You know ticks are bad news, but not just for pets. They cause a number of human diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Q fever. After all, they are just as happy sucking people as they are dogs. That’s why you need to be protected on walks. But chemical DEET-based repellents don’t work especially well and there is growing concern over the use of chemicals by both adults and kids. So what options do you have? Let’s take a look at the best natural tick repellent for humans, natural tick killer for dogs and natural tick repellents plants to buy today.

Natural Tick Repellent

In a large plastic drinking cup, add

In a large plastic drinking cup, add:

• 1 teaspoon cedarwood essential oil
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• A few drops of lemon essential oil (or peppermint or eucalyptus)

Mix well until the mixture is uniform and can be spread on skin.

1 cup of water

In a small bowl, mix the following:

• 1 cup of water (distilled or tap)
• ½ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
• 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

1/2 cup of vinegar (white distilled or apple cider)

Vinegar is the most important ingredient in this recipe. It creates an acidic environment that ticks and other insects don’t like. Vinegar also has natural disinfectant, cleaner, and weed killer properties.

This recipe can be made with any vinegar – white distilled or apple cider work well.

10 drops of lavender essential oil

Lavender essential oil may be moderately effective as a repellent against adult ticks. However, it is not a potent repellent against larvae or nymph ticks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lavender oil has been tested in one small study on human volunteers and found to be moderately effective at repelling ticks for up to 3 hours after application.

5 drops of lemon essential oil

Essential oils are natural, concentrated liquids derived from plants. They have a variety of uses, such as aromatherapy and topical application.

Essential oils are frequently diluted in carrier oils like coconut oil or jojoba oil to make them less potent. Carrier oils help to moisturize the skin and keep essential oils from irritating it.

If you want to use an essential oil in cooking or cleaning, be sure you’re using one that is safe for human consumption (eucalyptus and thyme aren’t).

5 drops of cedarwood essential oil

5 drops of cedarwood essential oil

Mix the coconut oil and all ingredients in a small jar or container. Use this mixture as a tick repellent by applying 10-15 drops on your skin when going outside. Ticks will stay away from your body for hours!

Mix and use as you would any spray on tick repellent. We used it on our kids for our week long camping trip and had no issues with ticks. I even used it as bug spray for other insects.

Mix and use as you would any spray on tick repellent. We used it on our kids for our week long camping trip and had no issues with ticks. I even used it as bug spray for other insects.

The combination of ingredients is effective against ticks, but also works well against mosquitoes and other flying insects too! The best part is that this solution can be used inside or outside the house. It should be stored in a glass jar with an airtight lid out of direct sunlight or heat sources such as radiators/heaters, etc., that could make the oil more viscous (thick) than it should be when applied to skin. Mixing up a batch before each use ensures your homemade alternative will always remain fresh!