Skin so soft?

[LynnB]

Haven't used skin so soft in a long time but when I spent my time on soccer fields with kids it did work for the sand gnats in Georgia. I think they might be immune now. They get really bad here at certain times...
You can give it a try what do you have to loose. We used Cactus Juice and Cutters Advanced. I didn't get bit much but the rest of my family did. They didn't seem to itch just left red dots everywhere...

 

[RTBDiver]

Over time a lot have mentioned becomming immune. While the reactions may change it seems this is one of those things, perhapse started by Realtors explaining to investors, that leaves a little to be desired. My watchman/Caretaker is native honduran, Been on Roatan since 1992, Another good friend i often work with is born and raised on Roatan, His father sold most of West Bay many moons ago for , I have heard, about 5k. Both of these guys jump for the deet when we are working and the sand flies are around. I spend 3 or so months a year on the island and have not found that elusive immunity, I visit friends at get togethers and there is always bug spray of some sort flowing . I do hope someday i find this immunity

 

[scuba e]

Thanks to all,
RTB, I dont mean to speak for others but if you are refering to the previous post about Georgia sand gnats I think the referense was to the bugs becoming immune to the deterant. This has been seena nd documented. Just like "the flu" or other viruses, animals can build immunity or resistance to posions/repelants over time.
If that is not what you and or the previous poster were refering too I will jsut pipe down now and continue counting days.....58 to be exact! Woohoo!

 

[RTBDiver]

Thanks,
It was that post, or at least reading "immune" that brought my post to mind. Previous post does seem rather to suggest bugs become immune which is known to happen. I do however so often hear about after spending enough time people become immune and things about the locals not needing deet or other repellants.
All in all the story is the same, Some things work for some people some do not, There is no way of knowing until you try them. If you really want to know if SSS, B1, Garlic, Snake oil, or iguana sperm repel the bugs then just try it.

 

[scuba e]

Iguana sperm!? Damn, I just shot beer out my nose. Thanks, I needed a good laugh! Too damn funny. How many times do you need to "shake the bottle"?

 

[seacreatures]

SSS is like putting whip cream on a shake! The bugs seem to love it on me Nothing beats DEET!

 

[DandyDon]

I can't recall now where I read it, but someone did some real testing with skin-so-soft and found it doesn't work as a repellent. I can tell you that I used to use it and found it did not repel mosquitoes, but it attracted bees quite well. The damn bumble bees would chase me EVERY time I tried the stuff and I still got eaten up by the skeeters.

The stuff is bogus as an insect repellent.

There have been many studies and SSS loses them all. Avon disputes some of them, but fails in facts. Anecdotal claims can be interesting, and new discoveries are always possible - but very rare. Some don't believe government studies but for the most part they have a much better record than rumors.

From U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
Repellency of two deet formulations and Avon Skin-... [J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 1991] - PubMed result sheds some light on how SSS got its reputation, which I'll emphasize here...

Two U.S. military issue deet repellent formulations (75% deet liquid and 33% deet lotion) and Avon Skin-So-Soft were tested against ceratopogonid midges under field conditions in Honduras. Test subjects were U.S. military personnel deployed to Honduras for training. Culicoides furens accounted for 96.3% of all midges collected. The liquid and lotion formulations of deet and Avon Skin-So-Soft provided 97.9, 95.9 and 71.4% protection, respectively, compared with the untreated control. Both deet formulations provided significantly better protection (P less than 0.05) than Avon Skin-So-Soft. The latter provided protection by trapping the midges in the oily film and not by repelling the insects as did the deet formulations.

I met a DM on Utila once who used mineral oil to protect against sand bugs, probably the same way.

From the CDC some notes on why experiences vary CDC: West Nile Virus - Updated Insect Repellent

CDC evaluation of information contained in peer-reviewed scientific literature and data available from EPA has identified several EPA registered products that provide repellent activity sufficient to help people avoid the bites of disease carrying mosquitoes. Products containing these active ingredients typically provide reasonably long-lasting protection:

* DEET (Chemical Name: N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide or N,N-diethly-3-methyl-benzamide)
* Picaridin (KBR 3023, Chemical Name: 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperidinecarboxylic acid 1-methylpropyl ester )
* Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus* or PMD (Chemical Name: para-Menthane-3,8-diol) the synthesized version of oil of lemon eucalyptus
* IR3535 (Chemical Name: 3-[N-Butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester)

EPA characterizes the active ingredients DEET and Picaridin as “conventional repellents” and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, PMD, and IR3535 as “biopesticide repellents”, which are derived from natural materials. For more information on repellent active ingredients see (Active Ingredients Found in Insect Repellents | Pesticides | US EPA).

Published data indicate that repellent efficacy and duration of protection vary considerably among products and among mosquito species and are markedly affected by ambient temperature, amount of perspiration, exposure to water, abrasive removal, and other factors.

it really doesn't work...if you want an alternative Cutters Advanced works really well...I take Cactus Juice and Cutters advanced with me

Cutters is one of the companies that offers a choice of Deet or Picaridin. Like so many brand names for OTC meds, etc - put on reading glasses, move to good light, read ingredients.

Cactus Juice may vary with where it's actually produced, but the product offered in the US seems to be a blend of Prickly Pear Cactus, emollients, moisturizers - so I guess that it would be a combination of “biopesticide repellents” and an oily film to act as a shield. About all you can find on the net are anecdotal claims and where to buy it. If you like it, use it.

We used to hear about using dryer softener sheets but I think that has lost popularity. Gawd, you can hear anything and some of my friends like to forward every email warning; I've asked them all to not send me unsearched gossip, but the excuses are comical - amounting to "I don't have time to check facts, only to forward warnings I receive."

From Snopes snopes.com: Mosquito Repel Lore An interesting articles that also dispels other rumors and gossip. Some of these wild tales go back to the Dust Bowl of my home area and the Great Depression when people had little in real resources to fight many problems but found that placebo type actions would boost hope at least.

Now my home dive buddy the sewing machine & vacuum cleaner guru and part time witch doctor has a deal where he soaks chunks of Buffalo Gourd root in 70% ethanol, then gives away samples for people to try to various skin problems - and they keep coming back for more?! There are some records of Amerindians of the area using the root for medicinal purposes, but some of the people claim that he's cured acute problems that doctors have continuously failed.

 

[LynnB]

Don... we did use dryer sheet and they seemed to work some with the sand gnats here. I think they are worse here than in Roatan if that is possible. wE all had insect mesh jackets to keep them off.....the bad thing is here they itch immediately....

 

[DandyDon]

Don... we did use dryer sheet and they seemed to work some with the sand gnats here. I think they are worse here than in Roatan if that is possible. wE all had insect mesh jackets to keep them off.....the bad thing is here they itch immediately....

Haha ok, I hadn't heard of their use lately, but your climate is totally different than semi-arid West Texas at 3,000+ feet elevation and killing freezes every winter so maybe they're more popular in some areas. Looking at the toxic ingredients involved, perhaps they could be effective on some insects, but with what complications...?

From Dinged By Dryer Sheets | Care2 Healthy & Green Living

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from the 1990s, the following is a list of chemicals in fabric softener products, most in untested combinations. Liquid fabric softeners additionally may contain formaldehyde.

* Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer.
* Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant.
* Ethanol: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders.
* Limonene: Suspected Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Immunotoxicant,
Kidney Toxicant, Neurotoxicant,
Respiratory Toxicant, and Skin or Sense Organ Toxicant.
* A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage.
* Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list.
* Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders.
* Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic.
* Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders.
* Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled.

To hide the chemical smell, companies load dryer sheets full of chemical fragrances, which are potentially carcinogenic.

Dryer sheets are designed to stay on clothing for a long period of time and slowly release their chemicals throughout the day, which leads to prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals.

The toxins in dryer sheets and their chemical fragrances enter the body both through inhalation or are absorbed through the skin.

Some of the symptoms experienced from prolonged exposure to the chemicals in dryer sheets include headaches, nausea, vomiting , dizziness, central nervous system disorders, blood pressure reduction, fatigue, difficulty breathing, skin irritation, difficulty concentrating and remembering, cancer, irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract, and liver damage.

I don't guess I've used them in my laundry in 20 years either. I do use a bit of vinegar in the rinse. I got an email the other day about warding off flu with bowls of onions in the room; eat the onions for the vitamins but I doubt the fumes are going to help anything.

I was going to try Deet spray with mineral oil at FIBR last trip, but never got a bite so didn't use either all week. They fog with an insecticide twice a day and it seems to work well on the insects without harming the roaming animals that I saw. My roomie walked around the Cay the first evening, but he used Picaridin - yet found himself surrounded in a flock of bats leaving for the night.

 

[BDSC]

Has anyone tried a BP/W? They seem to be the cure-all for everything.