Conference moira::naturism

This message was received from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous at 
this time.  They will be checking with the roommate to find out which "B" 
vitamin in particular the roommate takes.  

** Remember, we are NOT prescribing you take this or any vitamin to repel 
insects.  This is just a suggestion.  DEC will not be liable for any ill 
affect or consequences you may encounter when trying any suggestions found 
in the NATURISM conference. **

Judy  -  co-moderator
*****************************************************************************
Subj:	Mosquitto repellant

Hi,  I read your note in the naturism file.  My roommate is allergic to
mosquitto's.  When she was little the doctor told her to take Vitamin B pills
to repel the mosquittos.  Aparently it makes the skin give off an unpleasant
odor that repels mosquittos but cannot be smelled by the human.   I don't
personally know if it works, but she says it does.

    
    I don't know how effective this is but readers should be aware that
    taking B vitamins can be *very* unhealthy is done incorrectly!
    	There are several different types of B vitamins (B1, B2, etc...).
    If you take them individually you can easily throw of your balance
    of the other B vitamins and give yourself a *serious* vitamine
    deficiency! This is why you usually see the B vitamins sold as a
    "complex". Be careful.
    	Also, if I am not mistaken garlic is very high in B15. I think
    I have seen it recommended as a natural repellent (insects).
    
    						M.
    

    talking about vitamins - I heard of some anti-sunburn pills once
    then subsequently heard they were (just) high doses of vitamin a
    or d (cant remember which) - anyone heard of this? - jim

    Avon SSS (skin so soft) is an excellent replent....

    RE: .3
    
    	I don't know about anti-sunburn pills, but Vitamin A is used
    to help clear up ACNE.  I know, cause I used it when I was younger.
    It's found in high quantities in a drug called ACCUTANE, and can
    also be purchased as a face cream and applied externally.  Vitamin
    A face cream helps to gently slosh off the all the dead cells on
    your skin, and unplugging pores.  This apposed to ACID A,  Acid
    A actually peels your skin, and makes it look and feel very sore,
    your face is dried up all the time and very tight.
    
    	I wouldn't recommend taking Vitamin A as an anti-sunburn pill
    or otherwise.  Since it also dries up your skin, the combination
    of it and the sun could probably do serious damage.
    
    	It's probably a different vitamin, as you suggested.
    
    Regards,
    
    Darrell
    

    re: .last
    	Yes I think I heard of that. It was a sun tan pill too. It was
    Vitamin A. Same vitamin as in carrots. It tended to give an orange
    tan though.
    	By the way too much Vitamin A can be toxic. If you eat more
    than 8 times your weight in carrots in one day it could poison you
    ;-) 
    						M.
    

    
    In the wellness center at our site, there was an article posted
    on the board about insect repellents.  Besides the usual (DEET,
    Avon Skin-so-Soft, etc) they metioned the use of clorox bleach as
    an insect repellent.  They said to use one "capfull" of bleach in
    your bath water.  I supposedly provided up to 24 hours of protection
    for most individuals!.  
    
    I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to (darn it, I'll have to start
    taking baths again.....).  I apparently have the same problem as
    Judy.  No matter what I put on, they still love the smell of me!
    While AVON Skin-So-Soft works nicely for my girlfriend, I can be
    standing beside her with the same stuff smeared on me and they are
    eating me alive!
    
    Dave

>>	They said to use one "capfull" of bleach in your bath water.  

I wonder if this would "bleach out" your tan that you've worked so hard on 
achieving? :-)

Judy

	A natural source for B-complex, that I know works as a good insect 
	repellent, is Brewer's Yeast Tablets.  They are also safe to give 
	to cats and dogs to repell fleas.  

	A good lotion to use is Green Ban Double Strength.  This is an all 
	natural(but not edible) product from Australlia.  I buy it through a 
	organic garden supply house.  

	Brian

    geez the first time i browse thru this file i wind up being able
    to help... isn't that special..
    the anti sunburn pill someone referred to is known as p.a.b.a. or
    for those chemists, hi , para amino benzoic acid. taken at about
    200 mgs. a day for a couple of weeks it will absorb almost all u.v.
    in the dermal layer of the skin where paba concentrations are highest.
    dr. durk pearson and dr. sandy shaw have demonstrated  paba's
    effectiveness by walking across the california desert wearing nothing
    but a loin cloth and sandals with no visible burn after 10 hours
    of exposure......! paba by the way is the same u.v. absorber used
    in most sun tan lotions... only you get to take it
    internally...albino's are frequently given paba for uv burn protection
    since they have no ability to produce melanin...
    as for skeeters.... first skeeters are attracted to certain pheromone
    compounds excreted thru our skin... they have receptors for a compound
    that has it's origin in blood! some people excrete more than others
    and some foods exacerbate the condition... like banana's and certain
    nuts and... huh? i can't remember everything...but it will come
    back to me ... the reason bleach works is that sodium hypochlorite
    is an oxidizer and as such will oxidize the organic compound. once
    oxidized the compound is no longer capable of stimulating their
    receptors...    all other perfume type lotions or repellants just
    try to mask the attracting human pheromone! skin so soft works because
    it has citronella oil in it.... albeit a low percenatge but if you
    use strait oil of citronella the results are better! and as for
    b- vitamins.... there is just too much for me to list here..but
    suffice to say there is more misinformation than anything else.
    lars
    

    Judy Judy Judy .... The answer to your queri (er!) is Vitamin B1.
    
    Whata happens is that a 200 to 500 mg B1 tablet makes you unpleasant
    to the biters.  SinceI don't care about their taste as long as they
    aren't tasting me, I use it.
    
    It works about as well as the glop you slather on, sometimes better.
    It's fun to see the biters zoom in ... and then back away again.
    
    Works in about 20 minutes and lasts a couple of hours.
    
    People have been too polite to tell me whether or not I offend them.
    
    People are nice at times, I guess.
    
    Stan/

    After dealing with black flies (the state bird of Maine), mosquitos and
    other various blood thirsty nasties, I find that Cutters insect
    repelant works the best for me. They won't come near you and it's
    works well even if you get wet. 
    
    dan

   Another vote for Cutters.  It passed a four day canoeing test at the
   Boundary Waters in Minnesota with NO bites and only a couple tentative
   nibbles.  I'd never seen mosquitoes that *BIG* (an inch long or more),
   I'm sure glad they weren't hungry.

   Dave

    Another endorsement for skin-so-soft. 
    Point-to-ponder:
          if as claimed that its the female mosquito that bites,
             each mosquito bite = a hickey.

    Although there has been much mention of 'SKIN-SO-SOFT' here, I still
    thought this newspaper article might be of interest:
    
    		Skin-So-Soft:  It's Oh-so-tough on bugs
    
     Picture a rugged outdoorsman lunging in a steaming bath of
    skin-so-soft.  It may sound bizarre but nature freaks across the
    country are soaking in and rubbing on the fragrant bath il from
    Avon Canada.  
    
     Although no one knows how it was discovered, Skin-So-Soft, which
    has been on the market for more than 20 years, has turned out to
    be one of the best bug repellents going.
    
     Since word has gotten out in the last few years, sales in Canada
    have doubled during the summer.  Annual sales have grown to $3 million.
    
     In fact, to save outdoorsmen the embarrassment of showing up at
    an Avon sales party in a neighbor's home, the company is advertising
    the product with a mailin order form and toll-free number.
    
     It is the first time Avon has offered its products through those
    channels.  However, the ads make no mention of the oil's bug repellent
    qualities.  They feature a picture of the product against waht appears
    to be a northern bog.  The hadline reads:  "This summer, a million
    Canadians will use this product.  Why?"
    
     The ad goes on to say:  "It used to be Canada's best kept secret.
     Now most people simply won't face the summer without a Skin-So-Soft
    of their very own.:
    
     France dePalma, spokesman for Avon Canada, said Skin-So-Soft is
    not advertised as a repellent because it would have to undergo
    inspection and receive federal approval.  Avon would have to stop
    selling the product altogether until the federal consent came through.
      
     "Officially it is a bath oil.  We don't opely endorse it as anything
    else."
    
     She said the recently-released ads featuring the outdoors are a
    "new strategy to capitalize indirectly on the success of the product
    for that use."
    
     Avon learned of the oil's other attributes aobut eight years' ago
    when its salespeople began relaying comments from their customers.
     As well, people started phoning and writing Avon's Montreal head
    office with their findings.
    
     Why do bugs hate Skin_So-Soft?  The company's guess is that it's
    a combination of two things:  its oily consistency that, if applied
    directly to the skin, leaves a film and the use of citronella to
    create its "delicate woodsy scent."  Citronella, derived from an
    Asiatic grass, is a well-known insect repellent.
    
     Gary Ball, president of the Outdoor Writers of Canada, confirms
    that the product has proven popular with outdoors-types.
    
     "The people who use it claim to be very happy with it," said ball,
    although he questioned whether it would stand up to some of the
    insect-infested swamps of Northern Ontario.
    
     Judy Edmison of Peterborough used the bath oil as insect repellent
    for the first time on the Victoria Day weekend and was amazed by
    the results.
    
     Although it didn't prevent mosquitos and bugs from landing on her
    skin, it did prevent them from biting.
    
     "They were all over, but I didn't get one bite," she said.
    
    
    [ hmmmm, guess I'll have to try it out   :-) ]
    
    

Avon in the U.S. has come up with a spray bottle of SSS.  I bought one before
heading to Utah, sprayed it on the backs of my hands when were getting ready 
to go hiking for the day, and amazingly enough, no gnat bites on my hands.  The 
rest of my bod is another story....  ;-)!

Judy

    Not to get off the track here, but someone here in the office just
    handed me a list the other day of all kinds of other things Avon's
    Skin-So-Soft supposedly can do.  Here are just a few of my personal
    favorites:
    
     1. Use it as a wood cleaner
     2. Cleans tape marks left on skin by bandages
     3. Removes soap scum, lime and hard water deposits from shower doors,
        shower curtains, bath and kitchen fixtures, tiles, and windows
     4. Use as a lubricant for fitting pipe joints
     5. Removes gum from carpets
     6. Removes paint and stain from skin
     7. Removes scuff marks from patent leather shoes
     8. Cuts grease on range hoods
     9. Removes tar spots from automobiles
    10. Removes "Ring Around the Collar"
    
    Gee, all this and it keeps bugs away too :-)
    
    - Kathryn
    
    

    RE: .18
    
    ...and do you really want to put it on your skin? :-)
    
    B.
    

    re:-1
    
    Oooh, but of course!  Most people drink Coca-Cola don't they?
    And isn't Coke what removes rust from your car's bumper?
    Come on, load me up with SSS - no lime deposits on *this* body!

    re -2.
    
    Avon claims that SSS is a good treatment for Vinyl (like armour
    all).  It is not.  Since it is oil based, it will destroy vinyl
    and rubber products over time.  
    
    I find SSS is best used as a bath oil...that gives the most even
    application to fight off bugs.  Spraying it on creates an oily mess.
    
    Randy
    

>>    I find SSS is best used as a bath oil...that gives the most even
>>    application to fight off bugs.  Spraying it on creates an oily mess.
    
Kinda hard to find a bathtub where we camp.  I found the new pump spray 
very convenient.  Spritz it on, spread it around to create an even coverage
and go look for bugs! ;-)

Judy

	I went to the doctor's office today because I couldn't hear out
of my left ear.  Now, tell me if I'm alone, but when I can't hear out of
my left ear I can't talk on the telephone.  It's like trying to write
with your left hand when you're right handed! 8^}

	Well, it was just compacted ear wax.  But, DID YOU KNOW THIS.....

	According to this doctor, ear wax is a natural bug repellent!

	The reason why people are cautioned against using Q-tips or
other objects for ear cleansing is because the ear reacts just as if
a bug had intruded (inadequate repellent) and manufactures EVEN MORE
wax (bug repellent), thus frequently worsening the situation.

	He said if your ears itch, take a decongestant or antihistamine!

Ears to ya'

Richard

    Since insects are attracted to perfumes, one's best bet is to not
    use any perfume, cologne, aftershave or any product that has a strong
    perfume in it.  Then use a good insect repellent.  I prefer Cutter's
    as Avon SSS only keeps mosquitos away from me, not anything else.
    
    Good way to get rid of bugs is to find someone wearing perfume or
    aftershave and stand near them.  That person will soon attract
    the bugs away from you. :-)
    
    Linda
    

I like the Amway D-15...luckily I have friends who sell the stuff. :^)

It seems to work well on mosquitos...

    something that also works is a heavy dose of a B-complex (B6? B12?).
    You can smell the stuff coming out of you skin, so can the winged
    nasties.