Mosquitoes are disturbing and unhygienic most of the time. So, repelling mosquitoes might not be possible without commercial repellents.
But most commercial mosquito repellents are toxic with a bad smell. So, using natural ingredients and elements around use is becoming popular nowadays.
That’s why you might be thinking about whether baby oil repels mosquitoes or not. Well, baby oil is a mild wild that is not harmful to the environment.
So, knowing about the effects and consequences of using baby oil for repelling mosquitoes. Moreover, learning about the alternatives to baby oil is also essential to repel mosquitoes.
Baby oil to repel mosquitoes:
Generally, baby oil doesn’t repel mosquitoes. Because baby oil doesn’t contain any compound that has mosquito repelling properties. Products that contain DEET is known as mosquito repellent. But baby oil doesn’t contain this compound. So, baby oil can’t keep the mosquitoes away.
Generally, baby oil is mineral oil. Sometimes, the fragrance is added, but this fragrance can’t keep mosquitoes away. So, you might think that this fragrant will keep mosquitoes away. But the fragrant is not sufficient to deter mosquitoes.
You might notice a little less biting of mosquitoes after using baby oil on the skin. This might happen because mosquitoes face difficulties while biting over the baby oil. It creates suffocation for the mosquitoes.
But the oil has no elements that will repel mosquitoes. Generally, mosquito repellents have some chemicals that are unbearable for the mosquitoes. Moreover, some essential oils and natural ingredients have linalool compounds that deter mosquitoes.
But baby oil doesn’t contain such products. Some oils or lotions might be available on the market to repel mosquitoes.
Those oils contain chemicals that are not used as baby oil. So either you have to use the baby oil for normal purposes, or you have to buy mosquito-repelling oils separately.
But you can’t use baby oil as a mosquito repelling oil. Even some companies might advertise that baby oil is an effective mosquito repellent. But there is no scientific proof of this statement. Researchers found no elements in baby oil that can keep mosquitoes away.
But baby oil can suffocate the mosquitoes when they come close to biting on the skin. That’s why some people might believe that baby oil can repel mosquitoes.
However, you can use baby oil after mosquito bites. Because baby oil can heal the area from irritation and itching. If you want to use something natural and mild like baby oil to keep mosquitoes away, you can try different essential oils.
Essential oils are pretty effective mosquito repellents. But when it comes to baby oil, you can’t be sure that it will keep mosquitoes away or terminate mosquitoes. The best it can do is heal itching from mosquito bites and suffocate mosquitoes when they come to bite.
What is baby oil made of?
Generally, baby oil is extracted from mineral oil. About 98 % of this oil is mineral oil. Besides the 2 % is fragrance. So, mineral oil doesn’t contain too many ingredients. The mineral oil in baby oil is mainly petroleum.
Baby oil doesn’t have other chemicals because this oil is dedicated to using on babies. But adults and other people can also use this oil since it doesn’t have excess chemicals.
While manufacturing, the oil is refined multiple times. That’s why the oil is completely safe for direct use on the skin. People sometimes think that this oil works like a mosquito repellent. But the oil doesn’t have any chemicals or mosquito repelling elements.
The oil is only made of petroleum and fragrance. But baby oil might work for providing relief from skin irritation from mosquito bites. Otherwise, this oil doesn’t contain many products.
Do mosquitoes dislike the smell of baby oil?
No, mosquitoes don’t dislike the smell of baby oil. Sometimes, some brands advertise that baby oil can keep mosquitoes away. But baby oil’s smell doesn’t have any effect on mosquitoes.
When you use baby oil on your skin, it might prevent the mosquitoes from biting. But this doesn’t mean that mosquitoes will go away from the smell of this baby oil. Even believing the advertisement, some people might spray baby oil to keep mosquitoes away.
But mosquitoes will not go away for the smelling effect of baby oil. Baby oil doesn’t have any ingredient that can deter mosquitoes and other insects.
Because the oil is made of mineral oil and fragrant. Other chemicals are not present in the oil. So, baby oil is not an effective repellent for mosquitoes.
So, baby oil’s smell doesn’t deter mosquitoes. On the other hand, mosquitoes will not be attracted by the smell. So, mosquitoes don’t like or dislike the smell of baby oil.
What essential oils are good mosquito repellents?
You might know that essential oils are pretty effective in keeping mosquitoes away. But you might not know which essential oils are good for repelling mosquitoes. So, let’s see some essential oils that are good mosquito repellents.
Lavender oil:
Lavender oil is one of the most effective mosquito repellents. Even this oil can work like commercial mosquito repellents. Because lavender oil contains a linalool compound. This compound is found in mosquito repellents. So, lavender oil is a natural mosquito repellent.
Citronella oil:
Citronella oil is another effective essential oil that can deter mosquitoes. Generally, the oil is extracted from the citronella plant. Even this oil is also found in candles and insect repellent products.
So, citronella oil can effectively deter mosquitoes. Moreover, being a natural ingredient, citronella oil is safe to use.
Peppermint oil:
Peppermint oil is also effective for repelling mosquitoes. Even you can use this oil on your skin to deter mosquitoes from biting. Moreover, spraying this oil will also keep the mosquitoes away since mosquitoes don’t like the smell of peppermint oil.
Besides, you can also get ease from the itching of mosquito bites if you use this oil on the skin.
Tea tree oil:
Tea tree oil is another effective mosquito repellent. Generally, tea tree oil is collected from tea tree plants and is completely safe to use. Moreover, you can use this tea tree oil on your skin after diluting the oil.
Moreover, spraying the oil around your house can keep mosquitoes and insects away from the house.
Five ways to repel mosquitoes away from your home:
Now that you know you can repel mosquitoes away from your home with different ingredients, you might want to know about those. So, let’s see four effective ways to repel mosquitoes away from your home.
Planting mosquito repellent plants:
If you want to keep mosquitoes away from your house, garden, and area, you can grow some mosquito repelling plants. For example, lavender, tea tree, peppermint, citronella, etc., plants are known to be effective.
If you grow these plants, mosquitoes will dislike the smell of these plants. So, they will go away from your house or garden.
Mosquito repellent essential oils:
You can also use some essential oils that are known to deter mosquitoes. For example, lavender oil, tea tree oil, peppermint oil, citronella oil, etc., are considered effective. When you spray these oils around your house, mosquitoes will go away.
Because mosquitoes dislike the smell of essential oils. Moreover, you can also use these essential oils on the skin. It will provide relief from itching after mosquito bites.
Commercial mosquito repellents:
Though using commercial mosquito repellents can be unsafe sometimes, you can use these for repelling mosquitoes. Coils, sprays, lotions, etc., are available to use for repelling mosquitoes. These might not be environment friendly but will deter mosquitoes.
Cleaning:
You might know that mosquitoes will spread more if your area is not clean. So, if you clean the area or around your house, it will help to reduce mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will gather more if the place is dirty. So, if you keep the areas clean, mosquitoes will not gather in those places.
Traps:
You can make traps for mosquitoes. Different types of traps are available. For example, you can make a water trap. Moreover, sometimes people attract mosquitoes with different items, and they catch the mosquitoes.
So, you can also make these traps and place them in different places in your house and gardens. This will keep the mosquitoes away from your house.
Final Thoughts
Baby oil doesn’t have any ingredient that can keep mosquitoes away. Moreover, baby oil’s smell doesn’t have any effect on mosquitoes. If you use baby oil on your skin, this might help you to get relief from mosquito bites. Otherwise, baby oil can’t repel mosquitoes from your house.