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From: chemist@techbook.com (Steve Bonds)
Newsgroups: rec.backcountry,sci.chem,sci.bio,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Black Flies in New England
Message-ID: <1991Jun9.082033.9826@techbook.com>
Date: 9 Jun 91 08:20:33 GMT
References: <1991Jun3.155122.8245@infocomm.com> <5994@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> <1991Jun7.170618.7515@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix
Lines: 33

In article <1991Jun7.170618.7515@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk> jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:
>mm@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Michael Mahler) writes:
>> 	To repell black flies, try Avon's Skin So Soft (rub a weak
>> 	mixture - 1 cap to quart of water - into your hair or hat).

>What _is_ this stuff?  Fabric conditioner?  Water softener?  Moisturizing
>lotion?  Leather softening oil?  Vitamin E?  Sexual lubricant?  The brand
>name doesn't sound like one anybody would give to a purpose-designed insect
>repellent.

It's billed as a moisturizing bath lotion.  You're supposed to add it to bath
water to give softer skin.  I've never known anyone to use it for this purpose
though- everyone seems to use it as an insect repellent.  In an article about
it, AVON claims to have heard of its insect-repelling properties, but they
can't bill it as an insect repellent since that would mean several years of
lab tests, paperwork for the EPA and FDA, and maybe a couple other acronynmic
agencies as well.  In short, a BIG hassle!

It seems to work fine on mosquitos and Oregon-bred biting flies, can't say if 
it works on New England black flies or not.

While I don't have a bottle here to read, I do remember checking the list of
ingredients against a few insect repellents I knew.  So far as I know,
nothing in the lotion should repel insects!  (It doesn't contain DEET or
anything like that ;-)  But it seems to work just the same...

  -- 007  (note new name and address)

-- 
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