Cutter's Advanced/DEET/Cactus Juice

[mksmith713]

When I visit Roatan, I use a concoction of 97% DEET (camping section at Walmart) cut with Avon skin so soft.
I use it 50/50 and it works fabulously.
The only thing you have to do is wash it off before entering the water.
If you don't, your body will spontaneously erupt into flames..........

OK, not really...... but DEET is horrible for the reef so PLEASE PLEASE wash it off before entering the water.
I really really love the reef and all it's critters.....

 

[ktownhero]

I know I'm diggin up an old post here, but I'm torn on what to do. I will, of course, bring DEET with me but I only reserve DEET for when it is absolutely necessary to wear. I typically only wear it on my hands, ankles, and neck at night when I wear long sleeve clothing.

But during the day I want something that will protect me without being detrimental to my skin and the environment. It seems like Cactus Juice has very mixed reviews. I would like to use it because I think it's very convenient that it's both a sun screen and bug repellent, but it doesn't sound like it lasts very long and I'll be in the water a TON.

I'm bringing some Skin So Soft (not the bug repellent version, the regular SOS Oil, which, ironically, seems to work better as a bug repellent ).

I saw some Bullfrog: Mosquito Coast at a local outdoors store. It is SPF 30 and a bug repellent which claims to be "very" sweat and water resistant. Has anybody tried this stuff on Roatan?

I guess, all said and done, I'd like to know how good Cactus Juice really is. Will it stay on even after I enter the water? The site and bottle makes no mention of whether it is water proof, which concerns me.

 

[Doc]

Everything washes off in water, eventually. Bullfrog sticks pretty good, quite literally.

Diggin' up an old post, or just adding to the hundreds of similar threads on the Bay Islands board... let us know what you discover to be the final, ultimate and indisputable answer after you sort it all out.

It'll be good to know once and for all, for sure.

 

[k8brandt]

I am heading to Roatan next week, and I have bought an essential oil called Neem Oil. It claims to be an effective insect and mosquito repellent and is used in many traditional indian remedies as an antiseptic / antibacterial agent. It was recommended to me for my 6 mos travelling b/c you can use it for sore throats, brush your teeth with it to kill harmful bacteria in your mouth, cuts, etc. This stuff smells and tastes POTENT, but is 100% natural, pressed from Neem tree nuts. I will post if it is successful in fighting off those little buggers!!!!

Ditto on the Neem Oil. It worked very well for me, but my husband wouldn't let me put it on the in the room. It does smell HIGHLY medicinal. He sprayed my back with DEET and that was the only place I got bit.

 

[Damselfish]

Haven't been to Roatan but our share of other buggy places, and have been using the Cutter's Advanced Picaridin stuff and the Bullfrog Mosquito Coast bug/sunscreen with success. I hate DEET because it feels so gross and tends to dissolve things.

A comment on the Bullfrog spray stuff though - I have yet to buy a bottle of this that didn't leak badly. I suggest at least keeping it in a ziplock when it's not upright on a shelf. (Which for me results in a half bottle of bullfrog in a messy ziplock, so I now just transfer it to a different spray bottle.)

 

[rleslie]

We just got back from 9 days on Roatan. My wife is always the first to be bitten by bugs. She only used Cactus Juice and did not have a single sand flea bite. CJ works great and won't hurt the reason that we all go there....the reef!!!!! Wife carries it with her and we spray it on our lower leg when we get out of the water. That works fine for walking around.

I ordered CJ over the net prior to our first trip to Roatan two years ago.

 

[Orlando Eric]

I have hunted in FLorida a few seasons. THe bugs finally chased me out I could not take it anymore. DEET works great but you will not see another critter for the rest of the day they must be able to smell it for miles. Cutter seems to work okay for me.

Every now and then in the hieght of flying teeth season I get posted outside over either a wreck, and house whatever. I put a Bug Suit in my trunk. It works 100% against all the critters. You might look werid in Roatan sitting in a camo L/S with matching pants but you will not get bit.

Bug Suit

 

[leadweight]

Its a good idea to keep bug repellent with you on the boat so it is available to apply as soon as you arrive on the dock.

 

[ktownhero]

I found a pharmacy that sells Cactus Juice locally. I bought two bottles of that, and will bring some DEET as a backup/for at night.

 

[diverken374]

I have a bridge in Brooklyn and some property to sell you in Florida if you are interested!