Mosquitoes are the bain of my life. HELP!

[Dreamingofasandybeach]

Due to go on holiday in August to Spain and I need your advice on what products work well for people who are always getting bitten.

I've been on many holidays, and each time I am bitten to death.. (worst was Dominican Republic where my Fiancé counted 72 bites all over my body within the first few days 🤣😭). They seem to love my blood for some reason and the bites last for weeks. Not only are they itchy but they make my skin feel so tight too.

I've tried DEET sprays, Avon skin so soft, mosquito bands but just can't find anything that helps.

Both myself and parents get bit to death and I just know August temps in Spain they'll be out in full force ready for their next meal.

Please if anyone has the same issue and has any products they can recommend I'd really really appreciate it 😊 I'll try absolutely anything!

You need to start applying repellent at around 3pm as they start coming out then.

I take Vitamin B12 every day and since then have got far fewer bites so I think it makes a difference.

I use Deet, Smidge and Incognito. They all work for me.

Lemon based shower gel and shampoo. Original source shower gel is nice and head and shoulders have a gorgeous lemon 2 in 1

Would combining two or more sprays be anymore effective do you think? Eg a Deet and non deet one.

The Avon one is terrible stuff-it smells foul and doesn’t stop bugs biting us at all, so it just makes you sticky, slimy and smelling disgusting for no benefit. A lot of Avon reps on Facebook still loudly proclaim how brilliant it is though…!

Smidge is brilliant as is Repel/Trek.

Do people swear by wearing trousers and long tops at night? I wasn't planning on doing this at all - going to Thailand. Bangkok, north and an island. Hoping mosquitoes are manageable - but travel wardrobe doesn't currently have any trousers!

Full strength Jungle Formula. The black and white stripey mossies are out all day and night, you you need round the clock protection ideally. Lots of garlic helps too I find.

Also, once bitten, apply heat to the bite ASAP. Heat denatures the protein in the bite and halts the body's response. You can use a spoon heated in boiling water or a hairdryer if you have lots of bites. Also works for stings. Immediate relief.

"Lemon based shower gel and shampoo. Original source shower gel is nice and head and shoulders have a gorgeous lemon 2 in 1"

That will do absolutely nothing to repel mosquitoes 🦟😂

Please can someone with more knowledge than me talk to me about needing long trousers in the evening! I did mention it earlier in thread but no responses. Thank you

They might work for a few minutes, but they don't stay on the skin the way a proper insect repellant does.

If they work for @PepsiMaxandPringleStacks it is probably because she isn't that attractive to mosquitoes.

@Crushmonsters https://mosquitonix.com/pages/what-clothes-protect-from-mosquito-bites

Thank you @RampantIvy

If you find a repellant that works for you, you won't need to cover up.

I had Off! in Jamaica, it was an aerosol and was fantastic but I can't find the one we used online now.

Skin so soft is working for me now but I think its personal, as this thread shows, so you need to find what will work for you.

It often pays to buy something local to where you are as they are very specific to that area.

When we visited Inverewe Gardens DH was set upon by midges as soon as he got out of the car. We bought the insect repellant that they sold in the shop and he managed to avoid any more bites.

Vit B1 the only thing that’s ever worked for me too. Take it a couple of weeks before and during the hol. Mozzie bites can certainly take the shine off a holiday so worth trying alongside sprays etc.

Vitamin B complex. I use Lambert's B 50 and sometimes Lambert's B 100. It works brilliantly. Good luck.

Vitamin B is only a placebo, and if you are anywhere that has insect-borne disease it could be dangerous:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-entomological-research/article/thiamine-vitamin-b1-as-an-insect-repellent-a-scoping-review/53BC3319803B14C2218777BE4D35C7B2

oh my goodness thank you so much everyone for your replies! I'm going through them now and will definitely be taking a lot of this on board. it's good to know its not just me that gets bitten to buggery every holiday but so annoying we all suffer xxx

Well guess what it did. 4 of us stayed at a notoriously bad hotel in Alcudia that is SWARMING with mosquitos and we didn't get bit once.