My name is Mindy Meeker and for the past 22 years I have been a massage therapist. About 3 years ago, I was looking into making a bug repellent that was all natural. I looked up different essential oils and how they affect bugs. I already had grape seed oil that I use for massage. I then added an assortment of other essential oils that were cited as repelling bugs. I started using it on myself and was amazed at how well it worked. I started sharing it with my friends and they loved it. For the past 2 summers, a group of women and I set up camp in a friend’s back yard. They wanted me to go camping, but I required a bathroom within reach, not being a big camper. We were less than 20 feet from a very buggy pond. We had a campfire, tents, food and music. We were ready to party for the night. I brought along a bottle of my “Bug Juice” and had everyone put it on. We all did. We had a great time. We put it on just that one time. By the time we were cleaning up in the morning, everyone was bite free. No mosquitoes, no tics, no spiders. Amazing. I have given it to some friends who have horses and they are thrilled with it. Flies and gnats don’t like it either. Because it is an oil base, it lasts for a long time. Just about everything on the market is in a water base, which evaporates. The oil quickly absorbs into your skin and the essential oils continue emitting their scent so the effects last much longer than the water based version. Just lately, I have read that lemon eucalyptus essential oil is also a great bug repellent so I have started including that in my recipe. Then I started thinking. I have daughters who are building their families. The Zika Virus is coming and Lyme Disease is rampant in my area. I thought it was time to put my Bug Juice on the market. I had to come up with a name. When I mentioned ‘bug juice’ to a friend, she asked if you drank it. Obviously that was not going to work. This product is topical only, really. Since my massage business is River’s Edge I thought I should stick with that. My brother said I should get a patent on it, so I listened to him and River’s Edge Bug Prevent” is now patent pending. I am going to be making head bands for children that you can put a few drops on and keep the bugs away from your babies, and even put them around your dog’s neck. Grape seed oil is good for your skin and your hair. If you are going for a walk, rub a few drops in your hand and fluff it through your hair. If you are walking where you worry about ticks, put some on your hair and ankles. If you are hiking through the woods just rub a little into your hands and then onto your exposed skin.
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