Product

• It really works!
• Lasts up to 8 hours
• 100% natural
• Smells great
• Water resistant

Yes it really works. 2B has been tried and tested in some of New Zealand’s most bug-infested spots, as well as around the world.
Testimonials

A thorough application of 2B in the morning can last most of the day, expect up to 8 hours. This makes it one of the world’s longest-lasting natural repellents. With 2B you’ll end up smelling a little like lemon cake, delicious to people but not to bugs!

2B’s coconut oil base is odourless and gives great coverage without leaving a greasy film on the skin. 2B is water-resistant so doesn’t wash off when you sweat or swim in natural water in the same way that products containing solvents and alcohols do. 2B also doesn’t react with your suncreams like chemical repellents often do.  2B’s unique formula means the action of the essential oils is maximised to give far longer effectiveness than a single essence can provide in a candle or ointment form.

Chemical repellents used to be the only products that could give lasting protection and most contained DEET.  This is a pretty strong chemical that should not be used for extended periods for health reasons, and will attack nylons and plastics like camera, sunglasses, gortex or fishing line. As a result many people (including us!) chose not to use and we certainly would never use it on our children. There really is no need to use these old repellents now that Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus has been proven to give the same performance as the most effective chemical repellents.

Using 2B

• Shake bottle before use
• Spray into hands & rub on
• Be thorough! Don’t miss bits!
• Patch testing advised.

As 2B lasts so long, we find the best time to put your 2B on is first thing in the morning, and on the West Coast where the sandflies can be vicious, that means in the vestibule before unzipping the flysheet! Then we can pretty much forget about the bugs until we reapply it ahead of fishing time in the late afternoon. Reapplying it at that time means we are protected around the cooking fire right up until bedtime.

Overseas in hot humid climates where bugs can carry nasty diseases we would put our 2B on every four hours.  2B is part of a regime of ‘good practice’, covering up, using bed nets and so on.

Here’s how we usually do it

• start with bare feet.
• Shake the bottle
• squirt 2 or 3 sprays of 2B into hands and rub them together before rubbing on.
• Apply to feet, ankles and legs (between toes, up the achilles and to the backs of knees), then around your hands, wrists and arms, and finally rub around the neck line and that about does it.
• As a guide two sprays in hands should cover one leg from the knee down thoroughly…..
• You can touch your hands around your hairline and ears but keep it away from your eyes (essential oils are strong and it may sting!)

If you are in the islands, half dressed on a beach somewhere or sipping a glass of wine in a cocktail dress, then you will want to apply 2b a little more often, and more widely before you sit down for a long evening.

….. so what we are saying is that you don’t need to use too much, just as long as you spread it well. Don’t spray it around like an aerosol and hope for the best, you really need to take the time and put it on like a suncream.

Kids, New Mums & sensitivities

Essential Oils are powerful, and that is why they have so many great applications. It is also why they can be unsuitable for a few people and for very young children.  Treating infected bites can lead to a lot more problems than using a good repellent so it is important to do your homework and choose well.

We don’t recommend 2B is used on babies under one year of age, and for under three’s we recommend you consult a pharmacist or doctor that can take into account any particular medical history and advise you on safe use such as patch testing.  If you do use 2B on a very young child then cover what skin you can, and then apply aiming for minimal body coverage focusing on the legs, arms and neck only. Finally wash off any skin product when not needed.  Adding repellent to bedding is not recommended as it is not particularly effective, but the use of non-chemical bed netting is recommended.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding women can have unusual responses to all sorts of smells, body products and foods.  We recommend the same advice as for very young children to consult a pharmacist or doctor before deciding what product is best for you and how best to use it.

Most people with allergies are excellent at self-management and know what works for them and what doesn’t.  If you haven’t used any of the ingredients before then patch testing is an easy way to ensure that 2B is right for you.

• For external use only
• Keep away from eyes
• Keep out of reach of young children
• Consult a pharmacist before using on under three’s or when pregnant or breastfeeding
• 2B is water-resistant (unless you rub it off hard with a towel or swim in chemical pools)

Any questions? Please contact us
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Living happily with The Bugs

OK, so there’s no denying the ‘Lyell’ factor exists in New Zealand – in certain places, at certain times, the bugs can be a real trial! But the right clothes and a bottle of 2B really is all you need in 99.9% of places.

Let’s face it Sandflies are less scary than wasps and they are pretty rubbish at the Insect Olympics – they can’t cope with wind or the rain, they can’t see in the dark, they rarely come indoors, they don’t fly very high and they move very slowly. You can also feel it when they are biting you, so they are easy to squash, and if you are walking or kayaking you outpace them easily – however when you are ready for a well-earned rest, fishing or fixing a fence on the farm, that is when they can descend in swarms.

Mosquitoes are a bit smarter, searching you out in the night wherever you are. You rarely feel them bite so are less squashable than sandflies. They are not invincible through and you can hear them coming in a quiet room at 3am if you happen to be awake.

Covering the skin is the best way to keep the bites at bay – long sleeves and long pants – but that isn’t always practical and it doesn’t keep bugs from biting the baby skin between your fingers and toes or finding some other delicious uncovered fleshy morsel. Carrying a sarong when you are tramping to wrap your legs up when you stop is a good idea and can double up as head protection and a swim-towel, and if that challenges your masculinity just call it a keffiyeh instead of a sarong.

Sandflies and mosquitoes are variously attracted to carbon dioxide, smell, sweat, colour, movement and reflected light. We certainly don’t recommend sitting huffing and puffing near water, in the shade, with lots of jewellery on, wearing black, whilst sweating and eating a banana. We do recommend doing lots of other stuff in the great outdoors ;o)

Chillax

Don’t be put off some of the most special places in Aotearoa by other people’s scare stories or a single bad experience. In most places, the right clothes and a bottle of 2B really is all you need. Some of our favourite holiday spots are along the Buller and on the West Coast – 2B has been forged on family trips to these paradise places.

So here’s our two golden rules to keep….

• Don’t Complain About Sandflies – don’t get obsessed by them and let them ruin your fun – they are attracted to negativity and the smell of fear. Put your thickest long socks on and be unfashionably safe.
• Don’t Scratch if you do get bitten – scratching amplifies itching, which leads to  complaining which causes negativity and increased deliciousness to sandflies. Get a bottle of calamine lotion or a Click-that-Itch (don’t ask us how they work but they sure do!) or rub the bite with the inside of some banana skin (that someone else has eaten) and your worries will disappear.