AvonSkin So Soft Original Dry Oil Body Spray with Jojoba 150 ml

I write as someone who positively attracts insect bites and especially mosquito bites, and I react very badly to them!! I bought the dry oil body spray after the Skin So Soft range was recommended to me by a friend as I had got around 40 mosquito bites from 1-week trip in Guatemala, Central America, which made my life a temporary misery.I took a bottle with me on a 3-week trip to South America, and I can only recommend it wholeheartedly. It dries fast, is not oily, has a pleasant smell, sprays well, feels clean to have on (unlike DEET products) and most of all, it seems to effectively keep away those blood-sucking beasts!! I got substantially fewer bites than I do on my usual trips outside Europe. It may be a coincidence but the times I got bitten were when I forgot to top up. Basically, I sprayed after having a shower, then I generally topped up in exposed areas especially if out at dawn or dusk, or in some hostels that did not feel very enclosed. The best thing about this product is that because it's pleasant to have on, I found it wasn't difficult to keep using it regularly. I also didn't worry about ruining my flip flops etc. as you do with high-% DEET, and happily sprayed and rubbed in between the spaces in my sandals.I have tried both natural/citronella (to my detriment) and DEET-based products in the past, and I have quite sensitive skin and am always quite uncomfortable using strong DEET products. So, to me this is amazing stuff! I also took a well-reviewed 55% DEET spray with me on the trip, but used this much, much less. My boyfriend also took to using this product regularly even though I said it was a woman's body moisturiser and kept offering him my DEET!! ;) If you are looking for moisturising properties though, this is not particularly moisturising, despite the mention of jojoba oil, and I came home with pretty crispy dry skin! This is just in case you are thinking of replacing your body moisturiser with the dry oil spray. However, I will check out their other products in this range in time for my next travels.I wholeheartedly recommend this spray to help guard against mozzies. It may require me to travel to another place and use it there before I believe in it 100%, as I clearly have not conducted any controlled experiments! However, I would say it's 5/5 for how nice it is to use as a skin-contact insect repellent (lowish moisturising properties) and 5/5 for effectiveness against mozzies for someone who usually gets bitten a lot. It even gave me the freedom to wear shorts in the evening. Thank you, Avon!

Used as a mosquito repellent & it works really well

Really good product goes on the skin smoothly, no oily after residue. Great value item. Smells absolutely divine. Fast delivery to Republic of Ireland. Well packaged and delivered before expected date. Highly recommend this product and the retail outlet. I will definitely be repurchasing from this outlet again, very impressed.

I had originally reviewed that there was a problem with this product from Avon being out of date. However, I decided to re-order the product this time directly from Avon UK (cheaper) and they sent me the same bottles with an out of date stamp -I called Avon and mentioned this - Avon assured me the products are not out of date they are actually when they were manufactured - manufacturing date - and that Avon product do not expire - I've gone from 1 star to 4 star - it is pretty good and softens the skin and repels insects to a point but not fully.

I cannot reccommend this stuff highly enough! I used to dread the yearly onslaught of biting season. Not only would I get bitten by mozzies, midges and horseflies in the UK (one horsefly bite on my hand last summer swelled so badly I couldn't drive for two days!), but whenever I ventured abroad, the local flying community would pick me apart like a buffet at a weight watchers meeting. My travelling companions would be assured safe passage throughout the holiday as the mozzies only had eyes (and mandibles) for me...This year, I ordered some of this stuff after reading the reviews and doused myself in it, head to toe, on my first night in Italy. I didn't hold out much hope, however it smelled oddly intoxicating and comforting, plus it promised to give me nice soft skin so I thought "What the hell?"Next morning, I am awakened by a dismayed cry from Other Half, who is covered in 6 or 7 bites. Being unused to this phenomena, he moans a lot. A LOT! Until I remind him that I was once bitten 150 times on the legs alone on one holiday. Then he shuts up, sprays some of this stuff on and neither of us get bitten again for 10 days. I never thought these words would pass my lips but, "Avon, I can't thank you enough!"

I have skin/blood which is a real target for midgies and used to constantly be bitten on the ankles, ears, wrists, lips and even eyelids which made me look like the elephant man before I started using this product - now it is rare to feel a bite.Certainly much better and cheaper than traditional insect repellent and it goes on very easily with protection exceeding even the best 'proper' insect repellents I have tried.150ml is actually quite a lot and because it comes out in a very measured pump spray the bottle lasts for ages. As the formula is a light oil each application also lasts a long time so no need to constantly re-apply it.I find that even parts of arms / legs which have been missed by the spray do not get bothered by insects so there is no need to cover every square inch. With Jungle Formula I had great results but found that if I missed a bit that is where I would be bitten.Only downside is the smell - other reviewers don't seem to mind it and the smell is very subtle but there is a distinct 'old lady' vibe to it (maybe I just have a very good sense of smell). It doesn't bother me or people around me and is certainly less noticeable than the strong odour of deet rich insect repellents but something to note.It would be very useful if this also came in a 50ml version as a 150ml bottle can take up valuable space for people obsessed about every cubic inch of packing space in their backpack / bug out bag / handbag / manbag. As far as I can see 150ml is the smallest size currently available.Awesome protection at a very low price - Highly recommended.