Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Dog (and Human) Tick Repellant ~

Yesterday I pulled a tick off of one of my daughter's necks.  I first used the dawn soap and cotton ball method, but it didn't release the tick.  Later in the day we found another tick on the couch.  The dogs will be getting a good shampoo scrub, then will be rubbed with this oil we make.  Ticks are very bad this year already.

I found this recipe in a copy of The Herb Quarterly several years ago. I lost it, then ordered a back issue of the magazine.

Tick-Repelling Oil

(for adults, dogs, and children older than 5 - otherwise they recommend using a gentle rose geranium hydrosol)

2 oz. jojoba oil
20 drops geranium essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients, place in small bottle and label. To use: Before going outdoors, apply this oil to any exposed skin. For dogs, place a few drops on your hands and then gently smooth the oil over the coat. If you prefer spray, substitute 2 oz. of distilled water for the jojoba oil, and place all ingredients in a small spray bottle. Spritz over your hair, clothing and skin. Repeat as necessary. (From The Herb Quarterly Magazine, Summer 2009).

I do recommend organic oils. So far, this is working for us and for the dogs. I'm not sure if you can use it on other animals, but wanted to share. There is a concern for using it on young children, but you could research it for other animals. 


My son is constantly picking up ticks on his legs when he walks the dogs around the 6 acres here. He just rubs some on his legs and arms to prevent them from attaching.  It's a nice way to repel ticks naturally. 

Note:  It was recommended by my Herbalist to never store your oils in the refrigerator.  She recommended storing them in a cool/dry place.  There is too much moisture in the refrigerator.

5 comments:

GrannyAnnie said...

Do you know if this works on fleas, too? Both are coming out this year early and with a vengeance! Over the weekend I used a blend of rice bran oil, soybean oil and lavender EO and it repelled the mosquitoes great, but I still got ticks. What we especially need is something large scale for the yard.

Good to know that about not storing the oils in the fridge and why. I do keep mine in a cool, dark place (not the fridge), but never thought about the fridge being too moist. Some of them are too hard to use if they get that cold, like Star Anise, it freezes between 55 and 60°F.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

No it doesn't work that well for fleas. However, I am on the hunt for a shampoo recipe that will work. Right now we are using a shampoo from Amish Essentials: http://www.amishcountryessentials.com/pretty-pooch-products.html

It's expensive, but is natural. The bar soap works better for short hair dogs.

GrannyAnnie said...

I make a bar soap that does work good against fleas. I use a basic lye soap recipe and add in a pulverized lemon (peel and all) and a little lemon essential oil. It works well on my cats and dogs. But I am looking for something to use in between baths. My dream is to come up with something natural that works like frontline (just a spot on them that will work for days/weeks). But for now, I would settle for a good, natural spray. Thanks for replying so quickly!

Unknown said...

Glad I don't have those!

Sam I Am...... said...

Ticks are plentiful down here and several different varieties too! I hate them and they love me. I put Advantix on my dogs but that doesn't help me! I spray tic repellant with deet on myself before going out and a take bath when I come back in if I've been mowing or in the amongst the trees or bushes. Terminex puts some granules out to keep them out of the yard otherwise I can't even hang my clothes out. I hate to use chemicals but getting tick bites is dangerous too. You can get lyme disease or tick fever too and neither are good. I'll have to try yours. It sounds good although I've tried other "natural" repellants and they've not worked in the past but sounds like this one does. Thanks!