Product Profile: Bug Off!

Those in Columbus already know how effective and pleasant our insect repellent is. We sell out throughout the summer season while we make this formula again and again. And great news! We have improved the formula this year to make it easier to apply!

But for those of you new to Haven Herbs (or its ancestor, Boline Apothecary) let me tell you a bit about our formula.

Unlike most "natural" bug sprays out there, we use more than essential oils in a carrier medium. Having only EOs to make your formula is a sure-fire way to get overexposed to too many/too much of those highly concentrated, corrosive substances. We try and avoid over sensitization with our customers, and we have achieved it with our formula. 

We combine the power of herbalism AND aromatherapy to make a kick-booty bug spray that repels insects (including mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers) beautifully. The combination makes it more safe for more delicate populations (like kids and dogs) but still effective as all get-out.

Let's profile just some of the ingredients:
Neem: Many people use Neem Oil (made from pressed Neem seeds) as a natural pesticide and repellent. We simply use Neem in our herbal formula, which is less concentrated than the pressed oil. (It is repellent strength, rather than pesticide strength.) It is enough in concert with the other ingredients to do the job without guns ablazin'!

Catnip: Catnip repels mosquitoes more effectively than DEET (which is toxic). So are several other herbs and EOs in our formula!

Geranium: While no studies have been done on this EO working against insects on its own, it is highly effective in combination with other ingredients, especially against ticks. We include it because ticks hate it.

Lemon Eucalyptus: More effective than DEET in study after study. This is the only EO registered with and recommended by the EPA and CDC currently (because funding for these studies is limited, not because there aren't oodles of botanicals to test!)

Does the spray like Citronella? No, it does not. Why? Because Lily, the formulator, dislikes that smell, so she worked hard to make a formula that excluded it. Growing up, all she had were those awful candles to repel mosquitoes from the yard and we have moved onward and upward from the 1970's!

One $10 4 oz. bottle will last all summer long, and a couple will cover a whole family enjoying the great outdoors for extended periods. Get some here. Or you can try this approach.