How To Keep Mosquitoes Away Naturally - Tips & Tricks

With monsoon comes the mosquito menaces and so are the diseases like Dengue, Malaria and chikungunya. Real fight for a parent is to protect children from these diseases and we all know the side effects of various mosquito repellents present in the market. In this post, let us look at natural alternatives to keep off the mosquitoes.

Here are some popular natural mosquito repellents DIY recipes that should drive the mosquitoes away.


Neem Oil

Neem oil is considered as one of very effective mosquito repellent. Neem oil is easily available at nearest chemist shops.

You can dilute this oil with coconut oil and apply on body.

Citronella

This is a popular essential, it is derived from a species of lemon grass and the smell of it is researched to be quite offensive for the mosquitoes, especially the dengue-causing variety. Many top brands repellent cream has this citronella content.

Clove oil

Clove is again a very common ingredient in Indian kitchen and also another very popular and easily-available oil, this too have insect repelling feature.

If using on a small child, mix this oil with coconut oil and apply.

Lemon Eucalyptus Oil (OLE)

A very well-documented mosquito repellent, OLE is known to have an effect as powerful as a chemical repellent. If you read the labels, you will find it listed as an ingredient in most natural insect repellents. If you wish to use it, try and procure the insect-repellent version of it and not the essential oil as the efficacy of the latter is not yet confirmed.

These oils do not work for longer hours, most have an efficacy of maximum 2-3 hours.

However, you can reapply these oils.

Remember

• While taking your child to park, ensure they wear full sleeves
• Use mosquito nets or apply mosquito repellents on the hands & legs that are not covered

Here are few plants you can have in your garden to keep mosquito away - 

• Citronella (lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena)
• Geranium
• Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Anise
• Mint
• Marigold
• Catnip
• Wormwood
• Lavender
• Cedar
• Tansy
• Cloves

Ready-Made Natural Mosquito Repellents

If you do not have the time & patience to try out the above recipes. Here is a ready-made solution for everyone. I have been using these two all natural mosquito repellents and they work great for me & my family. You might want to check them out!

Do share in comments if you have any tips or tricks to keep mosquito away naturally.

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Palmer's India Products Review

Being a Momstar has its own perks ;) I received this Palmer's hamper from Babychakra to review.

Here is my quick review of these products. The detailed description of these products can be found on the Amazon links shared below. You can also buy these products from Babychakra HERE.

The baby wash is superb. I used it when I was traveling & it worked like a charm. Nothing harsh, very mildly fragranced and it can be used as a shampoo too. It left my toddler's skin & hair soft.

I loved the cocoa butter stretch marks cream a lot. I am 2 years postpartum so not sure those remaning stretch marks that I have will even go away now but the cream in itself if so mild & gets absorbed super quickly into the skin. The smell is so so good & pure, I love coffee so I had to love its smell.  




I have not used the baby bottom cream because we have passed the stage of diaper rashes, my son is toilet trained now :) But the description on the cover of the product looks good!




The skin therapy oil is awesome too! It is absolutely non-greasy & immensely moisturizing.  


All in all, the quality of the products is very good. I would certainly recommend them.

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MamaEarth Baby Products Review - Asia's 1st MadeSafe Certified Brand

Motherhood is full of questions of various sorts, very important question being which products to use for my baby. My son is almost 2 years old now & we have been choosing his products very carefully, be it a soap or shampoo or oil or toys or clothes or diapers. We as a family try to be as close to nature as we can. Our kitchen has a good share of organic stuff like organic milk, organic pulses, aata etc. We use natural products for our skin, even for we adults. We use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.

And now, watch this TEDx video if you haven't yet!



When we were purchasing products like oil, shampoo, soap etc for our son, we were shocked to see that the so-called baby products also had so many chemicals in them. Read my full post HERE about the toxins that might exist in baby products & why we should #readthelabel before we buy anything for our children. One fine day I got to know about this new brand called MamaEarth that is Asia's first MadeSafe certified brand & claims to be 100% toxin free. I was so happy to receive this premium kit of MamaEarth's 4 awesome products (courtesy : IMC & MamaEarth). I have been using their products for the last 3 weeks now & I must say very happy with them. And now this calls for an honest review from my side! So here it goes.

MamaEarth - A Brand By A Parent

mamaearth

The best thing about MamaEarth is that it was started by parents like us! When they (Ghazal & Varun) were researching & selecting products for their little bundle of joy, they were shocked to see that so many baby products had toxins & that was when came up with the idea of developing products that are completely safe for the babies. You can read their story HERE.

MamaEarth is the ONLY toxin free, MadeSafe certified brand in India & Asia! Their products go through all the required tests and meet the safety standards. The MADE SAFE (Made with Safe Ingredients™) seal means that a product is literally made with safe ingredients that are not known or suspected to cause human health or environmental harm. It’s the first nontoxic certification to apply to products we use every day, so that for the first time, you can find things that are safe to use on your body, with your families, and in your homes.

MadeSafe

MamaEarth Product Range

They have almost the entire range of products a parent would need for 0 to 5 years - Shampoo, Massage oil, Moisturising lotion, Body wash, Diaper Rash Cream, Sunscreen lotion & insect repellant. MamaEarth products are available at Amazon & FirstCry. 

My Review

This is what I got in the MamaEarth premium kit. Each of the products is dermatologically tested and contains the MadeSafe seal.- 

• A beautiful carry bag - Once I opened their parcel, I was super impressed by their packaging & this beautiful bag! It is so lively in color & quality is great. It can easily accommodate some quick baby items when you are on the move. 

• 1 bottle of Massage Oil - A blend of sesame, coconut, olive, almond, jojoba & lavender oil, it is very light on the skin, spread nicely, absorbs well & works great for my son's dry skin. The bottle has a press pump nozzle which ensures there are no accidental spills even when your toddler grabs it from your hand to play around ;) yes my son does that! I love the heavenly (natural) smell of the oil, it forces me to hug & hold my son for longer & keep kissing him, haha!

• 1 bottle of Moisturising daily lotion - It contains Shea butter & Jojoba oil & is again very light on the skin, gets absorbed very easily & yet very moisturizing. My son has a very dry skin & a combination of massage oil before bath & this lotion after bath works great for him, even in this winter season where the air is very very dry here in Pune. 

• 1 bottle of Insect repellant - It has a natural blend of essential repellent oils like Citronella, Peppermint and Lemon eucalyptus with a base of Soya and Castrol oil, 100% natural & Deet free. It can be sprayed & applied to the skin & your child is free to venture out in the park with mosquitos around!

• 1 bottle of Shampoo - A gentle, tear free shampoo with a ph suited for baby's skin. It contains coconut based cleansers and Jojoba oil to nourish the scalp. I liked the touch & feel of the shampoo. It leaves my son's hair soft & smooth.

In general, this is what I loved about MamaEarth products

• Safe & certified by an international authority so we can be assured we are giving the best to our babies
• Excellent quality products
• Very natural, mild & sometimes no smell in the products. I loved this fact because that actually means there are no perfume additives that might be harmful for the baby. And I love natural smells! Ah, not to miss, all this helps retain the smell of your baby, which is heavenly, especially with newborns :)
• Very competitive pricing - their products are priced at 299 INR each, which is not at all high for the quality & certification it comes along with.
• Lovely packaging as I mentioned above. And different animal cartoon pictures on the products make it interesting for toddlers too ;) 

If you still have more questions or doubts about their products, HERE is a big list of FAQs.

Conclusion

It is finally such a relief to have a 100% natural & safe brand around for our little ones & I cannot thank enough to Ghazal & Varun from MamaEarth for this venture. We loved the products & would surely recommend these to the fellow parents. Go ahead & give safe & 100% natural products to your children :)

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10 Toxic Chemicals That You Did Not Know Might Exist In Baby Products

Pregnancy is the time we take utmost care of ourselves. We eat right, we breathe right, we sleep right. We know how tender & vulnerable our little one is inside.

And, after the baby is born, we rush to the chemists & buy those baby products like soap, shampoo, powder, cream, oils, wipes, lotions etc, the best brand that we can. 

In all this madness, we forget, Infants and their skin are so tender! In fact, the first three years of a child’s life are very crucial as far as health is concerned. The immune system and central nervous system are still immature and developing. We should be wary of what chemicals we expose to the child for obvious reasons.

It is sad to see that some baby products which claim to be natural or organic or baby friendly are not really good for the babies. They contain harmful chemicals. We see the brand name of the product on the front, flip the bottle/box to see the price but, do we check the product for its chemical composition! Rarely do we #ReadTheLabel!

Click HERE to read my complete article on Indian Moms Connect that lists 10 toxic chemicals (best avoided) that one should check especially while buying baby products! 

I bet you would want to keep this very important information handy while buying products for your baby next!

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