BootsnAll Travel Community

I'll be traveling to places like Tanzania,India, S.E. Asia and don't want to take my normal shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sunscreen, b/c of the fragrance. Even the ones that don't have fragrances do have a residual odor to them.

Are there alternatives that work well but don't attract insects?

In your experience, has it really made a difference to use more 'natural' products?

Thanks, Veena

(.and if you traveled with me, you would prefer that I use a fragrance too.)

Which insects are you concerned about? Most (but not all) Mosquitos are interested in *warmth*, not fragrance, flies have a tremendous sense of smell (which is how they find open wounds) and are not particularly attracted to the scented shampoos or soaps. Bees are sort of interested in stuff that smells like flowers, but they are really attracted to the color yellow and *really* hate black things (which is why beekeeper suits are always white).

Since you normally used scented stuff, I assume that allergies are not the issue. Even if you were to bring along some unscented shampoo and soap, you could only feasibly bring alng about two weeks of stuff, then you will be browsing in a Boots Chemist like the rest of us, trying to find the shampoo that packs the easiest.

Fun fact: In the States, Proctor & Gambles shampoo is called "Pert", in Turkey it is called "Rejoice", in Morocco "Pret Plus" and in the UK it is called "Wash & Go".

ivory and some natural hippy shampoo - or like neutrogena - something not real smelly - just gets the old body clean and stuff.

Hi

Sometimes natural products can lead to bizzare situations. Once while trekking I ran out of cold cream and really really needed some cream, all I managed to get was some kind of oil, which in North India is also used for an oil bath -- i think it was mustard oil, cant be sure, it was sweet smelling.

Fine it helped me along the road, i could trek without blistering my fingers, and pull myself up and down the steep mountainside, but I soon had a lot of creepy crawly flying followers.

So unless you are looking at studying insects, think twice before using "natural products".

Have learnt to carry a big bottle of dettol since then, a nice wash with strong dettol solution keeps insects away.

Thanks guys!

I did read that many oils provide a physical barrier between insects adn skin. They end up trapping teh insects on your skin - not a pleasant thought.

Joe - I've read in many places that odors from lotions, hair products, perfumes etc can attract insects. Many sites recommend to use unscented deodorants, and avoid hair products, lotions and perfumes (ofcourse), and avoid dark clothing.
So I guess we won't be travelling together!

..and I am sure that the sources that you mentioned are written in earnest. I haven't read similar stuff, but I do have quite a few miles under my belt and speak only from my experience (but by no means am an authority on anything).

However, in my *opinion* it (using unscented products) won't make a bit of difference in not attracting mosquitos or flies, though unscented shampoos and soaps may not serve to attract honey bees and other pollen-seeking critters.

Please let us all know the results.

I am about to take off (in a month or so) for NZ, OZ and SE Asia. i was going to bring Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap as it is bio degradable and can be used for body and hair.
Now I'm not so sure because of all the bug talk. Any sugestions?

Have you tried Dr Bronners on your hair yet? If not, please test it out for a couple of weeks before you go. It made my scalp and hair super-dry.

For traveling, I usually just take whatever soap/deodorant I feel comfortable with, without worrying too much about insects. I never wear perfume or hair styling products. I haven't found that they are more attracted to me when I use a soap with fragrance than when using one without. However, I have found that insects tend to buzz all around me when using perfume & hair products.

The good thing is, if your choice doesn't work out there will most likely be places to purchase an alternative. You probably don't want to carry several months worth of soap etc anyway :-)

Have fun on your travels!
Kath

Curiosity never killed anything except perhaps a few hours!

Thanks for info!
Kath - I do have to agree. I think I was worrying too much about hair products but then I always seem to get bitten teh most in a group whether I'm in a tropical country or the midwest.
I forget who brought this up but good point about differentiating between bees and mosquitos.
I'm in Tanzania right now and I'm using regular shampoos and body soaps (there was not much choice in the sample sizes adn I didn't have time to go looking around for anything else) but unscented antiperspirants. I"ve been stung a couple of times while eating fruits but other than that I've been left alone. Now the mosquitos seem to bite even when I've covered up fairly well and used a repellant. Maybe I just need more of the repellant. Or just learn to put up with bugs since this is such a part of traveling to many places!
Happy (bug-free) travels.

Well, since I decided to help nature along and shave my head, I find that I don't worry much about shampoo and conditioner anymore :-)

But what do folks use for shaving cream? I've got pretty sensitive skin and definitely need something more than soap...

I use a shave stick from Boots (a British company). It is nothing more than a stick of soap with lanolin in it. There are also travel-sized cans of Edge gel available.

In Turkey, I found tubes of Gillette shaving gel, just perfect for travel.

You may find, as I have, that there are better options available for sale at your destination than there are here at home.

Until then, buy a fancy bar of facial soap; that's really all you need.

I've heard that mosquitoes aren't as attracted to people with more vitamin B in their system. So, rather than worrying about the topical applications of scent, you might want to consider that instead?

When I was in England, I lived downwind of a farmer's field where he's just laid potatoes to rot. We had a HUGE problem with mossies and midges. Now, I'm all for being healthy and natural with things, but there are limits. I found this great little gadget that you plug into the wall into which you put these little tablets of mosquito repellant/pesticide that the gadget then heats up. Worked like a charm and it at least meant I could sleep at night and not look like I had chicken pox come morning.

As for perfumed soaps and stuff, I've never really worried about it and that hasn't been too much of a problem.

Sky Annie,
Do you remember what that was called? It sounds handy. I think that I am one of those people that the bugs like. I don't wear perfumes or hair products either. Gonna have to try the vitamin B thing too!

I used to work for a company that made bug sprays and stuff like that. Most of them are based around citronella (citrus fruit) because it is a natural insect repellent.
You can either get intimate with a lemon , use a lemon based product or buy things like Citronella candles or electrical diffusers like the type Sky Annie mentioned. Most camp stores and supermarkets sell them.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dewbie:
Sky Annie,
Do you remember what that was called? It sounds handy. I think that I am one of those people that the bugs like. I don't wear perfumes or hair products either. Gonna have to try the vitamin B thing too!

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I wish I did. All I know is it cost about 7 quid in England and I found more than one brand of them. I left it in Oz with some of my stuff so I can't even look at it. You're in the Vancouver area aren't you? I wonder if MEC has something like it.....

Sky Annie,

I will have to check it out when I go back to Vancouver. It might be worth it. And what I want to know is that how come with ALL the marvels of science, they can't develop a mosquito repellent that smells nice AND works (and doesn't etch plastic like deet)?

Scientists of the world, I challenge you!!

I guess it depends how much you like the smell of citronella.... Those plug-in things smell a bit chemically-perfumy, but not overpowering.

Hey Dewbie,

I looked for the diffuser at MEC and Coast Mountain and couldn't find them. The guy I asked at Coast Mountain looked at me like I was asking him for a ground-to-air missile launcher (quite amusing actually). We might not be able to find them here.....

I don't know if this useful, but definately funny. An Aussie I met in India had a repellent called "Bugger Off" and it seemed to work great. Also, I met a number of herbalist types in India and none of them used Deet. They all used Tea Tree Oil combined with some other form of repellent. Maybe there's something to it.

Buy a few mosquito coils as well. Those electric plug in things are great, until the power cuts out in the middle of the night in India. Then it's feasting time!!!!

PC

Check out my new RTW blog:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/claudia

Being a chick in the military, I've travelled around several really nasty areas with lots of bugs and found that there are certain smells mosquitos and gnats prefer.
Don't choose any products that smell of strawberries or banana - mosquitos LOVE those smells and will dive bomb you like crazy.
Anything citronella scented on the other hand, will keep them at bay. Sometimes a strongly scented citronella body spray will work just as well as a bug spray but without the chemicals and stink. Olay makes a wonderful spray in their Ohm line called Ginger and Citrus - it's almost as moisturizing as a lotion and keeps the bugs at bay. It's usually about $4 something a bottle and is available dang near anywhere (even Walmart). The same company makes soaps in the scent as well but I haven't tried them.
As most people know, BO attracts mosquitos better than dang near anything else. There's an awesome product out called "Body Mint" that actually works to make it so that your sweat doesn't smell. I put it to the ultimate test during a trip to Iraq and it worked!! It's expensive at like $20 a bottle, but lasts about a month and can make hot places MUCH more barable. It's available at Drugstore.com.