Neem oil, among other things, is a great mosquito repellant. It's easy to make a really nice body lotion from the leaves and blossoms of the tree. You can learn all about the neem tree by clicking here.
To make a natural and cheap mosquito repellant from neem, start with a good size cooking pot, add 2 liters of water, and get it boiling…
To make a natural and cheap mosquito repellant from neem, start with a good size cooking pot, add 2 liters of water, and get it boiling…
Fill the pot with neem leaves. Flowers or seeds are good
too.
Cook the leaves in the boiling water, until the water turns
dark green, then remove.
You can strain the liquid…
Then add ½ liter of oil. This can be cooking oil, coconut oil, or any inexpensive food or body oil. The oil can be
measured in a ½ liter water bottle.
Now add 500 grams ( ½ kilo ) of common body soap. If you are not sure how much is 500 grams, you can
have the soap weighed in the market.
Cut the soap into the pot in small pieces,
so it will melt faster.
Scented soaps are nice too, but they cost more. You can add
some scented bath soap for fragrance.
Stir until all of the soap pieces are completely melted…
Depending on the soap and oil that are locally available,
and depending on the local climate being hot or cool, the mixture needs to be
tested to see
what consistency it will be when it is cooled. A test cup can be made from an empty water bottle. With a
test cup, take some of the mixture, and cool it in a pot (or bucket) of cool
water.
When it is cooled, see how it feels when you rub it on your
hands.
If it's too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, add more soap. This mixture is too stiff, so more water is added.
When the mixture is just right, it should be packaged while
it is still in a liquid state.
A more liquid-like lotion
can be packaged in bottles.
A more solid-like cream can be placed in jars.
The mosquitos that carry malaria are most active around dawn and dusk. Mosquito repellent is a good idea for children and adults to use when they are not under a mosquito net at night. But mosquito lotion is not a replacement for a bednet. Mosquito lotion can provide some extra insurance against mosquitos and the malaria or other diseases that they carry.