Natural Homemade Tick Repellent Spray 
Just a few weeks ago they found ticks in Connecticut (where I live) that carry the Powassan virus, which is worse than Lyme disease…..as if I wasn’t already scared enough of ticks because of Lyme disease! Lyme disease was first discovered in the town Lyme, Connecticut. I know many people in my state have been infected by Lyme disease. So, ticks are a big concern here. I try to do everything I can to avoid ticks as much as possible and that includes using this natural homemade tick repellent.
I’ve been researching everything about what can repel ticks and is safe to use, without the concern of using toxic chemicals. So, I found a list of essential oils that are most effective in repelling ticks and I combined the top 4 to make a spray I could easily spray on my clothes to keep ticks away.
Ticks are so scary it’s easy to opt for buying chemical repellents like permethrin. But, this mixture using potent essential oils can also be effective at keeping them away from you!
Many ticks are found in wooded areas, tall grass, shrubs, and even in your lawn. Ticks like to hide in places, that have significant moisture and are out of direct sunlight. Trying to avoid these places can help prevent tick bites. Many also recommend putting cedarwood chips down around all areas in your yard that you want to keep tick free. The cedar helps keep ticks away. Another great way to keep ticks out of your yard, is to have chickens, they eat many every day!
Some people seem to be more susceptible to attracting ticks, just like mosquitoes, and I think I happen to be one of these people. I have family members that go out in the woods and never get a tick, but I just go out in my backyard and find one walking on my clothing. Some hypothesize that it’s due to your scent. If you’re sweating more, emit more ammonia, or breathe more heavily with higher amounts of carbon dioxide, you may attract more ticks. Some people also emit more chemicals than others and this makes them more like a tick magnet than others. Other influencing factors are; your age, sex, certain times during a menstrual cycle, and the amount of bacterial flora on the skin.
Ticks are attracted to human and animal scents so by masking the scent we naturally give off and using essential oils with strong scents this can deter ticks and is one of the best ways to keep them from coming on to you or your clothing.
The most important ingredients in this homemade tick repellent are the rose geranium oil and cedar wood oil. These two oils are the most effective in repelling ticks.
You could also use this repellent to spray on your skin, such as feet and legs, but when I do this, I cut the amounts for the essential oils listed below in half. That way it is less potent and easier on your skin.
–Spray bottle
-About a cup of water
-10 drops rose geranium oil
-5 drops cedarwood oil
-2 to 3 drops lavender oil
-2 to 3 drops lemongrass oil
*The most important to repel the ticks are rose geranium and cedarwood, so if you don’t have lavender or lemongrass, you can skip those oils.
1. Fill your spray bottle with water. If you have a smaller spray bottle, like a travel size, just cut the amounts in half.
2. Add the essential oils, put the top on the bottle and shake. It’s ready to use.
To Apply It: Just shake the bottle before each use and spray it on your clothes and shoes. The scent will keep ticks away.
**Spray it on your clothes each time you go out in any areas that may have ticks.
Do you have to worry about ticks where you live?
Just a few weeks ago they found ticks in Connecticut (where I live) that carry the Powassan virus, which is worse than Lyme disease…..as if I wasn’t already scared enough of ticks because of Lyme disease! Lyme disease was first discovered in the town Lyme, Connecticut. I know many people in my state have been infected by Lyme disease. So, ticks are a big concern here. I try to do everything I can to avoid ticks as much as possible and that includes using this natural homemade tick repellent.
I’ve been researching everything about what can repel ticks and is safe to use, without the concern of using toxic chemicals. So, I found a list of essential oils that are most effective in repelling ticks and I combined the top 4 to make a spray I could easily spray on my clothes to keep ticks away.
Ticks are so scary it’s easy to opt for buying chemical repellents like permethrin. But, this mixture using potent essential oils can also be effective at keeping them away from you!
Most Dangerous Areas for Ticks:
Many ticks are found in wooded areas, tall grass, shrubs, and even in your lawn. Ticks like to hide in places, that have significant moisture and are out of direct sunlight. Trying to avoid these places can help prevent tick bites. Many also recommend putting cedarwood chips down around all areas in your yard that you want to keep tick free. The cedar helps keep ticks away. Another great way to keep ticks out of your yard, is to have chickens, they eat many every day!
Some people seem to be more susceptible to attracting ticks, just like mosquitoes, and I think I happen to be one of these people. I have family members that go out in the woods and never get a tick, but I just go out in my backyard and find one walking on my clothing. Some hypothesize that it’s due to your scent. If you’re sweating more, emit more ammonia, or breathe more heavily with higher amounts of carbon dioxide, you may attract more ticks. Some people also emit more chemicals than others and this makes them more like a tick magnet than others. Other influencing factors are; your age, sex, certain times during a menstrual cycle, and the amount of bacterial flora on the skin.
How this Mixture Repels Ticks
Ticks are attracted to human and animal scents so by masking the scent we naturally give off and using essential oils with strong scents this can deter ticks and is one of the best ways to keep them from coming on to you or your clothing.
The most important ingredients in this homemade tick repellent are the rose geranium oil and cedar wood oil. These two oils are the most effective in repelling ticks.
How to Make a Homemade Tick Repellent Spray for Clothes:
You could also use this repellent to spray on your skin, such as feet and legs, but when I do this, I cut the amounts for the essential oils listed below in half. That way it is less potent and easier on your skin.
What you need:
–Spray bottle
-About a cup of water
-10 drops rose geranium oil
-5 drops cedarwood oil
-2 to 3 drops lavender oil
-2 to 3 drops lemongrass oil
*The most important to repel the ticks are rose geranium and cedarwood, so if you don’t have lavender or lemongrass, you can skip those oils.
Directions:
1. Fill your spray bottle with water. If you have a smaller spray bottle, like a travel size, just cut the amounts in half.
2. Add the essential oils, put the top on the bottle and shake. It’s ready to use.
To Apply It: Just shake the bottle before each use and spray it on your clothes and shoes. The scent will keep ticks away.
**Spray it on your clothes each time you go out in any areas that may have ticks.
Do you have to worry about ticks where you live?
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