Natural Bug Spray Review: Raise Them Well Bug Spray & Bite Relief

Details:

Price: $19 for a 3-pack, 1 ounce each (~$6.30/oz.)

Where to Purchase: Raise Them Well

Safety Notes: I was surprised to see peppermint in a formula specially labeled as “KidSafe” and asked the company about it. The answer: “We did a fair bit of research on this when we launched the bug spray and found no evidence that moderate topical use on young children was detrimental. The issue seems to be when it is not diluted because of the strong menthol sensation that can feel like ‘burning’ or numbing. Of course, the oil is diluted in the spray. We do recommend keeping away from the eyes or face due to the aroma that could be a bit much for young children.”

Active Ingredients: peppermint oil (mentha piperita), levendar oil (lavandula angustifolia), citronella oil, catnip oil, spearmint leaf oil, St. John’s wort extract, thyme leaf oil, lemon oil.

Other Ingredients: aloe vera leaf juice, andiroba seed oil, polyglyceryl-2 caprate, glyceryl stearate citrate and polyglyceryl-3 stearate and hydrogenated sunflower lecithin, purified water, lactobacillus (vegan) and coconut fruit extract (fungicide), lactobacillus ferment (from cabbage), lysolecithin and sclerotium gum and xanthan gum and pullulan, sodium chloride (dead sea salt).

Easy to use? somewhat – the spray is pretty targeted instead of a mist, so you do end up having to rub it in.

Sticky? A little.

How does it smell? Minty for sure, and I feel like I can smell whatever “andiroba seed oil” is because there’s just something I don’t recognize in the scent.

Did it prevent mosquito bites? Not tested enough to say.

KS recommends? Unsure, more testing needed, but I do know that this company, founded by a doctor (MD) and his wife, does good research and creates safe products. (We did test it that September when the mosquitoes were carrying small children away, and it failed when only WildThings Extreme did not.)