Summertime/Camper Soap Ideas

[Saponista]

Bog myrtle (myrica gale) is used in Scotland as an insect repellant. It smells a bit like sherbert lemons. Combined with citronella, I bet you could make a fairly nice smelling product. As suggested earlier, I think it would need to be in lotion/balm form though.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...In that case why not make a bug repellent lotion?..."

You hit the nail firmly on the head, at least for me. The effectiveness of an insect repellent (deet, EOs, etc.) only lasts for awhile -- it evaporates, gets rubbed off, whatever. Even if a soap was truly effective at repelling insects, the user would have to reapply periodically. How is one to do that with an insect repellent soap?

 

[user 12568]

To keep bugs away - I'd suggest people not use any scented soaps, shampoos, or body products. Wash your hair and body with with sand and lake water. Do not apply deodorant. Wear light coloured clothing that was washed in unscented detergent / fabric softener. Don't be afraid to get dirty. You want to smell like the natural environment, not like a perfumery.

However, if scented soaps are a must, I'd stick with citronella.

 

[Susie]

I live in Louisiana, where the mosquito is the state bird. The best things you can do to discourage the pests, short of buying repellent with DEET, is to go unscented on everything, wear long sleeves and long pants, and don't be out at dawn or dusk. No scented dryer sheets, no perfume, no scented hair spray, etc, etc. The more of that stuff you wear, the more they love you.

If you have an aversion to DEET, Off has these new little disk things you can clip to your belt.

 

[danielle22033]

To keep bugs away - I'd suggest people not use any scented soaps, shampoos, or body products. Wash your hair and body with with sand and lake water. Do not apply deodorant. Wear light coloured clothing that was washed in unscented detergent / fabric softener. Don't be afraid to get dirty. You want to smell like the natural environment, not like a perfumery.

However, if scented soaps are a must, I'd stick with citronella.

Unfortunately I don't think it works that way, mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that you exhale and that comes off your body and no amounts of dirt is going to cover that. You might as well be clean and have something on your body that deters mosquitoes.

As for that being said, I read somewhere online that in order to keep bugs out of your sandbox to put cinnamon in it because bugs can't stand it, So, I added that to my bug off soap that I made yesterday and it added not only a lovely scent but also a beautiful colour.

 

[judymoody]

I suggest a lotion bar scented with essential oils that bugs don't like. I make one that I pour into a push up deodorant style tube and it is pretty effective. Oregon Trails sells an EO blend called Bug Be Gone if you don't want to concoct your own. I use stuff like eucalyptus radiata, citronella, lemongrass, cedar, etc. Smells a heck of a lot better than DEET and my kids will use it!

Catnip EO is supposed to be super effective but is pricey.

 

[DeeAnna]

While lemongrass might repel some insects, it is very definitely an attractant for honeybees. It is similar to the nasonov pheromone that bees use to communicate with each other. Beekeepers use it to make a new hive seem more "homey" to a new colony of bees or to attract a swarm of bees to a trap hive.

 

[Susie]

Please note that I said to discourage the pests. This includes, but is not limited to, mosquitoes. I should have been more specific, I know. There are more annoying (and potentially dangerous) pests in the great out of doors to contend with than mosquitoes. If you want to discourage pests, the more unscented you are, the less insects you will have close encounters with.

And while we are talking about camping and such, let me go further and talk about the creepy crawlies that attack from ground level. This is flea, tick, fire ant, and chigger season in the deep south. I would strongly suggest you tuck your pants into your socks(not an attractive look, I know) and at least spray your shoes, sock tops, and your pants to the knees with a DEET product to avoid them moving inside of your clothes. Also, be sure to tuck your shirt into your pants. This will help minimize your chance of getting Lyme disease and other lovely diseases that are transmitted by pests.

 

[DeeAnna]

Susie's comments bring to mind another suggestion. I'm not sure how well this works on other annoying critters, but a sulfur soap or lotion will help repel chiggers and can help treat a chigger infestation if you get one. The sulfur powder in the product lodges in the skin and fabric. You can also dust your socks and bottom of your pants with pure sulfur powder -- this is probably more effective than sulfur soap as a repellant. It won't smell nice ... there's no disguising the odor of sulfur ... but it works.

That said, sulfur soap is a bit tricky to make. If you add "flowers of sulfur" powder to a CP soap, the soap will turn brown, mushy, and unusable if you add more than about 1% ppo. If you want more sulfur than that, it must be added to an HP soap after the cook to avoid failure. To repel or treat chiggers (or other skin issues), use a light hand with the superfat and additives -- the sulfur should be the star of the show.

Um, and would I put info about what sulfur can do on a soap label? Nope.

Edit -- And patchouli is a repellent for flies. It was used (in India, I believe) to layer with fabrics to repel insects that like to eat natural fibers -- kind of how we use cedar for the same thing. Supposedly these shawls were imported into the western countries and the scent of patchouli on the shawls became a hot trend. Also the scent was proof that the shawls were genuine.

 

[Susie]

I hesitated to mention the sulfur due to the fear of cross-allergies for sulfa drugs. It is rare, I know, but it happens. So, let me do it here:

If you are allergic to sulfa drugs like Bactrim, do not use sulfur unless under a doctor's instructions.

 

[DeeAnna]

Um, I'm definitely allergic to sulfa antibiotics, but I'm not remotely allergic to sulfur or sulfite. I eat dried fruit that's been sulfured, drink wine with added sulfites, and dust my roses with sulfur powder. No problems. Just don't give me sulfa antibiotics.

I'm honestly not disagreeing with your caution, Susie. I'm just saying that one type of allergy does not necessarily equate to another. Here is corroborating information from a couple of reputable sources:

"...One of the more common drug allergies is that to sulfa drugs. Sulfa drugs are more appropriately labeled sulfonamides and are derivatives of para-amino benzoic acid.... A sulfonamide allergy is different from a sulfite allergy because sulfonamides and sulfites are distinctly different chemicals. A person allergic to sulfites is no more likely to be allergic to sulfonamides than any other individual...." Source: http://www.uic.edu/pharmacy/services/di/faq/sulfa.php

"...An allergy to sulfonamide medications is different from having an adverse reaction to wine or food that contains sulfites. Having a reaction to sulfites in something you eat or drink doesn't mean you'll be allergic to sulfonamide medication...." Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-allergy/expert-answers/sulfa-allergy/faq-20057970

That said, I agree that some people may be allergic to sulfa drugs AND to sulfur/sulfite, so proceed with reasonable caution.

 

[Susie]

That is all I was saying. It is RARE, extremely RARE, but it happens. I have only seen one person react to sulfur, ever. And that person happened to be allergic to sulfas. This is a case of "if one person is saved from that, it will be worth it".