Selestial Soap Protect Extreme Sunscreen & Insect Repellent Review

My son is wrapping up his run of summer camp. Each day we apply sunscreen and insect repellent as he goes into the local woods to enjoy some outdoor fun. Midway through the summer, both my mother-in-law and myself had a similar thought, why isn't there a single product that does both? With a little luck, I happen to get a press release for just that at around the same time. The product is called Protect Extreme from Selestial Soap / MyGreenFills. It uses their I'll Fly Away product for the insect repellent side and their Protect product for the sunscreen side.

Both of the individual products are 100% naturally non-toxic (and DEET free). The insect repellent I'll Fly Away is made of catnip, witch hazel, eucalyptus, citronella, and other essential oils. The Protect Sunscreen with skin moisturizers is made of water, carrot oil, zinc oxide, red raspberry seed oil, and various essential oils and offers broad spectrum SPF 30+ protection.

Mosquito by X posid

Application of the combined product is similar to any sunscreen. Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply as needed, either after 40 minutes of swimming/sweating, immediately after towel drying, and/or at least every 2 hours.

How well does it work? Both of the bug repellents definitely keep the bugs away, or at least the mosquitoes and flies. I tried the Protect Extreme while at a park and the straight I'll Fly Away at home. I applied the Protect Extreme on before getting to the park, so I never had any bug problems there and had SPF 30+ protection. With the I'll Fly Away application at home, I wish I had applied sooner. Was chatting with neighbors after it got dark and was getting eaten alive. Ran inside to apply and afterwards, no more bug bites. I still had several mosquito bites from before the application though, just no more. It was noticeably more comfortable after the application. One of the neighbors also applied and had a similar response.

When using, do remember to apply the sunscreen again after a couple hours. I was never outside long enough with the straight insect repellent where I needed to reapply that. There isn't a set time there, just as needed and after swimming. Oh, and shake well before applying either one.

Any disappointments? The products work as advertised. There were a couple of areas of possible improvement. I only received 2 ounce bottles. I thought there only were 2 ounce bottles but there are 8 ounce refill bottles available on their web site. Also, SPF 30+ seems so lightweight these days. I regularly see 70 or higher available/used. Do you really need higher though? SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays so a higher rating isn't necessarily that much better. It isn't like you'll ever get to 100% protection.

One last thing worth mentioning... it does seem you must buy from their web site, not Amazon.

*Read my Disclosure