10 Best Essential Oils for Ticks

It is important to do something to protect your family from ticks and fleas, but it is not a great idea to use harmful chemicals to achieve the goal. A better way is to use essential oils. You can find many types of botanical oils that you can apply on your skin to repel ticks and fleas. Other types of oils work effectively when sprayed directly under rugs or on clothing. While essential oils are effective, you need to practice care when using around pregnant women and children.

Essential Oils for Ticks

It is true that essential oils offer many benefits, but you need to understand that they may not provide long-lasting protection against ticks, fleas, etc. they certainly cannot compete with chemicals like DEET when it comes to protecting yourself against insects, but they are less dangerous as compared to most chemicals.

1. Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender has a sweet smell and works great to repel most insects including ticks. Not only does it keep ticks out of your house but it also works great to keep tick eggs from hatching.

You can use lavender in lotions, soaps, potpourris, spray repellents, and under rugs/cushions. Some studies have found that formulas containing properly diluted lavender at rates of 10-20% may work better as a tick repellant as compared to artificial DEET sprays.

2. Pennyroyal Essential Oil

It belongs to the mint family and is an effective flea repellant. You can also rely on it to repel ticks. Be sure to sprinkle it under your rugs, cushions, and pet beds. Keep in mind that it is not safe to apply pennyroyal oil directly on your skin – you should also avoid applying it on pet fur. If you are using potpourri formulas, you can make them much more effective by adding both pennyroyal essential oil and dried pennyroyal leaves to them.

3. Lemongrass Essential Oil

Lemongrass is one of the most effective essential oils for ticks and fleas. Obtained from tropical lemongrass plant, it repels ticks and fleas like no other oil. You can also use a related species called citronella grass to repel fleas in particular. It is a good idea to keep lemongrass essential oil in home because it helps repel insects and also works amazingly well to treat certain skin conditions.

4. Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Studies show that eucalyptus oil serves great as a flea and tick repellent. Obtained from a variety of trees of the Australian eucalyptus species, the oil becomes even more effective when mixed with citronella oil. You can include it in sprays or lotions and apply directly on your skin. You may have to practice some care though when using it around your pets.

5. Lemon Essential Oil

Several formulas for natural bug control include lemon essential oil mainly because of the presence of a compound called limolene. The compound is extremely effective against the fleas and ticks. You can sprinkle it around your home, especially under pet beds, cushions, and in potpourri bowls. You should not apply it directly on pet fur though. It is also a good idea to use it after diluting it properly. You can include it in lotions, sprays, and soaps after dilution.

6. Rose Geranium Oil

Also called pelargonium graveolens, rose geranium oil is also on the list of essential oils for ticks. With its amazing scent that is a great mix of lemon, roses, and a hint of apple, it works quite well to repel ticks. It has antibacterial properties that make it beneficial for eliminating infections.

7. Tansy Oil

Tansy oil has the ability to kill or at least repel ticks. Several studies have found tansy oil to be up to 72% effective in repelling ticks. It important to point out the ability of tansy oil to repel insects depends heavily on the method of extraction.

8. Oregano Oil

You can repel ticks by diluting oregano oil and rubbing it over pet fur. This helps keep ticks away in an organic way. Thanks to its antiseptic properties, it works great to kill all sorts of germs. Wild oregano is equally effective against tick-injected encephalitis and Lyme bacillus viruses.

9. Cedarwood Essential Oil

Derived from conifer trees in the cypress families, cedar essential oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is approved by the FDA to be used as a food preservative. It has been used to keep bugs away for centuries now. In order to repel ticks and insects, you can spray it directly under your cushions and beds. Moreover, you can use it as a lawn treatment to repel ticks and bugs.

10. Pot Marjoram

If you have been looking for one of the most effective essential oils for ticks that plague cattle, try pot marjoram's essential oil. It works because it contains a special compound called carvacrol. Studies have shown that carvacrol is capable of killing ticks within six hours of use; however, solutions with 25% or higher concentrations may kill ticks within 24 hours.

 
 
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