Homemade All-Natural Tick Repellent
We are big fans of warm weather, in fact several members of our family live for it. That being said, there are certain realities that come with the joys of being outside and one of them is no joke: Ticks. Fortunately there are homemade all-natural tick repellent options out there for those of you who don’t want to lather up in dangerous chemicals.
With so many options out there (just Google it to see what I mean!) it can be intimidating when trying to figure out the best recipe. Plus, if you’re looking to protect your pets as well- you’ll have even more work cut out for you. Not to worry. Over the coming months we’ll explore (and experiment with) different versions of repellent out there so you won’t have to wonder as much.
The first recipe we found is as follows (Thanks Mommypotamus!)
Ingredients for Water-based Recipe
- 2 oz. apple cider vinegar, or vodka
- 2 oz. water
- 20-40 drops of either geranium bourbon essential oil, citronella essential oil, lemon eucalyptus essential oil, or catnip essential oil (Or a mixture of any of these essential oils as long as the total amount used is 20-40 drops. They say catnip doesn’t smell all that great)
- Optional – 1/2 teaspoon glycerin to help the scent last longer
- Spray bottle (glass or PET plastic- safe, so the oils don’t leach chemicals from the plastic!)
Make it
First add your geranium oil to the apple cider vinegar (or vodka). If you have castile soap, add a squirt in and let it sit a minute before stirring. Add the water and pour it in to your spray bottle. To use, spray well and apply to your skin and clothes before going outside.
If you visit Mommypotamus, you’ll see there are other versions of this great recipe- both an oil based and a lotion based version. Very simple to make!! The question really is how effective it is. We’ll update this post in a few weeks once we’ve had some good use of this one. Good luck out there!
Now that it’s Spring aka Garden time- your hands probably need some help:
