Where to get 'Skin So Soft' in Bahamas?

[crabcake]

I can't attest to how well these work (most of the ratings are verified purchases not shills), but from the positive responses, looks like these may be a plan - and cheap too!

I just ordered the 12 pack

[Lodesman]

I believe the Avon product uses Picaridin - which is as effective as Deet for repelling mozzies, and possibly more effective against noseeums.


Edit - I also see some of their products use IR3535, which is a reasonable alternative to Deet, but slightly less effective.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by CHAZ

We have/had big infestations with "noseeums" every year on our property and tried about everything one can think of.

The very best we found (thanks to a CF member)without DEET is Victoria Secret's "Amber Romance".

This sounded like a joke but in our desperation we tried it and it works best. It sticks way longer than SSS and it makes ya smell well.
You can find it in a spray bottle (atomizer) and it is easy to apply and always worth a trip to the Victoria Secret's store (of course you can order it online)

We can not say that it helps against mosquitoes but the noseeums seem to hate it.

Fair winds in to the New Year
Martin

Why without DEET?

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

I believe the Avon product uses Picaridin - which is as effective as Deet for repelling mozzies, and possibly more effective against noseeums.


Edit - I also see some of their products use IR3535, which is a reasonable alternative to Deet, but slightly less effective.

I strongly suspect that the picaridin (which is indeed effective, but has a far lesser track record of use and therefore poor epidemiological data by comparison to DEET) is an additive post hoc to bolster the SSS mythos.

[CHAZ]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Why without DEET?

No good reason at all, but it smells good and works against no-see-ums.

Fair winds and a happy new year
Martin

[Cheechako]

I had SSS aboard in the Bahamas and Caribe. On the occasional No see em infestation, we found it to not be very effective.
Anchoring where there is a bit of breeze most the time, and having NO SEE Em screening is the best bet. Sundown is the only bad time usually.

[jholder51]

I have found that eating a lot of yogurt seems to help. It changes the ph of your body.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

The nuisance or discomfort of an occasional mosquito bite is bearable.

However, as this linked article on Snopes points out, the risk of contracting a deadly or debilitating disease from a single mosquito bite has increased due to the spread of West Nile Virus (several deaths in Texas within the last few years) and more recently, Chicken Gunyea disease in the Caribbean (another potential killer).

Most importantly, as the Snopes article points out, Avon Skin So Soft and several commonly suggested "scented oils" or "homemade recipe" bug repellent products have been SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN INEFFECTIVE or much less effective than DEET based bug repellents.

Read the article. Also do a search and read the related Consumer Reports article and others which have shown the inneffectiveness of products that do not contain DEET.

In short, "conventional wisdom" "folk remedies" and anecdotal stories or testimony are unlikely to have the scientific evidence to support buying NON-DEET products. Don't fall for the internet stories like "the Royal Marines buy Skin So Soft" and similar myths.


Read this article:

Mosquito Repel Lore : snopes.com

Excerpt:

"Usually such forays into the realm of lore result in nothing worse than solutions which might not work all that well (if at all), but in the case of combating disease-bearing mosquitoes, a less-than-effective solution could prove a deadly choice. Perhaps in those halcyon days before West Nile Virus it might have seemed reasonable to take a chance on non-DEET solutions to the mosquito problem, when all that was being risked was the transient discomfort of a few bug bites, but no longer. In this instance, placing one's faith in lore over science is a dangerous error to make."

DEET might work for mosquitoes, but it does absolutely nothing for noseeums. I have run my own experiments and "have skin in the game," so to speak. I am a pretty hard-core pragmatist and don't have much use for anything that doesn't have scientific merit. So, that's just to say that I'm no dupe.

SSS is no folk remedy either. It works -- not as a repellant, but as a prophylatic. Mosquitoes/noseeums can't get their probosci through the oil. SSS was first recommended to me in the Army by a Ranger.

[tstano]

Originally Posted by CHAZ

We have/had big infestations with "noseeums" every year on our property and tried about everything one can think of.

The very best we found (thanks to a CF member)without DEET is Victoria Secret's "Amber Romance".

This sounded like a joke but in our desperation we tried it and it works best. It sticks way longer than SSS and it makes ya smell well.
You can find it in a spray bottle (atomizer) and it is easy to apply and always worth a trip to the Victoria Secret's store (of course you can order it online)

We can not say that it helps against mosquitoes but the noseeums seem to hate it.

Fair winds in to the New Year
Martin

My Gawd I haven't be able to walk in there with my eyes open. That's how I got into trouble the last time. Not being able to see I had to grope around with my hands. I didn't open my eyes until I heard the young woman scream. Then it didn't matter because the swelling in my right eye where my wife hit me didn't go down for two weeks. Dangerous little store right there.

All U Get

[CHAZ]

Originally Posted by tstano

My Gawd I haven't be able to walk in there with my eyes open. That's how I got into trouble the last time. Not being able to see I had to grope around with my hands. I didn't open my eyes until I heard the young woman scream. Then it didn't matter because the swelling in my right eye where my wife hit me didn't go down for two weeks. Dangerous little store right there.

All U Get

Thanks tstano,
I begin to understand why this is never on my "honey do" shopping list. She (my wife) orders it regularly online, for a while I wondered, now it gets clearer and clearer

I remember now, it was CF member 'bobconnie' who brought this to my attention.
Make a custom search for "Amber Romance" here on CF and you will find quite a few threads.
One thing is for sure, it works against noseeums.

Fair winds and sweet smelling
Martin

[dsears3]

In this same vein:
We need to replace some of our port light screens.
Where can you get mesh small enough that prevent 'No see ums' from passing through into the living quarters?

I heard of something called New York Wire; is there a type or gauge of it, or something recommended- that is small enough to be effective?

[sailing_gal]

Instead of replacing your screens, try spraying them real well with a good insecticide (from inside out). That is pretty effective.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by dsears3

In this same vein:
We need to replace some of our port light screens.
Where can you get mesh small enough that prevent 'No see ums' from passing through into the living quarters?

I heard of something called New York Wire; is there a type or gauge of it, or something recommended- that is small enough to be effective?

The only I know of is fabric not metal and I cant remember what it's called. The downside is that it actually is so fine it reduces air flow also!

[dsears3]

Thanks for the advice.
We have to replace the mesh of a screen we just bought at a salvage yard to replace a broken frame.
I assume it'll be almost impossible to buy just a small piece of screen for just one port light, so I might as well get something that is also effective against the no-see-ums here in south Florida/Keys/ Bahamas.
I can see that a smaller mesh could impede air.
Decisions decisions: so much for the romantic and carefree life of a sailor.

[Cheechako]

We had the fabric made into a cover for the companionway. It was just a big rectangle with weighted lead perimeter. Worked pretty well, Had one for the forward hatch also. But it does decrease the air flow.