Do you find yourself constantly swatting away mosquitos while your friends remain bite-free? Well, it might be time to switch up your shower routine. Research from Virginia Tech suggests that the type of soap you use in the shower could determine whether or not you become a mosquito magnet.
It’s remarkable how one individual can go from being extremely attractive to mosquitoes when they are unwashed to even more attractive with one type of soap and repellent with another. By understanding the reasons why some people attract mosquitoes while others don’t, we can make informed decisions when choosing which soap to use in order to avoid becoming a mosquito magnet.
Dr. Chloe Lahondere, co-author of the research team at Virginia Tech says that pinpointing an exact reason as to why some people are more prone to mosquito bites than others isn’t easy as everybody has their own unique scent and physiological status due to factors such as diet and lifestyle. In order for us to reduce our chances of becoming a mosquito magnet, it may be helpful for us to understand what attracts these pesky blood-suckers and what repels them.
The results from their experiments showed that washing with Dove and Simple Truth soaps increased the attractiveness of some of their volunteers while Native brands tended to deter them away. The team identified four chemicals associated with mosquito attraction: limonene (a known natural insect repellent), carbon dioxide (an important cue for mosquitoes), American Bourbon (coconut-scented), and a floral compound used to treat scabies and lice. Additionally, they determined that all four soaps contained limonene but three out of the four still increased mosquito attraction despite this chemical being present in both brands.
When selecting which soap is best suited for reducing your chances of becoming a mosquito magnet, Dr. Vinauger advises avoiding those advertised as “natural” or lower chemical-heavy ones such as Dial or Dove because these were found to increase attractiveness regardless of limonene presence in all four types tested. Instead, he recommends using one containing coconut-scented fragrances like American Bourbon or Native Coconut & Vanilla Body Wash – two soaps that are known for reducing attraction levels by emitting scent cues that repel mosquitos away rather than attracting them towards us .
So if you want to stay off the menu this summer season then it would be wise to consider ditching your current body wash and switching over to something with a coconut-based fragrance instead!
Sources: Good News Network
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