Mosquitos must be one of the top five annoying things on the planet. We all know what it’s like to have a relaxing picnic interrupted by incessantly itching bites, or to lay awake all night listening to the whining of the little insects flying around our heads, looking for their dinner. There are many ways to ward off biting bugs, from using Vicks VapoRub to garlic, and there is one thing these all have in common- to produce an odor that mosquitos simply don’t like.
Fortunately, there is one common vitamin that when ingested, produces an odor on our skin which is repellent to mosquitos but undetectable by humans.
Read on for 5 great tips for a mosquito-free summer:
1) Take a B1 supplement. That one vitamin is Vitamin B1, otherwise known as thiamine. Although not scientifically proven, many people attest to the effectiveness of Vitamin B1 as a mosquito repellent. It also has a plethora of other fantastic health benefits, so why not give it a try?
The recommended dosage is 25-50mg, three times a day. There are concentrated supplements available from the pharmacy, but there are also common foods which are high in Vitamin B1, and adding these delicious foods to your diet may make you less appealing to mosquitos! Sunflower seeds, beans, whole grains and yeast make the list, as well as kale, cauliflower and broccoli.
And why is B1 so good for us? Here’s what we found:
According to Organic Facts, it plays an important role in maintaining a healthy nervous system, as well as healthy skin, hair, eyes, mouth and liver. It also helps our bodies to withstand stress, which we can all use a little help with sometimes!
B1 is a key player in converting sugar into usable energy, and it works as a powerful antioxidant which can slow down the aging process. It is even good for our mental health. Just taking B1 isn’t the only thing you can do. Keep reading for 4 more tips to keep mosquitos at bay:
2) Be prepared. Got a holiday coming up? Start taking the B1 supplements two weeks in advance – Love to Know advises that this is roughly how long it takes for the vitamin levels to build up in your body. And on that note, Vitamin B1 is water soluble, meaning it can be flushed from your body very quickly. Keep up your stores of B1 by continuously taking it in supplement form, and by snacking on the vitamin-rich foods listed above.
3) Use less bug spray. Most bug sprays contain neurotoxic chemicals such as permethrin and DEET. Love to Know explains that we absorb a lot through our skin and those chemicals go straight into our blood stream – so do we really want those harsh chemicals pumping through our bodies? There are some occasions when those bug sprays may be the safest option, but for places where mosquitos don’t carry serious disease, it could be worthwhile trying natural alternatives, such as Vitamin B1.
4) Supplement with a natural repellent (NEXT PAGE)
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