How would you like to learn about natural tick repellent for you and your pets? If you’re like me, you consider your pets part of your family.
Today, you’ll learn effective tick repellent solutions to combat ticks and prevent infectious diseases these parasites can cause you and your beloved pets!
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Natural Tick Repellent | Protect You and Your Pets From Ticks
All-Natural Tick Repellents for Humans
It’s so important to keep ticks under control, and the best way to do that is to prevent them from latching on in the first place.
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 areas that are out of direct sunlight. Avoid these areas to help prevent being bitten by ticks.
Just in case you do end up with a tick on you, you should learn how to remove a tick safely. Using these natural tick repellents below will make you safer and protected.
Tick Repellent for Your Clothes
This insect repellent is applied to your clothes instead of your skin. It will stop fleas and ticks in their tracks before they even have a chance to latch on to you.
As a bonus, you won’t have to worry about any sticky residue on your skin. Check out the recipe below and learn how to make your own tick spray.
Recipe 1:
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle (for mixing water with essential oil)
- 1 cup of water
- 10 drops of rose geranium oil
- 5 drops of cedarwood oil
- 2 to 3 drops of lavender oil
- 2 to 3 drops of lemongrass oil
Instructions:
- Fill a spray bottle with 1 cup of water.
- Add the essential oils and shake well.
- Shake well before each use and spray it on your clothes and shoes.
The scent caused by the active ingredients will keep ticks away and act as a natural insect repellent.
Recipe 2:
Here’s one more tick repellent you can apply to your clothes to keep those creepy crawlers off of you.
What you’ll need:
- Spray bottle
- 20 drops of rose geranium oil
- 10 drops of sweetgrass oil
- 5 drops of lavender oil
- 5 drops of citronella or lemon oil
- 4 oz of rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, vodka, apple cider vinegar, or distilled water
Instruction:
- Add all of the ingredients into the spray bottle, shake well, and spray on clothes before going outdoors.
Tick Repellent for Your Clothes, Skin, and Hair
This all-natural tick repellent will work on any part of your body, clothes, or hair. The peppermint oil also gives it a great aroma.
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle
- 2 cups of distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 20 drops of peppermint oil
Instructions:
- Fill a spray bottle with all the ingredients and shake well.
- Spray this mixture onto your clothes, hair, and skin before going outdoors.
If you are going to be outside most of the day, reapply every 4 hours.
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All-Natural Tick Repellents for Your Pets
Our pets give us companionship, comfort, and sometimes even help with certain tasks like hunting and herding that are essential for a survival or homestead lifestyle.
It’s so important to protect your pets from parasites, which at best will make them itchy and uncomfortable, and at worst infect them with harmful and sometimes deadly diseases.
Summer is the worst time of year for flea and tick infestations, and our pets seem to be the ones who are affected the most. Ticks love to burrow under their hair and attach to the skin in dark, damp areas such as the elbows and groin.
You should check your pets for ticks daily, especially after taking them for a walk, hike, or swim. These natural tick repellents below will also help protect them from an infestation.
Natural Tick Repellent for Dogs
If you have outside dogs, it’s very important to keep them protected from fleas. But even if your pooch only goes outside for an hour or two a day, you’d be amazed how quickly ticks can latch on.
This natural tick repellent for dogs will keep Fido safe and tick-free.
What you’ll need:
- Spray bottle
- 1 cup of water
- 2 cups of white distilled vinegar
- 2 tsp of almond or vegetable oil
Instructions:
- Add all of the ingredients into the spray bottle and shake well.
- Spray the mixture on your pet’s dry coat. It is important to keep the repellent away from sensitive areas like the nose, eyes, genitals, and mouth.
When your pet is outdoors for extended periods, you should spray the solution about 2 to 3 times every day. On the other hand, if your pet is only outdoors for potty breaks, you should spray the solution just once every day.
Tip: If you want to make a repellent that can also repel fleas, add 1 tsp of citrus oil, lemon juice, or peppermint oil.
Natural Tick Repellent for Cats
Most cats aren’t at as much of a risk for tick infestation due to spending most of their time inside. Still, it’s very important to protect them as well, since ticks can find their way inside from time to time.
Obviously, if you have an outdoor cat, it’s even more important. Here’s our recipe for natural tick repellent for cats.
What you’ll need:
- 2 cups raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp of dried organic neem leaf
- 1 tbsp of dried organic catnip
- 1 tbsp of dried organic lavender
- 1 tbsp of dried organic peppermint leaf
- 1 tbsp organic pure aloe vera gel (optional, but helps with skin and hair health)
- Mason jar
- Distilled water
Instructions:
- Combine apple cider vinegar and herbs in a mason jar and steep for 1 to 2 weeks, shaking daily to combine.
- Strain with a cheesecloth or coffee filter before keeping it in a glass mason jar for use.
- In an 8 oz. spray bottle, combine 1/2 cup herbal infused apple cider vinegar, aloe vera gel, and distilled water to fill.
- Spray onto cat while grooming.
- Allow to dry completely and do not rinse off.
Aside from these natural tick repellents, there are other things you can do to avoid tick bites. Here are some additional tips.
How to Avoid Tick Bites
- Wear pantyhose underpants (yes, even guys too!).
- Don’t walk in high grassy areas.
- Keep your grass cut.
- Don’t sit on logs. If you sit on a log for only five minutes, you raise your chance of getting bitten by 30%.
- Wear hats when walking in the woods.
- Wear tight braids, ponytails, or buns.
- Put on clothing that covers the skin and has elastic on the wrist and ankles.
- Wear boots or shoes that can be tightened at the ankles.
- Tuck your pants into your socks.
- Always walk in the center of trails when taking nature walks.
- Shower within two hours of coming indoors. (I personally shower immediately after being outdoors. Showering immediately also helps to prevent chigger bites.)
- Inspect your clothes and body, especially: under the arms, around the ears, inside the belly button, back of knees, and in your hair.
Watch this video by RealtreeOutdoors on how to make your own tick repellent:
Ticks can transfer bacteria and can cause diseases such as Lyme disease and tick-borne diseases. Protecting ourselves and our pets against these blood-sucking pests is a must.
These natural tick repellent solutions scare ticks away as well as serve as a bug and mosquito repellent.
Do you have any tips on how to avoid ticks? Let us know in the comments section below!
Up Next:
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 19, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
