Two Natural Fixes for Warm-Weather Health Hassles

If you feel like a mosquito magnet each time you step outside, take heart: there's a quick fix that University of Wisconsin researchers say works as well as many DEET-containing repellents. Mix 2 drops of clove essential oil into 2 tsp. of your favorite unscented lotion and apply to bite-prone areas like your ankles, wrists and neck. While the warm, sweet scent is pleasant to us, it repels mosquitoes for hours. Or plant catnip: a member of the mint family, catnip contains an oil called nepetalactone that repels 50 percent more mosquitoes than DEET, according to research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Strappy summer sandals and flip-flops will stay as comfortable as they are cute if you give your feet a spritz of aerosol antiperspirant each morning. UCLA researchers say antiperspirant reduces moisture production in the feet, cutting your risk of sweat-triggered blisters in half.