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We have just recently returned from a fantastic two week trip to Rwanda in East Africa. Insect repellent wasn’t a thing we packed out of choice or comfort it was an essential requirement to protect us and the kids from mosquitos that could have had malaria or yellow fever. It sounds scary when you put it like that doesn’t it. It definitely sounds scary when the nurse at the travel clinic is telling you all about it – scary enough for me to buy two extra large bottles of 50% DEET insect repellant even when we had plenty of Jungle Formula to take with us.
Jungle Formula do a Kids range which is suitable for non-tropical destinations such as Europe or the UK, and contains a Lotion and a “Slap It” band (colourful band that can be worn around wrists or ankles). However this range wasn’t going to be suitable for our trip. Our trip to Rwanda involved use of the Maximum Range (which is 50% DEET), and the one which is endorsed by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. This can be used on children three years or older.
It is recommend that you apply sun cream before the insect repellent. So we got into a morning and mid afternoon routine. The kids would all line up and we would spray on sun tan cream and then spray on DEET. We learnt some lessons. Don’t do this inside if you can help it you will choke on the smell. Don’t do this where the floor will get slippy as you will fall over. Don’t put the DEET near the kids faces, it makes their eyes sting. Do make it into a bit of a routine and a little bit of fun if you can.
We had told the kids about mosquitos and that they itched if they bit them, so they actively wanted the repellent on which helped. In fact on a couple of occasions they reminded us about it and asked for it to be put on.
Once the sunscreen is dry the insect repellent spray can then be applied. This method of application is best to maintain the effectiveness of both the sun cream and the repellent.
What I loved about the Jungle Formula in comparison to a few others we tried when we were out there was the fact that it was an aerosol spray, it’s very easy to apply, not sticky, the scent is not overpowering, and you get most of the spray actually where it should be rather than on your hands. I wasn’t keen on the roll on ones I tried but that could just be me.
The main thing to say in this review is that I came home with one mosquito bite on my hand from the last evening (I don’t think I topped me up) hubby got a couple under his sleeve where he hadn’t applied any, and the kids didn’t get bitten at all. I’d say that was a winning result from Jungle Formula.
Jungle Formula has an RRP of £9.99 for a 150ml bottle but Amazon is currently selling it for £5.00.
NB: This post has been created in collaboration with Jungle Formula and we were sent the Jungle Formula spray and bands to take with us, but all views and opinions are my own.
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Great suggestion of apply sunscreen first, then applying the mosquito repellent. Some of our skin may be a little more sensitive to the chemical or ingredients of the mosquito repellent, so the sunscreen can help reduce the skin’s direct exposure to repellent and minimize any reaction.
Here’s an infographic on 6 Quick Steps To Shield Yourself From Mosquitos Outdoors that I think will go hand-in-hand with the sunscreen.
thanks for the nice post 🙂