CB OUTSIDE, from CB I Hate Perfume, is like a cross between a perfume and a bug repellent. It is made from plant oils that bugs don't like, including cedar, lavender, geranium, and marigold, and can be used on skin or clothing. If you are the camping type, you can also use it on your tent or sleeping bag.
This is a great idea for a natural alternative to DEET-based products, but since it isn't yet high bug season here, I can't really comment on how well it works. Your reaction to the smell will probably be determined by how much you like the predominant notes. I love cedar but don't much care for lavender. The lavender here is not overly sharp or harsh, and is softened by the geranium and marigold, so I find the aroma pleasant, but it isn't necessarily something I would wear for the fragrance alone.
I will be testing this out over the course of the summer, and will report back on how well it works. OUTSIDE has a nice, light, non-greasy consistency.
I don't suppose it would work on clothes moths, would it? Nothing “natural” works on them.
J, go look on his website at the “wardrobe perfumes”, and see the comments from yesterday too (there is a brief discussion of moths).
I have no idea if it works, but I sprayed it all over our closets right away. I used to buy a natural lavender based product from Johnson & Johnson, but they stopped making it. It was VERY strong, and I don't know if it worked but we didn't have a problem again until I ran out. I am just waiting to get hit by moths again.
Kiss My Face has an essential oil bug-repellent too. And Crabtree & Evelyn. I don't believe any of them actually work, as I have both of them and am still the feast of choice for mosquitoes.
Some company named Badger makes one, in balm form, with patchouli at the base. It actually works pretty well… not perfect, but within the range of acceptable. The downside is that it really makes you smell like a neo-hippie. But the balm takes a bit to warm and melt onto the skin, so I would love to find an alternative. Plus, my kids aren't keen on patchouli notes, and they are so much pickier about their scents than I am, so I'm sure they'd love to find an alternative!!
Thanks T. I had been using Avon Skin So Soft, and it is useless too.
K, Well, I'll take cedar & lavender over patchouli any day!! Haven't yet tried OUTSIDE on my son, but he hates anything scented unless it smells like chocolate or cookie dough. Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion, Philosophy Chocolate 3-in-1, and Antica Farmacista Vaniglia are his idea of good smells. All else is blech.
Do you mean the Chocolate Ice Cream one? My kids are addicted to that one as well. They don't even fight to have their hair washed anymore, which is well worth the price for that big old bottle.
Yes, Chocolate Ice Cream! Although personally I think it should be called Tootsie Roll. Anyway, he loves the stuff. What a different world — when I was a child, we got Mr. Bubble. My son is addicted to a high end bath gel, LOL!!
CB Outside is fascinating. I bought Guerlain Lavande Velours when I'd heard lavender was a natural bug repellent. That was 2 years ago and you'd think I would have tested it by now, but I haven't been in the mood to wear it for two summers in a row.
S, test that perfume before it turns, LOL!
Robin, I’m about to travel to a mosquito-heavy locale and mosquitoes LOVE me. I’m always the only one who gets bit, and my bites turn into huge welts and bruises. Did you ever get a chance to test CB Outside? I’d love your thoughts!
It works reasonably well for me, but not quite as well as a chemical bug spray. I use it anyway unless I’m in a very buggy place. Given your particular situation, you might want some chemical bug spray.
(and so far as I know, it does not repel ticks)
Thank you! I’ll bring both along and try this first to see what happens. I’m not going camping or anything, but to Venice where it’s mosquito season most of the year.