best mosquito repelent'?

hello!!!

does anybody knows what brands of a good mosquito repellent can buy in california? i´m going to costa rica so i would need something strong
thanks in advance

not sure of brands as such, but the best kind to get are the deet- based ones - I think mine was 50% deet but you can get higher. it's horrible stuff (and make sure you test it on a small piece of skin first as some people are allergic) but it keeps the mozzies away.

deeeeeeeeeet...the higher the better. you can buy it when you get to san jose before you head out to the jungles. If you dont go to corcovado national park while you are there it is a wasted trip

You can OFF and Autan in almost any supermarket in Costa Rica. OFF contains deet, I am not sure if Autan does.

Concerning DEET, higher percentages are not necessarily better. All have exactly the same effect: with lower concentrations, you just need to apply more often. But, if you're going to do things that will make you sweat, you need to do so anyway, in which case a lower concentration may be more appropriate.

hi

anything above 50% is superflous, bit like putting 10 sugars in your coffee

Cheers
Roisin

I just found a new all natural spray on the internet called Horse and Handler Outdoor Body Spray. I LOVE it! It doesn't contain deet but it contains a mix of essential oils that kept me bug free all day! I found it on -snip- Hope this helps for anyone else looking for a safe spray!

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

Be wary of getting TOO high percentage of deet. If it gets on your clothes it can ruin them. It corrodes both metal and plastic to a certain extent (found this out the hard way many of times). It's also not too good for you if you use it for a pro-long period of time, so I would not rely on high DEET repelants constantly - maybe only when your going into extremely high risk malaria / dengue fever locations.

Also keep in mind, sometimes there's just nothing you can do except for cover up (no matter how humid and hot it may be)! It's better than getting Malaria or Dengue Fever especially.

Any camping store or large department stores will have mosquito repelant.

I'm not too sure about Costa Rica, I think it is medium risk for these risks (not quite as high as the Amazon), but maybe some malarial tablets could make you feel more comfortable as well if your worried.

-snip-

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

You will not find many mosquitoes in the Central Valley (altitude), reason for which a simple. locally available product would do. The coastal areas are different in that they are humid and hot. Make sure you have netting over your bed and also protect your skin early in the mornings and late afternoons (there are some other bugs that like a sip of our blood!).
All products can be found in supermarkets and shops in Costa Rica.