Have a bite-free summer

MOSQUITOES are everywhere! This probably doesn't sound much like a beauty-related article but read on and you'll realize just how relevant this is. You will not believe what is now included in my range of beauty products. Aside from dengue, malaria and other mosquito-related diseases these little pests do make you ugly. They leave your skin swollen with unsightly itchy bites that graduate to gashes, scabs and even scars from constant scratching. There are, of course, the sleepless nights due to their irritating buzzing and biting, which lead to puffy eyelids and dark under-eye circles, assuming they didn't bite those, too.

Solutions: Spray your bedroom, office, or living room with water-based insecticide like Baygon or Raid and vacate for at least an hour. Make sure all windows and doors are closed and you spray every nook and cranny pointing the spray can upward so the insecticide works from up to down. I suggest water-based because it is gentler on us humans and will not leave that nauseating kerosene smell. This is particularly advisable for children's rooms. Cover your beds and put away towels and any object that will come in direct contact with your skin, like clothes and toiletries, or you will practically be rolling in poison.

Just because water-based is gentler doesn't mean it is 100-percent harmless. Plug-in mosquito repellants are safe for kids as well. Place the plug-ins under or beside your children's crib or bed while they are sleeping to enable them to have a good night's rest.

If you have to stay outdoors, mosquito coils and citronella candles will repel them. The latter is better if you have guests as coils do leave an offensive smell and have poisonous fumes for humans. Coils should only be used in open areas and not when one is confined. Oregano plants in pots are apparently nature's mosquito repellants. They may be used as table centerpieces or strategically planted in areas of the garden to ward mosquitoes off. Burn dried lanzones peels, which will smoke mosquitoes out of your house and garden.

If you have to move around a lot, you obviously can't spray all the time and lug coils, candles and pots of oregano. Invest in mosquito repellants like Off Lotion or Nenuco M.R. instead. For those who want to smell good and get a beauty benefit from it, try Avon's Skin-So-Soft lotion, which, I accidentally discovered, could repel mosquitoes. Another discovery of mine is Bench's b2o lotion, which smells good to us but not to mosquitoes so it leaves skin soft and smooth.

While sleeping, I have noticed that strong air-conditioning no longer wards all mosquitoes off and neither does the electric fan unless you aim it straight at you, which can make you sick. I apply mosquito-repellant lotion on my ears and pat on my neck and face, avoiding the eyes, mouth and nostrils area. I then apply liberally to my hands and arms. The result is a good night's sleep with no scratching and irritating buzzing by my ear.

Have a problem with these buggers constantly hovering above your head? You most likely have oily hair and scalp, which generates more heat that attracts them. Switch to an oily-hair shampoo and scrub scalp well. If you only shampoo once a day, try doing so at nighttime so mosquitoes don't hang around you when you are sleeping and defenseless to ward them off.

What to do with bites that are already there? Calamine lotion relieves itching so bites will subside without the risk of scarring by scratching. Marks from old bites? Bleach them with hydroquinone.