So finally giving this a serious go, fab weather so great to be out after practising on treadmill.....this morning I've been food to flipping insects......they seem to love my skin in this weather.
What is good to use anyone got recommendations for good insect repellent would be grateful for any ideas!!!!
I asked the same last week, after my arms became a feast for the mozzies along the canal lately, and a lot swear by this stuff, reviews on the link say pretty much the same. My order turned up this morning so fingers crossed when I'm out for a run Wednesday evening...
avonshop.co.uk/product/skin...
I was also recommended this and looked into a bit further - including finding a guy that had done his own "blind" trial by allowing himself to be bitten of four limbs wth different types/layers of protection, over multiple nights!
Avon say This - avonshop.co.uk/shop/faq.asp... - About the product...
I have heard you can use Skin So Soft as an insect repellent is it true?
We have had reports from Representatives and their customers that Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh (originally Woodland Fresh) fragrance Bath Oil and Dry Body Spray acts as an effective insect repellent. Our Quality Control Department advise that it is the aroma of the product that has this effect. Citronella is in the perfume and as fragrance oils are 'propriety compositions' and the property of the vendor, due to vendor confidentiality, we list this ingredient as Parfum. However this product is marketed and sold by us as a bath preparation only. We would not recommend any Skin So Soft product for any other use. Skin So Soft products in any other fragrance do not contain the same ingredients as Soft & Fresh.
Insect bites.... gaaahhhh! *scratches viciously at shins*. I really feel for you! My legs are covered in bites, having gone out in shorts yesterday (though strangely they have left my arms alone). The only way to be absolutely safe is wear either long running tights (but make sure there is no gap between the bottoms of the legs and the top of your socks. Or they will get you there), or slap on industrial-strength DEET-based stuff like Jungle Formula, which really does work, though is smells nasty. I have also heard great things about citronella-based repellents, which are much nicer and more natural, and Skin So Soft, as Trizzy mentions, is meant to stop Scottish midges from biting, though I don't know if it puts off mosquitos. You can also get wrist and ankle bands that are impregnated with DEET - I used those, plus the spray, when I went to the tropics and it worked - belt and braces!
Once bitten apply good old toothpaste...No idea why it works but it does....it can look a bit hmm,odd,so be careful where you go after apying lol!
I find Autan lotion works for me and smells slightly less disgusting than most repellents. Not always easy to find in the shops though. Once bitten Savlon sting relief gel works well, and I take an antihistamine to stop itching all night in bed!
For something so small, they are an absolute pest.
Must try out the toothpaste remedy though....
Thank u for the response will try toothpaste lol love home made remedys! its so deflating to have pesky insects trying to stop me try running outside and not on a treadmiĺl!
Don't know how true it is, but I heard citronella (don't now if that's the right spelling!) is a good repellent, so try an oil or cream with that in. If I do get bitten though I tend to use sudo cream, as it takes the itch away for quite a long time, then re-apply it when the itch starts again!
You're obviously a very tasty treat to them, but I have to say I have more of a problem eating flies than being eaten by them when I'm running!
Happy running 
Avon Skin So Soft Original Dry Oil Spray - as issued to US and UK army! Seriously. Try it!
IF you don't want to end up smelling like a chemical warhead, the solution to avoiding insect bites is the same as avoiding being attacked by a crocodile... find a running partner who is more attractive to the mosquitoes, and a running partner who is fractionally slower than you. That way, _you_ don't get bitten, and _you_ don't get caught by the crocodile.
All well and good, but what if you are the equivalent of a three-Michelin star restaurant to mozzers, and everyone else pales in comparison?
Do you have any close friends? I ask simply because eating lots of garlic is supposed to help with insect bites, but not good if you have friends or work colleagues nearby.
Also, Marmite is supposed to help.
Good luck!
another vote for Avon SSS products here. My daughter and I are magnets to all things winged and bitey, but since discovering the miracle properties of these products have not been bitten (unless we have forgotten to apply) for several years. The body lotion and hand cream work as well as the bath oil.
And you smell a lot nicer than our garlicky friend above!
What do you do on a rest day?
How to manage down time
What do you wear?
