Organic Insect Repellent Reviews

There are a few natural and organic insect repellents on the market. Many of them contain essential oils.

If you are needing protection against biting insects such as mosquitoes, finding an effective natural insect repellent can be an important health issue.

Here are some organic insect repellent reviews to help you find the best insect repellent for your needs. The main review on this page is for Brittanie's Thyme, which was sent me explicitly for review.

You can also add your own review(s) of natural insect repellents - just click here. There are also some reviews already submitted - for Mosquiroff, Hot Pepper Wax, Lewey's Eco-Blends and Glengarry Gardens natural bug balm. Just look below the submission box at the foot of the page. More reviews of organic insect repellents are always welcome!

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Brittanie's Thyme organic insect repellent

This insect repellent has an attractive smell - for us humans, at least. So it is no endurance test to wear it when the insect season is in full swing.

It has light and refreshing fragrance, with just a slight hint of something medical.

I've worn it for several weeks now, to try to give it a good, fair test. It certainly seems to keep insects from actively pursuing you. This test is taking place in June and there are certainly clouds of insects about.

I do quite a lot of work in a rather over-grown garden, where it is easy to disturb clouds of insects. I find that when I wear Brittanie's thyme organic insect repellent the insects do not seem to be so much of a problem. They seem to avoid me.

I have not tried it out during the biting insect season as yet, which is when it really needs to work.

Using a natural insect repellent

The product information suggests that you re-apply the Brittanie's Thyme organic insect repellent every two to three hours.

The scent of this insect repellent does noticeably fade after an hour or two. Research has shown that insect repellents based upon essential oils do need replenishing more frequently than chemical ones.

The big advantage of using a natural, organic insect repellent such as this one by Brittanie's Thyme, is that you have no need to fear the possible health effects of chemical compounds such as Deet. Deet can cause skin reactions in some users and often causes irritation of sensitive areas such as eyes and lips. It also feels oily and has a chemical smell.

Organic insect repellent:
What about Deet?

There are also environmental concerns with Deet. According to Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group database, it is a bioaccumulator. This means it accumulates in living tissues and becomes a real threat to animals high up the food chain.

It can also cause potentially serious health problems such as cancer, degenerative diseases of the nervous system and reproductive failures from its use. Quite a list!

Pyrethrins are often used as natural insect repellents. Pyrethrin comes from chrysanthemum plants and is entirely natural but it still has toxic effects when used in concentration. The hazards to fish and aquatic life are well known.

According to EWG, pyrethrin is known to be a potential threat to the human immune system and carries many of the same health warnings as Deet. It is also similarly rated as "high hazard". It is even a bioaccumulator, so it is not so great for the environment when produced and used in industrial amounts.

And malaria

So if you are going into an area where malaria or other serious insect-borne diseases are common, consider your options carefully before opting for an insect repellent which contains Deet.

I believe it is possible to use an organic natural insect repellent as a safe and effective protection against insect bites from disease carrying insects. Just how effective they are compared to the conventional chemical preparations, I could not say.

Research done in Tanzania tends to indicate that Deet is the most effective bite preventative but that repellents based on Citronella and Ocimum can also be very effective. They even have the power to kill mosquitoes if used to spray mosquito nets.

Citronellal is the active ingredient in lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora ) and is also found in other plants. It is a type of terpine. Another naturally occurring terpine is geraniol which is found in geranium, including rose geranium, and other plants. It, too is a powerful natural insect repellent.

The organic insect repellent produced by Brittannie's Thyme contains clove oil, eucalyptus, rose geranium, peppermint and tea tree essential oils as well as witch hazel.

To see Brittanie's Thyme products, just follow this link:

Brittanie's Thyme In so far as I've used it a bit in my garden, I would have no problem recommending this product. If anyone else would like to comment, please use the submission box below - thanks!