Shoo, fly

Keep mosquitos away, the natural way.

TEXT MIKKO VIRTA, PHOTOS ANDREI CHERTKOV

These days we are a lot more cautious when thinking about which products we use on our skin. Insect repellent for example, is not only dangerous for the bugs they are repelling, but sometimes for your skin too.

Thankfully health food stores and pharmacies sell natural, Estonian-made alternatives to help you keep those bugs away. Instead of harmful chemicals that smell terrible, the following products use different essential oils as their main active ingredient.

The Ingli Pai line of products offer an insect repellent that promises to effectively keep the bugs away. It contains natural oils like lavender, lemongrass, lemon, and tea tree. The oils do not have any added colour, odour, or preservatives. A small bottle (50 ml) costs about 6€ in pharmacies. Its scent is very mild.

Putukastop Family keeps insects away, as well as ticks. This product is suitable for the whole family. Its active ingredients include tea tree, citronella, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, and olive oils. A 30ml bottle will cost you about 7€ They also offer . a slightly stronger version – Putukastop Strong, which is not recommended for children under the age of twelve.

The insect repellent Sääsepriis from Nurme Looduskosmeetika is praised as a very effective and natural product. Sääsepriis contains many different essential oils including sunflower, aloe, lemongrass, citronella, and rosemary oils. Its scent is very strong, but not at all offensive. Sääsepriis must be rubbed into the skin. A 100ml bottle costs 11.40€.

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