Epinions for another option and came up with Burt’s Bees All-Natural Herbal Insect Repellent. It had good reviews, natural ingredients that didn’t include the sharp-scented citronella found in Natrapel, and was relatively inexpensive. I went to at least four different stores (drugstores, grocery stores, and health food stores) before I found it at a local beauty supply shop.
THE BASICS
Burt’s Bees All-Natural Herbal Insect Repellent is an all-natural bug repellent. It comes in a 4 oz. metal spray bottle. The actual repellent is made up of three oils and therefore has a slippery, oily texture. It smells nice. It sort of reminds me of my Lemon Verbana spray from Bath and Body Works. Since it consists of oils, it leaves my skin looking glossy and can feel a bit slippery. I bought my 4 oz. bottle for $5.99.
INGREDIENTS
Soybean oil (70%), eucalyptus oil (25%), lemongrass oil (5%)
MY EXPERIENCE
I used this spray for most of this summer. I even used it on my daughter a few times when I had doubts about her bug repellent bracelet being powerful enough for the activities we planned that day.
My skin does not need moisturizing, but it did feel nice to rub some essential oils into my legs and arms. So despite the shiny look it gave to my skin, I didn’t mind layering the Burt’s Bees repellant. I had worried that it might make me break out (I sometimes get acne on my shoulders and back) but it didn’t seem to bother my skin at all.
The dispenser could use a little design help. There’s a tiny piece to press that often jams. It makes it difficult to apply with one hand while depressing with the other. I sometimes end up putting the bottle on the counter and then pressing with the palm of one hand. It’s not impossible to get out, but it can be a pain when you’re in a hurry.
The scent is nice, at least to me. I even got a compliment on my new “perfume” from a friend. I suppose it might be a little strong for some, but it’s lemony and reminds me of lemon Icees and one of my favorite Bath and Body Works scents (lemon verbena). But there is a sharp eucalyptus scent to it and this oil should not be applied near your eyes or nose (a mistake I made when I sprayed some in my hands and smeared it on my face). It’s one thing to apply it to your hairline, but don’t get carried away like I did. It will sting.
As far as effectiveness, it did seem to do the trick in most cases. The most bites I got while using this spray was two or three and that was under severe conditions when I normally wouldn’t have walked away without 10 or 15 bites. In fact, one of those times I ended up applying some Skintastic with DEET and I still got bit. But under normal gardening and playtime conditions (a couple hours outside in my yard, at a wooded park, or at the beach), I was fine. I usually didn’t get any insect bites. Still, it didn’t seem as effective or long lasting as my Natrapel, but the scent was much more tolerable and didn’t give me a headache so I was able to use it everyday.
On a sidenote, this oil spray seems to help heal insect bites quicker. Although the bottle doesn't say anything about this use, I've applied this oil to my mosquito bite welts and they go down a lot faster (a couple days) than they do on their own (a week). They also don't seem to itch as much. I've also applied it on my daughter's handful of bites and it healed them quickly, too.
OVERALL
This is a nice lemony-scented oil that kept away the bugs for a couple hours at a time. It did make my skin slick but that was kind of nice in the summer since it gave me a bit of a glow. It does need to be reapplied every 2-3 hours and is not as effective as another non-DEET insect repellant I tried called Natrapel. Still, Natrapel’s scent was overwhelming and made me sick (nauseas, headaches, etc.), so this Burt’s Bees one ranks on top.
FROM THE MANUFACTURER
WHY IT WORKS: The bugs won’t bug you any longer. Eucalyptus oil is the best known insect repellant around. And bugs hate lemongrass oil too which is why we love it. Since there’s no DEET, it’s safe enough to apply with confidence to children and pets. Unless you happen to keep a pet mosquito.
HOW IT WORKS: Apply liberally to exposed skin, particularly ankles, legs, arms and hairline before venturing outdoors.
4 oz.
www.burtsbees.com
In my quest to rid my world of bugs, here are a few other products I’ve used and reviewed:
Natrapel
Bug Off! Insect Repelling Wrist Band for Kids
Raid Outdoor Ant Spikes
Raid Earth Options Ant and Roach Killer
Recommended:
Yes
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