Teach Soap

Does anyone have a "recipe" for using the "Bug Be Gone" synergy blend? I have a small bottle of it and don't know what to do with it? Make a lotion? A spray? If so, I need to have a "recipe" because I've never made lotion or spray. I don't think I want to use it in soap.

Thanks.

I've heard of many people making using it in lotion bars.
I don't think putting it in soap would do any good since it would just get washed off.

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Sorry but I had to comment on this.

I have an engineering company that has an environmental section. The main office is in eastern North Carolina where wetland marshes, ticks, mosquitoes and snakes are very real working hazard for our crews. Our environmental section performs endangered species survey, wetland delineation, etc. My background is in biology so I'm out there with them. We've experimented for about the past 5 years (I've been making soaps & lotions for about 6 years now) with various soaps, liquid lotions, lotion bars and various EO sprays that I've made to see what works the best. Lotion bars are out because they make you feel sticky & gooey when the weather turns warm (ticks & mosquitos aren't a hazard in cold weather). Liquid lotions don't hold up as well and are inconvenient to use when my folks are in the deep woods. CP soap with a BB FO is what works.

Many here disagree that "wash off" products wouldn't work. I disagree 100%. We've been using this for the past 5 years and it works. We've compared notes with another branch office that uses over the counter products. Our assessment: the soap works much better to repel ticks and mosquitos. Many of the lotions and sprays didn't work at all....including BB's "Bug b Gone Synergy" blend....worthless. However, BB's "Juniper Sage" worked wonderfully when in CP soap, and when our field personnel (including me) showered in the morning before going into the swamps and deep woods. Believe what you want about "wash off products are a wast of time and don't work" theory. My crews and I are testament of what really works. Believe me, you won't find a more harsh condition than a Carolina swamp in July. It's 105% degrees with 98% humidity with no breeze or wind. Mosquitoes are the size of small Cessna airplanes and the ticks range in size from half the size of a sesame seed to the size of a dime. Save your money and experiments. Juniper Sage in CP soap is what works. Nothing else comes close.

I also do dog and horse rescue work and many of the dogs that come through me are filthy and stink like you wouldn't believe. The Juniper Sage is what I use to bathe my permanent dogs (3 German Shepherds) and I haven't found a tick on any of them in years. Our neighbor thinks lye soap is like acid and won't even consider using anything I give him (his loss). His dogs are full of ticks and have problems with worms from mosquito bites. And he uses the animal hospital supplied shampoo....which is also worthless.

On the same note when I bath with my rosemary mint soap my kitties swarm me like I'm made of cat nip! Well not that ferocious but they do like it and notice and cuddle up!~

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am very rarely bothered by mesquitos but my DH is eatten alive. I keep telling him I have sour blood and he is sweet. I am going to get me some juniper sage and make a soap just for him! If he has good results I will consider it nothing less than a miracle. One question: what strength do you use for the FO? TIA

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Bubbles. For 1 kg of oils, I use 30 mg of Juniper Sage. We figured out this fragrance by accident. But it works and it works well.

Thanks Supersoaper. I will try this and at some point report back.

Go Pack!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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No problem Bubbles. Let me know how it works.

[color=#FFFF40]GoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBearsGoBears[/color]

My favorite, favorite, favorite bug be gone type product is the uber expensive Catnip oil. (http://www.brambleberry.com/Search.aspx?k=catnip)

Not only does it have clinical studies that back up its effectiveness, but I can speak anecdotally to its amazing'ness.

My Dad is a Doctor and six years ago he did this super cool "Doctor Around the World" thing and one of the places he ended up was the small island of Barbuda (off the coast of Antigua). He brought DEET with him. When I visited my folks, I brought Catnip + Lemongrass EO (anything to mask that horrible Catnip scent!) in lotion and used that. My Dad, when I arrived, had over 300 mosquito bites on his body. Though Barbuda is gorgeous, it is chock full of mosquitos (like insanity so many). After I left mostly bite-free, I left my Dad my bottle of mosquito repelling spray. He's pretty analytical so he did DEET on one side of his body and my concoction on the other side of his body. My concoction worked better than the DEET and he was forever sold (as am I)! =)

Funny about the Juniper Sage. I never would have guessed that!

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

So if you used this in CP soap would it be the same? And will it actually attract cats to my husband? I have never smelled catnip but it sounds like something not very appealing.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

When I went to Tahiti, I made a spray with a blend called DEETBuster Lemon Dream. It came from EOU, but they don't list what's in it. It did work for the most part. I stil got bitten, but not as bad as I would have.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Catnip does NOT smell good. I know we just had a bit of a rinse-off discussion above about whether it would work in soap or not. If you use it in soap, I would 100% do rebatch. There is no way that I would let high pH raw soap touch that precious nectar (it's expensive!) =)

I've never noticed cats liking it either way really but it's been a while since we had cats at the office though.

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

thanks soap queen. I do not like re-batching, so I think I will try the juniper and sage first. A cat test with the use of catnip would be interesting... like to keep them away from me since I am allergic.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Hi! I am finally going to chime in on a topic since I got my logon id yesterday (I have lurked here on occasion for a few years, but shhhh don't tell anyone ). At any rate, I have to say that I have been making a bug be gone soap for many years and it always gets rave reviews. I have not used the blend that you are speaking of, as I created my own EO one, but I am sure that they have some of the same ingredients (that would just make sense). What I can tell you is that I have many repeat customers, including Mothers who use it on their kids, gardeners, hikers and fishermen. Many use it dry, just rubbing the bar across their skin, even though they do have to apply more frequently than those that spritz with water before using. My suggestion is to make it and try it yourself this summer so that you can see how it works for yourself.

Tammy

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Tammy