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Make your own or look for these blends at local businesses. They work great for me!!
We find the essential oils most commonly promoted as tick repellents include eucalyptus, lavender,lemongrass, lemon, geranium, palmarosa, pennyroyal and cedarwood.
Let’s take a look at each one and how they can assist.
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus makes a great repellant, but you must use caution around pets. Try pairing it with citronella, or using Eucalyptus-Lemon essential oil. As always, if you are using it directly on the skin, ensure you are diluting with a carrier oil. This oil is safe to use in lotions or in a spray with water.
Lavender Lavender is an all-purpose insect repellent. In recent studies, lavender essential oil has performed well as both a tick deterrent, as well as a method of preventing tick eggs from hatching.
Lavender is safe to use on all ages, including babies. Make sure you are using a pure essential oil and not a fragrant or adulterated oil. Use topically on your body, on clothing, on camp gear, rugs, etc.
Lemongrass Lemongrass is considered a natural tick repellent. This oil is safe to use to use in soaps, shampoos and lotions. If you are applying directly to the skin, ensure you mix it with a carrier oil.
Lemon Sprinkle lemon essential oil around the home and on your person, including under cushions and under pet beds, but similar to Pennyroyal, don’t add directly to pet fur. The oil is safe to use in diluted form for sprays and in lotions and soaps, but it may make the skin more vulnerable to UV rays, as lemon oil is photo-toxic.
Geranium Geranium has been used as an extremely potent repellent for ticks. Geranium can be applied directly to you or your dog’s collar.
Pennyroyal Pennyroyal is a member of the mint family.
To use, sprinkle pennyroyal essential oil under cushions, rugs and pet beds in the home. Caution must be taken when using this oil, as it is not safe to add to skin lotions and creams. Do not use on pet fur.
Cedarwood Cedarwood essential oil is toxic to ticks, making it a great repellant. It is safe to use on people and pets. Cedarwood oil kills ticks in 6 different ways: death by dehydration, neutralization of bodily fluids, encapsulation and/or emulsification of bodily fats, prevention of breathing, pheromonal interference that interrupts processes necessary to metabolism, movement, reproduction and feeding, and dissolving insect larvae. Cedarwood is definitely a top choice to protect yourself against ticks.
Blends Here are some of our favourite blends to repel and/or kill ticks.
Tick Repellant №1
· 1 cup of water
· 10 drops geranium essential oil
· 5 drops cedarwood essential oil
· 3 drops lavender essential oil
· 3 drops lemongrass essential oil
1. Fill your spray bottle with 1 cup of water. Add essential oils, put top on bottle and shake
Shake the bottle before each use and spray it on your clothes, skins and shoes. The scent will keep ticks away. Use it each time you go outside or into heavily wooded areas.
Tick Repellant №2
· 1/2 cup of water
· 20 drops lemongrass essential oil
· 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
1. Fill your spray bottle with 1/2 cup of water 2. Add essential oils, put the top on the bottle and shake.
The directions are always pretty much the same
Tick Repellant №3
· 1/2 cup white vinegar
· 1/3 cup water
· 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
· 20 drops lemongrass essential oil
· 10 drops citronella essential oil
· 10 drops lavender essential oil
1. Add vinegar and water to spray bottle.2. Add the essential oils, put the top on and shake.
Again — shake the bottle before each use and spray it on your clothes, skins and shoes. The scent will keep ticks away. Use it each time you go outside or into heavily wooded areas.
Tick Repellant №4
· 1/2 cup witch hazel
· 24 drops lavender essential oil
· 24 drops geranium essential oil
1. Add witch hazel to spray bottle. 2. Add essential oils, put top on the bottle and shake.
Shake the bottle before each use and spray it on your clothes, skins and shoes.
These blends are safe for adults, kids and pets.
If you or anyone in your family are bitten by a tick, seek medical attention immediately.
If are not using a blend, and plan to put the essential oil onto your skin, ensure you dilute the oil with a suitable carrier oil such as Grapeseed or Apricot Kernel.
Copyright www.serenityaroma.ca © 2017, All rights Reserved.
Marian Simone, Certified Clinical Aromatologist with the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists, and President of Serenity Aroma which offers pure essential oils, blends and carrier oils. Marian Grande 2017
