D ear Heloise: Here’s how to deter mosquitoes and moisturize your skin at the same time: coconut oil. Living in South Louisiana, where the mosquito is considered the state bird, I pay attention to any way I can become less appetizing. One suggestion was coconut-scented soap, because they are supposedly repelled by this scent.
I chose to be more aggressive by covering all of my exposed body and face parts with the coconut oil I use for cooking. Now I can grill after dusk or even take an evening walk. No bites, plus a cheap, organic moisturizer that is quickly absorbed into the skin, with no need to wash off! My previous use for this oil was to rub it over fork-pierced sweet potatoes that were baked at 400 F for an hour.
(Excess oil on my hand was massaged into my husband’s dry arms and legs.) Slice open the potatoes, scoop it out, and add to a bowl with one pat of butter per potato, plus salt. Whip this into mashed sweet potatoes.
Keep it simple! — Kathleen Bierman, via email Dear Heloise: I’m writing in response to “Desperate Debbie,” who mentioned bleach spots on her favorite top. I simply find a magic marker that is the same color of the damaged item and dab it over the bleach spot. Permanent markers work best and will last for a couple of washings.
Of course, if the clothing item is an odd color, this won’t work. I have done this for years and have saved some of my favorite clothes this way. With regular markers, you may have to redo the process every time yo.