# Avon Skin So Soft Original Oil - Homemade fly spray



## gerbera (23 April 2018)

Hi, for those that use Avon Skin So Soft Original Oil in their fly spray, just thought I'd let you know it's currently reduced to £1.99. I personally use it on my horses, dog and kids. 

For my horses fly spray I make up a 2.5l solution using AVON SOS, 10ml Citronella, 10ml Lavender Oil and 10ml Mint oil. That solution will refill 3 spray bottles, which for me is so cost effective as I have 3 horses and get through a lot of spray during the summer. I personally find it works and you can add other ingredients like Tea Tree oil etc. Some people add cold tea as well to their solution but I found that sat on my horses coat and made it dull.

https://www.avon.uk.com/product/5072/skin-so-soft-original-dry-oil-spray?cb=-846683109

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Pure...hash=item1a48ed3d0a:m:mbq-SN1GCTq7O54Nk1IFDvw


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## Louby (23 April 2018)

Thanks for sharing.  How much SOS do you use and do you add water to bring it to 2.5l


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

Louby said:



			Thanks for sharing.  How much SOS do you use and do you add water to bring it to 2.5l
		
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Use the whole bottle of SOS and the oils and dilute down with water filling up your 2.5l bottle or 2l bottle if that's all you have. It gave all my horses a lovely coat throughout the summer and kept the fly's away. The Scottish Marines use SOS daily, they swear by it to keep midges away (google it)...I read somewhere that midges don't like landing on the oily substance of SOS so it should be no different on a horse or dog, plus I use it on the kids as well in the evenings as a repellent (just the SOS, not the whole fly spray recipe! lol)


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## WandaMare (23 April 2018)

Thank you, I haven't made my own fly spray in the past but will give this a go this year.


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## HeresHoping (23 April 2018)

Please be aware when using this that if you have a horse with a fine coat, it's quite easy to burn them when the weather is very hot. I learned the hard way I used to use the Skin So Soft as a fly spray, dissolved in water. Except oils don't dissolve, they just mix and when the water evaporates it leaves droplets of oil on the horse which just get hotter and hotter in the sun. I ended up with a horse covered in wheals where I'd sprayed. I'd been using it fine for a month, and then the temperature hit 28 and boom.


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## little_critter (23 April 2018)

That's a LOT of essential oils for that quantity of oil / water.
When I did an aromatherepy course years ago I was told you couldn't use anywhere near that quantity.
I don't know them off the top of my head but please check the safe concentrations of oils you can use.


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

little_critter said:



			That's a LOT of essential oils for that quantity of oil / water.
When I did an aromatherepy course years ago I was told you couldn't use anywhere near that quantity.
I don't know them off the top of my head but please check the safe concentrations of oils you can use.
		
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Then reduce the oils to 5ml but it's still a bottle of SOS. I've never had a problem and 2.5 litres is a lot of water...if it was all of that in a spray bottle I would understand your concerns.


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

That said, I wouldn't use homemade fly sprays on a horse prone to sweet itch. Our late pony suffered with sweet itch and I only used sweet itch lotions bought from the saddlery never my homemade oils. Also Lavender is a soothing oil.

I think also you have to use your own common sense. If you don't have a 2.5l bottle but have an empty spray bottle may it up in the spray bottle but only use a few drops of oils instead...it's all trial and error.

I just thought I would share something that saves me a lot of money and I've been doing it for quite a few years now, as did a lot of us when we were at livery (I'm at home now).


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## ester (23 April 2018)

We do have a stickied post for recipes. 
https://forums-secure.horseandhound...38-Homemade-fly-spray-recipes-post-yours-here


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

HeresHoping said:



			Please be aware when using this that if you have a horse with a fine coat, it's quite easy to burn them when the weather is very hot. I learned the hard way I used to use the Skin So Soft as a fly spray, dissolved in water. Except oils don't dissolve, they just mix and when the water evaporates it leaves droplets of oil on the horse which just get hotter and hotter in the sun. I ended up with a horse covered in wheals where I'd sprayed. I'd been using it fine for a month, and then the temperature hit 28 and boom.
		
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I think like people, some animals can be more sensitive to a product. If your horse reacts stop using it, but myself and a lot of liveries always made up our own recipes without any problems. x


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## ester (23 April 2018)

The trouble is, with the oil heavy ones (an issue which is also discussed on the thread I linked) that it would be very easy to think your horse is fine with it, not at all sensitive and be using it liberally until the temperature ramps up unexpectedly.


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

little_critter said:



			That's a LOT of essential oils for that quantity of oil / water.
When I did an aromatherepy course years ago I was told you couldn't use anywhere near that quantity.
I don't know them off the top of my head but please check the safe concentrations of oils you can use.
		
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Reading other recipes on the internet, they are all the same sort of quantities to 2.5 litres of water. Even H&H article is the same but with less water, 2 litres. Are you sure you're remembering quantities correctly?


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## gerbera (23 April 2018)

ester said:



			The trouble is, with the oil heavy ones (an issue which is also discussed on the thread I linked) that it would be very easy to think your horse is fine with it, not at all sensitive and be using it liberally until the temperature ramps up unexpectedly.
		
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With 2.5 litres of water it is a fine mist, but you have to use your common sense. You will see a lot of recipes using 2 litres, but I use 2.5l. If I were to buy my oils from a chemist or health food shop, I would expect them to be quite potent, but from Ebay definitely not, which is maybe why my horses are happy with two sprays a day throughout the summer in the highest of temperatures and have not burned or had any reaction apart from the spray having the desired affect until it wears off.


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## ester (23 April 2018)

I wouldn't use what shop you buy from as a good guide for oil strength! Some of my best stuff comes off ebay . 

How fine the mist is surely depends on your sprayer? we have some truly rubbish sprayers at work


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## little_critter (23 April 2018)

gerbera said:



			Reading other recipes on the internet, they are all the same sort of quantities to 2.5 litres of water. Even H&H article is the same but with less water, 2 litres. Are you sure you're remembering quantities correctly?
		
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My bad - I've just done some googling and it seems those quantities are ok. I suppose I've never made up 2.5 litres of anything before so it sounded like a lot of oil.


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## Seville (23 April 2018)

Just bear in mind if it's so oil based, your horse will burn.


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