I spend most of my summer scratching bumpy mosquito bites and irritated patches of sunburn. As a redhead with skin that is exceptionally mosquito-friendly, bites have always seemed like something I would just have to accept. But I’m ready to stop the itch. The warm weather is now in full gear and I’m arming myself with a supply of products that will prevent -- or stop -- itching and irritation. As always, my two requirements are safe (read: natural) ingredients and effectiveness. Sure, naturally derived ingredients are great, but this stuff actually has to work.
My first line of defense is Jasön’s Quit Bugging Me insect repellent. This spray stood up to the nastiest Brooklyn mosquitoes as well as the horseflies and gnats that own my parent’s backyard in rural Connecticut. Made with geranium and coconut oils, Quit Bugging Me doesn’t leave me smelling like a human citronella candle. And since it’s Deet-, PABA- and paraben-free, I can feel good about dousing my 4-year old with it.
My second summer go-to product is Boiron’s Calendula Cream. Calendula is nature’s sooth-all. This herb is a serious healer, calming heat rashes, bug bites, sunburn, even scrapes and diaper rash. I can’t do without it.
By this point in the summer, my ankles are usually dotted with scabby mosquito bites and at least one section of my freckly white skin is flaky and itchy with sunburn. Not this year! A steady stream of preventative bug spray and healing calendula is keeping the itch in check. Now, let’s see if I can make it to Labor Day.
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