When our kids were little we spent summer vacations in Prince Edward Island. If you have ever been to PEI then you know that it is a spectacularly beautiful place. An island of rolling hills, dairy farms and some of the world’s best beaches! Our days were spent on its sandy shores, looking for shells, finding crabs, clams, and lobsters, swimming in the ocean and, on many nights, we would build fires on the beach for a cookout or just look at the stars. All of this was glorious except for one thing–bugs! The horse flies and mosquitos are ferocious. 

Many East Coast beaches have horse flies–bigger than a house fly with emerald green eyes and a painful bite. These vicious ankle biters leave impossibly itchy welts on the skin. If you’ve ever tried to enjoy a sunny day sipping rose on the beach, you’ll know exactly what I mean! And then at dusk, the mosquitos can swarm and attack like something out of a horror movie.

As an investigative journalist with an interest in environmental health issues, I was loath to spray a DEET-based insect repellent on my kids. Not only is DEET a pesticide, but it also smells gross and isn’t great for the environment, or your respiratory system. All that spraying! There is a reason they advise you not to spray insect repellent indoors. 

My desire to find an effective natural bug spray led me to a deep-dive into several plant derived essential oils that have been used for centuries in different parts of the world to keep bugs away. I also focused on those ferocious horse flies–they didn’t even seem to mind DEET! As part of my research, I joined online groups of horse owners who were experimenting with natural, plant-based sprays on their animals to keep the horse flies off. After several weeks I finally hit on a few key ingredients I thought might work as an Outdoor Body Spray. 

I mixed up my first batch just before the start of summer and gave it to friends and relatives to try. The results were impressive. I got so much positive feedback I knew I had a winning product formula. My friends and neighbours in PEI were amazed at how it kept the horse flies and mosquitos away and I was thrilled to have a product I could spray on my kids without worry. 

The Outdoor Body Spray has the clean, fresh scent of lemongrass that will have other people around you asking, “What is that you are using? It smells great!” It also contains a small amount of sesame oil which will keep your skin moisturized with every application. Because the Outdoor Body Spray is a natural product, its key ingredients do not last as long as chemical-based bug sprays, so frequent applications are key, but I guarantee you’ll love spraying it all day long! 

My tips for keeping mosquitos at bay:

• Wear light-coloured clothing, NOT BLACK! 
• Stay away from bananas, fruit juices, and other sweet food that mosquitoes are drawn to
• Do not use fragrance or products that include fragrance. Your fruity shampoo or body wash is a beacon for bugs. Oh, and your scented laundry soap too. Try going scent-free this summer!
• Eat garlic, no seriously! Plan a lunch that includes Caesar Salad and garlic bread before a campfire night.
• If you must use a DEET-based repellent, spray it on clothing as much as possible–never on skin. There’s a reason that most insect repellent labels say, “After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water.” Of course no one does, but they really should!
• Cover strollers and infant carriers with mesh netting. I do not recommend using insect repellants of any kind on babies.