Citronella and citronella candles
Citronella is approved by the EPA as an insect repellent. Two warnings stand for citronella. The first is that citronella is not nearly as effective as DEET, PMD or Picaridin. So that means it won’t last very long. A 10 per cent solution will repel insects for around 20 minutes. Secondly no substance, natural or synthetic is completely non-toxic and no one knows the effects of applying citronella repeatedly, for example, every 20 minutes for two hours.
PMD from Lemon Eucalyptus
PMD is the scientific nickname for a substance that comes from the lemon eucalyptus plant. The good news here is that it is quite effective, and can be as effective as low percentages of DEET. The same goes for PMD as for citronella, even natural substances should be used sparingly and always follow label indications for applying insect repellent on children as well as adults.
Avon's Skin So Soft
Reports say that Skin So Soft bath oil made by Avon is effective against mosquitoes for up to 30 minutes, but no one knows what the effects are of concentrated bath oil applied every 30 minutes. Avon does make Skin So Soft with other EPA-approved insect repellents.
Natural Repellent Review from Cathy Wong
About.com's guide to Alternative Medicine, naturapath, Cathy Wong, writes about natural insect repellents.
Sources
CDC. Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases. West Nile Virus: Updated Information regarding Insect Repellents.
CDC. Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases. West Nile Virus: Q and A: Insect Repellent Use and Safety.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ToxFAQs: DEET.
AAP. AAP News. Vol. 28. No. 2 Feb. 2007. p. 37.
CDC. Traveler’s Health. Yellow Book: Protection Against Mosquitoes and Other Arthropods.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Permethrin.
AHC Media. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus as an Insect Repellent.
AAP News. Increasing options for malaria prophylaxis in children. Vol. 28 No. 2 February 2007, p. 37.
EPA. New Pesticide Fact Sheet. Picaridin. May 2005.
North Carolina Entomology Extension Waldyogel, Michael, Apperson, Charles.