Primally Inspired Real food, Natural Remedies, Holistic Living
Natural Tick Repellent That Really Works!
I cannot tell you how excited I am to discover this ridiculously easy, natural tick repellent that really works!
But before I spill the secret, let me give you some background information:
We just moved to a property deep in the woods of Pennsylvania.
My dog and I were diagnosed at the same time with Lyme Disease 2 summers ago.
We caught it early, got treated and now we’re all better.
I hike and/or creek swim in the woods with my dog 5 to 6 days a week, March through October.
Where I currently live has the greatest number of confirmed Lyme Disease cases in the whole country.
I hate harmful chemicals.
Before I discovered this natural tick repellent, we’ve been pulling a minimum of 3 to 4 ticks off my dog each day and usually one to two on me.
I hate ticks.
My husband told me we had to figure something out with all these ticks or else he wanted to put Frontline on my dog.
I hate Frontline.
It’s full of dangerous chemicals and not good for dogs (or for people that love to hug and cuddle their pets).
Okay, got all that?
So then a few weeks ago, my essential oil guru, Meagan from Growing Up Herbal, wrote a guest post on Primally Inspired teaching us how to make super easy homemade bug repellent oils. I tried her easy recipe since bugs are terrible where I live this time of year. Her homemade oil recipe worked like a charm! Truth be told, it even surprised me how well it worked.
In the post, she also mentioned that Rose Geranium Essential Oil was a good tick repellent for animals. So I contacted my holistic vet to make sure it was ok and bought some Rose Geranium oil and then hoped and prayed it would work or else I would have to go the Frontline route.
I put a drop of Rose Geranium Oil in between my dogs shoulder blades and a drop at the base of his tail each day before we go outside. That’s it.
I also put a drop on the insides of my wrist and a drop behind my ears.
We did our daily hike and creek swim in the woods. We came back. No ticks.
What, no ticks?! I thought this is too good to be true.
To this day, I have not pulled one single tick off my dog or me. We went from pulling 3 to 4 ticks a day off him to NONE. Zip. Zero. Nada. (*update 3/22/19 – it’s been over 6 years now and this is still working for us!!!!)
This is huge!
I have no idea why Rose Geranium oil works so well, but honestly, I don’t even care. Okay, scratch that – I’m a nerd and I am kind of curious to learn why it works so well, so if you know, please enlighten me.
I’m just so happy that I don’t have to put Frontline on my dog and that I found something completely natural that costs way less than Frontline AND that really works for both me and my dog! (and it smells really, really good!)
HERE’S the kind I bought (I figure that this bottle will last me at least a year):
If you want to check out the homemade bug repellent oil recipes that I use that really work CLICK HERE.
And leave me a comment if you already use Rose Geranium Oil or have been successful with any other natural tick repellent đ
UPDATE 6/2/2015 — Many people have asked if they could make a Homemade Tick Spray out of Rose Geranium. Yes, you can! Click the play button below for my how-to video:
You can also CLICK HERE to take you to the Tick Spray blog post.
Pin this natural tick repellent with Rose Geranium HERE:
Thank you so much for this suggestion! We live in northwest NJ and have a place in Bradford County PA. We also pull tick off our dog and ourselves especially at home in NJ. Will be trying out your suggestion this weekend.
Hi Pam, I am very familiar with Bradford County – it’s so beautiful up there (and filled with woods! lol). I hope this works for you guys and your dog as well as it does for me and mine!
Hi – we have a 16 week old English Mastiff puppy – we just moved to a new home in Wayne County, PA. The ticks are already horrible – we find multiple ticks every day on her now. We are in and out a lot with her – do you put the oil on once/day or each time you go out?
Thank you!
I just do it once in the morning before he goes outside. If he swims or plays in the hose, I’ll reapply after he’s done.
Thank you! We are keeping our fingers crossed. I really really don’t want to use the Vectra posion đ
Will this work on horses and does it deter all flying pests?
I have heard some good success stories with rose geranium and horses, but you’ll have to play around with the amount to put on since they are much larger than a dog. And yes, from my experience, it seems that most insects and bugs don’t like rose geranium.
Hello!!! I’ve heard of feeding the horses a small amount of sulphur in the oats or feed. The ticks will for sure drop off they hate sulphur
That’s a really great idea, Mya. Thank you so much for sharing!
I just ordered the rose geranium essential oil for my 7 lb chihuahua. Is 1 drop between shoulder blade sufficient? I will no longer use frontline as he got a very bad reaction last September, I have a lot of deer in my yard. I am praying this will work.
I have a 10 lb Chihuahua that also had a very bad reaction to frontline last spring. I’ll never use it again..very scary. I just received my bottle of rose geranium oil today and plan on using it when we go out this afternoon. I am also going to rub a couple of drops on my feet because I got lyme disease a few years back and never want that again! My chi can’t even have the lyme shot, he’s so sensitive. I hope this works..at least he’ll smell good huh??
Can you use just geranium ess oil
Hi Lisa,
I live in Lackawanna County, PA and having family in Wayne we hunt and fish a lot. My pup Lincoln and I love spending time out GeoCaching so we spend a lot of time traveling near and far in the woods off trail. After pulling 6 ticks off of him this past weekend, I’m giving this Oil a go. Everything Natural in Clark’s Summit should carry it, but if not they can order it.
I’ve done some searching online and each site has numerous recipes for repellents, but like humans each dog emanates a scent that I believe attracts or doesn’t attract pesky critters. Every feel like you are eaten alive by Mosquitos and the person near you isn’t while both are or aren’t treated with some sort of spray. Same concept for dogs.
Most of the ticks I’ve been pulling out of the dog are Dog Ticks, but they too can cause problems. As GeoCachers ticks are certainly going to crawl on you, but for those that settle in we have what’s called a ‘Tick Key’. The key center it put over the tick and gently pulled out alive without it feeling harmed causing it not to regurgitate leaving behind disease. It’s a wonderful tool and flat and smaller than a credit card.
After this coming weekend, I will report back…
Lincoln has Frontline as a backup, but once applied its there for 30 days. I’m trying to not have to use it.
Frontline doesn’t ‘repel’ but rather kills the tick after its attached. A tini tiny deer tick is usually hard to find since it’s so small, so if it dies after it bites it could be forever before you find the dead creeper.
Thank You for your input, being that your from PA and so is the CO I feel confident being the same type of Forrest is around.
hello! fellow lackwanna county lady here!and geo cacher, so i know how terrible the ticks here can be. im going to try these oils with a carrier in a spray bottle to keep the ticks off my sheep
I’m also originally from Lackawanna County! Living in VA now in a neighborhood surrounded by woods and look forward to testing this out before my kids spend all their free time outside.
I had been using the rose geranium oil for about 4 weeks on my two Siberian Husky’s with great results no tick at all. Yesterday one of my dogs had a bad reaction to the oil. I was taking them to a wooded trail about 5 minute drive and put two drops on each dog between the shoulders and tail and a drop on my wife and me. The dogs were in the back of my SUV and after approximately 2 minutes in the car one of the dogs had a sizeure . I did notice the smell of the oil was very strong and I believe that is what caused the reaction. I pulled over as soon as soon as I noticed the problem opened the back to give him some fresh air and he was fine. I just wanted to share my story to warn people that the oil does work but to be careful with it because it is strong in its full strength form. This was my first try using oils so I blame myself for not doing better research before applying it to my dogs .
oh my goodness, Louis. Thank you for sharing your story. I have not heard or read about rose geranium causing seizures (I know rosemary and some other oils like sage and others can in seizure prone individuals, although rare) and I thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi,
We are hosting an out door wedding reception soon and wanted to have a spray just in case there were tics. One recipe I found suggested using water along with lemon grass and eucalyptus essential oils. I am considering adding citronella as you suggested. My question is whether diluting this with water to use as a spray is effective or do you need the carrier oil?
I also was a bit discouraged that there were not many replies of whether your remedies have worked for other people. Has anyone written back describing their own results with these remedies?
Thanks,
Maureen
Neem oil is an excellent carrier oil…good for the skin and a natural repellent in itself. I have mixed rose geranium, lavender, tea tree and vanilla with water to spray living areas, outdoor and indoor plants, myself and my pets for years. Just be careful to avoid getting it in their eyes. I use peppermint oils in the winter to deter mice. It works.
Thank you for this but was wondering what the ratio is?
20 years experience importing and reselling (and using!) essential oils have taught me that ALL essential oils need to be diluted before being used on the skin, for humans AND for canines. Dilute the Rose Geranium in carrier oil.. 15 drops to an ounce of carrier, and THEN apply ad you have been. Rose geranium is one of the most ‘benign’ oils, but too much essential oil (even just inhaled or applied to the skin) can cause liver problems. Also, the Rose geranium oil that is recommeded by the Whole Dog Journal and most usually available from reputable vendors is “Pelargonum graveolens” or “Pelargonum roseum” it should be from South Africa, Madagascar or Reunion. This is not an variety of essential oil that has been tested and has known properties. I DO use rose geranium on my dogs, but in proper dilution, and the well known Pelargonum graveolens,not some unknown, untested oil.
you say to dilute the rose geranium essential oil into a carrier oil…what is a carrier oil and how much do you use to dilute 15 drops of the rose geranium essential oil?
Extra Virgin Olive oil is a good carrier oil, and so is coconut oil or lavender oil.
I love using the Rose Geranium Oil as a tick repellant on my pups. I too dilute it as mentioned above, but I use Almond oil as the carrier.
Lavender oil is not a carrier oil. It is an essential oil and needs to be diluted also. DO NOT USE AS A CARRIER OIL.
Is the Rose Geranium oil okay to use on cats? How much does it need to be diluted?
Thank you
Hi Konny! Using this oil on cats seems to be a controversial topic. I will say that my holistic vet and many other holistic vets are ok with using rose geranium on cats. I do not dilute it for my dog and my holistic vet is ok with that. You can dilute 2 drops in a teaspoon of oil (sweet almond is a great choice), if you decide you want to dilute it. Hope that helps!
@Marge Clark: Following dilution as you described, do you apply just one drop between shoulder blades and another drop at the base of the tail? Or a higher volume?
Our girl has partial seizures and I’m hesitant to try the Frontline our vet sold us, particularly because it lasts a whole month. I don’t understand how it can last through shampoo baths unless it is absorbed.
The Frontline and others like it are absorbed into the skin glands some how….. I read about it. It scares me… but…..I have been using it just because they seem o.k. with it and ticks scare me more.
What do you use as a carrier oil for your dogs? Coconut? Olive oil?
Hi! Can you pelase give me the proportion of carrier oil to essential oil please. Thank you
15 drops per 1 ounce of carrier oil
Is it any good after diluting? I mean does it still do the job of repelling ticks? I’m going to the woods of Virginia soon and need to know. Thank you!
Yes, it is very effective and much safer when diluted. The carrier oil helps keep the rose geranium from evaporating quickly as well.
Sorry I’m confused. 15 drops to 1 oz, is this for drops at each shoulder blade and tail base? Then the “recipe” Kelly used 40 drops Ess Oil, 1/3 C distilled water and 1 TBSP Vodka/witch hazel, is this an overall spray?
isnt âPelargonum graveolensâ regular geranium oil. I am very confused and want to get it right. thanks!
One thing I think of is just because an essential oil says all natural or even organic does not mean it is not synthetic. Many essential oils are harmful due to the way it is made. I use a carrier oil with any essential oil to prevent irritation. I also only use high quality oils from DoTerra only. Hope you find something that works for your dog!
Hi. Doterra doesn’t carry rose geranium oil…….neither does young living
I trust Native American Nutritionals, and they carry this oil. Whole newmom.com did a great comparitive analysis of the different oil companies.
My favorite source of high quality pure essential oils is Nature’s Gift (Marge posted above about diluting the oils in a carrier oil.), a quick google search can find them. I haven’t looked but I’d be shocked if they didn’t have Rose Geranium!
I don’t have pets nor have I used rose geranium eo, but I buy all my eos from Eden’s Garden. That is the one that she linked in the blog post, and I love these oils.
I too love Edens Gardens. The best and great prices.
Some essential oils can cause seizures. It’s always recommended to dilute them and not use them full strength. I dilute 10-15 drops of essential oil to 3 tsp of carrier oil (sweet almond oil or jojoba oil are best). This is then safe to use on pets and people directly. Both of these oils absorb easily and quickly, leaving no yucky residue. You can also make a spray to use on your dogs or yourself. 30 drops of essential oil mixed into 1 tsp of aloe vera gel or witch hazel or cheap vodka; then add this mix to 1 cup of distilled water. It must be shaken well before each application and kept in a dark, cool spot like a closet. Storing essential oil in darkened glass is best. Don’t store it in plastic as the EO will dissolve the chemicals that make up the plastic and you don’t want that on yourself or your dog. We use this daily during flea season when we walk our dogs and we’ve not had a flea in over 8 years.
I just tried the oil with almond oil as the carrier, is it OK to apply it fairly liberally at the neck and tail of my dog?
I would not use this liberally. ONE drop at shoulder blade and ONE drop near the tail.
Be sure to do a patch test on yourself before applying any essential oil – I love Rose Geranium plants, love the scent – but the essential oil makes my lips swell! I discovered this small fact while teaching an aromatherapy class, was kindof embarassing but a good “visual aid” to reinforce the idea that these oils are strong and you need to make sure you aren’t allergic to them before you use them all over your body, hehe.
Hello! Are you still using Rose Geranium for ticks? Desparately looking for a natural tick repellent.
Thank you!
Hi Mel! Yes and still swearing by it!! It’s been amazing for us and I’m so grateful for it. It’s been a few years since this post and I’ve gotten so many comments, emails, Facebook messages, conversations about this. If I had to guess an effectiveness percentage from all of that correspondence, it seems like it works for 75% of people and it doesn’t for 25%. I have no clue why it doesn’t work for some people, but works for others – that has been baffling me for awhile now. Since the post, I was able to do a lot more research on Rose Geranium in general and there were even a few studies I found proving it’s effectiveness as a tick repellent, which was cool to read! I hope you are one of the 75% if you decide to try it đ But for me, my husband and Bently, we still swear by it!
Hi Primally Inspired! Thank you for your post on this important topic! I was recently told cedar essential oil works, but when it did not at ALL, I found your post, so I’m looking forward to trying geranium rose oil!
I wonder if geranium rose oil brands make a difference regarding their effectiveness. A post above mentioned that essential oils that are supposedly all-natural or organic can actually be synthetic, so I wonder if these factors play a role in how well they work as a tick repellant.
Hi Monique! I wouldn’t be surprised!
The oil used in this post is from Eden’s Garden….this is a great company. I know the owner’s sister. They produce therapeutic grade oils at a fair price. The mark up on MLM oil companies is sickening, and makes oils inaccessible for many. Plus they donate 10% of profits. Going to try this oil over the weekend on our dog, and hope for the best. We can’t use the chemicals, I have a child that will certainly react.
Could it be that 25% of people used the pelargonium graveolens rose geranium rather than the Pelargonium capitatum x radens rose geranium. I too made that mistake for nearly two years.
Would you mind sharing which brand you use? I just want to make sure I get the right product.
We live in north idaho ticks are bad this year, I had only seen two ticks my whole life and already five in a two week time. Any my question is where can I purchase it? Can it be bought at like Wal-Mart
Hi Jessica! Rose Geranium is so hard to find! I haven’t been able to find it locally and many people also tell me they’ve had trouble sourcing it locally. I have to buy it online through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CD9ITO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=primainspi-20&linkId=51aab5934286fa296b060a8ecfd301f6
Do you appy to the skin or just on top of the fur?
Just on top of the fur
Do you dilute it or do you apply it neat? Thanks!!
I’ve been applying it neat, Steph.
Hi will be trying This method will met u know ho we get on .Michael.
Thank you so much! Two days & no ticks!!! With the tick tsunami that’s happening this year, this is a lifesaver. Just moved to upstate NY & got 4 tick bites in 2 days. Couldn’t even take my dog right outside to pee without coming in with ticks. So glad I found this info.
Pam,
I moved to Los Gatos Hills last year. ThisFebruary & March, my German & Aussie Shepherd average 4 to 6 ticks daily. I had one get under my skin twice. AGGG! Had researched and found the Rose Geranium oil info.
We have a lot of deer passing through in the Spring. Never had this problem living in Menlo Park. We moved last July to Los Gatos Hills.
Your pictures and info sealed the deal. I have ordered from Amazon and it arrives in a week.
Thanks for taking the time to be a “natural resource!”
Check out my artist website and you can see Lilee when she was a pup in front of a commission.
All the best,
Tiffany Birch
http://www.tiffanybirch.com
Hi Pam, I live in the next county, Tioga County. In my neighborhood atleast 6 people have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease! Deer and little critters are abundant and are the prime carriers of ticks! I keep my yard mowed and periodically spray my yard with a homemade tick spray! It contains Coconut Oil, Garlic, vinegar, Tea Tree Oil and water! I take a whole garlic bulb mash them put them in a pan with 1 cup of water and boil, strain and add to the liquid, then put in a spray bottle! Ticks hate this and actually garlic kills the nymph of the tick!
can you tell me how much to put together.
thanks,
lisa
There is going to be a doggy pool party in our neighborhood and I plan to spray my 4 month old cocker spaniel pup with a concoction of boiled and strained water of neem leaves ( a bunch), garlic ( 1 entire clove smashed) and turmeric ( 1 medium lump smashed) mixed with half a cup of lemon juice and half a cup of coconut oil. Hope this repels those pesky bugs.
Hi Brad, great recipe…I’m in it! I’ve been diagnosed with out here in South Africa and was wondering how it’s treated over there? I’ve been on antibiotics for months and just got it again!
Thanks
Hi Brad.
I live in Potter County. Give me a shout.
Pam,
I have 3 dogs and 1 cat and tried this for 2 weeks with absolutely NO success. My daughter also tried it with her pug and it didn’t work for her either and we do not live in a wooded area. I have tried 3 different recipes for flea and ticks with essential oils and none have made a difference so it’s back to the chemicals that work. I wish there was a more natural way that was successful, but I haven’t found it yet. Good luck and I hope that it works for you!
I have a low to the ground cairnoodle…half poodle, half cairn; and I ended up buying a doggie t shirt and spray the heck out of that…it seems to be helping, but i still have found them on her around her face, because she sticks her nose into the bushes and leaves.
By spraying the t shirt, I feel she is extra protected, and I use the minimum on her body. we are inundated with ticks and have a dozen deer on the property (along with many other animals) daily.
After coming across this site I gave the oil a try in conjunction with a natural spray and has NOT worked for me. Pulled ticks off pup and on me as well and mine was in a very private part of my body and it was fully engorged before I found it. I am extremely disappointed as I don’t want to us the chemicals. Best of luck to all against this sinister little monster. Jim
Bummer, Jim, sorry to hear that. Just wondering if you tried the Rose Geranium undiluted or diluted? Last summer my mom tried Rose Geranium for her dog. She has a smaller dog and wanted to dilute the oil since he’s small. It didn’t work for her diluted and I was really baffled to why because Rose Geranium works SO well for me and Bently. So I told her to try just one drop, undiluted, on the dogs collar. And that did the trick – no ticks all last summer since then. I found that to be interesting and have been really curious if others had the same experience diluted vs. undiluted.
Hi there! I have two VERY small chihuahua’s (4lbs and 7lbs). My smallest got a tick last week (first time ever, but I just moved a few months ago into a woodsy area). So I got online, found your blog (and subsequent threads), and so I bought some RG oil and used it on their collars for the first time today. My bigger chi got VERY lethargic afterward. I always give them a treat when they come in from a walk and she is always excited and jumping around. Today she went straight to her bed. Their gums are looking a healthy pink (not that yucky color it gets when they are sick), and everything I’ve read here and elsewhere online says that RG oil is safe for dogs. I am wondering, though, has your dogs (or your mom’s) ever had any adverse affects? How has it been for your mom, and does she use a drop on their collars everyday? Somewhere I read said not to use it close to their face, so I’m thinking about putting it just on their harnesses, as their collars as loose enough that they swing around. So maybe it’s the smell? Thanks for your help!
Hi Becca! I have never heard of that, but I thank you for letting me know. I hope your little (or big! But little to me đ ) gal is feeling better. Rose Geranium is one of the safest and gentlest oils and comes recommended by vets, but that’s not to say that things can’t ever happen. I’d love to hear an update to see if you think it was the rose geranium or something else.
To answer your question, my dog or my mom’s has never had any problems. We are going on 3 years with rose geranium so far it’s been great with no problems.
You can definitely dilute the oil and I would try that first (1 drop in a teaspoon of oil). I will be upfront in saying that diluting, even in greater amounts, did not work for my dog or my mom’s, but everyone is different and it may work just fine for yours. My mom is still placing one drop on the collar with success – she says she doesn’t have to do it everyday since the scent seems to remain there for awhile. She said she does it about every other day or every 2 days. Putting it on their harnesses sounds like a great idea!
Hi please check your dog for lyme or erlichia disease she may have got from the tick a week before, the infection can take a fewdays / week to show signs and the oil use could have been coincidental. My dog got sick and vet confirmed itwas from the tick
Hi! We have been using Rose Geranium the past month after moving to our 25 acre homestead in Kentucky. It seems to be working pretty well for us and I found your post while searching for a way to make it a spray for an all over application. (Especially on the kids who like to sit and play on the ground.) Would you say the dilution problem could occur in making it a spray? I’ve been just putting a drop on the back on their necks and their feet. Wondering if I should stay the course and not risk diluting it with a spray.
Hi Gillian! So glad that it’s working well for you so far! The spray doesn’t work as long for us because it’s diluted. I find that I have to reapply the spray about every 2 hours. Sometimes that’s just not possible so I personally prefer just using a drop or two of pure oil. You could certainly try the spray and see what you think – just be aware that you will need to reapply often.
Thanks for the quick advice! We are dealing with the microscopic ticks big time the past few days. My skin is crawling. đ To anyone wondering about Rose Geranium, it is so worth a try. Yesterday my husband, who is being silly about just using the dang oil, had at least 4 teeny tiny ticks on him. My kids who were playing in the dirt each had 2. And this was after a late application of the oil because my husband didn’t put it on them as soon as they went out. I had 0 even after haying a field and throwing the fresh cut in the chicken coop. Today the kids and I had the oil from the start and husband didn’t use any again. My son and I didn’t have any, my daughter had 1 on her lower leg.. Husband had SEVEN. And he couldn’t even think of where he had been to pick up 7 tiny ticks. Rose Geranium is definitely paying off for us! I’m now determined to apply to the dogs consistently and we spread diatomaceous earth through the yard and at the woodline this evening. It will be a never ending battle, so thank you for posting tips and I’m open to trying any more advice!
I was told by a holistic vet that nothing natural was really absolute. However, if this works as well as you say, I will sure be happy. I ordered some just now. Thanks for the advice
I hope you have as much success as I’ve been having, Randy! It sure is working for us so far đ
Do you know if the rose geranium oil works for fleas as well?
I haven’t seen a single flea yet, either, but I can’t tell you for sure if it works for fleas since I didn’t have a flea problem to begin with. In Meagan’s article, she said Rose Geranium works for bugs in general, so I would think that would include fleas, too.
Thanks!!!! I have read about rose geranium a over the last few years for ticks and glad to hear it works!! Thanks for confirmation for when I need to go into the bushes!!
Works like a charm for us!
your dog is beautiful…what breed?
Thanks so much, Pam! I think he’s so handsome, but I’m a bit biased đ We got him from a shelter when he was 5 months old. The shelter told us his mom was a pitbull, but they didn’t know any other information (they also told us he would be only 40 lbs and he’s a husky 100 lbs lol). We got his DNA tested and it came back that he’s a mix of Akita, German Shorthaired Pointer and Pitbull type breeds.
There is nothing like the love of shelter dogs! He is so handsome and I love that he smiles for the camera. Thanks so much for the tip
Thank you, Robin!! I agree!
The medical system here in BC refuses to acknowledge that ticks here carry Lyme disease, so when my son got bitten (had the bullseye mark), they said it must have been some sort of “strange spider.” He developed chronic Lyme and was extremely ill for four years. I have it now as well, as do three other people I know in our little town (and there are likely others I haven’t heard of). Our only available course of “treatment” is to get our bodies functioning at the highest possible level and trust that our bodies will have the ability to cope with the parasite. That’s why I love your site so muchâso many wonderful ideas for great health. We’ll definitely be trying the oil & passing the advice along!
Naomi, please get yourselves treated! Lyme is not a parasite, it’s a bacteria. It will cause permanent nerve damage if not treated and can leave you paralyzed! The treatment involves longer courses of antibiotics, the duration of which will depend on how advanced the infection has become. Be aggressive about your health and demand to be treated. If you don’t believe me, read Karen’s post below! Lyme is no joke.
Thanks, Nugget. (Not sure if that first reply went thru–hit a key and it disappeared.) We don’t even have sensitive enough testing in Canada. We live in BC, but have to send our blood to Igenex in California. Anyway, we saw at least six different doctors. It went the same for us as for the others we know here who have Lyme. First, people are told that Lyme “doesn’t exist” here (it does–scientists scouting for Lyme ticks have found them all over BC). Then, by the time a definitive diagnosis is given, they’re told it wasn’t diagnosed soon enough for the initial protocol to work as the Lyme are by this time in their cyst phase. We’d need to be on antibiotics for at least two years. If they treat us the way we need, they will lose their licence to practice medicine here. One friend of mine is seeing a naturopath who used to be an MD, but lost his licence after he began treating patients with the Lyme protocol you are describing. At one time, he wouldn’t touch Lyme patients… but then he himself was diagnosed. After successfully treating himself, he went on to help others before they stripped him of his MD licence. As an ND, his hands are rather tied, but has had some success in helping people feel somewhat better. As for us, as long as my son and I are always on top of managing our health, we do just fine. He’s had it for seven years. I don’t know when I became infected, but started feeling very ill at least ten years ago. Today, we’re strong, healthy, fit–hardly no fatigue or pain.
Not only may your son have Lyme he may also have one of the many co-infections that can be transmitted by a tick bite which just compounds his condition.
See a holistic practitioner who has direct experience in treating lyme and other types of infections. Keep in mind the tests for Lyme are not always accurate. There are not even tests for some of the co-infections. Don’t be a slave to lab results. If there are enough symptoms assume you have it.
There are herbal protocols that are safer than anti-biotics and can make the person symptom free and fully functional again. But they can take a long time. Good luck
The homeopathic remedy of Ledum has been shown to treat and cure Lyme disease in dogs and humans. Ledum 1M, 1 pellet, 3 times per day for 3 days. There is also a nosode that is used as prevention and with over 500 dogs on the nosode, a particular holistic doctor in the state of Connecticut has only had two dogs that may have contracted Lyme disease. They were treated with Ledum and cured after that. He wrote an article back in 1994 and then updated it in 2008 on his use of Ledum. His name is Dr Stephen Tobin and he is in Meriden, Connecticut. You can probably google him and come up with his article.
Also if you haven’t done so, be sure to check out Stephen Buhner’s book on treating Lyme and co-infections. He’s an herbalist and has had quite a bit of success with tick born illnesses. Antibiotics can and do work, but they won’t work forever and by that, I mean, they lose effectiveness as the bacteria evolve and grow resistant to it. It’s been quite an education for myself and my wife, but I encourage everyone to get educated about how to deal with Lyme and similar illnesses. The answers you seek may not come from conventional docs…most don’t know enough or are not taught about it so you have to dig in and do a lot of your own research too.
All the best to you and your family!
You can take homeopathy detoxifying medicine Thuja Oxidentalis 200 C , 4 to 5 drops mixed with a little water, for a week twice daily. It will detox you from the adverse effects of the Lyme disease medications and vaccines. After a week of detoxifying, you can start up with the homeopathy nosode, Borrelia Bugdorferi 60 X and continue with the dosage I have already mentioned in this thread. Hopefully you will get good result from this.
Hi,
I am from India. Here testing for Lyme disease is not available. However I have found out that as a remedial measure homeopathy medicine Ledum Palustre 1 M, thrice daily cures Lyme disease. Moreover, there is a nosode Borrelia Bugdorferi 60 X that prevents Lyme disease. The dosage for the nosode is 1 dose ( 1 dropperful) daily for 1 week, then 1 dose weekly for 1 month, and 1 dose every 6 months indefinitely.
As opposed to vaccine for Lyme disease, which will only work on dogs or humans before they are infected, this homeopathy nosode works even after your dog or you are infected. I have a 4 month old cocker spaniel pup who has not yet stepped outside in the big big world, and I plan to start him up with the nosode before he steps out of his home.
Thanks, Kuhu! I just recently learned about this, as well. I wish I knew about it a few years ago! Many holistic vets use this with extremely great success rates. Thanks so much for commenting about this đ
I live in Australia, and here lyme disease is not recognised or treated. And yet we have lots of people here suffering from it, who have to go to the US to be treated! I have just moved to a farm and was looking for a natural tick repellent for my dogs. We have lots of kangarus around here and they carry ticks. Thank you for all your suggestions. I will try the Rose Geranium Oil, on the dogs and on myself for when i go walk with them through the bush.
I’m in Qld, Australia. Lyme-like disease in humans is not acknowledged here eventhough so many are suffering. I have bandicoots here which carry ticks; too late for me, but I want to deter them from my long-haired cat as the ticks so hard to find in her coat.
Lyme Disease is considered both parasitic and bacterial! Antibiotic treatment / or natural treatment with a combination of herbs can be very effective. Oil of Oregano is helpful for parasite control.
Lyme disease is recognized as “the most common tick-borne disease in North America”, by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
http://www.bccdc.ca/dis-cond/a-z/_l/LymeDisease/default.htm
A good preventative, as well as post acquisition treatment for Lyme is Homeopathic Borreliosis 30C,200C and 1M, taken in succession over three days, twice a month. Supported by Ledum 30C [great for all bites and puncture wounds, as well as arthritis of hands and feet] I’m trying to find the Rose Geranium Oil over here in Germany, no luck so far. I may have to order it from overseas. Looking forward to getting through the next summer without constant tick attacks and Lyme disease.
Thanks, Veronika! I hope you can find some Rose Geranium, too!
Hi Veronika,
I live in Switzerland and was able to get this at a local Apotheke (drug store). The essential oil brand that I found here is Farfalla and it’s called Rosengeranie. I also found it on amazon.de so you could order it online.
My grandson has Lyme and we went to several Drs including Mayo. We finally found a Dr that was a Lyme specialist. He is a holistic Dr and my grandson is taking the all natural route. Lyme feeds on yeast so the first thing he did was detox his body from yeast. He didn’t want to put him on antibiotics because of his stomach. The Lyme affected his stomach, thyroid and galbladder . He is on all natural products that come from a special lab that has no artificial products. He has gone from being in the house and bed for a year and a half, to starting college in the fall. Lyme is a very serious disease that most Drs don’t recognize or know little about. I would certainly find a Lyme specialist because Lyme only goes into remission, never completely curable. It is a very horrible disease. Hope you continue to feel better.
Thanks for the tip and I will be getting some and using it. That said, you really put yourself at risk if you dress as you show up in your photos. There is a reason they recommend long sleeves and long pants and socks.
You got lucky. You have no idea how lucky. Please don’t be reckless with your health by not taking precautionary measures. I don’t remember a tick bite but I’m positive for Lyme and didn’t get a diagnosis until I was unable to get out of bed and function. I’m recovering and am even back at work part time but I will never take things for granted again. Mobility, cognitive function, energy…..all those were gone for years.
Please, be responsible and cover yourself while you are in tick endemic areas. When you at home or on the deck, whatever. You are playing roulette with your health.
Best wishes.
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for your comment and your insight and wisdom.
I’m so sorry you are dealing with Lyme and wish you the best with it. It’s an awful thing.
I really appreciate your concern and suggestion, too. I guess I’m having a hard time finding a good balance. I love being outside and love feeling the sunshine and breeze on my skin. I’m an outdoor girl through and through and there’s no where I’d rather be than outside (and especially hiking in the woods). I feel that if I had to wear long pants, long shirt and boots, I’d never want to go outside and I’d be so uncomfortable and I wouldn’t enjoy my most favorite thing in the world (being outside). I know that might seem reckless to some (especially those that have Lyme and have to deal with it daily), but truthfully, it’s a really tough call for me.
Hi, I first want to say I love your site! I also have to say I am like you with the long sleeves, pants, boots stuff. I find it very hard to be that protected. I was diagnosed in 2008 and am still fighting. I can’t wait to try this oil. What a great natural way to do it. And I bet it smells good too! Thank you for all the great info!!!
you can also use ultra colloidal silver it is a natural antibiotic. look it up on internet. it works where other antbiotic’s don’t I use it for myself and for my dogs. right now i have mastiff who has a or should say who had a large knot size of a softball on his back an was cancer. i gave him 4 drops a day in his water. and sprinkled tumeric in his food. doing this now for 3 months.the vet said there was nothing could be done he was to far advance stage. well today took him back to the vet he was amazed, it is now the size of a penny they did blood work an the cells on the slide were smaller an less of them so do some research you will like it
patricia good on you, you must be estatic with happiness. i wish i had seen this last year when i was loosing my australian red cattle dog to cancer and he was also riddled with arthritis. we know have a fantastic cattle dog whom we rescued dont want to put toxins on him for ticks, this is an amazing site love it!
thanking you ill be sure to look up colloial silver
true dog lover
michele
Hi,
Thanks so much for sharing. Our garden is absolutely INFESTED with ticks. We can’t go in the garden for 1 minute or they will start crawling they way up..Now having a 3-month old baby around the house who will soon start to crawl, I can’t bear to think of these nasty, infectuous critters feeding on my precious little girl. So I must try this because I particularly don’t want to wear boots, socks and long sleeves in the garden as this is the place you go to get ouside, relax and catch some sun đ
I live in Belgium and haven’t seen this particular kind of geranium oil (the rose version), but I have seen regular geranium essenial oil. Would this work as well?
Thanks a lot!
Best Regards from Antwerp đ
Eveline
Hi Eveline!
To answer your question, I’m not sure if just geranium oil would work. You could certainly try it and see if it helps.
Ticks are awful and I hope you can either find the rose geranium oil or I hope just the geranium oil works for you and your little girl! Keep me posted if it does!
~Kelly
Hi Eveline,
I just posted my thoughts that Diatomaceous Earth may help with the tick problem and maybe it could be sprinkled around your garden where your little one plays? Just a thought….
Consider getting some guinea hens for your garden or any fowl. They will make a quick snack of the ticks and get that popualtion under control. Maybe consider borrowing some from a neighbor or nearby farmer if you don’t want to keep them.
If you have ticks in your yard and are allowed chickens or guinea hens they will eradicate your tick or bug problem. I know from experience. No bugs or ticks in my back yard where the chickens were, however in the front yard (which the back yard fenced in chickens couldn’t get to) was a lot of bugs such as Japanese beetles and ticks, etc. I had 2 dogs and a cat and never had a tick problem until I moved where I didn’t have any chickens.
FYI Chickens do not always eat the ticks… I have had chickens going on a full year now and I have a horrendous tick problem here in Maine at one point we had 11 chickens… so dont completely count on them protect yourself in other ways as well. However I am in the market for some guinea hens because they dont scratch and eat like the chickens do they just eat whatevers on top of the soil (like ticks)!
Too bad you can’t get a couple of Guinea hens for your garden. Their main diet is ticks.
Eveline, I live in Belgium too. You can buy rose geranium essential oil in Brussels @ Desmecht. That is an herbal shop at the place Saint Catherine.
If you live in an area where you can keep Guinia Hens, get some for the ticks in your yard. They may be very noisy, but they love to eat ticks along with a lot of other bugs.
Hi, we live in Australia and I was wondering if the ticks you have where you live are paralysis ticks. I am looking for a tick treatment other than frontline as my Maltese gets quite distressed when I put it on her. She is getting on in years so we can’t afford to get any ticks. Last season my cat and cattle dog picked up paralysis tick each. nasty vet fees followed to treat them.Was hoping to use the rose geranium oil but wasn’t sure if we have the same type of ticks? Thanks
Nope. Paralysis ticks are only native to the East Coast of Australia. Although, all ticks belong to the genus Ixodes, therefor all species of ticks should respond the same to Geranium oil. (In theory.) In northeastern USA we have four common species of tick: the deer tick, the blacklegged tick, the lone star tick, and the dog tick. (Our dog tick is Dermacentor variabilis.)
You forgot to say that paralysis ticks KILL!!!! We lost a much loved cat this way a few years ago. Now have 2 toy poodles and wonder if it would be safe to use the Rose Geranium Oil daily on them as I have had to use Advantix (a product like Frontline) on my babies every second week during our summer and monthly in winter…can’t be good for them!
Hi! We don’t have a tick problem here in New Zealand but I know family in Australia who battle them! This is so interesting and will be passed on.
Do you think Diatomaceous Earth would help for the ticks? It does work for fleas so I’m thinking it would for ticks also. Food grade is perfectly safe foe dogs…. on coat, in bedding and ingested in their food (for internal parasites).
Hello. I am in the UK where we have a higher than normal infestation this year due to our previous summers being so wet and this year being so hot and dry. I will be buying the rose geranium oil for my lovely GermanShepherd named Hudson and myself. Thank you for letting us all know about this oil. Xx
I wish you and Hudson a tick-free summer! This is still working incredible for us – Going on 2 months completely tick free!!! Yay đ
Would this work for cats?
Rachel, there’s conflicting reports about using rose geranium on cats. My holistic vet is ok with it. Two of my go-to holistic book resources are recommending it as a tick repellent for both cats and dogs, too.
Rachel please don’t use essential oils on your cat!! A cats liver cannot filter the EO’s and even heavy use of them in the home can make some cats very ill even to the point of death.
PLEASE do not try this, even with diluted rose geranium oil, on cats. Cats lack an enzyme to metabolize essential oils and using EO’s on their skin can cause liver damage. Cats have DIED from having undiluted essential oils put on them. Now, if you have an outside cat and need to try something, look for rose hydrosol (or rose hydrolat) or even rose geranium hydrosol. (They are a very specific type of floral water, made by distillation the same way the essential oils are.) But they are safe and mild enough to spray on cats, and on babies and toddlers where you can’t use the rose geranium.
I have been using Greenway 7 formula which has cloves in it for fleas and ticks for my cats. I do have a hard time putting it on them but it does work and is all natural.
Hello and THANK YOU for this tip!!! I am def. gonna try it!!! We live in Upstate NY and are having one rough time this yr. with Ticks! This is the first year that it has been this bad. You’d think that by this time of yr, they wouldn’t still be here!!! I’m with ya, Ticks ABSOLUTELY SUCK! I have 4 cats and 2 dogs and it is very important for me to find a solution. My bf Frontlined them – but the ticks bite and then die, so we have to literally pull these nasty things off them. I’m glad I’ve come across this post searching for ways to repel them. I have also gotten bitten by 2 within 2 days!!! Thanks again and hopefully it works for them.
Jenn, keep me posted! I still can’t believe how great this works for us and I hope you have similar results. I still have not pulled any ticks off of me or my dog – so crazy that it works so well!
Hi,
I am definitely going to try this on my dogs and myself. I live in Western Australia and summer time is tick heaven!
I have a bad problem with them on the horses, how much would you recommend to put on them…I thought maybe a drop on each leg, a couple down their spine and behind their ears?
Carly, I’m not sure, but it sounds like a great place to start. My dog is 100 pounds and just two drops is all it takes for him. It just might take some experimenting to figure out what works for the horses. If what you are doing still doesn’t work for them, I’d keep adding more drops until you hit that sweet spot!
I think I would start with a smaller amount at first and see what happens in a couple days đ
Hi Carly, I wanted to see if you had luck with this on your horses. Ticks just started coming out in full force in Missouri and I’d like to try this on them too. From your experiences, has it worked? And if so, where have you been treating them where you think it’s been most effective? Thanks!!!!
I’m curious about this, too!
Do I need to mix the rose geranium with a carrier oil to be applied on my dog? Can olive oil be the carrier oil? Thanks..
Elsie, I do not apply a carrier oil, but you certainly can! I am by no means an essential oil expert, but from what I’ve read, rose geranium is one of a few that is gentle enough to be applied right to the skin. Olive oil would be a great carrier oil if you would like to use a carrier oil.
Thank you for your reply.. I will try without the carrier oil.. I’m from Singapore where most dogs will get ticks easily..
I’m just in the research phases and glad I found this site. From what I’m reading sweet almond oil is a great carrier oil. It contains sulfer which apparently ticks don’t like.
Anyone tried this on smaller dogs? Do I drip the same amount?
I am from singapore and the ticks here are really relentless!
Never tried frontline etc before cause I don’t like how harmful those can be to my precious.
Tried sergeant green tick spray (they state natural oils and that’s almost the best I can find) that works a little bit better but I still find one or two on her monthly, including myself!!!
Anyone can advise the amount to drop on her? She is about 8pounds ~ almost 4lg!
Thanks!!
Hi Cherie, I would imagine the treatment would be the same as mentioned in the original article (small dab between shoulder blades and at tail end). Be sure to dilute the essential oil in a carrier. Of the suggestions made above, I liked the sound of the almond oil the best as it might work synergistically with the rose geranium in repelling the ticks.
I just read up on rose geranium, undiluted! “CAUTIONS: Repeated use, undiluted, may result in some contact sensitization in genetically-sensitive people. Can cause insomnia and restlessness. Pregnant women are advised to consult a trained aromatherapist before using Rose Geranium essential oil.”
I wanted to make sure you knew about the slight risk in not using a carrier oil.
I’m very excited to start using this and I am uber thankful for your testimonial that led me to a natural tick repellant!! Thank you!!
Bri
Thank you, Bri!
Thank you SO much for this post! And thank you for posting the link to the oil. I ended up going straight there and purchasing it! I have four dogs, so having to buy frontline for all four is expensive as all get out, not to mention all the chemicals. But in the last two days I’ve pulled several ticks off of two of my dogs, and they only weigh 5 and 11 pounds. So a giant tick can do so much damage to them! Sure it will be a pain to put the oil on them everyday, but it will be so worth it. Again, thank you!
You are so welcome!!
From Brazil, I just wanna say, THANK YOU! You saved my life! My whole room was full of ticks from my dog, now nothing!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Yes!!!
I am glad to find something so chemical free for my dog’s tick problem. I will definitely try your advise. Thank you đ
Just to confirm what’s been said by Primally Inspired(not that it needs it), but my Vet who I love and have great respect for, also touts using Rose Geranium oil for a tick repellant. Just thought I’d throw that in for any doubters who needed an opinion from a professional.
Thanks, Lynne!
I was just wondering how many people, since the initial post, have been successfull with this method, and for how long? I am a professional gardener in Pa and need a sound solution for myself an staff- that is natural and healthy!
Hi Heather, I can’t speak for the others, but it has been extremely successful for me since this post was written (at the beginning of the summer). The key is to make sure to apply it every day. Back at the end of October, when the weather was starting to cool down, I stopped using it, thinking ticks weren’t really an issue anymore. A few days later my husband found ticks on both me and my dog. We went back to applying it daily and no ticks again. I haven’t applied it in the very cold winter with all the snow on the ground, but as soon as it starts to warm up, I will start applying it daily again.
Hello!
Can the oil be applied to people without a carrier oil?
If so, how much would you say?
Thanks,
Gladys
Hi Gladys, I wouldn’t recommend it. It might be okay for one or two applications but for the use this is being recommended for, with daily applications, it is far safer to dilute it. Essential oils are extremely concentrated compounds extracted from plants and even if you don’t feel a burning sensation on application, they really do need to always be diluted in a neutral oil. Better safe than sorry!
Thank you so much for this post! I have 2 large very furry dogs (Great Pyrenees) who love to go down to our creek, and ALWAYS have multiple ticks. Because of their thick coats, it is often difficult to see the ticks until they start munching and swelling. I also hate the commercial flea and tick products. I have some geranium oil, and I am going to try it today!! We also have deep woods, so I am glad to know it works for those situations, not just people who occasionally let the dog out, or dogs that live in neighborhoods with less woody backyards.I have only trried one other oil from the Eden’s Garden brand, and it is one of my favorites for aromatherapy. I place it on a piece of felt and enclose it in an openwork locket. It is the cinnamon LEAF oil. It smells SO much better than cinnamon bark. I wear it almost every day to help uplift my mood. We also use it our homemade thieves oil which we diffuse.
Thank you for sharing your story. You convinced me to go buy some Rose Geranium oil!!…lol. Newly diagnosed with Lyme, but may have had it for 10 yrs, I too am looking for natural recipes of bug repellent i like the scent. I’m not a fan of citronella aroma. Glad you are feeling better. It’s encouraging for me. I love to be outdoors, walking, hiking or in my flower/ vegetable garden.
I wish you the best with Lyme! It sounds like we are a lot alike – Walking, hiking, and gardening are some of my favorite things, too đ
I just bought some Rose Geranium today after reading this post yesterday! I’m excited to test it out – I’m in California and am a dog walker. I’m getting more into trails and found a tick in my house the other day – crawling right toward me. It woke me up to the importance of tick prevention.
I’ve read some warnings about putting rose geranium (and I think most essential oils) directly on a dog’s skin for fear of contact dermatitis. Do you dilute it at all? Have you seen any skin issues on your dog? I want to start using this on the entire pack when we do walks in areas with ticks.
Thanks so much for this post – glad I discovered your blog!
Hi Mahogany – how fun! You can certainly dilute it, especially if your dog(s) has sensitive skin or you’d like to be extra cautious. I have read from a few places that rose geranium is one of only a few essential oils that you can use undiluted so I do not dilute it and have not noticed any issues (I put it in the same spot everyday and so far so good – it’s been almost a year). But my dog has a very thick coat and is a very large dog (over 100 lbs) with no skin issues. Another option is to just put a drop or two undiluted on their collar. I am so thankful to have discovered this natural solution and hope that you have as much success with your dogs and I do with me and mine! Have a beautiful spring and summer with all your pups!
Hi,
Do you apply that drop of RG EO to the inside of collar that touches the skin?
Or the outside, away from dogs skin?
Thank You
Hi Kim, I do the outside.
Hello- I am curious if you have had a problem with bees since applying the oil due to the sweet smell? And do you dilute w/almond oil?
Thanks Marissa
Came to your site tonight to look up the liver pills article again and spied this one for tick repellant. We grow rose geranium, but I don’t foresee myself distilling it any time soon, so I will gladly buy some oil and give it a try. We have deer ticks here in Northern-Northern California. So far Lymes Disease here is rare, but tweezing tiks off gets old after awhile and if we can save money not buying advantix and avoid harsh chemicals for the dogs, AND protect ourselves I’m all for it. BTW, when I’m in the garden I usually do cover up pretty well because of skin cancer issues, and the ticks still grab on from any tall grass and start their ascent. So full clothing doesn’t offer full protection either. We’ve become very aware of that special “pinch” if one finds its way to skin. Thank you so much. Now back to find that liver article…
Lyme Disease is NOT rare in N. Ca! Please don’t believe this! My daughter is profoundly ill and in bed 24/7. Since we have been on this very difficult journey, I am shocked at the people who have Lyme…. locally! It’s not yet recognized by most doctors ( an enormous political mess that would take too long to explain )and many are suffering because of this. I picked up my bottle of rose geranium yesterday and think I will make a spritz. I saw a recipe: 125 drops rg, 8 oz. water, 1 dropper full vodka.
I was wondering, would this be effective to use inside the house? Around patio doors, windows, etc? We have lived in our new house since last May, and have found four ticks so far, mostly by our patio door and back door that seem to find their way in. We also have had a problem with spiders finding their way in as well, so we ordered peppermint essential oil and are planning to mix with water in a spray bottle to spray around baseboards, etc. But, if this is effective, I would love to give this a try! Love your blog!! Thanks so much!
Tracy, I think that’s a great idea! I haven’t tried that, but am going to for extra pre-caution. We haven’t found or seen any ticks in the house since my dog and I have been using the rose geranium, but I think using it like a spray around decks, doors, etc. would be a great idea. If you decide to try it, I’d love it if you would keep me posted to see if you think it’s working or not.
Absolutely! I will keep you posted. We just received the rose geranium in the mail yesterday and will plan to start spraying along doors, windows, and baseboards along with our spring cleaning! My husband is outside gardening, so I dabbed some on him before he went out the door. Thanks again for your blog post, so excited to start using rose geranium!!
Is peppermint the oil to use for deterring spiders? I’m a Texan new to NorthWest Arkansas, and live in a rental in the country here, with crappy door seals (I can see a bit of light coming through corners of our exterior doors!), and we get quite a number of spiders, some tiny black ants, and sometimes little beetles in the house. I would LOVE to figure out what best repels them so they stop showing up inside. An EO/water spray sounds great; I just wouldn’t know which to use for the best effectiveness. Advice welcome!
Kelly, if there are any comment replies giving their other natural bug/tick solutions, I’d love to know too…maybe you could add those replies to the bottom of your post here (as it’s hard to sift through the current 211 comments to find any of those other helpful tidbits)! đ
I’m glad I found this post too, because we just found out how many ticks are around this place…my husband, myself, and poor Golden puppy have all been bitten once or more just from walking the neighborhood here!
(PS- I’m bummed to just now see that there’s not a comment notification/subscription button to click…so it will be heard to ever know if anyone might reply to me here.)
I boil up eucalyptus leaves,mint,citronella,rosemary,thyme,cloves and basil with some bicarbonate of soda and sometimes lemon rinds and it works really well for fleas n ticks-and mosquitoes. I find it is strongest the first two weeks-after that i need to make a new batch. It also seems to leave my dogs coats silkier than normal. I chuck big cut up handfuls of each in hot water(taking it off the gas for the bicarb or it will boil over) let it boil then simmer for around ten mins-leave covered to soak for a few hours or til its cold then put in a bottle in the fridge. I love the feel of the sun and air on my skin too and this mix lets me enjoy them without coming home eaten alive. I’ve never had a tick using this- and the odd time i didnt use it on my gorgeous JRT girls i did and felt like a very bad mom! Works for us anyway- hope it helps someone.
Thanks, Kay! That is awesome!
Im so excited that I found your blog. Im going to try this on my 4 puppies…aka my children,lol! we’re on L.I. and deer ticks are EVERYWHERE. Last summer I took all the kids out hiking. We must have walked through a nest because we were covered in hundreds of little ticks. The grossest.experience.ever! This summer (if it ever comes) Im going to try to do strictly natural bug repellants and cleaners. Our poor bodies are bombarded by enough junk everyday. I think its super important to try to use natural where ever you can. Thanks so much for the info! Im heading to the market now to get my oils đ
That is amazing! Thank you so much for the info!
Great, I will try this for my dogs, too! Now to find something natural for heart worms…they do love their liver flavored monthly pill, but I cringe every time I give it to them. I’d rather them have the pill than heart worms, though.
So glad to read this. I used Frontline a few times and slowly figured out that it was causing my poor pup to have seizures!!!
Is the Rose Geranium oil safe to use on very small pups? I have a 2 pound and a 4 pound poodles. Thanks, Gabi
Excited to read this! We live in Georgia, more or less surrounded by woods and frequently have to pull ticks off of our three boxers. My three year old daughter also had a tick bite once(two years old at that time). I am ordering some rose geranium oil now- I’d be thrilled if it works as good for us as it does for you and your dog!
So just a few drops on the areas you mentioned and thats it? You dont have to spray it or wipe it all over yourself? That sounds awesome, I am going to pick some up right away! Thank you!
Yes, just a few drops is all it takes for us! I would think smaller dogs could even get away with just one drop (my dog is 100 lbs and I just do 2 drops on him and so far, so good!)
I have a Cavalier King Charles who has been completely infested with nymph ticks. I pull 60 ticks off (easily) daily. I find them in the laundry room, where he sleeps, and all over his bedding. I’m so grossed out by the whole situation, not to mention worried about his health (and mine!) He’s 12 years old, and has numerous health issues. I’ve tried literally everything on the market, with no success. Finally, just yesterday, I took him to the vet and had him completely shaved (poor humiliated doggie now!) and dipped. Last night I was combing out the ticks (mostly dead). The stench of chemicals from this “professional” dip is overwhelming, but I didn’t know what else to do to get control of the situation. My question to you is, could I put the RG all around the laundry room where my pup sleeps, and on his bedding? Will it kill the larvae/eggs of the teeny tiny buggers I can’t see? I will certainly put it on my dog – I’ll go find and purchase the oil today! I’m wondering if I should spray him with it, or just put a few drops between the shoulderblades and on his legs. BTW, I live in southwest Florida – on the water, no woods around. These disgusting pests are EVERYWHERE people, not just in the woods! Thanks Primally Inspired for your suggestions!
I have read that putting diamatecous earth (food grade) in or on the bedding will smother and kill ticks in the sleeping area. You can also put it in a shaker and sprinkle on your dog. I plan on trying this over the summer with my 2 dogs.
Please use Diatomaceous Earth with some caution, I suggest treating dog bedding OUTSIDE your house with D.E. and then rinsing it off or washing the bedding (normal laundry will not kill ticks and flees) before you or your dog use the bedding. It is extremely abrasive and will cause lung irritation (or worse..) if inhaled by you or your dog. Also, there are D.E. formulated natural flea shampoos which I have used with great success. You could probably make your own and save a lot of money.
have Earth MD and says to use it in their food
We use DE in our chicken coop and also with our dogs and cat as a flea repellent. It should work on ticks as well – any hard-shelled insect. Just avoid your animals mouth, eyes and nose and dust them outside and it should be fine. It’s non-toxic but can cause respiratory issues if it enters the breathing passages as dust.
Thanks, Lisa and I agree! I swear by DE for keeping insects away!
How much and how often can you use D E on the dogs and how about cats.
Ok, just to clarify- is it ok put the essential oil directly on skin/fur, or should you use a carrier oil? Thanks!
Hi Claire, I’m not an essential oil expert, but from a little of what I’ve read, rose geranium is one of the few oils that is ok to use undiluted. I’ve been using it undiluted on myself and my dog for almost a year now. But if you are hesitant (or have heard conflicting advice), you can certainly use a carrier oil (sweet almond oil would be a great choice).
How often do you put the oil on your dog?
Hi Michelle, I put it on every single morning before he goes outside. That’s really key as the scent needs to be present for it to work.
Thanks for this. I am going to try tomorrow. My dog was a rescue and came with a tick borne disease. He is a tick magnet and now that we are on the East Coast on the beach its a disaster. I am so sick of giving him chemicals that are so toxic. I really hope this works. I will let you know! Thanks again for sharing!
Keep me posted Vicki!
Hi,
I’m so excited to try this on me and my pet! One question, I think was asked before, but I must have missed the response…do you have any problems with attracting bees or wasps with the oil? Thank you in advance! Dee
I haven’t noticed one way or the other, Dee. He did get into a bee’s nest accidentally last summer and got stung over 20 times (poor guy!), but I don’t think it was because of the oil.
Hi! Do you use the geranium essential oil undiluted or do you put it in some carrier oil? Do you think I could use it on my cats..? thank you!
Hi Sara, I use it undiluted. I’ve read that rose geranium is one of the few essential oils that is safe to use undiluted. I’ve heard and read a 50/50 mix on using this on cats. But my holistic vet is ok with using it on cats and 2 of my go-to holistic book resources both recommend rose geranium for both dogs and cats.
thank you! And sorry for asking a question which was asked just a few lines before.. I hadn’t noticed đ
Please do NOT use the essential oil on cats! I don’t know if you saw the response above by Marge Clark explaining that cats do not have an enzyme to properly process the oils in their system and this can cause liver damage, which is not going to be immediately apparent.
I do like the flea powder treatment that is posted elsewhere on this blog and would try that before going with toxic chemicals or oils on your cat.
I just ordered the Rose Geranium oil tonight. I live in Bradford county. I have found ticks on my dog right from my backyard. I live in town! We go hiking in the woods frequently too. I’m going to try this on me and the dog.
Thanks for the information!
Sounds a great idea, thanks. I’ve been looking online to buy some but over here (I’m in Eastern France not USA) all I can find is rose geranium oil made from pelargonium graveolens not pelargonium capitatum. Do you think this will be the same? Thanks
Tick # 4 in two days. I am most definitely going to try this. I am in Lackawanna County, PA. My dog and I love to walk the trails! I was hoping the miserable winter was going to help lessen the tick population. Guess not. Thank you so much for this post! Praying it will help.
is this safe for cats? I have an Indoor cat and an Indoor/Outdoor dog and we have ticks/chiggers like crazy here in middle TN. If this is not safe for cats, what can I use on both of Them AND on me to keep the ticks/fleas off and out of the house?
Thanks for the tip!
Will try this to my dogs to prevent ticks, but also to myself too.
Been using garlic earlier, but as two smaller dogs joined the pack, the amount of garlic is a bit tricky thing.
I looked/googled and seems like “Pelargonium X asperum” is botanically the same thing as “Pelargonium capitatum”, they sell the oil with the former name in my fav ecofriendly store. Will let you know how this works!
Hi. I bought my rose geranium oil today for my 6 fur babies. I just wanted to ask, do I put the drops on their skin or just on their fur. Also is it safe to use on a kitty (8 months old).
I am excited to see if it works. My kids hardly ever get ticks but occasionally I find one on them and I refuse to put poison on or in them but I also donât want them getting sick from and undetected tick.
Thanks for the tips and advice. Xxx
Aloha, looking for some wisdom, I am in Rochester New York for family/health issues, w/ my service dog, & I am worried about ticks, I have pulled two off her! & am wondering, what can I give her, ie. apple cider vinegar, or some kind of food, or herb that would decrease the possibilities of the tick poison having a negative affect on her? or kill it off or neutralizing it, or anything I can put on her, essential oils? that would fight it off or dissolve it??? anything that can be done after tick has already been on her to help prevent anything bad happening?
or where would I find such info?
many thanks me & MY DOG
kelly, to use the rose ger oil, i dont have to mix it? i use it just straight? for myself. not on ankles? i guess i just think those creatures crawling up my legs. Thank you for your help!
kathy
i started reading above comments and found my answer! thank you for your information. looking forward to learning more about oils..
Great!!
Does the geranium oil work for all tick diseases or only lyme disease? Love your dog and pictures đ
Read your story and was very interested picked 3 ticks off my dog so I got a bottle of the Rose Geranium oil and have been using it for 3 days now and so far I haven’t seen any ticks. Zoey loves to be in leaf piles so she was getting more than my other dog. But I will keep using it and my fingers are crossed. I too hate to use frontline.
I can’t wait to try this out for my pit bull this summer. She has been on Advantage ever since I found one tick on her that caused her severe arthritis-like systems six months later and a $300 vet bill. Before that, I was using a natural spot-on treatment that (obviously) failed. I live in the city, so I was kind of nonchalant about tick prevention initially. But my family is from Bradford County, PA, so bringing my dog up there over the summer has been out of the question; they are constantly pulling ticks from their dogs.
I wasn’t so against Advantage until recently, after reading some negative articles about it. I never really liked using it because my dog’s very short hair couldn’t stop the stuff from rolling down her sides, no matter how I applied it. So I would have to sit with her until it was all absorbed to make sure she didn’t lick it off. She’s also prone to skin allergies, so Advantage only aggravated the issue. I will probably feel safer diluting the Rose Geranium oil with her for this reason.
Question though – does the oil also repel mosquitoes? Because that would help prevent heartworm as well. I would still use Heartgard anyway, since heartworm is so dangerous.
And another question – what size bottle of geranium oil do you buy and how long does it last?
I’m definitely suggesting this solution to my family right now. The tick problem is out of control up there! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve been hesitant to use Frontline/Advantix on my pups this year because one of them reacts in a bad way neurologically every time (and I now have two small children to think of, as well). We currently live in area that has no known lyme disease but we do have ticks. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Thanks for the rose geranium suggestion. I actually have some on hand and will be trying this out next time we go for a walk in the woods. I’m also happy to hear that it actually works! My girls and I thank you!
Hi!
I haven’t searched the comments (dOnt know how to on my iPad) but I wanted to make sure folks know that rose geranium oil is TOXIC to CATS and citrus oils should not be used with cats.
thanks for your testimony! I’m researching oils to make a spray for us humans walking in the woods–or even our yard, these days!
Julie
Some comments about using Rose Geranium essential oil.
First, before buying your oil, confirm it is therapeutic quality. When the label says “natural”, that has no specified quality of what you are buying. It can still contain synthetics, which you do not want to use on your dog.
Secondly, another way to utilize the repellent qualities of Rosé Geranium for your dog is to simply put a drop of the essential oil directly on the top of the collar. This can be reapplied weekly. Most ticks attach around the neck & ears.
Also, please never apply essential oils directly onto a cat’s skin. Only hydrosols are safe for cats.
I also make a tick spray with Rose Geranium for our trail horses that works great. I will watch other riders come back to the trailhead & pull 15 to 20 ticks off their horse. I usually won’t find more than 3 – 5 ticks, if any, between all three of my horses.
Awesome, thanks so much for your tips and knowledge, Paulette!!
I will be buying some as well. I am more into essential oils and can also find a ton of uses for them. We live in Southwestern PA, Fayette county. We have 3 acres of mostly wooded land that turkey and deer love to visit. My poor dog moose is a 120lb lap dog that does enjoy the outdoors. I just pulled two ticks from him today. Always used revolution before and now on trifexis after he had some parasites. The trifexis offers no flea prevention. Will look forward to trying this. Unfortunately tick collar goes on until I can get the oils ordered. Safety first to us all.
Keep me posted, Julie! I love big dogs – Hope this works on your giant pup đ
This is great! I ordered a bottle for my yorkie, we just found a tick on him yesterday from a walk in the park. Thanks so much!!
Thank you for providing this information on tick repellent. I have been searching all day trying to find something to repel ticks. My Yorkie is on Revolution but today I found a tick on his head. It was not attached, it was just crawling. So here are my questions:
1. Can I use rose geranium oil along with the Revolution?
2. Do I apply it daily–he goes outside several times a day just to do his business and walk the neighborhood.
3. Does the rose geranium oil attract bees?
Thank you!
Hi Mitzie!
To answer your questions:
1. Yes
2. I just apply once in the morning and it seems to last all day.
3. I haven’t noticed that it attracts bees, but you are the second or third person to ask me that so I will be sure to take extra notice.
Hope that helps! I just love Yorkies đ
I just went in to a Natural Food Store yesterday to look into this, and they highly advised me NOT using this stuff for dogs. It’s a very potent blend of essential oil. She said that they recommend diluting it even to put it on human skin. Are you sure there aren’t any adverse effects on your dog? I was leary, and decided not to purchase it because of this. I want to do some more research.
Hi Craig, as long as you dilute the oil it should be safe for both you and your dog, unless either of you are extremely sensitive. If he is prone to skin troubles, I’d keep an eye on the application area until you can be sure it isn’t causing any irritation. Same goes for you.
Got ours in the mail last night! Very excited to try it. We live in the woods of New Hampshire and the ticks are insane here.
I made the mistake of thinking “if one drop is good maybe a few more is better”
WOW! That is a great brand because it is a genuine and strong smell lol
It smelled roses and geraniums had bloomed all over the house lol
(I put it on right away instead of waiting til today since he goes out at night before we turn in)
Will update how it works!
Dana
PSatbe ticks dont like flowers lol
Keep me updated, Dana! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing the information. I will for sure try it out. I also am using a decent tick/flea/black fly/deer fly repellent that is going pretty well – cedar wood oil. I dilute it with water- about a 15:1 ratio- but play around and see what is too strong/weak etc. Avoid eyes/mouth area- but this also works well. I will also get the geranium rose oil because bugs and insects are crafty and back up defense is a good idea!!!!! Thanks for spreading good info for people and pets- wayyyyy too mayny chemicals out there. We need to make a trip back in time and start re-using natural products that somehow took a major back seat to powerful pharmaceutical companies that would rather people not know about super cheap, natural, and easy solutions!
So excited to hear of another natural remedy, Heather! Thanks so much for sharing!
Heather how do you just mix the cedar wood essential oil with just plain water since essentials oils don’t really mix with water alone? Do you have to shake bottle a great deal before every application?
Hey Kelly, thanks for the tip. I realize your technique has been working well for you, but research shows ticks primarily “quest” below the knees. In addition to putting the oil on your wrists and behind your ears, I’d include ankles too!
Definitely going to try for my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retreiver, Piper. She got a tick for the first time at the end of November last year (we live near Toronto) and has tested positive for Lyme. Vet is watching & testing urine monthly rather than giviing antibiotics-says 95% of dogs testing positive don’t develop symptoms. She’s had Advantix only twice–first time got nasty twitches, second month started vomiting 36 hours after application. Vet says he uses both Advatix & Advantage Multi on his dogs, 2 weeks apart, for added heatworm & flea control. So, 2 weeks after the Advantix, the Advantage was applied & 36 hours later…more vomiting. She’s always been fine with just the Advantage, but now I don’t know what to do! Ticks are getting more prevalent here in Ontario, and we live in the country, near a forest with lots of deer. Sure hope the Rose Geranium oil works–it was actually recommended at a Toller Specialty day last year, but I was unable to source it…now I’ve ordered from Amazon.ca.
I hope this works for Piper, Karen! Keep me posted.
Are there any good tick solutions for inanimate objects? We keep finding them in our house, brought in by people, pets, whatever. It would be nice if there was something to put in furniture/carpeting/dog beds/etc… I found ticks walking around on me 3 different times yesterday, all while indoors.
Hi TimmyD, Diatomaceous Earth is a wonderful solution. It’s basically ground up fossils. To us and dogs/cats, it just feels like a fine baby powder. But to very small insects (like fleas and ticks), it’s extremely sharp and will cut their exoskeleton and absorb all their bodily fluids, thus killing them. It’s awesome for getting rid of ants, too! Just sprinkle a little around pet beds, furniture, carpet, etc.
Here’s what you want to look for: http://amzn.to/1kYI0QJ
This is very interesting! Ticks freak me out! We live in a very wooded subdivision with hiking trails, etc. Lots of deer in our yard! I love hiking in the woods and being outside, too! Fear of ticks is keeping me from mushroom hunting, geocaching, hiking….etc. The little buggers seem to like me, too! :(. I will give this a try. I hate the thought of chemicals, too. Thanks for the post.
Just so I fully understand. You just put a drop behind each ear & wrist and thats it? Or did you mix up the bug repellant and use that. Thanks!
Yes, I just use the rose geranium and put a drop of the rose geranium on my wrist and behind each ear and that’s it!
Hi I’m in South London UK. It would seem we are going to have a bumper year for ticks, bed bugs and fleas due to recent warm winters. Having found a tick – in a very sensitive area on her rear where she wees – on my 14mth rescue Staffy I was horrified and found advocate doesn’t cover ticks! I saw your recommendation for rose geranium oil and purchased some…. First day of testing today will let you know. Thank you for the heads up.x
From Niagara Falls Ontario. Just pulled a tick off my head Thurrday, now 5 days later the bite site is swollen and terribly sore for about 5 inches below the bite. I have made a list of ingredients and am going to do this for us and our animals, thanks for your info.
Oh no – ticks are such nasty little buggers! I hope you and your bite are doing ok. Please keep a close eye on your area and if you feel “off” in anyway, please consult your doctor. Lyme Disease is nothing to fool around with and if you catch it early and get treated for it, it’s so much better and you’ll have the best chance of recovery. A few years ago when I had lyme, it was about a week after my tick bite, I woke up with a very stiff neck and I knew to go to the doctor right away to get treated for lyme. (Important info for anyone reading – Rose Geranium is only a preventative for ticks, not a treatment for tick bites/lyme!!) Take care, Karen! I hope your bite gets better!!
Please don’t wait to consult with a dr. You may need 3 weeks of antibiotics, and the sooner the better. I was in a similar situation—immediate swelling, etc.—and the antibiotics nipped it in the bud. If by any chance you still have the tick, you can also send it to the University of Massachusetts (check on Google) for testing; this will tell you what the tick carried. Good luck!
Thanks so much for your post! I live in Southern California and ticks are virtually non exisitent in the pets in my area, but for some reason the animal shelter dogs have tons of them! I just went on Saturday for the first time to help play with the dogs and when I came home I must have brought one with me because my roommate woke up with one crawling on her! So needless to say I’ve been frantic looking for something to help repel them from the dogs so that I know they are safe (and myself) and I have a black lab and they would be really difficult to find. I didn’t want to get frontline because A. It’s dangerous and B. Ticks really aren’t common here. I’ve NEVER even seen a tick until I went to the shelter… So I’m grateful to see that this has been working for you for so long.
Thanks again,
Sheila
Hi! Im wondering if it has to be Rose Geranium oil or can you use just Geranium oil? I cant buy it here in Ireland!Or, is there any other oils i can use? We have some calves and cows and there seems to be alot of ticks on them so dont want to use chemicals if possible! Thanks in advance! đ
Technically they are the same, though my preference would be to select an essential oil that reveals it’s source and distillation method. “Geranium Oil” is a bit too general as there are different varieties with different strengths. I would also be looking for a pure undiluted oil to purchase as it will generally be of a higher quality. Do shop around and don’t let price be your only method of choosing. If a product is too cheap (or too expensive) than most other brands, I’d question it.
I have ordered some rose ger. oil from Amazon and hopefully it will help keep the evil critters off me and my babies. I am also thinking about ordering some “Tick Tubes”. They say that the primary host of ticks is mice. They sell these cardboard tubs that are filled with permethrin soaked cotton that the mice steal to line their nests with. The ticks in the nests are killed and never make it out to plague the large host. They are not cheap but look worth a try.
Thanks,
Melinda
Just googled tick repellents for dogs and this link came up first! I bought a house last August in South Jersey smack dab in the middle of the Pine Barrens! I have a 7 month old German Shepherd and have pulled numerous ticks off him these past few months! It makes me so nervous! I’m definitely going to try this. Thanks for the advice!
Thanks so much! I am going to order the EO tonight! I love EO’s but I don’t have this one. I have read if you do get a tick A drop of Palo Santo will make the tick let go!
We live in Loudoun County VA, lots if ticks , lots of Lyme. I did Stephen Buhners lyme protocol and the Gaps intro diet. I kicked it in a year. I have had it for several years but I didn’t know that I had it!
Now I am on an herbal protocol for parasites( cloves, wormwood and black green walnut)
Yay for Essential oils and herbs!!!
I’m so excited to try this! I have two fur babies (one 60 lbs, and on 85 lbs). We also live in wooded areas. Actually, we live surrounded by a national forest. lol Soooooo yeah, we have ticks. Just this morning, I’ve picked two off of me and i’ve not even been anywhere. My son had one on his boy bits last week! Teeny Tiny deer tick. I’m constantly picking them off the dogs (like 10+ per day). And we use topicals! We’ve tried frontline, revolution, advantix. Shampoos. Ugh. I’m getting ready to have our house bombed so we can at least get them under control and out of the house, then start the oil on all of us and see how it works. đ
Hi! This might be a silly question but is rose geranium oil the same as geranium rose oil? I wasn’t sure if the rose geranium is a sort of geranium or if it is geranium oil with rose oil and vice versa. Thank you so much!
They are the same. There is no actual Rose oil involved, this oil just has a rose-like smell, hence the name.
I have been looking into this myself.. Is it safe to apply directly to the skin?
I do, Carrie. You can also dilute it if you feel more comfortable with that. Sweet almond oil is a great oil to dilute with.
Hi, I was wondering, does it also repel mosquitoes, or are you using a bug repellent in addition? And, for everyone asking about cats, today I found an unattached tick on my cat (he walks on a leash), right away I applied Sentry Natural Defense (the once a month squeeze on kind). I used it on him last year when he had fleas as a baby, and I had some more tubes in case the fleas returned. I like the smell of it (clove and peppermint) and he didn’t have any adverse reaction, although he doesn’t like it when I apply it, it probably triangles from the peppermint oil. If I find that the Natural Defense doesn’t work as well on ticks (it is supposed to), I will probably try putting a drop of rose geranium oil on his harness, I just bought some for myself at Whole Foods. Thanks for this website!
Hi Marie!
Iâve found the rose geranium keeps all types of insects away from me, including mosquitos, fairly decently â must be something they really hate about it! I also have found Bug Off, an essential oil blend, by Plant Therapy (you can find it here: http://amzn.to/1jiFHd2) mixed with sweet almond oil (or any type of oil â you can even mix it with witch hazel for a bug spray) works extremely well â thatâs the one my husband likes the best for mosquitos and I think I have to agree â it seems to work the best for us. Itâs just a blend of pure essential oils of Citronella, Eucalyptus, Cedar wood, Lemongrass, Lavender, Litsea, Tea Tree, Patchouli & Catnip and that combination seems to be one that the bugs hate!
Definitely going to try this. I know that “Natural Lawn of America” uses a natural lawn insect repellent made of crushed Chrysanthemum which is effective on ticks, so it makes sense that this would work too. We have 3 dogs and 4 kids. I can’t bare the thought of using the carcinogen-linked flea and tick control anymore. But, I certainly do not want to find any more ticks in my house or on us. I had Lyme once and it is very serious. Thanks for this information.
I would like to comment on the accepted policy of covering up to avoid ticks.
What I find is that the more clothes I’m wearing, the more ticks I bring into the house and the easier it is for them to hide. If they’re hiding in clothes, sure, you can change clothes every time you come inside, but they will find their way to you in the house. If you’re all covered and choose not to take all of your clothes off every time you come in and check for ticks, they’re just going to be crawling around until they make their way to skin (they will).
On the other hand, the less clothes I’m wearing, the easier it is to see them and remove them immediately. Then we tick-check when we come in and take care of the problem right away.
Seriously, does everyone believe it’s better to cover up completely? I just don’t see it.
Excited to try rose geranium for us & the dog. Thanks for the post!
I was very excited when I found your website and this info.. My husband went camping with my 8 year old son, I bought the geranium rose essential oil and sent them on their way.. Unfortunately my son came back with a tick buried in his back. My husband put the oil on the back of my sons neck .. the tick attached literally a couple inches away from it. I’m very disappointed that it didn’t work for us đ
Sorry, I had to laugh when you said your husband put it on the back of his neck! For humans, it is a dab behind each ear and on the wrists. Also, how often did he apply it? There may have been a few missed steps that contributed to the failure, and it also must be remembered that no rememdy is necessarily going to be 100% effective, and a regular tick-check would still need to be maintained.
Hi it seems that there are two types of RG and apparently only one of them works. ( Pelargonium capitatum x radens) is supposed to work… I don’t know cause I got the wrong one.
Most essential oils should not be used undiluted on the skin. Rose Geranium Essential Oil should be diluted with a carrier oil such as safflower oil. Two Tablespoons carrier oil to 10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil.
Just a thought – if you dont want to apply directly to your dog or collar, maybe you could attach a fabric tag to the collar and add some drops of oil to that. I am thinking something the size of a dog ID tag that cold be made easily or possibly bought (maybe a fabric key chain?)
Have only just discovered the Rose Geranium Oil idea today. We dont often have a problem with ticks but today my dog has managed to pick some up on his morning walk. Problem is I cant face removing them myself so when he does get them we have to visit the vet and pay him to remove them, which usually results in them trying to sell me a spot on flea/tick treatment which I dont want to use.
I came across your website while looking for natural tick repellant…and what a find…Rose Geranium Essential Oil! I’m so grateful for your info and loved your story. It looks SO beautiful up there! I live in Costa Rica and since the wet season has started ticks are all around it seems. My dog’s ok for now but I had one on the inside of my arm a few days ago…the rash has been driving me crazy. I’m getting it checked out this afternoon. From now on I’ll be using the beautiful oil. I’m greatly encouaraged by your success with it…so many thanks! Peter
Peter, I now live in Costa Rica and we have our dog with us. Did the Rose Geranium Oil (and was it the Pelargonium capitatum x radens kind?) work against the Costa Rican ticks? I look forward to your answer. Thanks.
This rose geranium oil did not work for my dogs, I would put it on 2 times a day, more than one drop from their neck to their hips, I still found ticks on them.
Priscilla,
Did you buy a good quality oil? All essential oils are not the same. You may want to try a high quality oil and see if you have better success.
I tried ordering the oil on your link and Amazon was always out so I purchased this:
Rose Geranium 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil – 2oz
GreenHealth (40)
Priscilla
I went to the store and found geranium essential oil… not rose geranium. Do you think that will work? Heading up to the North Woods of MN this weekend… am going to try it…
This is FANTASTIC news! I live in NW Georgia and after painting my deck last night, picked three ticks off of myself between last night and this morning. After the long and unseasonably cold winter that we had, I’m SHOCKED that there are ticks already.
I have Rose Absolute and Geranium essential oils. I’m going to mix a few drops of each together and try that until my order gets here. I have two dogs – a Boxer-mix and a Pomeranian – and my Pom has a reaction to Frontline so I haven’t used those chemicals on my dogs for years. This is great news… for ALL of us!
Thanks for sharing!!
Hi, I’ve been looking for a chemical free way to repel ticks and just ordered some RG oil, can’t wait to try it. My boy is a little over a year now and he’s very furry…and he’s mostly black, so the daily body checks are not easy (although he does seem to love them). Up to this point I’ve been putting a couple teaspoons of coconut oil in his morning meal (he’s 21 lbs) and loves the stuff! He hasn’t had any tics this year so far but last summer I pulled off about a dozen. I read about coconut oil as a natural remedy (it also has other health benefits) So I’m hoping that the RG oil on the collar along with the coconut oil in his food will do the trick. I’ve never been able to bring myself to put any of those chemical oils on him and I’m really hoping I won’t ever have to. Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m looking forward to the newsletters đ
I don’t like using topical pesticides on my dogs – both get sick and they don’t work. I live in the woods and ticks this year are crazy bad. I’m pulling them off my dogs & me every day. But what do you do to combat fleas? I’m going to give this oil a try for ticks without a doubt. But if anyone has a suggestion for a natural flea prevention remedy, I’d love to know!
Have you looked into Diatomaceous Earth? We haven’t had a flea problem yet (crossing my fingers), but many people have reported great success with it. Diatomaceous Earth was also recommended in a few holistic pet care books I have read. They suggest sprinkling it on your pet and on the pet beds and carpets (take care not to breathe in the particles as you are applying – even though it feels like baby powder, microscopically it is very sharp and can irritate the lungs. Make sure to buy food grade since your pet licks their fur. It is not harmful at all if swallowed – some people even drink it every day as a detox). I use Diatomaceous Earth for killing ants, too. This is what I use: http://amzn.to/1nIlJLp
Just wanted to check, this is NOT mixed with a carrier oil?
Julie, I have not been mixing with a carrier oil, but you certainly can. Jojoba or sweet almond oil are great choices!
Thank you so much for this blog. Would you recommend this for a 2 and 4 year old?
I used only a pleasant-smelling Neem spray on my pets for years, which was very effective against fleas and mosquitoes and other pests. But then the ticks moved in to my area and my dog started picking up a few ticks every time we went out. He was a long-haired Border Collie and it was impossible to find those buggers on him! Then I discovered shoo!TAG and it really cut down the tick incidents to nearly nil! I tell people that, depending on exposure, they may need a multi-step process of the tags, essential oils or neem, etc. – but in my opinion, all of this combined is way preferable to using toxic chemicals on our pets and ourselves! I do sell these items in my store and online, by the way…
Hi there,
Was doing a search on deer tick repellent and found your website. I found a deer tick on my little boy even though I check him throughout the day. I am still pretty stressed. My child is 5. Do you apply the oil directly to the skin or dilute it with jojoba oil? We live in a high tick area and my neighbor has told me she has had Lyme disease and still struggles with it. Thanks so much!
I have been applying it directly to my skin, but I know some people are not comfortable with that. Jojoba oil or sweet almond oil is a great way to dilute it.
Can I get rose oil and geranium oil and mix together or is this a special oil I can’t find it in arkansas please let me knw soon my poor little wennie dog is covered everyday. Nothing I have used so far works
Since this is Lyme Awareness month, I thought I’d take the opportunity to provide some information from a position of love. Please be careful. Your life, and your dog’s is not worth losing to Lyme. I wish someone had warned me, a NYC gal who lived all over the world and then settled in CT. My daughter, now 19, was bitten in 1999 when she was just four. She exhibited swollen ankles and feet from the get go, had knee pain to the point where she couldn’t walk or do ballet but Lyme tests were not as sophisticated as they are now. An orthopedist even told her she needed hip surgery! The draconian CDC and IDSA guidelines also prevented treatment. Fifteen years later, and my daughter has had to defer college and is on IV and oral antibiotics.
For years we fought doctors (and we were to every kind: pediatrician, neurologist, endocrinologist, orthopedist, cardiologist), and because she was young, we got the old “it’s depression”or “it’s in her mind” or “there aren’t enough bands/or there are no IGG bands.” Every opportunity I can take to educate people, I jump at. We never thought we’d EVER be in this position.
No amount of orals worked for my daughter. We tried every herbal out there and even resorted to a soviet doctor who got her herbal teas and oils from Georgia (USSR). She tried medical massage with her as well, but my daughter’s back broke out in these monster cysts (we didn’t know what was in the herbs and teas except that for the past 9 years this woman cured adults and children with Lyme, otherwise, I’d be too afraid to have tried it).
She has crippling and bonecrushing fatigue, Lyme insomnia, cognitive impairment, pain and pressure in her head and eyes, light and noise sensitivity, and severe scalp and hair follicle pain. She never gets to bed before 3-4am and then sleeps till noon or later. I give her kudos for pushing through high school, graduating and being accepted to some great colleges. She had to be on adderall to even get up and go to school. She has memory issues, word recall, is distracted and her cognition is shot.
She had a brain spect in 2012 which showed severe hypoperfusion (lack of oxygen to the brain) in her temporal, frontal and parietal lobes (which makes it so difficult to process languages or math) and basal ganglia. We took her to a big teaching hospital in NYC, and they did a pet scan and pet MRI which showed severe hypometabolism in all her lobes and cerebellum. The head of neurology was so frightened when he saw this, he scanned her entire body for cancer! You don’t see hypometabolism in children. it I s generally seen in adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s. I have added coconut oil to her regimen of vitamins and supplements (and we take about 15 a day) as it has shown great promise in Alzheimer’s patients. Cognitively, I don’t know if she will ever get her beautiful brain back, or if the encephalopathy will be reversed at this late stage of Lyme. I worry about who will care for her if something happens to me.
Her neuropsyche tests indicate her intellect is intact and her potential is in the 99%-ile, but her active memory is only functioning at 63% and her ability to process information is only 23%. College would be an uphill battle, but she refuses to give up. She doesn’t want her life to end here. As it is, she is so isolated because all her friends are in college, and she only gets to see them 3-4 times a year when they are home.
I don’t know what the future will bring, but had she gotten treatment sooner by any one of the myriad doctors I took her to all these years, the disease would not have progressed this far, in my opinion. She also has secondary medical issues as well. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and arrhythmias in the heart (Lyme can attack the heart! There is Lyme carditis but the only way to know for sure if someone has it is through a heart biopsy which no doctor will do…many elderly patients die from this). Many are misdiagnosed with MS or ALS or Alzheimer’s. My daughter had had to undergo EEG’s and a spinal tap, because of it. She’s had an anti-neuronal antibody test which rendered “infection-induced auto-immune encephalopathy” from Lyme. I can’t begin to tell you the financial toll this disease has taken on us as insurance does not reimburse for so many of the tests.
Then there are the Lyme co-infections, which most Lyme patients have. Lyme is in every state and country except Antarctica, and it is in epidemic proportions. The CDC even raised their estimate of cases from 3000 to 300,000 cases last year. And guess what? My daughter is NOT counted in those numbers, simply because she did not meet CDC criteria of having five IgG bands and at least two IgM bands in her testing (which is not always accurate or reliable). She had four IgM bands and two IgG bands! There are over 300 strains of Lyme and 25 strains of each co-infection (bartonella, babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Rickettsaie, anaplasmosis, mycoplasma), and they are finding more each day. The Powassum virus can kill within weeks and is transmitted by certain ticks found in the Hudson valley in NY…luckily it is rare but a teenage boy died from it in August 2013. The best labs to test for Lyme and co-infections are Igenex in CA (so very expensive but the gold standard in lab testing), Fry labs or Quest specialty labs.. A negative test does not mean you do not have Lyme. It can take a long time for antibodies to show, and sometimes they never do. It’s diagnosed by symptoms… And you don’t have to see a tick bite or have a red bullseye rash (my daughter never had the rash). The most disheartening thing is having a doctor tell you “nothing is wrong with you or your child; stop taking him/her to doctors.” A mother knows their child, and it was my gut instinct to keep fighting all these years until ai got answers. Thankfully, in 2012, I found a Lyme literate doctor (LLMD) and a Lyme literate naturopath (LLND), ILADS (the national Lyme organization that can be trusted), the Lyme Research Alliance, and the Tickborne Disease Alliance. I spend all my time researching and in support groups with other parents who have children with chronic long-term Lyme. These parents will stop at nothing to find a cure. People don’t realize that many teens commit suicide because of Lyme disease…especially when they realize they are disabled. I know so may adults and high profile businessmen who have had to quit their jobs because of Lyme, and three recently died from complications from the disease. There were 12 deaths from sudden onset Babesia on Cape Cod last year. These are frightening statistics.
I don’t know how my daughter got bitten, but most likely in our backyard. I was proud that we didn’t use pesticides, but now regret not spraying for ticks. My little bichon would have ticks around his mouth and I’d pull them off. Perhaps one was transmitted from him to my daughter, since the ticks need a host, or it could have just been from playimg outside. I didn’t use repellents or even check for ticks, because I DIDNT KNOW ENOUGH about Lyme disease. I, too, assumed you took 28 days of doxycycline, and you were done. That’s imply not the cae. There are a few lucky people who get bitten, and their doctors put them on antibiotics immediately, but it is rare. My first bichon passed away just short of his 15th birthday. He had so many diseases and I can’t help but think it was from the ticks. I gave up my life to care for him after the vet said to put him down when he was eight simply because he had diabetes. I gave him his shots and cooked for him and kept him happy and alive for nearly seven more years. I have another bichon, and after my first one passed away, I don’t let this one out. The furthest she goes is on the deck, or ai carry her to the car so she can stick her head out the window and feel the breeze and smell life. We have become prisoners in our home, and when we do venture out, we use Avon’s “Skin So Soft” as protection. I will definitely try the Rose geranium oil. I also just heard about a neem oil mixture, and a product called “Tick Tock” (which I haven’t tried so can’t provide feedback).
I don’t want people to be alarmed, just aware. I’m doing this, because I only wish someone had done it for me.
Be safe in all your travels and activities, and I wish you the very best of health!
Denise!
How great that you have taken the time and effort to detail your awful experience. I wish that everyone could read it, especially medical doctors. I ended up in the ER of a local hospital, about 2 1/2 years ago, in January, and they didn’t test for Lyme. My symptoms were mysterious, including a fever, ranging from 102 to 99. After being admitted, we asked a doctor, on the suggestion of someone else in the family, if they had tested for Lyme, and he said “No, there’s no ticks out now”! (between Reading and Allentown, PA).They did test and it was positive, so I had a PIC line with vancomycin, for about a week, but then the second part of the test came through, and they said it was negative, so that meant that the first part of the test was a false positive! I was told I had acute mono, and there was nothing else they could do for me, so removed the IV, and sent me home, at which time I could not stand on my own, or walk without a walker.
After about two weeks, I was taken to my Functional Medicine Doctor,
who did “muscle testing” and I was diagnosed with Lyme and ricketsia, and was put on lots of natural preparations, and herbs, and in three months I was strong enough to drive my car for about a mile. Since then, I have had to see a neurologist, was greatly helped by a local LLMD, until I could no longer afford all the antibiotics. My faithful Functional Medicine Doctor is treating
and periodically testing me, so that I can have a real life.
I say the above only to encourage people to do their own research, to be a persistent advocate and don’t give up. Find an LLMD, and Functional Medicine Doctor, and seek “muscle testing” which is an amazing, painless, revealing and fascinating experience!
Thank you again, and good luck.
I have tested negative for lyme and the other ones. They think I don’t have it. I have no confidence in the labs here in CT. I don’t believe they know how to test. My doctor finally gave me three weeks of doxycycline after having symptoms for over a year. I herxed three times while on the antibiotic.
Unfortunately the antibiotic gave me ulcerative colitis. That is under control with medication and the headaches and achy legs are starting again. My next step will be to speak to my doctor about drawing my blood and sending it to a lab in California that knows how to test properly.
I have a friend that has Lyme as bad as your daughter. The symptoms you described are what she experiences. She is being treated by a Chinese doctor in NYC with natural herbs. I don’t think doctors around here are versed in it. I was sent to an infectious disease specialist who discounted the possibility of lyme because I tested negative. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for this! Ridley Creek Sate Park is my back yard and this is the best thing I’ve tried yet!
I was wondering if you use the rose geranium oil full strength or mixed with any thing else.. thank you
I use it full strength, but you can mix it with sweet almond or jojoba oil, if you wish!
Thanks for posting this. I’m going to try putting Geranium oil on my cat. Cats are much more finicky with essential oils than dogs so I made sure I diluted the Essential Oil with Olive Oil.
I did a 1% dilution mix of:
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (In metric terms: 2Tbls=1ounce)
6 Drops of Geranium Oil
Unfortunately I was unable to specifically find Rose Geranium Oil. I only found Geranium Oil. I did some looking into what other species of geranium could be used for aromatherapy purposes and turns out Rose Geranium is the only one. So if anyone could only find Geranium oil it’s the same thing as Rose Geranium.
I also live in Pennsylvania so I’ll let you know how it works. I tried applying the solution to my cats neck and ears. I’ll let you know the results and whether my cat had any adverse affects. Rose Geranium is supposed to be one for the less toxic oils for cats but you never know.
Look at the reports above. It may be harmful to a cat.
I can not find rose geranium oil here in Manitoba, Canada but they do sell organic geranium oil I’m just wondering if anyone has had luck using just Geranium oil and not the rose.
I’ve never come across a site that has absolutely ZERO comments with confirmation that a suggested product actually works. Aside from the author here making money from her Amazon link (which is absolutely fine, but just saying) … where is the social proof? I’d love to believe that it works… but nobody has returned to say so! Has there been anyone in the past year that tried this and has something to say about it?
Matt, there are a number of comments in here stating some results. There’s a lot of comments to sift through, but they are in there đ
Matt, I can tell you that Avon’s Skin So Soft works…I posted a long response about Lyme, and this is what has worked for us. I buy it at our local pharmacy vs an avon rep.
After walking through some woods in Delaware over the weekend and finding out the hard way they were infested with ticks, I started to do some research on methods of deterring these little buggars from hitching a ride on me and I found your site. Thanks for the suggestion on using the rose geranium EO, I’ll likely try it out. I also have a question. Have you or anyone else attempted to use any other EO’s as a deterrent? I’ve read that peppermint, tea tree, cedarwood, eucalyptus, lemongrass, citronella, among several other oils that can be used. Has anyone had success using any of these other EO’s? This would only be used for myself as I don’t have any pets.
I was looking for a more natural solution to our tick problem and I found your blog, I’m excited to read more about other things on here. I live in Southeastern Wisconsin and have had a tick on me almost everyday for the past week. The only reason I’m up at 3 in the morning today, I usually don’t have a problem sleeping, but I feel like there’s one on me all the time. One would of thought with how cold our winter was, nothing would of survived, but I think this has to be the worst year yet for ticks. I do have a German Shepard and I’ve only found one on him. Last year I wanted to get away from frontline basically because it’s poison and I was scared my nieces or nephews were going to get sick from hugging him with it on. I did switch to Shoo!TAG Flea and Tick Barrier Tag for Dogs. The tags create a magnetic field that repels fleas and ticks. Last year I only found a couple ticks on him and so far only one this year, which isn’t bad considering I’ve have at least 8-10 on me this week. We don’t have a flea issue here, so I’m not sure how well it works for that. I just ordered the oil you suggested and can’t wait to try it.
While reading some of the other posts I saw one woman talk about lymes disease and controversy over the disease. I did some research last year for a friend and because it was very interesting. There’s a documentary called Under One’s Skin and it talks about the disease and the controversial aspects of treating it.
Here’s the link to the website for the movie: http://www.underourskin.com/#home-underourskin
Thanks again for the recommendation for the oil, I just purchased it and can’t wait to try it.
Sincerely,
Kim
That is so cool, Kim about the Shoo!Tag! I’ve heard about them, but haven’t known of anyone who’s ever used one. That is great to hear. And thank you so much for the movie link. I am eager to to watch it and learn more about Lyme.
Hi some weeks ago my staffy picked up a tick. Having removed it and found your blog I purchased som rose geranium therapeutic grade essential oil. Since then not only does she smell nice there have been no more ticks. I have even seen the mosquito’s flee when they come near. Many thanks for letting us know about this.
Awesome!
I’m just curios as to what you use for fleas if anything? Maybe it’s not a problem in PA but I’m live in central IL and it’s definitely a problem
Hi Kelly, my dog hasn’t had fleas for the whole 5 years that we’ve had him, but just a few weeks ago, we moved into a flea infested house (still in PA and actually further in the woods lol) and they were everywhere đ It was horrible and we are still somewhat dealing with it. I am using diatomaceous earth and so far it’s working well. I sprinkle it on the carpets, on his bedding and on him. The fleas hate the stuff and it kills them. But, I also added some herbs to my DE (yarrow root and neem powder) to further help because those herbs are known to be a natural bug repellant. I am working on a post for it that contains my recipe (basically it’s equal amounts of DE, yarrow powder and need powder), but wanted to be sure it worked before I posted it. So far, I’ve been impressed, but we’re still not totally out of the woods with the fleas. At least they are off of him, but we are still dealing with finding them in the house (ugh! so annoying!). But the base of it is Diatomaceous Earth (which works extremely well on it’s own). But when I added the neem and yarrow root, I noticed it then started repelling ALL bugs (flies, knats, mosquitos, etc.), which is pretty cool.
You can probably find DE at a feed or garden store, but if you live out in the boonies like me, it’s available online, too. This is what I have: http://amzn.to/1q6TtPJ
I based my homemade natural flea powder off this product: http://amzn.to/1ovV0zL
Hi! My husband and I will soon be moving to the Northwoods in Wisconsin, and the ticks are THICK there :/. We have 2 large Aussies and 5 small lap dogs (rescues ~ we don’t hoard) :). Would the dosage differ, depending on the size of the dog? We don’t collar our dogs, simply because we have a confined backyard and we keep close eyes on them ~ so we’d be applying the oil directly on the skin. It seems like we’d be either under-dosing the Aussies or over-dosing the littles. Your advice, please? đ Thanks! Cyd
Thank you very much for posting this information, I am a biologist located in south Georgia and this year the ticks have been HORRIBLE. I hate to use the bug sprays on myself and my dog.
I’ve been using this oil for two weeks on our Chihuahua and Pekingese and it works great! I started putting a drop on the back of their necks and at the base of the tail as you suggested, but now I just put a few drops on the outside of their halters as I don’t know what the long-term effects are of putting it directly on their skin.
Thanks!
I want to put this on my 15 year old dog because of an awful reaction she had to Frontline. It literally eat up her skin and she had a scab for nearly 6 months. I had been using it on her forever but then all of a sudden she became allergic. Now I am terrified of using anything. Too many chemical.
I was excited to read about this so I read nearly all the comments and I am excited to give it a try but I am hesitant because I have two cats. I read all the comments about the cat and how some say it is okay but how most say it is bad.
I don’t plan on putting it on them. But if I put it on my dog, will my cats get sick? They are about 6 years old.
The cats and the dog are always together. She sleep together and even drink out of the same bowl.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!!
As long as you aren’t applying it directly to the cats they should be fine.
Hi! A facebook friend just posted a link to your blog and I am thrilled at what I just read. I live in Franklin County, Pennsylvania along with my 7 yr. Chocolate Lab and husband (their order is correct – Lol!)
Anyway…….I also hate Frontline and stopped using it years ago after realizing how it poisons your dog. A friend with 5 labs gave us information for Cedarcide products which is also an all natural solution for ticks. We’ve been using this for several years now…..we are also in the woods almost daily – and it has worked fairly well. Unfortunately we discovered that the ticks still get carried into the house, but do not dig in and make a home in our flesh. We do find them crawling about our home. đ
But this year we have picked more ticks out of Chester than we ever have. I was hoping the cold winter was going to drastically reduce them but they seem worse than ever.
The funny thing about this is that I think we already have this essential oil in our medicinal stash. My husband found that essential oils can help eliminate his sweaty hands (hyperhydrosis). I am at work now and can’t wait to get home to see if we do have this. (I assume you did check that it is safe for use on pets longterm?).
The website I listed is my neglected blog. Helping my elderly father, I just don’t have the time for it anymore. But, I thought you might like to see a pic of my Chocolate friend.
Thanks – and Happy Trails!!!
Michelle
We live in the mountains of Virginia. Our yellow Lab has had Lymes disease twice. We have tried EVERYTHING but have never liked putting chemicals into his system. We read your article and decided why not give this natural way a try. We are so happy to say that it IS working for our dog too! We picked ticks off him daily and he’s mostly INDOORS! For the past 3 weeks of using this oil…. NOT A ONE!
Thanks so much for sharing your story and if you ever do find out WHY it works, Id like to know as well!
Thanks again for some great information!
I read your post and hope it works. I just purchased all the ingredients. My only concern is I’ve heard a lot of negative reviews regarding toxicity to animals if you don’t buy high grade oils and there isn’t much research on what companies are “pure” oil producers. Have you had any harmful effects with edens garden, plant therapy or now companies, or have you even tried them yet? Please help I want to try but want to know more about any side effects if any your dog has had.
As a longtime user (well over 10 years) of the products from Nature’s Gift, I can affirm that theirs is of the highest quality with a reasonable price tag. A google search will find their website. When you buy an oil from them, they let you know EVERYTHING about it, including where it it is sourced, what distillation method used and many of the uses they have discovered for it. You can get an education in aromatherapy along with your oils. I prefer not to use any other brand.
Hello. We live in Far North Queensland in Australia and i just want to say THANKYOU!! We get paralysis ticks here and i also hate Frontline. I stumbled upon your post in Pinterest and i am just blown away at its simplicity and success. Our little Jack Russell now smells like nanna’s house but he is alive and well without a single tick in sight no matter where we go for walks – SO THANKYOU.
I am so glad to have scrolled through all of the comments to see one from someone in Australia. For I too live in Queensland, Australia (actually Brisbane) and ticks are one thing….but when it is a Paralysis tick you just can not take tick treatment lightly; because these things can kill quickly. Although I hate using the nasty chemicals on my Papillons I have been starting to think their is nothing natural that really works.
After reading this blog, I too have now started using the Cape Rose Geranium Oil which I got from Heritage Oils in Australia. I am also using a Cedar & Lavender Oil spray, which I got from Back To Nature For Canines (also in Australia).
I feel so relieved that I do not have to resort to chemicals…and yes my pups also now smell like Nanna’s place LOL…
Thank you Primally Inspired đ
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and tips, Nikki! I appreciate it greatly since I don’t have any experience or knowledge concerning the paralysis tick. They sound terrible!
The Paralysis Tick is a native insect of Australia and it does just what it’s name suggests: paralysis’s the animal including the ability to breathe! Hundreds of dogs and cat die every year in Australia from these horrible things. Many within 24 hours of a tick bite đ They put more fear in Aussie pet owners then our venomous snakes and spiders do!
I was thinking of trying the roseoil in a spray bottle with a carrier oil. I have been trying to find the ratios to fill a 250ml spray bottle. Does this sound right to you or should?
1 tablespoon of carrier oil (such as Cedar Oil)
40 drops Rose Oil
Fill the rest of the bottle up with distilled or boiled water (should I also put in the 1 tablespoon of witchhazel you mentioned? Is that like a preservative or something?)
Any advice or suggestion would be appreciated. I don’t want it too diluted!
I have had chronic Lyme for about 15 years now. I was mis diagnosed as a child and told I had some form of arthritis. By the time we realized it was actually Lyme disease it was about 12 years later. I tried antibiotics and had severe side effects. I live in NY and there aren’t many doctors who know how to treat chronic lymes. I have muscle pain throughout my body, limited movement in my neck, hip pain and I recently had shoulder surgery due to the inflammation that caused my bicep to tear. Does anyone know any Doctors or treatments for chronic Lyme? I’ve gone the holistic route and that seems to be my best bet. I’ve tried everything. I’m starting to loose faith. I’m only 30 and I’m hoping and praying there is a way to get better!
I, too, was undiagnosed for many years (16). My journey with Lyme began 28 years ago when I was 32. I got better using alternative therapies and didn’t use antibiotics. I credit homeopathy primarily and very healthy living (no chemical exposures, organic food, etc.) for my good health today. I also was treated with several other forms of energy medicine which were helpful as well. After getting bitten and infected again 7 years ago (with delayed diagnosis of a few months), I was treated by a Lyme literate doctor with a variety of antibiotics for 6 months and still my symptoms persisted. I developed gastrointestinal issues (even though I used probiotics) and decided to stop the drugs. I went back to homeopathy and within 3 months, my symptoms were gone. My Lyme doc used to say that chronic Lyme usually can’t be cured, but symptoms can be managed. He said that his patients that do get well are those that make the necessary lifestyle changes. Sounds like you’re on the right track to me. Wishing you good health!
jemsek specialty clinic in washington DC. we have several friends being aggressively treated for lyme there.
How ofton do you need to put the drops on? daily?and is it safe for cats?
Hi
I just wondered if you’d heard whether this works on fleas too??? It’s great to have read the last message from Lisa Sophocleus as I live in Queensland too although in the South East.
I use Frontline at present but hate using such a strong chemical on my little Chihuahuas.
I’m going to dilute the Rose Geranium oil for the dogs skin (15 drops to 30mls of carrier oil as I understand it) but will use a drop or two of the pure oil on their collars.
Hope it works. Thanks for the advice.
Cheers
Maggie
What a great thing all these postings are! I have Lyme, have had it for many years, am housebound, often bedbound, have done 2 years abx, done Stephen Buhner’s herbals, now doing Beyond Balance herbals….no improvement. Am thrilled to read about the homeopathic remedies (can’t figure out why my ND hasn’t suggested these). We have 2 dogs, so looking to prevent it for them. I have severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and do not generally tolerate essential oils……I wonder if Oil of Oregano would work? But maybe I will luck out, and I can tolerate rose germanium – will certainly check it out. As an aside, does anyone have a natural sunscreen recipe? Or can you tell me where I might find them? Thanks!!
Can you find something for spiders.
Food Grade DE (I use this DE: http://amzn.to/1pBfavf ) works awesome for spiders and ants and generally most bugs! Just sprinkle it around your window sills, door sills, etc to keep the bugs and spiders away.
Hi,
I’m always looking for smart solutions. I’ve been finding ticks on my dog’s neck and the middle of her back. Is there a reason you chose to put the oil between the shoulder blades and tail?
So glad I found this link! I have 3 large dogs and the woods is my backyard here in Georgia. Last year my dogs were covered in fleas despite my efforts to control them.
This year I’m looking at less chemicals and trying more natural ways to control the fleas and ticks. My dogs take Brewer’s yeast/garlic tablets and I have a Seresto collar on them but I’m noticing bites on Willy, he’s the largest dog I own, a yellow lab mix. I just ordered some Rose Geranium and Lemon Eucalyptus oil and am looking forward to trying this. I’m hoping this stops the fleas and ticks from biting my babies! Thanks for sharing đ
How often do you apply the oil? and do you reapply after baths etc?
I apply every single day during the warm weather season.
Hi! Do you think this would also work to keep mosquitoes away? I refuse to use heartworm medication on my dog, but vets love to scare you into using it and heart worms make me nervous. I have yet to find a natural form of prevention though. Do you use anything? Thoughts? Thanks!!
thanks for yet another natural alternative for insect/ticks.
ps it’s LYME disease, not “Lyme’s” (not plural).
I found this blog and info as soon as I researched the tick problem I encountered visiting Humboldt County, CA from Alaska this summer (2014). To the people who keep asking if it works for anyone else – why don’t you try it? It’s not like it’s a big investment, and there is no need to get whiny when people put information out there for your taking. I’ve been so happy with the results! We used a different brand since we found it locally, so this is for the Simplers Botanical brand. I wanted organic. Here is my review from Amazon – I really hope this helps get people out and about having fun with their dogs and not using all that crap poison (which is usually the wrong stuff anyway):
“I’m visiting N Calif with my dog, and we immediately came home with ticks, attached and not attached, after hiking in marshy and beach areas with lots of grass. I was so grossed out, and concerned for diseases transmission to my senior dog since we don’t have to deal with ticks at home. I was skeptical that this oil would be as effective as it has been reported by some people online, but was not happy going with the poison method so we ordered some on my sis’ account. The poison route (whichever you choose) does not prevent dogs from bringing ticks back home in long fur – only if they have attached do they suffer.
We have been using it on two dogs with excellent results, one very small with short hair and the other one a big guy with long fur. There have been zero ticks on dogs, on us, or brought back to the house since we started using this over a month ago. Also, we recently camped with both dogs in the Trinity Alps and neither people or dogs were bothered by the biting (deer?) flies and mosquitoes, either. One afternoon the black flies came out and were bugging us – we applied the oil and they left us alone. No bites on anyone from anything.
This is our personal experience and I’ve included the locale I’m in since this a tick-terrible place to be!
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/foley_lab/tickdisease/index.cfm
“We have chosen Humboldt County as the main site for this prospective study because of the high local risk of disease in multiple species including humans, dogs, and horses. Northern California is home to over 5 species of human biting ticks that can transmit disease. Northern California counties have the highest rate of tick-transmitted diseases in the state.”
It was really confusing to try to figure out what big dog poison concoction to use for this area and I got lots of bad and incomplete information when I arrived and started asking questions at pet stores, the vet, from locals, etc. It turns out that the poison dose (Revolution) I initially bought only worked for one kind of tick, so that was a waste of money anyway! Be wary of confusing or bad advice – do your own research esp. if you are visiting an unfamiliar area with your dog.
My usage: I put a couple drops (we use undiluted with no problems) on my dog’s collar, one on his back and tailbone area and usually a drop or two on his chest where it hits the grass. I put a drop each on my ankles, and wrists. Sometimes a couple or few drops on clothing on the lower part of my body, and on my day pack. Ticks are usually found low, so if you bend over a lot, sit or lay in the grass you could add a drop behind each ear. It depends on where I’m going (the forest is low risk) and how long we’ll be out. You can dilute with a carrier oil like olive if you like as others have mentioned online, but we are happy using full strength.
Try it. It’s not expensive, smells great (dissipates quickly for sensitive noses), and there is no harm done if it doesn’t work for you. Lots cheaper than one month dose of poison for a large dog and if it works, not only do ticks not attach – they don’t hitch a ride, either. Lastly, I’m going to try as a mosquito repellent when I return home to Alaska. I doubt it will work, but I never stop looking for something that helps repel those flying mini-beasts who take over our summers!
Update – forgot the Rose Geranium Oil on our walk last evening to a river and to the beach. This is the first time I forgot to apply the essential oil because it was an impromptu visit from a friend. When I remembered the oil we had left the river site and were headed to the beach. Today, I found one tick on my big dog’s neck and this is the first time I forgot to oil up before going through brush, and the first time I’ve seen a tick since I have been using the oil. I have great faith in the oil, and not so great faith in my memory. Damm!
I just wanted to say thanks for the tips on this blog. I live in NSW, Australia and regularly go camping in the bush with my GSD, both of us always getting ticks. Last time we went I pulled 10 off the pooch and 3 off myself. After reading this, on our most recent trip I tried the rose geranium oil on both of us and I am thrilled to tell you all that neither of us had any ticks over the 4 days. I used it undiluted, on his collar I put 3 evenly spaced drops and found that even after racing through the bush after kangaroos he had no ticks at all. I also found that after he went swimming in the river I didn’t need to reapply as his collar retained the smell. Maybe because it’s leather? I did however reapply every morning just to be safe. For myself I also used it undiluted, a drop on each ankle, wrist and each side of my neck and again, no ticks!
I do urge those who doubt to at least give it a try. It is much cheaper than the chemicals and you have nothing to lose. All I can say is that it worked for us.
That’s great to hear, Brenda!
HI! I am moving to the Boston area and am SO afraid of my kids getting Lyme disease from ticks. You say that you just put in behind your ears and on your wrists? Why those areas? And do you dilute the oil before you rub it on those areas? Do you put it anywhere else? Sorry for all the questions!
Hi Amanda! I do not dilute the oil – it’s been working extremely well for me as is, so I don’t dilute it. You can always dilute a few drops in some sweet almond or jojoba oil, as a diluting option if you’d rather do that (but I don’t have personal experience to know if it still works diluted). Also, I put it on my wrists and behind my ears because that was recommended to me by an herbalist – I’m not sure of the reasoning, though. Hope that helps!
How do i mix lavender and peppermint oils for my dog?
It works great on my two Labs… no ticks. Ont Canada
Great to hear, Terry!
I love this and will definitely be trying it. I just got my dog back from the vet today as he had a paralysis tick. Luckily he is going to be alright. We lost our mini horse earlier on in the year to one…I hate them. The vet gave him the serum, antibiotics and steroids and he tried to get up all night and then died the next morning. Not something I want to go through again. Could you please tell me if the rose geranium oil can be used on horses. I come from Australia and would be very grateful for your help.
Oh my, I’m so sorry to hear about your mini horse, Lesley. Those ticks – grrrr – makes me sooooo mad! Yes, rose geranium can be used on horses.
Have used ‘Cat’s claw’ for my lyme and also for my husbands Staph,have had great results.I used to be sick all the time with horrible migrains, lethargy etc, we also use Bee Propolis. The only warning i would give about Cat’s claw that i didn’t know when i first took it is you can have a severe herxheimer reaction. I did have one and it was scary but after that day everything got better. Might not be the same out come for every one though but thought i would share what worked for me.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Mary! I love hearing what is working for others.
Hi I live in Puerto Rico and we have a lot of ticks. I put some dip in my dogs and one of then developed a bad reaction so we had to put her in antibiotics. I am going to try this and I hope it works.
Hello,
I have a question regarding to Rose Geranium Oil. Is it possible to use coconut oil with rose geranium? Like apply a bit of Rose on the collar, arm pits of the dog and tail. And then apply aloe + coconut mix on his body? Thanks for answering my question!
Yes, Brian, that’s a great idea and would be very soothing to the dogs skin, too.
I got bitten by a tick yesterday after working at the far end of my garden. The grass isn’t long and it must have climbed up my leg and attached itself halfway up my thigh!! Yeeuch!! I’m in East Anglia, UK!! and its only February!! – although it has been a very mild winter. We get a lot of urban foxes at that end of the garden so maybe it dropped off one of them. I am definitely getting some rose geranium oil as goodness knows how many will be around by summer time!!
Oh my! I hope not! Last year seemed to be really bad with ticks and fleas here in the US (thankfully this is working for us wonderfully and I still haven’t pulled any off of Bently!). But I hope your tick in February isn’t a sign of an even worse spring and summer! Take care, Rona!
So glad I stumbled on this information. I live in Arizona, so it’s not exactly Tick Central, but they are here–especially up in the mountains up north where I take my dog hiking–and she does love to “bushwack” off trail and run through water. She’s only gone a few times so far, and I haven’t put any Frontline or other commercial tick repellent because I was more afraid of the chemicals than the ticks. After each hike I give her a thorough exam. We’ve been lucky so far. However, I don’t want to depend on luck forever. I’m a big proponent of essential oils for my personal care, so it makes absolute sense that there would be something for both my dog and me to use. I found an essential oil blend that was supposed to repel mosquitoes but last summer my heavily welted legs proved that that particular one didn’t work well. And it’s not practical if I have to reapply every 10 minutes. But I digress, I will definitely be looking into Rose Geranium Oil for tick repellent. Thank you so much!!
I hope this does the trick, RM! It’s going on 3 years working really well for us!
Like many others who have posted I came across your website out of desperation to find a non-chemical solution for repelling ticks. Last year by this time we must have pulled 25-30 ticks off of our Sheba/Eskimo cross. He loves chasing bunnies and deer. We started using the Rose Geranium in Sweet almond oil and have only had 1 we had to pull and a number that just fell off after putting the oil on. Thank you thank you thank you from Vancouver Island.
PS I use it because it smells so good.
Hi Deb! Thank you so much for your comment – so happy to hear it’s working so well for your active furbaby! I use it on myself because it smells so good, too đ
Vancouver Island Deb, I noticed you have a Sheba/Eskimo cross. I have a husky/great pyreneese cross about 100 lbs. She has had at least six ticks on her this year as I have to take her for a walk on my father’s 90 acre property that I live next too because she does not get along with other dogs. She needs a good run and I cannot keep her out of the long grass. I have had 2 ticks on me as well this year. Did you spray the oil on your dog, my Molly has tons of hair or did you put it on her collar? I need to keep them off me and off her. She is on Revolution but again that kills the ticks once they bite her and she is vaccinated for lyme disease but the ticks still manage to get on her mostly I find them on her head where the hair is shorter. I may not be able to find them on the rest of her and she is not a dog that likes to be brushed, that is a struggle as well. Also I think the ticks travel from her to me. Trying to find out what others do with dogs with long hair. Thanks.
Hi, not about to read thru all the comments, but make sure it’s also on your legs (perhaps dilute the oil with a carrier oil or lotion or butter–good for all the sun that dries our skin) and I’ve heard that they climb trees, and may drop, so also wear a good brim hat, perhaps treated with Permethrin…there’s : “(Insect Shield, which produces its own line of insect-repellent apparel, will treat clothing for $8 to $10 an item.)” from outdoors.org I wonder if there’s a shampoo with geranium and maybe neem or tea tree that would also help!?
Ticks absolutely DO drop from trees. I live in Western NJ and walk my dog in my front yard where we always keep the grass short. One night while out for dinner I felt something on my head and when I went to scratch it, I knew it was a tick and couldn’t get it off me. My husband found it and that it started to bite my scalp at my hair follicle. That’s why I couldn’t pull it out. My head was no where near my dog, no where near high grass, but I do walk my dog directly under two large trees in front of my house. YES they do drop from trees. I’m thinking birds and squirrels are sure carriers of ticks, if not from climbing up from the ground. Ticks have been really bad this year too (2016) so I just received the RG EO (pelargonium capitatum X radens) and see its origin is South Africa. I found a tick on my dog before using it and dropped it a cup along with a drop of the EO and that tick would go no where near that EO! When it got into the oil the tick died shortly after. I am now using an undiluted drop on a dog bandanna around his neck (that I take off when we get in the house after I check him over), and a drop rubbed into his hair at the base of his tail. He is a black and tan 18 lb Australian Terrier and he is always sticking his nose into the grass. Found a tick on him just this February and just this past week, over 6, some of them so small and around his eyes I couldn’t believe I saw them. Enough was enough! Will see how good this works but from all that I’ve read here, I am confident it will. I am also going to look into Leedum and DE food grade. That you all for such revealing, detailed comments. I’m happy to hear I’m not alone against chemical treatments.
Thank you for this site and I have adopted a bichon from Connecticut. I adopted him before any records came to me and when I received them he had blood work and tested positive for Lyme Disease. He was great for 3 yrs. and then he started having bouts with lameness, fever, swollen joints, etc. The vet put him on antibiotics for a month. He is now feeling a little better and I massage him every day. I have read that Ledum (1 m) for 3 times a day for 3 days has been very effective on dogs. The problem is I live in South Jersey and cannot find any place that sells it. I am not familiar with the holistic websites. Can someone tell me where to go to purchase the Ledum (1 m) and the Geranium Oil that are good quality and safe sites? Thank you.
I want to help my fur baby.
Hi Diana!
I’m so happy your fur baby has you to take good care of him now đ
Ledum is great for Lyme! I purchase often from http://www.abchomeopathy.com/shop.php – the cool part about them is that you can purchase hard to find homeopathic remedies in a liquid dilution (which is really hard to find elsewhere!). I do this for Bently when he needs a homeopathic remedy and then just squirt it into his mouth. We’ve had so much success with homeopathy – I can’t say enough great stuff about it!
Good luck, Diana – I wish you and your pup the best!
Update: I just realized Amazon has Ledum 1M, too if you wanted a more known, trusted source with good return policy. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1BEBlQQ
Hi
Would the Rose Geranium be safe for cats?
And the DE Powder?
Thank you
Hi Valerie! The DE Powder is safe for cats. Rose Geranium seems like a controversial subject with cats, but my holistic vet says it’s ok to use Rose Geranium as a spray or diluted in oil for cats (and many other holistic vets say it’s ok to use rose geranium on cats, too). Rose Geranium is also recommended in a few holistic pet care books for both dogs and cats that I’ve read since this post, as well.
Just stumbled on this, it came up as a related article when someone shared a story of Heartland Virus trasmitted via ticks. Right now it’s not in my area (NJ) but we do have a ton of ticks in the woods and I love to walk both my dogs there. I’ve been finding ticks daily on one pup, but the other is all black so they’re harder to spot on her. I hate to use chemicals on them, so I’m hoping this will work!
I look forward to trying this out, as we pull ticks off ourselves and our dogs all summer every summer. We live out in the country in the foothills of the Ozarks. I have found something that works for fleas I would like to share. I spray cold pressed garlic spray in my dogs’ food each morning, 1 spritz for each ten pounds of dog. I stir it up in their canned food and they love it! I give it to them 6 days a week, and then let their digestive systems take a break from it for a day. We haven’t seen a flea in the last three years, and we used to have a major problem. I buy the cold-pressed garlic from Amazon.
Thanks great to know! Thank you, Samantha!
For those of you suffering from Lyme Disease I can offer you some relief. And mixing a drop of eucalyptus with the rose geranium, I would put it in a bit of almond oil and make my teen age son rub it on his ankles and the cuffs of his pants and long sleeved shirts when he would hike across the field with friends for their bonfire nights at the beach below the bluff. Never had a tick. I do know as a perfumer that the rose geranium actually helps balance women’s hormones as they go through menopause so it’s good to remember that although these oild smell yummy, they are also something that can effect your body for sure, so those people who mention seizures are right that every dog is different in their level of sensitivity as are we people. go light at first and never apply straight to skin un diluted until you’ve tested it on yourself and pet diluted. We now just put it directly on the cuffs of pants and on shirts as opposed to our skin and dogs collars are better than direct skin as well. Just my two cents… L
Thank you, Lisa! Great info!
I’m looking to use this on my (human) daughter as her school spends the majority of the day rain or shine outside sometimes in the woods sometimes in a swampy area. How lucky ng does this last? Any suggestions for making it into a spray I can dilute at home and send into school in a spritzer for all the kids to use?
Hi Cat! It lasts for us all day. It may be different for you, so you’ll just have to experiment and see what works. Making it into a spray is a fabulous idea! Love that!
You could mix 1 tablespoon vodka or witch hazel (one of those is necessary so the oils and water will mix together. Otherwise they wouldn’t disperse in the water) and about 20-30 drops of the rose geranium oil then add about 1/3 cup of water. If you’re finding that it’s not working, you may have to up the amount of essential oil, but 20-30 drops is a great place to start. Hope that helps!
My rough coat collie comes along when I ride my horse, so he picks up a lot of tick. No, repellent has worked so far, but I am excited to try this. I was wondering if I should put more on because he has such long hair? or could that hurt him? Thank you so much.
Hi Judith! Sounds like you all have a good time! I would start with the smallest amount and go from there. Every dog and animal seems to be a little bit different at what works so I think you’re just going to have to experiment with it. I am now able to only use 1 drop on my dog and it still works! đ It’s always best to start small (or start diluted) and go from there.
Thanks for posting. I was looking at tea tree oil as a spray since I keep it on hand for other purposes. Definitely gonna try RG oil tho…..here in Eastern Canada the ticks are legion.
Doing some research and I found that(apparently) there are two types of RG oils…the most effective being Pelargonium Capitatum x radens. That may explain why 25% of folks have not had any success? Seems a few drops of undiluted oil is better(for humans anyway) as it is less powerful than other essential oils?
Can anyone confirm?
Geo
I found this blog a year ago and used the geranium rose oil all last year and we had no ticks! This year, even with the oil, we have been covered! I live in MA and we had s lot of snow so I guess that means more ticks. I’m pulling at least ten off my dog and myself a day. Any suggestions?
Hi Regina! Oh wow, that is a big bummer. I wonder why that is? I honestly have no idea!
Does this 1 dose last all day or do you have to put it on each time they go outside?
Hi Amy, it does for us!
Hey! What a cool coincidence that the Rose Geranium Oil you use is EXACTLY the one I use. I ordered it from Amazon as well. Like you said, it smells good and is natural. I use it on our dog too (she’s a little Maltese) and I have been putting it on my kids….usually at their ankles, behind their knees, and then on their wrists and neck. No ticks as of yet. I am thinking of mixing it with something so that our babysitter won’t forget to use it. (I don’t think she is as diligent as I am about getting where it needs to go on their bodies. I have late stage Lyme that went undiagnosed so I am super careful b/c I’d hate for the same to happen to the kiddos or our pooch. We live in Pennsylvania as well. Thank you for the great info.!
So cool, Laura! And what good timing – I just posted a rose geranium tick spray! đ Only downfall to the spray is that I find that I have to use it a lot more often – the smell dissipates after about an hour. Here’s the link to the post: http://www.primallyinspired.com/homemade-tick-spray-natural-repellent/
Hi Kelly.
Great info.
I was seeking the best natural lyme tick repellant and your video showed up. You seem totally sincere and I will difinately try it.
I just wonder — because you have a regular blog and you look like a cute model ( who could sell anything to anybody ) — if everything you said about solving your tick problem was all totally true and not any way exaggerated to get hits and money from them.
Please be honest as you appear, I will appreciate it.
Manny
Hi Manny!
Thank you so much for your compliments, they are appreciated! đ
I can assure you that I’m not here to just sell products. Those that know me personally say that I’m one of the most enthusiastic people they know, who has a heart for helping people. I love sharing my stories about what is working for me and what is not. It’s a wonderful blessing to have a small hand in helping people get healthier and live a more natural life and I am so grateful that this blog allows me to do that.
We have used this rose geranium every day for the past 3 years during the warm weather months and have had no ticks when we use it. Others have had similar experiences, but there have also been others who said it didn’t work for them. Do I know why that is? No – I’m still on a mission to figure that out! All I know is that it works for us, my mom, sisters and a few friends who now use it and many holistic vets recommend it in their practice as the best natural tick repellent. I wrote this post nearly 3 years ago, back when my blog was teeny tiny – I was just so excited to share something that worked so well for us! Since then, this post has really blown up and I am so grateful for all the new readers I’ve gained because of it. xo, Kelly
Hello
I started using Rose Geranium Oil after I saw your website. I purchased the oil for the company shown above and had 38 days tick free. This original purchase had a soft floral rose-like smell. I have since ordered more of the same, buy received an oil that had a strong citrus rind smell.
Can you tell what your oil smells like? I am curious to know which oil is the correct oil.
Thanks
Carole
Hi Carol! Interesting! I, too have had varying degrees of smells – usually for me, it’s a soft rose smell. I have had a few times where the smell hasn’t been quite as soft (a stronger rose smell), but I wouldn’t call it a citrus rind smell – a few of my batches just smelled noticeably stronger. I am interested to hear if anyone else has had the same experience.
Hi Pam,
Any suggestions for keeping mosquitoes off my dog?
Chemically, geranium oil includes Citronellol, which which is a component of citronella, a common bug spray, and Geraniol. Again a component of citronella.
Awesome! Thank you!
Kelly, thanks SO much for this awesome information! (and for everybody else offering feedback too). We are staying in Cary, North Carolina for 4 months and I’m literally having a heart attack. I’ve never seen so many ticks – 2 days ago we pulled several off our dog. Not only that, I’ve now met no less than 4 people that have lyme disease. We’ve started using Wondercide as a spray on us both and on our pup (cedar oil + lemongrass blend recommended by a Naturopathic vet). My question is this:
Will using the Wondercide along with the rose geranium reduce the effectiveness of the rose geranium? Or will they work synergistically together? I know that there are many essential oil blends, so I’m assuming it will be fine but didn’t know if the scent of the rose geranium would lose its effectiveness when present with the scent of the other strong oils. Any ideas?
Thanks!!
Hi Irini! I have been wondering the same thing for a few years now and so far my research is running into dead ends. I’ve asked numerous people and experts in the field and I’m not getting any conclusive information. There are many tick blends on the market that have Rose Geranium, which leads me to think they would work synergistically, but I am not sure. If anyone out there has an answer or could point us to more research ,that would be wonderful! Enjoy your stay in NC, Irini!
Thank you! OK, well I’ll be the guinea pig and let you know how it goes đ
1. I’ll use both for 2 weeks and see how it goes.
2. Then, I’ll remove the Wondercide and use only the rose geranium (doing the same walks, along the same paths).
Fingers, toes, and paws crossed on this end ^..^
This is HUGE! I am so thankful for the recipe. My daughter found a recipe for bug repellant that works on the flying bugs, but the ticks just laughed at it. At the end of the day we were checking each other, taking showers and bagging our clothes like it was a hazmat incident. Sooooooo thankful!
I’m planning on using this tick repellent on my daughter ASAP but I was just wondering if I should apply it before or after I put on her sunscreen? If i put sunscreen over it, will it kill the effect and if I put it after, will the sweetalmond oil that I’m planning on mixing with the rose geranium oil make her skin more prone to burn?
Thank you!!!!
Hi Yannie, Good question. I think I would do rose geranium/sweet almond oil after. The sweet almond oil actually has some natural sun protection properties equivalent to about SPF 5.
I can’t wait to try out your tick repellent spray for my family camping trip in August! I was wondering if using vodka in the spray would be an issue for my five year old? Or should I stick to witch hazel?
Not an issue, Peebee! Some people just don’t like to have alcohol in the house for various reasons – so I wanted to give another option just in case đ
Hello.. I’ve read through most of the comments here and could not find anyone who has asked if this also works for fleas? I live in Florida and fleas are far more of a problem than ticks. Anyone know if this recipe will also deter or kill fleas so I can eliminate the horrible flea products for my 3 Rotties?? đ
Hi Dorene! Some of my readers told me the rose geranium works for them at repelling fleas, but when we moved into a flea infested home it did not work for us. So it may work at repelling fleas, but if you’ve got a major flea problem, I think you’ll need more than just rose geranium. At least that was my experience. I was able to make a homemade flea powder that worked so well for us at getting rid of our major infestation! Here’s the link for that >> http://www.primallyinspired.com/homemade-flea-powder-repellent/ I hope it can help you!
Hi Kelly, thank you.. we don’t have them in the house… yard gets sprayed organically, but we walk the dogs so we’ve been using flea products and thanks to you, I can now use this instead đ
Hello,
I was wondering if you still buy the rose geranium oil from edens garden? I noticed they changed the botanical name. Are you still having success with repelling ticks?
Hi Karla! I do! And I didn’t even notice them changing it so thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! So far so good over here. And I know it’s working because we found 2 ticks on Bently this year, but only the day after my grandmother watched him for the weekend (I forgot to tell her to put the oil on him!). So that’s a really good sign, I think. So for us, it’s still working well. I’m curious to hear about anyone else noticing a difference in effectiveness.
That also explains the slight difference in smell. I thought I was going crazy, so it’s good to know I’m not đ Thanks so much again for letting me know!
Isn’t Geranium toxic to dogs? The ASPCA states it on their website. I am conflicted by the differences of information and hopefully you can clear it up for me! Thanks.
Hi Cory! I understand your concern! Geranium is not the same as Rose Geranium, though. They are different plant species.
Can’t wait to try the tick repellant! I’ve contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which is impossible to cure. I worry about my grands and pets. Wish I had known about this sooner. I’m in East Central Mississippi and ticks are a daily problem. Especially when we live in the middle of 80 acres of woods next to an animal refuge.
Thanks you!!!
Judy
You’re welcome, Judy! I wish you many healing blessings!
On the tick spray, did you say 40 drops of the rose geranium oil??
Or 4?? Sorry, 40 seems like a lot and 4 not enough!
Thanks for your response!
Hi Jo! It’s 40 drops for the tick spray! It seems like a lot, but it will provide about 50+ applications (depending how big or little your dog is), so it’s really not that much when you think about it like that đ
Hi,
Interesting posting. Here in Canada, I have heard ticks are going to be at an increase this year.
How has the Rose Geranium oil worked so far between 2014 – 2016?
Thank you,
Erin
Hi Erin! 2016 is our 4th year using the rose geranium and it’s still working amazingly well! No ticks!
Thanks so much for this information! I just ordered the oil and am excited to give it a try for my family as well as my dog. I love your blog… soooo helpful <3
Thank you, Melissa!! <3
Just want to share my European experience with ticks and sandflies. I live in the Mediterranean area. My dogs (11 at this time) and me live mostly outside. We also sleep most of the nights outside. Dogs share my life since I was a baby now 50 years ago. I use essential and other oils for more than 30 years.
As with anything, there is no magic (essential) oil that will work the same for every dog in the world.
I have had success with the following oils, but none worked for all my dogs:
1 Nigella sativa not essential but works with many of my dogs against ticks and also as carrier oil
2 Neem also efficient but less than Nigella for my dogs against ticks and as carrier oil
3 Essential oils: atlas ceder, opoponax, geranium, tea tree, myrrh, rosewood, eucalyptus radiata/globulus/citriodora, artemisia absinthium, cymbopogon species, litsea cubeba, lavender, rosemary
Be very careful with essential oils and animals. Most are more sensitive than humans, although I have some dogs that love almost any oil.
Some of the oils I distill myself because I live on a farm. The farm is being transformed into wild nature with more than 400 plant species.
Eucalyptus mixes in carrier oil have for my dogs the best results against sandflies (leishmaniosis)
I am lucky because ticks dont like me. I sometimes remove many ticks from my body but none have “bitten” me ever… Although i sometimes use essential oils for myself, i never apply any against ticks.
Hope you find something useful in my post. I would be happy if you remember that there are no magic cures that work for all dogs (and humans)
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experience, Rudi! It is greatly appreciated!
What about fleas? Does any of this work on fleas? The guest website gives some great recipes but only says bugs. Any recommendations or things that have worked for others?
Hi Heidi! Some of my readers swear rose geranium works for fleas, too and I somewhat agree — I think to some extent it helps repel all bugs. But from my personal experience, when we moved into a house with a major flea infestation a few years ago, rose geranium essential oil didn’t touch our flea problem. After a bunch of research, I concocted a natural homemade flea powder repellent recipe that finally was able to get rid of our flea infestation. Here’s the post for the recipe for the homemade flea repellent: http://www.primallyinspired.com/homemade-flea-powder-repellent/
During our infestation, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about natural flea repellent options lol. I wrote about everything I learned here and I provide a lot of natural flea repellents and preventatives that are available and work well – some homemade options and some store bought options for those that don’t want to make their own. I hope this post can help someone in the same situation as I was – flea infestations can be such a nightmare!!!!!: http://www.primallyinspired.com/natural-flea-control/
Have a great (flea free!!!!) summer!
Watched your video and can’t wait to try your recipe. Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of witch hazel? Thanks!
Yes, for sure!
I was prepared to purchase Eden’s Garden brand rose geranium, but am hesitating after reading in the Amazon reviews that it no longer contains “pelargonium capitatum x radens”, but rather a different species of rose geranium. One particular reviewer recommended buying Geranium Bourbon as a tick repellent.
Kelly, I know you’ve had continued success with this EO. Are you still purchasing Eden’s Garden brand, even with the new “pelargonium roseum” formula? Thanks!
I am, Amy! It’s still working really well for us so far despite the new species. I’ve gotten a few comments on my Primally Inspired Facebook wall that say the pelargonium roseum is working so far for others, too, even in very wooded and tall grassy areas like where I live. Since it still works for me, my mom and some other readers who’ve left me comments, I still feel really good about recommending it despite the change.
I don’t have any personal experience with the Geranium Bourbon but I’d love to hear some real, personal experiences from any readers about Geranium Bourbon and ticks so if anyone is out there, please let us all know!
Looking forward to trying out this tick repellent, great website btw!
Cheers
Chris
Hello!
I live in the desert, so ticks aren’t as bad a problem as they are for others. However, I often take my dog hiking up in the mountains where ticks are an issue. I’ve been using the Rose Geranium Oil for about a year now (different brand). I never apply it until we arrive at our destination and we get out of the car. I had read someplace that someone did this and their dog got sick. Given how strong the smell still is after hours of hiking, I can imagine that this would cause issues. I wish I could say this works 100%. Fortunately/unfortunately, I’ve only had my dog for about 2 years and before we started hiking in the mountains, I’d already researched natural tick repellent. I have no baseline to compare it to, but I do know others who have had tick issues while hiking the same places I have, but neither my dog nor I have have had problems while using the RGO. Not a resounding endorsement, but I don’t want to stop using to find out. lol
Two things: I do use it undiluted on both myself and my dog, but just one drop at her neck (and mine). One drop at the base of her tail. I put one drop each on the backs of my knees and ankles. Overkill? Maybe, but it doesn’t cause me any problems and so far no ticks. The second thing is that I wonder if some people are not purchasing the right oil? I told a friend about it. I emphasized ROSE Geranium oil. Nevertheless, she still bought just geranium oil and then said it didn’t work. They are in the same family, but not the same effect. She later bought RGO, and said it worked.
I know anecdotal evidence isn’t always the best, but the more people who experience success with it adds to its credibility.
One question: could I mix in some peppermint oil to make this an all around tick and mosquito repellent? (Secondary question: if yes, then how much in terms of a ratio?)
Thank you so much for the great suggestions!
I see the young (blonde) lady here is using Rose Geranium Pelargonium capitatum x radens.
Is Rose Geranium graveolens still effective, or just as effective? Could someone please comment on this. I thank you very much, and this is such a good article!
Thank you very much.
I took pelargonium Graveolens and I found 20 ticks on the floor crawling away from dog. Thomas, Slovenia
This stuff works! However, when I switched from Edens Garden to a different brand, I found a tick on my dog. So I went back to Edens Garden. So glad to have something natural to use.
Good tips. What works well for my family right now is using Eden’s Garden’s “Pest Defy” blend in liquid/fractionated coconut oil. Soaks in pretty well. We also use these leather bracelets that I reload with Pest Defy drops from time to time, wearing them on wrists and ankles. We are about to move to the country, hence my landing on this post through some searches. Certainly I’ll be trying it on the dog! EG also added a kids line within the last year, so there is likely to be a good kid bug oil blend there, I need to check, but I’ve not felt concerned about using the Pest Defy blend on him. This weekend we walk the new 18 acre wooded property to which we are moving. I’ll be using the homemade blend on our bodies, and then doing a spray of Honest Company’s new bug spray on our clothes. I haven’t checked the HC stuff on EWG site yet, but I generally trust the company, so it’ll be good enough for that walk-around at least. The realtor said the ticks are out in force because we had such a mild winter. Yay. I know CDC says only DEET repels ticks. But, as a chiropractor and generally earth-crunchy skeptic of all of that biz, I don’t necessarily believe that. Looks like nightly body checks for all family, including pets! đ
Thank you, Heather! Great tips and wonderful news about the Pest Defy blend!
Dear Kelly,
I made your tick reppelent spray and waw, I don’t know what to say, after a long time we went to woods with a dog, and I did spray him, and when we came home, fortunately I give a quick look on the floor around the dog and I found a tick which was crawling away from dog. I said fortunately because in an hour I found 20 more ticks ! which where all crawling away from dog. But that was IN the house, so I was lucky to spot them or else they would hide somewhere in the house. So, your repelent works great, but for a while the dog is staying at home. I took a spoon of home plume brandy first destilation, and I took Pelargonium Graveolens instead of Rose Geranium and destiled water. Have a great weekend. Thomas, from Slovenia
You honestly may have just saved me and the boyfriend and my daughter allot. we to live in PA and they are already super bad. wev taken a good five or six off the two dogs and a couple off my Boyfriend. its horrible how bad they are i cant wait to try this and see how it works for us đ
Awesome!
So glad I found this post! I’m moving to Arkansas for the summer with my two pups and have been really dreading dealing with ticks (I live in Utah where we really don’t have that problem). I just picked up $200 worth of Simparica from my vet yesterday and then read horrible things about possible side effects of the drug. Thank you for sharing this! I’ll be making the spray for me and my dogs!
I hope you and your pups enjoy beautiful Arkansas, Eden!
Hi There – i made this three years ago for my dog based on your original post. I had purchased the edens gardens Rose Geranium like you suggested and now three years later I have finally finished up my bottle. However it looks like they no sell only ‘Pelargonium Roseum’ and not ‘Pelagargonium Capiatum x radens’. Do you know if the ‘Pelargonium Roseum’ version of the Essential Oils work as well as the old ‘x radens’ kind? thanks!
Hi Emily, we are still having good success with the Pelargonium Roseum! Based off of communication with readers, it seems like for others it’s either been a hit or a miss, but so far and thankfully, it’s been working great for us! I hope it continues to work for you, too.
This sounds great! Do you know if it would be safe if cats came into contact with it? I wouldn’t intentionally put it on the cats but they are very affectionate with the dog and love to sleep on him and lick him! I’ve googled it a lot but not found a definite safe or not answer. Also do you know if it’s safe for horses? Couldn’t find any info whatsoever for horses. Thank you!
It’s great for horses, Natalie! I personally would feel ok with my cat doing what you are describing. In my research, I’ve even found some holistic vets who are ok with and use rose geranium as a tick repellent on cats in their practice (“and have for decades”)!
I know this has been years but Iâm wondering if it still works for you! I would love to use this instead of the soresto collars Iâve been using. Full of chemicals and I hate it!
It does, Angela! We use it everyday spring through fall and it’s still working great! I’m so thankful!!!!
My brother live is Somerville, Tennessee and he tells me that Somerville is tick central. I am sending him some of the Rose Geranium essential oil so that he can try it. I was just wondering if it has to be distilled water or can you use water that has been run through a filter such as a Brita filter?
Filtered water is great for this, Tony!
Hi Kelly, thank you for sharing a solution that worked for your dog. I just wanted to report my experiment with the oil on our dog this week:
Unfortunately this didn’t work for us. We have a large male Samoyed and just moved to a heavy tick rural area (with a high incidence of Lyme too on top of it all). We’ve been coming home with anywhere between 1-5 ticks a day — this is mostly from a leashed walk along the road and the occasional brushing or sniffing of some bushes or roadside grass when stopping for bathroom breaks. Likewise 5-10 mins spent in the forested part of our property equals a surefire way to pickup many tiny hitchhikers, so we minimize that and stay mostly on the road instead (which is a shame, because we’d love to go into the forest).
Here’s what I tried for reference:
The oil I used was the Divine Essence brand. Initially I put 2 drops of rose geranium oil (undiluted) between his shoulder blades and at the base of the tail. Came back with a tick. So thought to try more oil for the next day. I then added maybe several drops to his collar. Still came back with lots of ticks. I then got two pieces of cotton fabric (like a bandana) and tied them to the front and back of his doggy backpack (he’s exercising currently, so wears a pack for walks) — I put several drops on either end of the cloths (which dangled from his sides) to make sure the oil smell reaches everywhere, as I thought maybe he’s just such a big guy that they smell doesn’t “cover” his whole body. The rose smell was very palpable walking with the dog (too palpable, actually — enough to attract some curious bees even). Still came back with several ticks (mostly on his nose and ears, since he likes to stick his head into things to sniff sometimes). So now a week later and consistently coming home with several ticks, I think I can definitively confirm this solution isn’t working for our pup for whatever reason.
It might be because he’s long-haired and they just can’t help but cling on as he brushes against a shrub… who knows.
I’m now looking into other solutions (cedar oil, lemongrass, etc.), but will continue to apply the rose geranium oil to his collar until I run out — no harm in a dog smelling like roses + there’s a slight possibility that the smell might be at least confusing the ticks somewhat and delays biting (so far we’ve been able to remove them all before they bite). I might also give your brand of rose geranium oil a try as well just to be sure — maybe there’s some magic in that Eden Garden bottle, who knows! đ
Thank you for sharing your detailed experiences with me, Jen. That is so helpful! I’m really bummed out it didn’t work for you đ From all the comments/messages/emails I’ve received over the years, it seems like the rose geranium essential oil trick works for the majority of people and dogs, but not all. I have no idea why that’s the case…I’m still trying to figure it out! If you find something that works for your dog, I’d love for you to report back so it can help others in the same boat as you. I really hope you can find something natural. Lately, I’ve been hearing some good reviews with with cedar oil and I hope that can work out for you guys! Take care!!
We have had very good luck with Rose Geranium Oil on our whole family. We use the brand available on the Walmart website. Instead of putting a drop between the shoulder blades, we put 15-20 drops in a fine mist 2 oz. spray bottle and fill the rest of it with distilled water. Shake before every use and spray the dogs back, collar, and their under carriage with the fine mist. it also works great for us and our kids as well. Every time we have used it has been met with success.
Great to know, Brian! Thank you for those wonderful tips!
hi i was wondering if i could add Lavender 100% Pure, Best Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil to this repellent?
also do some people switch witch hazel for Apple Cider Vinegar or sweet almond oil?
Hi Tony, yes, you could add lavender essential oil. And yes, I’ve received feedback from people switching out witch hazel for apple cider vinegar. Sweet almond oil is another great choice and even has some bug repelling properties in it, too đ
Hi Kelly, thanks for lifesaving tips.
Wanted to also repel mites and mosquitos. Can you add citronella and Lavendar oil as well? Will it still be effective?
Hi Al, I know many people who add extra essential oils to repel other bugs like you’ve mentioned with success. Our personal experience is that rose geranium works better on its own with ticks for some reason (for us…like I said, others have had success with adding more oils). Not sure why, but that’s been our experience. You could always mix up a small batch of both and try it out and see what works best for you. Take care and enjoy your summer!
Hello! When you say âbase of the tailâ do you mean on top near the tailbone, or below, right above where the sun donât shine?
Top of the tailbone!
Is there a difference between Rose Geranium oil and Geranium oil? I see different ones advertised and am confused. Thanks!
Hi Deb,
Yes, there is a difference and whenever possible, rose geranium is the preferred essential oil to use for a tick repellent. Geranium essential does have some insect repelling properties, too, but doesn’t repel ticks as well as the rose geranium. Hope that helps!