When shopping for an insect repellent, you may have questions and concerns about which one to buy as there are so many insect repellents on the market. You may wonder which ones are effective and which ones aren’t. Like thousands of other products available today, there may be insect repellents that claim to be effective but in actual fact are not. Before buying an insect repellent then, you might want to first learn about the important components required for them to be effective.

Firstly, when you are buying a repellent for particular insects, it is recommended you look for product that contains an ingredient known as DEET. Remember though when looking through the list of ingredients on an insect repellent container, you may not  see DEET on the list, as the scientific name for DEET is N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide. If this name is a listed ingredient on the insect repellent, you have found what you are looking for.

DEET And Insect Repellent

DEET is contained in many insect repellents available on the market and is considered the most effective and active insect repelling ingredient. An important question to ask yourself when buying an insect repellent containing DEET is who you are buying it for. If you are buying an insect repellent for a child, it is recommended to buy products with lower percentages of DEE: iInsect repellents containing a lower DEET percentage will require more frequent applications in order to be effective. Adults can use an insect repellent with a higher percentage of DEET.

When buying an insect repellent you should always read the ingredient list as although DEET is perhaps the most important ingredient but insect repellents contain many other ingredients to make using the product more comfortable… and you could be allergic to some of them.

Insect Repellent And Allergies

An insect repellent may contain fragrances and herbal additives such as citronella that may to repel insects. However, some ingredients used in certain insect repellents may cause problems for some individuals who have allergies. This is why it is imperative to always read the list of ingredients carefully before buying insect repellent (or for that matter any repellent).

Buying an insect repellent should be given some consideration. Many people just run out and pick up the first insect repellent that jumps off the shelf at them. They may be lucky and find an repellent that actually works well or they may buy a product that proves to be ineffective. For more information about specific insect repellent products (and more general ones) we include many product reviews in our Insect Repellent Category.