Ticks are a definite problem in summer. Not only can they carry disease, but they can hide on you and make their home drinking your blood for a long time.
The best thing to do is the most obvious and try to avoid them completely. This isn’t always possible, especially if you reside in the woods where they live.
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If you just go on the occasional outing into tick territory, here a few practical things you can do.
Here are some natural solutions you can use to either prevent ticks from being attracted to you, or to rid yourself of them if they do attach.
1. Essential Oils
Bugs in general really hate the smell of essential oils. Ticks will actually dislodge themselves from your skin if you put a few drops of essential oil on them and around the area where they are feeding.
Here are some good ones to use: eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, rose geranium, cinnamon, lemon, orange and cedar. Ticks also do not like neem oil.
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2. Consume Garlic
This may be in the form of non-smelly garlic pills or eating garlic cloves in your food. Ticks hate the smell and if you are a garlic lover, ticks may just stay away.
3. Put Clothes in the Dryer on High Heat
If you suspect you may have brought ticks into your home, put contaminated clothing in the clothes dryer for about 15 minutes to kill any ticks.
4. Do a Full Body Check
It’s always a good idea to check yourself, your kids, your pets and anyone else who has been in tick territory. If you live in the woods, make this a daily habit to make sure no ticks are lurking in your hair or anywhere else on your body.
If you are checking pets, it is best not to use essential oils on cats. And no pets should eat garlic. Check with your vet for the best way to keep your pets free and clear from ticks.
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