Woman reveals the common food ingredient that can be used as a DIY mosquito repellent – and she insists it is BETTER than any store-bought product

A woman has shared her rave review about a common food ingredient that she insists works fantastically as a mosquito repellent.

Mary, who is based in south Florida, came across the the tip randomly in the comments section of a post on TikTok – before deciding to try it out for herself.

‘I hope you get everything you want in life!’ Mary declared in her own video, addressing the woman who had initially shared the insect-repelling trick.

‘Let me tell you, I have bought every single commercial product you could for mosquito repellency because I get eaten alive, because I have delicious blood apparently.’

But Mary shared that nothing had worked until she came across the DIY solution.  

When it comes to bare skin sans repellent, mosquitos reportedly can pick up a human’s scent at up to 164 feet away (stock image) 

‘Nothing works, and I’m in south Florida, and it’s really, really bad, especially around this time of year,’ Mary explained.

But the key ingredient that she said had finally done the trick was vanilla extract.

Mary went on to describe that the perfect DIY repellent was created by mixing pure vanilla extract with water before adding a ‘pinch of cinnamon’ for the scent.

‘Mixed it all together, sprayed it everywhere,’ she described.

‘Not only do I smell like a delicious snack, a delicious baked good out here in the summer heat – girl, it works! It works! I love you,’ Mary concluded. 

She then demonstrated how she now carries the solution with the vanilla, water, and cinnamon around with her in a spray bottle. 

An article from House Beautiful in 2023 confirmed that pure vanilla extract indeed can be an effective mosquito repellent. 

It apparently works by blocking the human biological scent markers to which mosquitos are generally attracted. 

It’s important to get real, pure vanilla extract – and not sugary imitations, which could attract bugs instead

It apparently works by blocking the human biological scent markers to which mosquitos are generally attracted. 

‘Sweat, body odor, CO2, and sometimes even your blood type can emit smells that attract these bloodsuckers,’ pest-control specialists Shannon Harlow-Ellis told the outlet.

‘Vanilla extract, like some other plant derivatives, will mask the odor mosquitoes are searching for when looking for a blood meal,’ she further explained.

When it comes to bare skin sans repellent, mosquitos reportedly can pick up a human’s scent at up to 164 feet away.

If you want to try Mary’s recommendation out yourself, it is important to get the real vanilla extract, and not the artificial formulas – which, with sugar mixed in, can actually attract mosquitos and other insects.

What’s more, keep in mind that vanilla extract-based repellent wears off after 30 to 45 minutes, so it necessitates frequent reapplication.