Which Essential Oils Are Good Tick Repellents?

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Ticks seem to be pretty bad this year.  In fact, I've found four ticks on me earlier this year and my son got a couple ticks on him just walking to the neighbor's house.  So, I decided to create a natural tick repellent spray for us to use daily (even our dogs) this season. 

Most people are aware that ticks can carry Lyme disease, but there are many co-infections of Lyme disease that are also carried by ticks. 

In fact, ​according to the CDC 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported every year, but they estimate over 300,000 illnesses actually occur each year and don't get reported. This number doesn't even include the many co-infections of Lyme disease. 

The standard test for Lyme disease isn't very effective as it can give a lot of false negatives because it measures the antibodies not the actual bacteria.

The rate of Lyme disease is increasing and there is now an argument that it may be carried by other insects including mosquitoes and fleas.  The good news is that some essential oils can repel ticks and mosquitoes.  

So what are these essential oils that work so well?  The oils I have found to be the most effective for our family and pets is a blend of Cedarwood, Lavender, Lemongrass, Citronella, Peppermint, Geranium, Oregano, Thyme and Clove bud.

Follow the recipe to create your own all natural essential oil blend.  I choose to use Young Living Essential oils due to their strong therapeutic concentration. 

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How To Make All Natural Tick Repellent Spray
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• Carrier oil - I use Hemp Seed Oil or Coconut Oil but Neem Oil will also work well. 

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• Cedarwood - very toxic to ticks so it works as a repellent and a killer. ​

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• Lavender - a great all-purpose insect repellent and has been shown in studies to keep tick eggs from hatching.

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• Lemongrass - insect repellent in the same family as Citronella

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• ​Citronella - citrus scent so it has a pleasant smell but repels insects

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• ​Peppermint - The smell of peppermint repels ticks

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• Geranium - A study showed Geranium is as effective as DEET. (Source)  

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• ​Oregano - A study showed oregano can kill ticks in a short period of time (Source)

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• Thyme - Effective tick repellent

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• Clove - Very efficient tick repellent (be cautious when using on animals)

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"Clove bud, creeping thyme and red thyme essential oils were the most efficient - repelling 83, 82 and 68% of ticks when diluted to 3%, respectively." (Source)

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Use an 8 oz spray bottle and pour 1/2 cup carrier oil and a 1/2 cup water into the spray bottle. (If you use coconut oil you won't be able to put it in a spray bottle, but rather rub it on and don't dilute with water).

Mix 8-10 drops of each oil listed above.  

Shake well before each use and spray on body and clothes. 

A research study showed the effectiveness of blending various oils together to create more effective results especially thyme and citronella.

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"The mixture of creeping thyme and citronella containing 1.5% of each showed higher repellency (91%) than individual essential oils at the concentration of 3%."(Source)

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In order to get desired results, I recommend using high quality therapeutic essential oils. Eucalyptus essential oil is also a very good tick repellent but needs to be used with caution for pets.