Tick
Ticks can be harmful creatures, as they inhabit our homes and lawns, feed off blood and can in some cases cause disease or other infection. While there are several retail products that repel ticks, these items can be expensive, and many times are priced too high for our budgets. Instead, consider making your own homemade tick repellent from inexpensive ingredients.
Rose Geranium essential oil
I dug deep in my herbal formula for this recipe out of desperation, given that I live in the epicenter of the tick-generated Lyme disease epidemic. I tested the essential oil that is recommended for ticks, Rose Geranium, by putting a few drops no more! on our dogs’ collars, to see if it would repel ticks. Lo and behold, we went from 20 ticks a day on each dog, to none.
Two tablespoons of vegetable or nut oil almond oil contains sulfur, a repellent in its own right. 10 to 25 drops of Rose Geranium essential oil. Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend. Makes 2 tablespoons. Shelf life: six months. Dab a few drops on skin or clothing, making sure to avoid eyes.
Palmerosa is a sister essential oil to Rose Geranium, and it also repels ticks. It is cheaper, and sometimes easier to find, than Rose Geranium. Another good repellent that also worked on our dogs is feeding them garlic pills on a daily basis.
Vanilla
One of the best natural insect repellants that I’ve discovered is made from the clear real vanilla (not the grocery store vanilla extract which is mostly alcohol). This is the pure vanilla that is sold in Mexico. It’s cheap there if you know of someone that lives there or in the US close to the border. If not, health food stores usually carry it or can order it for you. I use it half vanilla and half water and find that it works great for mosquitoes (mosquito repellent) and ticks (tick repellent), don’t know about other insects. It’s nice that you don’t smell like a chemical plant but a cookie! I cannot use chemical insecticides, so I love the way this works and I hope you and your kids will also.
Citrus
Citrus scents also ward off ticks, and a citrus tick repellent can be easily made for just a few dollars. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, then add a few sliced citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits–any combination will do). Let boil for one minute, then simmer on low heat for an hour. Take out the sliced fruits, and pour the remaining mixture through a strainer. Pour into a spray bottle, and spray directly onto clothing, pets and lawn. The acidic scent of citrus fruits work to repel both ticks (tick repellent) and fleas (fleas repellent), keeping your family free of these blood-sucking insects.
Peppermint
Peppermint also natural tick repellent and flea repellent, and a spray-on repellent can be made for just a few dollars. In a spray bottle, add 2 cups water and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil. Spray onto clothing, pets and around the lawn to keep ticks and fleas at bay. Alternately, crush a few peppermints and sprinkle throughout the lawn, or brew a pot of peppermint tea, strain into a spray bottle and use this as a spray-on repellent as well.
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