Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Easy DIY Natural TICK Repellent

Ticks are rampant in our area, especially this time of year.  Last summer our 4yr old Graycie was infected with the lyme bacteria from a tick bite.  That was some scary stuff.  You will know within a week or two if you've been infected with lyme. Graycie's body broke out in a bulls eye type rash...first it started with one bulls eye at the bite site, then it just spread.  And the rings got bigger each time I examined them.  She also had a vicious fever at night, on and off for more than a month...the fever only lasted for a few hours each night, but it had her whole body shaking, and sweating.  She would also yell in her sleep out of nowhere.  Yes, I understand most children talk in their sleep, but Graycie never had (and I know this because she has slept in bed with daddy and I since birth and still does ;)).  In the middle of the day, she would fall dead asleep on the couch for hours at a time, which is very unlike her.  We did the typical antibiotics as soon as we discovered what she had, but believe it or not, that treatment did nothing.  She was herself for a few months, then ALL the symptoms reoccurred, except for the bulls eye rash.  We decided to seek further help and sought out a holistic doctor.  After he did his testing on her, he confirmed what we already knew...the bacteria was still present in her system.  That was November. He gave a remedy to rid her body of the bacteria, which is very interesting how it works for those of you don't know anything about healing holistically.  Our bodies have been created with the capability to heal IF it has the right nutrients, for the lack of a better word, to pull from.  Her body was lacking in several, so his remedy included those.  Along with the herbal remedy we since then have had hands laid on her and had her prayed over by friends from church.  I believe, without a doubt, she has been healed!  She has not had anymore symptoms since November and has truly been herself.  We did what we could in our power by seeking out help for her physically, but ultimately... Praise God for His healing touch!  
So...this spring I want to do what I can to PREVENT anymore tick bites.  We have always done the usual check at shower time every night, but I wanted to find a way to keep those nasty disease carrying varmints off my kids!!!!  
***You really should do a daily check of yourself and your family...I have read on several different websites it takes atleast 24 hours for the tick to transmit any bacteria.  The daily checks will prevent many infectious bites for sure!  Unfortunately with Graycie, the tick that bit her was sooooo tiny I had missed it.  I still remember pulling it off.****
Enter, the tick repellent!  Herbs are powerful if used correctly.  They are God's way of helping us!  
Eucalyptus is a proven insecticide
Lavender is a sweet smelling oil that repels ticks and prevents tick eggs from hatching
Peppermint oil's strong, clear smell deters the pests
I'll take that over DEET any day!!!
TICK REPELLENT RECIPE
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
20 drops Eucalyptus EO
20 drops Lavender EO
15 drops Peppermint EO
Make sure you give it a good shake before you spray it!!  Apply to feet, ankles, wrists and neck if you want.  You will have a sour vinegar smell, BUT I WILL TAKE THAT ANY DAY OVER ANOTHER BACTERIA INFESTED TICK BITE!!
I couldn't resist posting this picture...he was supposed to be covering his face, but as soon as that cold spray hit him he let loose!! :)

8 comments:

  1. Excellent post. I'm trying Rose Geranium Oil this year on our dogs, cat and ourselves because between the 5 of us we must bring in at least a half dozen ticks each night after being outside all day. I am going to write down your recipe as well. Thanks for sharing! I would love for you to also share this at my From the Farm Blog Hop - going on now! http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/05/from-farm-blog-hop-34.html

    Lisa
    Fresh Eggs Daily
    www.fresh-eggs-daily.com

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    1. Thanks Lisa! I would be happy to add this to your Farm Blog Hop! I appreciate you letting me know about it!!
      Chris

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  2. Thanks so much for posting this! The tree farm where the dogs and I used to run is no longer in operation so it is locked up solid. Consequently the dogs and I need to find a good place to run. I like taking them on trails because it is better on all of our old joints. ;)

    However that means that our risk of having a tick latch on to us increases immensely. I am going to make up a batch for me in the spray and a batch that I will saturate reusable cloths for them as they are afraid of spray bottles. I have a feeling their previous owners used a spray bottle as punishments so using the wipes is my only and best solution.

    I have a flea repelling oil that I made for them that includes the EOs in your recipe in addition to Cedarwood, Citronella (both of those are good for repelling mosquitoes), Lemongrass (when combined with the Lavender is great for Heartworm prevention), Clary Sage and Lemon mixed with Olive oil.

    I use it once a month and it has been working great. Now that flea season is really upon us, I am thinking that I will have to increase it to twice a month.

    Many thanks again for this great recipe especially since it contains the EOs that most people can find easily or probably already have! :)

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    1. Thanks Shauna for the info on repelling fleas and especially the heartworm prevention! I'm going to make some for our dogs!! Glad you enjoyed the post :)
      Chris

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  3. I wonder if this works as a general bug repellent too? My SIL always struggles to find something that will work - she gets eaten up!!

    I found a tick on Kaylee's head the other night. It was a larger one and I'm not certain how long it was there. But I did not like that!

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    1. Hey you! Whenever we head outside I squirt it on all of us and honestly, no one complains about any bugs biting. The only bites we end up with are ants around our feet and hands from weeding! And the smell is not as bad as you would think with the vinegar...the mix of it with the essential oils is actually quite pleasant (or maybe I'm just used to it!!)
      Yeah, make sure you do a daily tick check. It's the small ones that transmit the bacteria, I don't think you have to worry about the big ones as much. But the problem with the teeny tiny ones is you usually miss them because you literally can't see them. They. are. so. small.

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  4. Would this work just as a general bug repellant? My SIL always gets bitten terribly and seems to always be searching for something that will work.

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  5. Sandalwood is a good general bug repellent.

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