Desperately need recommendations for mosquito deterrent please!

[ElTortilla]

I'm going away in September and the mosquitoes eat me alive every single time. It becomes very uncomfortable and I can't sit outside in the evening. I can hear the mozzies zoning in on me when im trying to sleep. Last time I had about 20 bites on my body. I still have the scars!

I have tried a few sprays/roll ons now but each one hasn't done the job. Please can you recommend your fail safe mozzie deterrents? Also for the apartment, do plug in deterrents really work? I've found they don't but maybe I'm using one that's ineffective.

Thank you.

Skin So Soft, by Avon, has been the only thing that's ever really worked for me. I grew up spending my summers on an island off the coast of Maine where the mosquitoes are relentless and huge. My auntie always had bottles of the stuff. I still use it if necessary, though the mozzies in the UK don't touch me.

We’re in Thailand and we’re using the Superdrug version of jungle formula. It’s 50% DEET and seems to be working well. I’ve been bitten a couple of times but we’ve been here ten days so I think that’s pretty good going! The Avon stuff doesn’t work at all for me.

DEET sprays are the only thing that work for me.

I start taking anti histamines a few days before I go on holiday so my reaction isn't quite so bad.

Bought one of those bite zappers. They also help make my reaction smaller.

Dab toothpaste on if they are itching in the middle of the night.

Thank you. I've heard about this but thought it might be a myth that it's a repellent for mozzies.

Oh that's great. Thank you.

I wondered about taking anti histamines. I'll give it a go. Thank you.

Having done 6 weeks in the far east (not one bite - and they love me) my main advice would be

• Clothing, esp at night, long light trousers and long sleeved blouses (particularly ones with a cuff) and douse the other areas with deet based product ( I think the roll on ones are FAR better than the spray - I used Jungle formula max strength) it is a bit greasy but the spray just goes everywhere and makes you cough. You might get bitten in the day, but less likely. I wore trainers but realise this is not everyone's fashion go to.
• Rely on air con, do not open windows, request in the hotel to get the highest floor possible (mosquitos prefer lower levels) if you go out to balcony, be quick and close your doors. An open window with a light on is like party central for mosquitos.
• Do a quick check when you turn in for the night and kill anything obvious, shake your hair in the bathroom, then close the door.
• If you get one, iodine, toothpaste and itch round it, not on it, antihistamines.
• The AVON skin so soft thing is great for those it works for but the newer versions seem to work less well, I suspect the ingredients have changed, but no harm in giving it a go.

Few suggestions on this thread may help

Good luck!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/scotsnet/5097312-midgies-what-actually-works

There was an interesting podcast on BBC sounds called Sliced Bread which looked at the effectiveness of various insect repellents. Anything containing DEET or picaridin was the best option.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001np5v?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Al Fresco lotion works really well for me and I’m an absolute magnet for biting insects. It smells lovely too.

Pestect bracelets were effective, I did still spray ankles with jungle formula in the evening in case. Antihistamines great for if you get bitten as they remove the itch.

I live in a country with many mozzies and at the moment we are having a large amount of people getting dengue fever due to bites.

My DH is an magnet for mozzies and have tried every lotion and potion under the sun (inc help from a Tropical hospital) the only thing that works to stop the mozzies or any other biting insects is deet, at least 50% deet.

I buy lots of Jungle Formular, spray and roll on, tropical high deet concentrate to bring back from the UK. Shop around for prices but Savers usually have to best prices (but check the size some are 90ml others 125ml cans).

Have tried Asda own brand (nope did not work) Boots, (tends to sting) Wilko (not effective) Superdrug (ok but still not as good as JF) along with many 'natural' citronella type which offered no protection at all. Have also tried local 'deet' type products, again none of which worked other than Soffel but just for a little bit of protection.

The bands, and the like, just dont work, still bite you in other places. The eating garlic/vitamin tabs, skin so soft and all those tales really dont work if your a magnet to be bitten, its not worth taking the chance.

As far as help with bites Anthisan/Afterbite/anti histamine cream are all good, but the best we have ever found is a Japanese cream called Mopiko (you cannot get it in the UK) you dont say where your going on holiday, but its worth looking at local creams as well. If your bite is really bad put cream on with an Elastoplast over to soak in (and helps to not knock to bites) a hot spoon over the bite also helps to take the sting away. The small electric zapper things do help to a point.

Yes the plug ins work, I have one in every room, but thankfully I dont have to spray each night before bed like I had to in another country I lived in with big mozzie problems. Coils I do use outside as well as lemon joss sticks.

Using lemon scented soaps and body wash are supposed to help which we do use, but always with JF after. We even had a body wash from the hospital that was like brown tar to wash with which smelt of lemon grass (citronella)

Clothing helps a lot, long sleeves, long trousers etc. but darker colours attract mozzies more than light colours. Poor DH has even been bitten through jeans on the knees, they were horrendous.

Of course what works for one may not work for another person, this is what works for us and its our routine for going out and trying everything over the years to help stop getting bitten.

We have family who live on a Greek island, halfway up a mountain in a forest.
The mosquitoes eat us all alive when we visit, it's horrendous.
In fact I'm itching just thinking about it.
Trek mosquito repellent is the only thing that works for us, you can get it for sensitive skin too but I'd go for the Trek Ultra Deet, it's available on Amazon

Seconding others saying DEET, plus cover up.

If he gets bitten then systemic anti histamines (the tablets).

If you buy bandages as well you can apply anthisan cream to the bite, use a dressing and bandage it on. The cream soaks into the dressing and stays on the skin for longer which helps with the pain.

I found Lanacaine cream also good (topical painkiller).

I buy 'Odomos' from Amazon. I usually get eaten alive, don-t like DEET and this definitely works well

I react badly to mosquitoes and they always target me over the rest of the family.
I've been taking B12 for a few months due to deficiency and am currently on holiday- still being bitten but not as much so I think it might be related. The bites I get are still bad, huge lumps, redness and pain but I take an antihistamine every day and use bite cream and hopefully it's curbing the reaction slightly!

Skin so soft always gets a mention on these threads. I think it's at best a placebo effect.
I won't add to the other suggestions but to say don't forget to put it on. On the day you travel and arrive at your hotel have some insect repellent on. Put it on every morning and evening because you only need to forget once.
Also look out for restaurants with lighting under the table. Clouds of mozzies to eat your legs.
Don't be tempted to have the balcony doors open.

Plug ins in all rooms, not just the bedroom. It has an area of effect so you need to cover the whole place.
Long sleeve shirts and trousers of an evening.
Avoid trees and water at dusk/twilight
Jungle formula

Deet or Picaridin are the only things that work. Skin so soft only works for people who don’t normally get bitten.

Thank you everyone. You've been so helpful. I'll be armed with deet and afterbite. I've seen the Jungle Formula plug ins. They're £10 each so expensive but will be worth it. I suffered massively last time and was looking forward to getting home and lathering myself in calamine lotion!

I've recently found that the ibuprofen pain relief gels also stop the itching.

I live in Maine and Skin So Soft does nothing to prevent mosquito bites for anyone in my family.

We use products that contain Deet or Picardin.

We use stronger stuff on camping trips in the woods but weaker stuff for day to day.

edited to add…
We also keep antihistamine cream handy for when we do get bitten, but I have had less than 10 bites so far this summer and I walk in the woods in shorts and vest-top every day.

I get eaten alive - have ended up hospitalised before when camping in Hungary.

The only thing that works for me are DEET products - Jungle Formula or similar. I was given Skin So Soft by someone who swore by it but it was worse than useless for me. Echo everything about covering up as much as possible, and use plug ins - in Europe we also use those coils that you burn.

I always take loads of antihistamines with me too - and anthisan cream (sp?) for bites, although I found a brilliant roll on thing in Spain last year - can't remember the name but it stopped the itching immediately.

Anti-histamines do help, I start taking them around a week before I go on holiday.

I always use a tea tree scented shower gel and shampoo as a first defence, then cover myself in DEET. I find the blighters bite sweaty parts so make to to DEET my feet!

Applying a mild hydrocortisone cream helps with the itching.