Insect Repellent reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 146 Reddit reviews across 34 subreddits and 40 posts to rank the best Insect Repellent brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/moderatelygranolamoms, r/UKhiking, r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu, r/Bushcraft, r/gardening. Top-rated brands include DEET (3.8/5), Permethrin (4.6/5), Picaridin (4.6/5).
Stats
Reviews146
Subreddits34
Posts40
Brands91
Products39
146 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
DEET
3.8
(14)
"DEET works best on our bodies."
"The only repellents that actually work are DEET and picaridin."
"Everything with a high percentage of DEET keeps all pests away."
"DEET "
"DEET as a last resort when it's real bad. It's the most effective on the market"
"I use DEET too though when it’s too hot to be all covered up."
"This video is primally an ad for a brand of deet insect repellent, disguised as actual content."
"I drip a good amount of DEET oil on my dog's harness, mostly on the back where he can't reach it."
"Get a 30% DEET and just reapply more often - if it's for 8 hours, maybe reapply every 6."
"Put on three applications of the 30% DEET :) "
#2
Permethrin
4.6
(7)
"Permethrin on exterior clothing"
"I would treat your clothes with permethrin for one."
"It’s nicer because you’re treating clothes, not yourself and it’s effective."
"Permethrin is phenomenal. I treat my clothes, boots, tent, backpack, you name it."
"I use a lotion with Picaridin and treat my clothes/tent with Permethrin spray."
"Permethrin, doesn't repel per se but anything that gets in will quickly die."
"Someone was talking about putting permethrin on horses.. But I'd check into that first."
#3
Picaridin
4.6
(7)
"Picaridin on the skin"
"We use picaridin lotion on skin, and permethrin treated clothes. No bug bites yet!!"
"The only repellents that actually work are DEET and picaridin."
"I use a lotion with Picaridin and treat my clothes/tent with Permethrin spray."
"Permethrin on clothes, picaridin on skin - the least icky for my taste"
"I live in a swamp with type O blood so use picaridin"
"Picaridin is effective and not deet."
#4
Unknown Insect Repellent
5.0
(5)
"Best I've found to keep the pests away from me!"
"It’s been incredibly reliable for keeping bugs at bay."
"This repellent is seriously effective."
"This repellent has been my go-to for years."
"This insect repellent really lives up to the hype."
#5
OFF!
4.2
(5)
"Deep Woods OFF! is now available as a dry spray."
"Off spray is usually in 7-11. Bright orange so you can't miss it."
"Get the stuff in the orange aerosol spray can available at many stores and pharmacies, it has DEET in it."
"12% Deet. Every 7/11 all over Thailand has these"
"Most pharmacies have repellent with DEET. The pink one at 7-11 has 12% DEET according to the bottle I got there."
#6
Thermacell
4.8
(4)
"I use the thermacell stuff from bunnings and find it incredibly effective."
"Don't know about for gnats, but for mosquitoes, I use a thermacell. Especially early season. They are wonderful."
"It also helps (especially in the scenario you described above) to invest in a thermacell. They're relatively cheap and run on small butane packs, you place a pad inside of the grate and click a button to light."
"It works for everyone within a certain area and there's nothing on their skin."
#7
Avon
4.5
(4)
"Used Skin So Soft while hiking the Great Glen Way and avoided being bitten."
"For mosquitoes there is none better than the Avon Skin So Soft."
"Great suncream, but pricy and not available in the UK."
"Avon Skin So Soft. Seriously. Backpacker tip from Central America."
#8
Soffell
4.0
(4)
"You can buy local brand Soffell, which is cheap, works great and smells nice"
"Deet, brand "Soffel" ซอฟเฟล"
"Soffel cream has deet in it and they sell them in 7-11 for around 60B."
"Soffel or กย 15 has DEET. 7-11 carries them."
#9
Smidge
4.0
(4)
"Smidge has been most useful for me. Some other repellants don’t play nice with sun cream."
"Effective insect repellent."
"It seems to work really well and doesn’t feel as 'nasty' as DEET."
"Repellents: choose from smidge, deet based, 'skin so soft' with citronella; all applied to skin."
#10
Moogoo
4.0
(3)
"We like Moogoo or Natures Botanical."
"I have found the MooGoo tail swat to be gentle and effective, and we also use the nat pat buzz patches."
"The Moo-goo tail swat is good for mosquitoes but not very effective against midges and horse flies."
#11
Sawyer
5.0
(2)
"It lasts better than most deet sprays, while being gear safe and not smelling as strongly."
"The Sawyer Picaridin lotion is great, and it's all I use for hiking/hunting."
#12
Avon Skin So Soft
4.5
(2)
"Avon Skin-so-Soft works for me."
"Old school Skin So Soft from Avon."
#13
Diatomaceous Earth
4.5
(2)
"It helps a great deal and doesn't harm the plant."
"Diatomaceous Earth has worked for me in the past"
#14
MEC
4.5
(2)
"I’ve been using this for a few years now with a lot of success. It has no DEET in it, which means I don’t have to worry about it wrecking some fabrics or my bear can."
"I find it is better than off and it works great for back country hiking/camping."
#15
Ben's
3.0
(3)
"The best bug dope available is Bens 100. It is so good it is, in fact, not legal in some states."
"I used Ben’s 100 DEET on a recent trip to Tanzania and it made my skin peel."
"Shit will melt your clothes, though."
#16
Wondercide
4.0
(2)
"A friend of mine uses Wondercide spray and has been happy with it."
"Haven't tried it yet but Wondercide can be used on both pets and humans."
#17
Natpat
4.0
(2)
"We've had success with the natpat stickers too."
"Have you seen the Nat Pat stickers? We used them for our 4 month old on our Bali trip and they seemed to work well."
#18
Buzzie
5.0
(1)
"I would check out this new and upcoming brand called buzzie - all natural"
#19
Natural Insect Repellent
5.0
(1)
"It really kept the bugs at bay!"
#20
OFF
5.0
(1)
""OFF" thats the name i test it a Lot of times it works 👍🏻"
#21
Sunscreen
5.0
(1)
"This stuff WORKS. I use the sunscreen all over my body during the day."
#22
BugClear
5.0
(1)
"BugClear Ultra is the only one I've found effective, it's cleared up thrips, meanies, spider mites no problem."
#23
JĀSÖN
5.0
(1)
"I like JĀSÖN for toothpaste."
#24
Dr. Bronner
5.0
(1)
"I use Dr. Bronner for all my soap needs."
#25
Nosilife
5.0
(1)
"Deet is easily available and works well. I like Permethrin impregnated clothes like Nosilife items."
#26
Hello Bello
5.0
(1)
"It's lotiony instead of oily."
#27
Homestead and Chill
5.0
(1)
"They are a small company that makes salves from home grown organic products, including a 'bug off balm'."
#28
Farmacorp
5.0
(1)
"The best repellent I have used is 'Moskitoff.' This cream is better compared to aerosol ones."
#29
PiActive
5.0
(1)
"It's DEET free and worked really well for our son."
#30
Burt's Bees
5.0
(1)
"It works really well and is good for your skin."
#31
Nantucket Spider
5.0
(1)
"People seemed to like Nantucket Spider for insect repellent."
#32
Bayer
5.0
(1)
"Imidacloprid effectively controls grub larvae."
#33
Mad About Organics
5.0
(1)
"This product effectively prevents ticks and fly bites on my dog during walks."
#34
Vets Best
5.0
(1)
"I like Vets Best Flea+ Tick spray."
#35
Natural Remedies
5.0
(1)
"Diatomaceous earth, nematodes, and tree tanglefoot are effective natural remedies to keep insects out of gardens."
#36
Simply Soothing
5.0
(1)
"It's very gentle."
#37
Syngenta
5.0
(1)
"Bifenthrin works great for mosquitoes."
#38
Cutter
5.0
(1)
"Cutter Backwoods Dry is highly effective and easy to find at Wal-mart."
#39
Homemade
5.0
(1)
"The biodegradable dish soap, cayenne pepper, and garlic mixture effectively repels aphids."
#40
Bud Light Lime
5.0
(1)
"Caught 27 slugs with just 1/3 can in a bowl."
#41
Natures Botanical
5.0
(1)
"I would spray it on his clothes rather than his skin."
#42
Buzzpatch
5.0
(1)
"The buzzpatch works really well for the usual mosquitoes in parks/beaches etc. Definitely worth buying."
#43
Mosquito Squad
5.0
(1)
"They completely eradicated an awful mosquito infestation I had."
#44
Maggie's Farm
5.0
(1)
"The best insect repellent I have found hands down."
#45
Baby Safe Bug Spray
5.0
(1)
"Recommended by vet for safe use around pets."
#46
Coconut Oil
5.0
(1)
"Coconut oil and lavender oil are great to bring."
#47
Lavender Oil
5.0
(1)
"Coconut oil and lavender oil are great to bring."
#48
White Sage
5.0
(1)
"White sage from home is recommended."
#49
Vet's Best
4.0
(1)
"Chewy has a bunch of flyspray options, I think we use vets best."
#50
Jungle Spray
4.0
(1)
"Jungle spray or Tont is best."
#51
TickProof Repellent
4.0
(1)
"Essential oil based repellents work remarkably well to stop the bite of all the worst offenders."
#52
OFF! Family Care
4.0
(1)
"I like Off Family Care. Never let me down and it’s low deet which I prefer."
#53
Local Brands
4.0
(1)
"Personally I just use the sprays you can buy here locally (7-11, Lotus, BigC all carry them), those seem to work sufficiently for me."
#54
Lifesystems Mosquito and Midge Headnet
4.0
(1)
"When purchasing a head net make sure it has the correct sized holes for midges, some mosquito nets have circa 600 holes per square inch when you really need 1000 ish."
#55
Stretchy Bracelets
4.0
(1)
"Seem to work well."
#56
Moo-goo
4.0
(1)
"Moo-goo tail swat spray"
#57
Citronella
4.0
(1)
"We put citronella oil on our clothes when we hike, I don’t think it’s safe to put directly on baby’s skin."
#58
Tea Tree Oil
4.0
(1)
"Tea tree oil, I also use tea tree shampoo and soaps, helps guard against all sorts of biters."
#59
Solar Powered Bug Zapper
4.0
(1)
"Solar powered bug zappers. Put them on the inside of your windows and empty weekly."
#60
Palmolive Caprice Shampoo
4.0
(1)
"Green bottle of shampoo, sold in all stores is a good back up. Palmolive caprice."
#61
Consumer Reports Insect Repellent
4.0
(1)
"You should avoid repellents with more than 30 percent deet."
#62
Fexon Spray
4.0
(1)
"Es como un aceite, funciona bien"
#63
Vanilla Extract
4.0
(1)
"Try vanilla extract! Thats what we use in the dominican republic for babies and toddlers"
#64
Mosquito Repellent Bracelet
4.0
(1)
"You can get the mosquito repellent bracelet and wear them instead."
#65
Trek Take A Hike Joose
4.0
(1)
"We used [this] a couple times"
#66
Rose Geranium Essential Oil
4.0
(1)
"I put a dab of Rose Geranium essential oil on my dogs collar as flea/tick/insect repellent."
#67
Dr. Earth Final Stop
4.0
(1)
"Dr Earth Final Stop"
#68
Kinfield Golden Hour
4.0
(1)
"Golden hour by Kinfield"
#69
Eucalyptus Oil
4.0
(1)
"Recently went camping and used Eucalyptus oil."
#70
Dish Soap
4.0
(1)
"She uses dish soap and water in a spray bottle."
#71
Lush
4.0
(1)
"I liked the lush shampoo bar for traveling but I have pretty long hair and didn't find the conditioner was so great."
#72
Advantage
4.0
(1)
"Lasts about a week and effectively kills ticks on contact."
#73
California Baby
4.0
(1)
"I like the California baby bug spray a lot but it’s pricy. Seemed to work well however!"
#74
Badger
4.0
(1)
"I like Badger bug balm. It's effective for avoiding mosquitos and ticks."
#75
Neem Oil
4.0
(1)
"Go-to for any small pests."
#76
Peppermint Essential Oil
4.0
(1)
"Helps for many leaf-eaters."
#77
Lavender Essential Oil
4.0
(1)
"Effective against leaf-eaters."
#78
Incognito
4.0
(1)
"Good alternative for insect repellent."
#79
Muskol
4.0
(1)
"I would just use good ‘ol Muskol so I don’t have to worry about being itchy."
#80
First Shield
4.0
(1)
"I've had good results with it so far!"
#81
Trifexis
4.0
(1)
"I use Trifexis."
#82
Vanilla Mozi
3.0
(1)
"I recently bought vanilla mozi on the recommendation of a friend. Haven’t had cause to use it yet so can’t swear by its efficacy but it’s definitely baby friendly ingredients"
#83
Home Depot
3.0
(1)
"Well Home Depot's selection was awful today got some fancy insect and fungal combined stuff."
#84
Garlic and B-1
3.0
(1)
"If it were my dog (or horse), I'd try garlic and B-1."
#85
Natural Flea/Tick Spray
3.0
(1)
"There is the flea/tick spray that they use as a repellent. It’s all natural and can find it at pet stores."
#86
Vicks VapoRub
3.0
(1)
"Vicks vapo rub."
#87
Mosquito Milk
3.0
(1)
"We always used a product called "Mosquito Milk" growing up."
#88
Stanhome
3.0
(1)
"Stanhome works great, but its smell it's a bit strong and a bit pricey compared to others."
#89
Birch Tar
2.0
(1)
"Here u can buy something made out of birch tar. It stinks as fuck. People seem to use it a lot."
#90
Yarrow
2.0
(1)
"I use muscle rub cream to repel insects. Yarrow has a similar, very strong smell."
#91
Advantage Multi
2.0
(1)
"Advantage Multi does not prevent ticks! You should look into switching preventatives especially if you go hiking a lot."
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