The eco-friendly citronella oil mosquito repellent wristband from SourceSquare contains no DEET. It uses 100% natural Citronella oil, which is non-toxic and is safe to use by small children. These adjustable bracelets claim to be effective for up to 240 hours. I’m wondering if they just repel mosquitoes from your wrist or your whole body though…
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Citronella is just plainly ineffective as an insect repellent. Oil of lemon is effective, but should not be used on children under 3 years of age. DEET is the most effective insect repellent and is safe to use in children over 2 months. The CDC’s web site (www.cdc.gov) is an excellent source for information on insect repellents.
Can’t you just put one on each wrist and swat them like Wonder Woman?
Ah, so it’s kind of like a flea collar, only for kids.
Citronella repels everything from every other thing. Ugh!
Citronella is non-toxic to humans and dogs, but it can kill a cat.
@Cat Lover Really? I didn’t know that… Does the cat have to ingest it?
The Wikipedia page on citronella oil cites a study which did find it effective as an insect repellent, however, it has very limited duration, needing reapplication every 30 to 60 minutes. I have severe doubts that a Citronella oil impregnated wristband will be effective in repelling insects over a whole body for 240 hours.
Looking over the insect repellent page, I wonder if neem oil-based repellents are available around here…
Ingestion is the worst, but not the only. Citronella can cause neurological issues when ingested. I have two cats that went through two weeks of breathing and infection problems after getting into a citronella oil that was being used to control a mosquito outbreak. Their paws were raw and they had bloody noses (both internally and externaly) during the process. They recovered, but I’ve stopped using any citronella products.