Primally Inspired Real food, Natural Remedies, Holistic Living
Homemade Tick Spray
This Homemade Tick Spray recipe contains a natural tick repellent that works so well at repelling ticks!
I’ve been using Rose Geranium Essential Oil from the advice of my holistic vet as a natural tick repellent for the last 3 years (update 4/2019 — 6 years!). And it’s kept my family and my dog completely tick free in those years!
Which is kind of a huge deal because we live in the woods of Pennsylvania. Before I discovered Rose Geranium essential oil I was pulling a minimum of 3-4 ticks off my dog each day – Yikes!
So you can imagine my excitement to have found something completely natural that is so simple and works so well for us! I’m a huuuuuuuge fan of it and tell everyone I know about it!
Rose Geranium seems to be tough to find and a lot of people ask me what brand I use and where I get it. I’m not affiliated with any essential oil companies – I personally buy and use essential oils from a few different companies that I know and trust. For the past 3 years, I’ve been really happy with THIS Rose Geranium.
In my original natural tick repellent blog post, I told my story about our tick problem and my discovery of rose geranium essential oil. And many people asked me if they could make a natural tick spray out of Rose Geranium.
Well, yes you can! Let me show you how in my video 🙂
How To Make a Homemade Tick Spray using Rose Geranium Video:
Click the video player below to start the video:
If you can’t see the video player above, CLICK HERE to watch the video on YouTube!
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Homemade Tick Spray Recipe
- 1 tablespoon Vodka or Witch Hazel
- 40 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil (I've been using THIS one)
- ⅓ cup distilled water
- Mix the vodka or witch hazel with your essential oil in a spray bottle (I use THIS glass spray bottle).
- Pour in your distilled water and shake, shake, shake!
- Spray on your clothes and/or your skin. You can even spray it on your dog or horse to keep them tick free!
- Reapply when the smell starts to dissipate. Store out of sunlight. Keeps for 6 months.
Let me know if you have any questions about this Homemade Tick Spray. And if you have any suggestions or ideas about future video topics you’d like to see or learn about, pretty please let me know that, too – I would love to hear all your ideas 🙂
Pin this Homemade Tick Spray HERE:
This is awesome! I just got my goodies from Mountain Rose Herbs to make your flea/tick powder from another post! Can I use regular DTE for that, or does it absolutely have to be food grade?
As for your tick spray, I have regular geranium oil. Is that the same thing as Rose Geranium oil?
Thanks for all your help!!!
~Alexia
Hi Alexia!
So cool 🙂 Can you send me a link to the DE that you purchased? If it’s from Mountain Rose Herbs, it’s most likely fine, but it is really important for it to be food grade – the other stuff can really irritate and harm the lungs and respiratory system due to the way it’s processed. I just want to make sure you’re safe!
I have heard some people having good luck with regular geranium essential oil for ticks. Rose Geranium, which is different than Geranium is what was recommended to me by my Holistic Vet, as well as what’s recommended in a lot of holistic pet care books. It’s the only one I have personal experience with. But I have heard of some success with geranium, too. You could always try it! Keep me posted if you do!
Hello, I am not American, so I am a little confused with the name of this oil. In my country, I can get hands on “geranium oil” – which is made from pelargonium graveolens, and then “geranium rose bourbon” which is made from pelargonium graveolens variant roseum. I should probably go for the second one right? Please reply, I would really love to finally find a natural remedy that works! 🙂
Yes, the second one is the one you want, Tess!
How often should I spray on my puppy?
Hi Lauren, I spray every time my dog goes outside!
Do you spray all over yiur dog….legs belly or just the back? Thanks
I’ve been doing 4 sprays…2 on the belly and 2 on the back (he’s a very large dog) and it’s been working great for us. I recommend
using the minimum amount possible while still being effective. For us, 4 has been the magic number, but you may have to experiment a bit to see what works the best for your dog 🙂
hi kelly, i thought in posts from a few years back, you used straight up rose geranium in between shoulder blade and on base of dog’s tail. Is that not the case, do I need to make the spray as a safety precaution?
I still do that, Cecilia! Since that post, I got so many people asking for a diluted tick spray option, so I made one 🙂 But I still personally use the rose geranium drops on both me and my dog and have done so for about 5-6 years now (still having great success with it, too!). The spray recipe would definitely be a better option for kids and perhaps people (or pets) who are more sensitive to stronger smells. Because the spray is diluted, I found that it has to be reapplied a lot more often to be as effective. Have a great summer!
Thanks! I see you say you spray your dog everytime he goes outside. So, I was confused on whether you sprayed or used straight up oil? Please clarify? Do you do both?
I just do the drops! I did use the spray on me, my husband and dog for one whole spring/summer season just to make sure it worked before I posted it. It worked well as long as I kept reapplying it throughout the day, which was a pain for us, to be honest. We are outside the vast majority of the day during the spring and summer, so the drops have been much more practical for us! Hope that clears things up.
Yes, thanks so much. The drops would be better for us!
Hi,
We have barberry bushes which attract ticks. Can your rose geranium spray be used on the shrubs?
Thanks
Hi George,
You could do it, but I don’t think it would be very practical. Once the smell evaporates, this spray is ineffective. So you would have to spray multiple times a day and that just wouldn’t be very practical. There’s a natural product called Cedarside that I would do if it were my shrubs. An application lasts a month and it’s been successful for a lot of people dealing with ticks and other insects outdoors. Here’s the link if you want to check it out (I’m not affiliated with this product…it’s just been recommended to me as successful by many of my readers and a few friends, but I have no personal experience with it) —-> https://amzn.to/2WrWBPP
Hope that puts you in the right direction! Take care!
We started using Rose Geranium Oil as a tick repellant. Until now we would literally pick 4-7 large ticks of the walls every morning from our 3 large dogs. We live in Texas and it gets rather hot during the summer here. It has worked great, our dogs are happier and can I tell you my wife and I are much happier.
So I went out in the woods yesterday 2/25/17 to check on my tree stands in Upstate New York. I was almost done when I noticed I was covered in ticks ( wonderful) so as I took 10 of them off and was walking back I found your web sight read it and thought why not your not some city girl but close to me. I made up some spray as you suggested. Went back to the same area today 2/26/17 and amazing!!! Not one single tick. I have stayed out of the woods because of ticks which I’ve gotten three in me to date. Thank you I now can enjoy the woods again. ?
So great to hear, Doug! We vacation in upstate New York (about an hour above Watertown, not far from the Canadian border) every summer. Love that area!
Just ordered my rose geranium essential oil… I can’t wait to try this .. My poor labarador is getting ticks every time she goes outside .. despite using tick chewables meds and seresto collar.. we are beyond frustrated…
I have made this many years ago to combat head lice that seems run thru elementary schools from time to time. A couple drops in shampoo to wash hair & then spray upholstery etc.
Wow, that’s great to know! Thank you!
Great job! Will definitely be making some for our summer vacation..Are there any cosmetic uses for rose geranium?
Thanks, Kathy! Yes, Rose Geranium is especially good for balancing the skin. It’s also great for assisting in the healing process, which is nice if you have cuts or burns, etc. I’ve heard a lot of people using it to help with PMS and anxiety, too (it’s known to be an awesome balancer so it helps balance skin, hormones, nervous system, etc.) You can just mix a drop in your daily dose of moisturizer or favorite oil for your skin. You can also add a few drops to an epsom salt bath to help with hormones and anxiety. Have a great vacation!!
Hi Kelly! You are so wonderful to respond so quickly!!
This is what I purchased:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Safer-Brand-4-lb-Diatomaceous-Earth-Ant-and-Crawling-Insect-Killer-51702/202743025
Thinking about what you said, I may need to hunt around some more for food grade!
So it seems like there’s some conflicting info in the description, which makes it confusing! It says it’s made from natural Silicon Dioxide, coming from a freshwater source, which is what we want. But it says down in the description box that it’s not safe to ingest or use for pets. But then further down, it says you can use it for pets. Confusing! If it were me, I’d try to locate one that I knew for sure was food grade and safe for pets.
Hi,
Food grade DE is safe for animals and humans. Lots of uses..
Hi Kelly thanks for the info, could you please let me know if it would be suitable to our beautiful kitty as I am aware essential oils are not normally used on kitties. If this is not cool for Rosie (our kitty) do you have any ideas what I could use instead.
Much love and thanks for your great posts
Jane xx
Hi Jane!
I’ll tell you what I know based on holistic vets and essential oil experts I’ve talked to. The advice is completely split down the middle! The issue is that cats lack a certain enzyme required to metabolize ingredients they don’t recognize. And as of now, there’s not a whole lot of conclusive research on cats and essential oils. So the conservative essential oil experts all say don’t use essential oils on cats until there’s more research done. And then the other half of the folks, including all the holistic vets and animal practitioners I talked with, say they’ve been using rose geranium and certain other essential oils on cats for decades in their practice with great success and recommend it daily as a tick repellent to their patients. My Vet and all the holistic vets I’ve talked with are completely ok with using Rose Geranium like this spray on cats.
Another option that I have no personal experience with, but was recommended to me by a holistic vet is something called a Tick Tag. It emits an energy field that supposedly repels ticks, fleas and other bugs like mosquitos. You can find more about it here, but it seems really interesting! http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-EasyDefense-Flea-Tick-Tag/999024.aspx
Hope that helps! I love the name Rosie for a kitty! So sweet!
Great video Kelly! You are just so stinkin cute and gorgeous and I’m glad you decided to do some for us! Im wondering if the witch hazel has to have alcohol because I only have the non alcohol with aloe?
Thank you, Kari!! <3 Your witch hazel is perfect to use for this!
Oh good Kelly! Keep the video’s coming :0) Don’t feel vulnerable…you are safe with us girl! (((((hugs)))) Love the great inspiration you give us, its very much appreciated.
<3 <3 <3
LOVED the video and tips! You are adorable! 😀 I’ll definitely be trying this on my two dogs and us as well since we are an outdoor family too! Thanks! 🙂 Keep the videos coming!
Thank you, Amy!!! That means so much to me. I’m still feeling a little vulnerable about putting myself out there for the whole wide world to see so your words of support mean a lot to me! <3
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Thank you so much for this post, and all your other informative posts for natural household products and such. We’ve been pulling ticks off my puppy several times a week, and because I have Chronic Lyme, I am very eager to see how this works! I hate exposing myself and my puppy to the chemicals in the standard tick repellents, but now that may be able to change! The only issue is that my puppy is traumatized by spray bottles since I used lemon juice in a spray bottle to teach him not to bite. (I’ll just rub it on him.)
Thank you again!
Awesome! I hope this works for you and your puppy like it does for us! 🙂
How many drop of the oil do I put on my dog? They are labradors and quite large…..excited to try! Ticks are already rampant here. 🙁
Freda, I have a large dog, too – 110 pounds and when using the straight / undiluted rose geranium oil, we do a drop at the base of his tail and a drop in between his shoulder blades 🙂 We’re still seeing excellent results and it’s been about 5 – 6 years now!
So great, and will send along with my son to camp. On a different topic…can you tell me what you put on your cheeks to make them so rosy and vibrant? Do you use a blush you can recommend? You look so naturally beautiful! I read about your coffee, coconut oil scrub…will try that soon 🙂
Hi Lorelei! Thank you for your sweet words!! I have been using mostly all (with the exception of eye liner) 100% Pure Makeup for the past few years. I love it – such great ingredients and a nice, high quality makeup. HERE is the link to the blush I’m wearing from their site. When I first got it, it was SO bright (like a super bright pink – like the picture but a little more vibrant in person) and I was used to wearing softer colors. But I tried it and it was perfect. I’ve been buying that color ever since 🙂 And you’ve got to try the homemade coffee scrub – I swear by it! I did it right before the video!
Great to watch and hear you “live”. You have nothing to worry about – gorgeous girl. And your enthusiasm is infectious. I was just telling a friend about your earlier flea/tick help. Her old computer doesn’t do video, so I’m not sure if your videos will include transcripts (or abbreviated transcripts) for those times the internet goes down. Thanks for keeping us all informed and healthy!
Janet! Thank you! Your words always mean a lot to me. I am not really good at technical stuff, but I will look into what I need to do to get transcripts or something similar!
awesome video , very much needed information
Thanks, Kathy! 🙂
Fun video, Kelly. Thanks! You sold me before on rose geranium oil and now I can make a spray. Love it!
Thank you, Vicki! Hope you like the spray!
Oh thank you this is awesome!, thank you!
Do you think it would work for chiggers, too?
I don’t have experience with chiggers, but it seems to repel most bugs (we’ve found it especially effective on ticks and mosquitos!). I’d love to hear if anyone out there has any personal experience with a natural chigger remedy!
Hello! I found a tick on my 8 year old son last summer & have dreaded spring coming bc ticks return. I ordered all the things for your repellent & am eager to try. Two questions: I know you said reapply when the smell dissipates but on average how many hours would it last if you did a quick body spray up & down? Secondly, I don’t have distilled water…would boiled water work just as well? Thank you!
Hi there, Diane!
1. I would say 4 hours & sometimes more. If we’re out all day, we spray in the morning, come in and eat lunch, then reapply for the afternoon/evening.
2. Boiled water is perfect.
Have a wonderful spring/summer!
Thank you for the helpful info. Do you have or know of a natural fly repellent remedy for dogs? We live in the country on a farm and have black lab who is always outdoors. The flies are so nasty to her.
Hey Corinn! Plant Therapy’s Insect Shield is what I use for biting flies. I just mix a drop or two with a little coconut oil and put a little around his head (they always go to his head and ears) and it works like a charm! You could also make a spray with it – same recipe but just use the Insect Shield 🙂 Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/1KCK2DW
Hello!
Quick question here.i want to make the spray,but wanted to know. What do you use on your dog?
The spray or you put the oil directly daily?
Wich one works best? Do you reapply when it starts to dissipate?
Thank you!
Hey Laura! I’ve still been using 1-2 drops of straight rose geranium on my dog’s backend when we’re outside for long periods of time. The spray works great, too, but you have to apply it often. I’ve found for us, I have to apply the spray every hour or two. Since we are outside for long periods of time, the straight rose geranium works better from a practical standpoint since it lasts him all day. This spray recipe was born for those that were hesitant to put the straight rose geranium on (my vet is ok with both ways!). This spray is especially great for kids since it’s diluted so much 🙂
Thank you!
I mixed mine with coconut oil and i apply it with a dropper on my dogs from neck to backend like a Spot On and then brush it.
Ticks are out of hand this season and poisons *eww* are not working. i got fed up and changed to the geranium oil today. lets cross our fingers. i will update later! Its the same brand you used,i also made the spray.
Did it work ? I apply the stuff the vet gives me on my dog every month but I still find deer ticks on him all the time. So if this has helped your dog im willing to try it on mine
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for giving an alternative to the Frontline I have been using on my dogs for years. I have seen a correlation between the Frontline that I give my Westie to the fact that he gets his Nystagmus a day after it has been applied. I have been reluctant to give him the Tick Repellent for the past 6 months so I haven’t been giving him anything. I am waiting for the Rose Geranium to arrive in the mail (ordered it this past week). I am not that diligent when it comes to spraying anything when I let the dogs out. . . but you stated that you’ve been using 1-2 drops of straight rose geranium on my dog’s backend when we’re outside for long periods of time.” How long does this last? Is it like Frontline that last a month or do I need to apply it daily when we hang out in the backyard? Thank you for your response.
Pam
Hi Pam! The 1-2 drops lasts all day for us! I do have to remember to put it on everyday, though.
This sounds like a great solution, can’t wait to try it out for myself! Thanks for sharing…x
You are welcome, Emma!
Can I apply the rose geranium oil straight on my kids? They go to day camp and am worried that they won’t remember to reapply. They’re 3 and 5. If so, how many drops and where on the body is the best place to apply? Thanks
Dina, with young kids, I would recommend diluting it with an oil. That lasts a lot longer than the spray – that will most likely last all day. I would do 1-2 drops in a teaspoon of oil (olive oil, coconut oil, etc.) and then just rub it on their arms and/or legs. If you wanted to use the undiluted oil, just put a drop or two on their clothes (not on the skin). Hope that helps!
Hi – how important is it for the water to be distilled? Can we use purified or tap?
Hi Morgan! You can use purified or tap, but just boil it for a few minutes first and then let it cool down. Boiling it will get rid of any bad bacteria.
I’m not sure if this is the ingredient people are complaining about on commercial all natural tick repellents but I figured I’d ask you. does this attract bees? I’ve read reports on a few commercial brands with some essential oil that it worked with the ticks but the bees came out in droves negating it’s safety.
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Kathy! We haven’t had a problem with bees in the 3 years we’ve been using it. So far, I haven’t received any bee complaints from readers, but I’d love to hear if anyone else has noticed a bee issue. Thank you for bringing it up!
does it work on fleas?
Hi Stephanie! Some of my readers swear it works on fleas and have told me that ever since they’ve been using it, they haven’t had any tick OR flea issues. But I had a different experience when we moved into a flea infested house. It didn’t work for our infestation.
After I got the infestation fixed, we haven’t had any flea issues. Based on my experience, it seems to work for repelling fleas, but doesn’t do much if you already have a major infestation. (If you do have a major flea infestation, I wrote a post about how to get rid of it here —–> http://www.primallyinspired.com/natural-flea-control/
Hope that helps!
Hi Kelly! I bought all the stuff you suggested. Just waiting for it to come from Amazon 🙂
I just adopted a cute 3mon old puppy. She is only 5 pounds. She will get about 10. Part yorkie/Shitzu. Already pulled 3 crawling ticks off her and myself! ! Yuck! Cant wait to try your spray. Is she too young to use this spray?
Thank you so much!
Jaime
Hi Jaime! Congrats on your new little bundle of fur 🙂 She sounds sooooo cute (I want to see a pic!!!). I would use the witch hazel for your puppy (instead of the vodka), but other than that, rose geranium is known to be safe to use on puppies 🙂
Hi there good video re tick repellant. I will share and want to make it now but do not have cup measurement…how many tablespoons would be in one third cup please?
Hi Julia, There’s 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon in 1 cup.
Good morning Kelly, When using the full strength drops do you need to put it on ahead of time so it spreads to all the skin surface? I think I found the purpose of the vodka in the spray. If you do find a tick on your critter, drink a couple of shots of the spray. The rose geranium oil will calm the nerves and the vodka will make you silly enough to not care as the tick is pulled off. Have a great rest of the day.
hahahaha! I like your explanation 🙂 I have my bottle of rose geranium essential oil on a side table right beside my door. Right before I go out, I put it on. I haven’t needed to do it ahead of time.
Glad I got a giggle out of you. Got a small bottle of RGO on order. My dog loves to roll in the grass so I hope this works. Have you ever had an issue with ear mites? What would you use for those buggers?
My daughter told me about this and I’m going to try it. We pulled 5 ticks off my boxer yesterday so I went to our local natural store and got the rose geranium oil. Applied it to my dogs (I also have my daughter’s pomeranian with us). So far, so good. The ladies at the store also gave me a recipe to make a spray using this oil along with citronella and lemongrass, but I’m going to try this first to see how it works. Fingers crossed that this is what we need.
So happy to hear your natural store carried the rose geranium! That’s great and I hope more stores will follow – it’s such a good oil 🙂
Does this spray work on fleas too?
Hi Hayley, it does help repel fleas and other bugs like mosquitoes, too!
Hi there. Thank you for the great information. I just moved to DE from the west coast, so ticks are new to me. I have a pet rabbit that I would like to bring out into the yard for some sunshine playtime, but since my yard is filled with trees, and I assume, ticks, I’m wary. Rabbits can be more sensitive to EO than other animals. Do you know if this would be safe to use on him?
Thanks again!
Hi Terri! Because I’m not sure of the answer (I do know that the rose geranium is one of the safest and gentlest essential oils), I would instead recommend my homemade flea powder recipe — which works for ticks and other bugs, too — without the essential oil. It’s really great stuff! You would just need to apply it once a month (unless your rabbit gets wet then you would need to reapply). Here’s all the information —-> http://www.primallyinspired.com/homemade-flea-powder-repellent/
I hope you enjoy your summer in DE (I grew up in Maryland about 15 minutes from the border of Newark, DE – I spent a lot of time in DE!)
Thank you for this recipe! I cannot wait to try it! My lovely Pippa dog recently was victim to a vicious tick! It was my fault, because I forgot her spot on liquid :(!
I am going to try this asap. We have been searching for a property in the woods and since then have been coming home with ticks on us. I hate them as much, if not more than you do! My husband seems to be the one they like to bite. Probably because he is the one who goes the deepest into the woods. My daughter and I just find them crawling on us and remove them. That is still yucky and kinda creepy. We spend days thinking we have them crawling on us. I sure hope this works. We have tried many organic and natural repellants but none have really worked. Did you know that rose geranium also repels mosquitoes. It does, I know for a fact. We lived in Florida, home of the biggest mosquitoes ever, except for maybe Australia where everything is bigger and badder. Anyway I was told to plant rose geranium around my home to repel mosquitoes. It worked so well that I made a spray of it to use when camping. Plus who doesn’t love the smell of it! Thanks and I”ll let you know how it works!
So good to hear of your success with using rose geranium for mosquitoes, Dori! People often ask me if it helps to repel mosquitoes and I answer that it really seems to work for repelling mosquitoes and most other bugs for us, but I wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence or not. So glad to hear another mosquito success story! Thank you for sharing. I hope you have the same success as I do with the ticks, too! Enjoy your new property!
hey, i have tried many flea & tick products & it’s getting expensive & none repel the ticks, i had my dog on advantix plus, he got a tick, vet recommended a flea & tick collar from their office ..$72.00 & i just took another tick off from him today…i’m interested in using the drops of straight rose geranium oil but wondering if it also repels fleas? and would it be safe to continue with teh flea collar while using the oil ? as teh collar is working great for fleas …. sincerly a fed up tick hater lol
Hi Ethel, the rose geranium seems to repel fleas, too (most bugs seem to not like it). It won’t work well for an existing major flea infestation, though. So far I’ve not seen or heard any evidence stating that it would be harmful to use both the rose geranium and the flea collar at the same time. Take care!
Hi Kelly, so glad to find your site. I have been using Young Living oils for years. My family has moved from. California to the east coast where the tick population is larger. Young living carries geranium (pelargonium gravelens) but not rose geranium. What is your recommendation? Thank you!
Hi Ciri! Welcome to the East Coast 🙂 I’ve heard and read about the YL pelargonium gravelens also being quite effective for ticks. Do you know if YL carries the Bourbon variety, called Geranium Bourbon? That one is possibly the most similar to rose geranium in effectiveness for repelling ticks and is the one I would recommend trying if you can get it or aren’t noticing success with the YL Geranium. Take care and enjoy your summer!
Hi there! I just wanted to let you know how much I’ve loved this bug spray. I was not able to get the rose geranium oil so I just purchased regular geranium essential oil and it has still worked like a charm all summer. We live in a very rural area where there are tons of deer and wood ticks. Haven’t found one on either of my kids or myself. Not one mosquito bite all summer either! Will definitely be using this FOREVER!!!
Woohoo, natural remedies for the win! Makes me so happy to hear, Tessa! And it’s great to know you’ve had luck with the regular geranium, too. Thank you for your comment 🙂
I have ordered some rose geranium oil to make this tick spray. I am eager to give it a shot when I go trail biking. Last time I rode, I had four ticks on my leg! I don’t like using Deet, which clearly doesn’t work anyway. I hope it will also repel all the nasty biting flies that like to make a meal out of me. We have deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes, horseflies, and ticks. Do you know if the rose geranium will repel these as well? I ordered some Lemongrass oil to add to the spray to try to help repel the other nasties if the rose geranium doesn’t do the job alone.
Hi Erika! We’ve had really nice success with the rose geranium repelling other insects, as well – especially mosquitoes. I hope you have the same success, too (and the lemongrass oil is a great idea!)!
Hi Kelly, tick season is just getting ready to start here in New Hampshire. When you use the spray do you spray it all over the dog, or just the two spots where you’d put the drops of oil? I’m a little concerned about my dog licking it off his paws out legs.
Hi Paul, I just spray on his back and one spray on his stomach where he can’t lick and that works just fine for us! Enjoy your beautiful New Hampshire summer!
Has anyone had success with geranium oil vs rose geranium. Thank you!
I’d love to learn this, too! I’ve heard of several people having fairly decent success with the Geranium Bourbon variety, but no one I know personally.
Hi:) i think Tessa had success with that regular oil? If you look further up in the thread? I definitely will try to get a hold of the ingredients for that spray,or just the oil:)
Hi Kelly,
Thank you, how big bottle do you use? It looks like 2oz?
I don’t have a dog, but would like to make the spray for my son. He is 3 and a half. I am also wondering, can we mix lavender+lemongrass and geranium for both tick and bugs protection?
That sounds like a great idea, Janica. I’ve had a lot of luck with lemongrass for mosquitos and gnats and I think adding some in there would be great! And that bottle is a 4 oz bottle 🙂
hi kelly
i was looking online for rose geranium essential oil. some bottles i’ve seen say geranium essential oil. are they two different plants?
My husband had 19 ticks on his body this spring. After we started using this spray, he has not had even one. It’s like a miracle. He already has Lyme disease, so he has a special hatred for these critters!
doesn’t work for me,,used alot on my clothes from head to toe and still got ticks!
I’m awaiting my ingredients for the flea powder. Can the rose geranium be used at the same time?
Thanks!
Yes!
I was delighted to find your recipe for a natural tick repellent for my dog. Especially as I had just moved to a wooded area in PA. I initially started using the Rose Geranium/Witch Hazel/Distilled water recipe in July of 2017 and was thrilled that I found no traces of ticks on my dog.
Unfortunately, something has changed. It is now early Nov. of a warmer than usual fall and I am constantly finding ticks on my dog, at least one every 2 days if not more frequent. Using the same recipe and and spraying my dog daily the same as before, the results are far from satisfactory.
I certainly cannot say what has changed, perhaps it has to do with the weather conditions, but I feel that a negative review should be included along with all of the positive.
I still feel that Rose Geranium oil has the potential to work, and is certainly better than the possible side effects of a chemical collar and definitely far better than the topical treatments (which send my dog into a state of delirium for a full day when applied). However, I will be trying other recipes out there, including mixing with almond oil.
I would be thrilled to hear of any other similar instances and changes people have made to their recipes for tick repellents for their dogs.
Hi! Is this safe for children? I have a 4 year old 🙂 thank you!!
I’m going to double check with my certified aromatherapist that I consult with, but I am fairly certain the answer is yes. Rose geranium is one of the safest and gentlest essential oils. I’ll report back after I hear back from her.
Unfortunately, I’ve found Rose GEranium Oil to be a great repellent for my little hairless dog – meaning it repels the dog! She runs from the smell, and if I have it on me, she won’t come near me! 🙂
Fortunately, being hairless, they are fairly easy to see. On the other hand, she is the exact color of the ticks, so it is hard to tell if it is a pimple or a tick. In 7 years, we’ve picked off only 3 ticks on long island. But they are getting worse here every year, so I really do want to do something to repel them.
Oh, that is a bummer about your little hairless dog not liking rose geranium! Other essential oils you could see if she tolerates that are also fairly decent at repelling ticks (but are especially great at repelling mosquitoes and flies!) are citronella or lemongrass. Hope you can find something!
Thanks. She’s a weird one. She loves to come into our bed, but one night we put a little lavender oil in the bedding during a stressful time. She jumped onto the bed and right off again! 🙂 I’ve found Citronella does nothing for the mosquitoes.
Just have to inspect her 3X a day – and if I want to be left alone, I’ll put some on myself! I’ve mixed it with an aloe & coconut oil massage oil.
Oh that is funny!!
Yes, thanks so much. The drops would be better for us!
Where do you put the drops on yourself? I prefer drops rather than spray.
1 drop on my wrist, rub my wrists together and then rub my wrist behind my ears. Sometimes in the spring when ticks are especially bad, I’ll put an extra drop on my outer layer or shoes, too.
hi,
i was wondering why you use distilled water instead of regular water.
Hi Dawn, distilled water is generally recommended when making homemade recipes like this just because you can guarantee the purity (no bad bacteria). I often just use my regular filtered tap water, though – but I’m a bit of a rebel 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hi there, your recipe says to use Vodka. Am I right in thinking the alcohol Vodka that’s on my bar?
Just want to double check, because sometimes Americans use completely different names for things than we do (I’m in Australia)
Like ‘fanny pack’….in Australia, we call it a bum bag. Fanny is a completely different part of the anatomy in our Aussie language 😉
Haha, that is great about a fanny pack being called a bum bag…I’m calling it that from now on!!
And yes, the alcohol that’s in your bar is what you use for this recipe.
Thank you so many changes for this recipe! My family and I tested this repellent all last summer and fall and avoided the ticks! I will be sending a link for this tick repellent to the families of the 100+ kids I take exploring in the woods this summer. In my haste to get out this morning, I just made up a batch and accidentally added the oil to the water then added the vodka?. Did I ruin the batch??
No, not at all, Juel. Just shake it well and you’ll be good! Have a great summer!!
Hello Kelly,
How long does the spray last?
Once the smell dissipates, it needs to be reapplied. I usually have to reapply every few hours if I’m out all day.
Hi Kelly,
I watched your video and made a spray. Would you recommend to spray it directly on my doe or on his vest or color or use the straight oil and where should I spray or put the oil?
When you put this oil on yourself where and how many drops do you put?
Hi Sofia,
I’d use the spray on his vest at first and see if that is adequate. If you are still getting ticks, try the spray on his fur. If you are still getting ticks, then try one drop of straight oil on his collar. Still no success – try one drop at the base of tail and one drop in between the shoulders. The spray works great for my family. My dog does best with the straight oil, though. Even though Rose Geranium essential oil is safe for dogs and one of the gentlest essential oils, it’s still best to start with the spray since it’s the most diluted, gentlest option and then work your way from there. Hope that answers your questions! If not, let me know – I’d love to help!
Thank you Kelly. Where should I spray myself when I go outside with my dog? Should I use for myself the spray or the straight oil or both? Should I spray my dog every time I take him for the walk? I really appreciate your help! Thank you.
Hi Sofia, I just spray my jacket and pants (2 sprays total) and that works great for me. I would just use the spray first and see if it’s effective. Try the straight oil if it’s not effective (no need to spray if you use the straight oil). I find that once a day works for my dog. As long as I can still smell the scent, it should be effective. Hope that helps!
Hi Kelly, I just want to make sure I understood you correctly. I will try to spray on the vest first and there are still ticks I will spray on his fur and also on his vest or just the fur? And if I need to put one drop on his color should I still spray his fur as well? Thank you..
If the vest doesn’t work, just spray the fur. If spraying the fur doesn’t work, just do the oil – no spray. Hope that clarifies things – if not, just let me know!
I will be making the spray to have for longer day trips and also to give to other dog moms and dads as gifts but will personally be using the straight oil method for our two bulldogs, one French and one English, and they are smaller. So after reading this entire comment thread I am completely understanding what I will do EXCEPT I wonder how long does straight oil drop application last. Is it only the one time outside into Tickville Forest? Should I use it each and every time we go into woods? or does it last for a month, a week, a day ? I had a brain trauma so lost my ability to smell and taste (bummer) but at least I am still alive. So from what I read as long as it still has a smell it is good to repel ticks (other bugs) ?? but I just did not read any comments about how long straight oil application works?
Hi Sharon!
Same concept applies to the straight oil – as long as you can smell it. Obviously the straight oil is much stronger, so it lasts longer. Since you have lost the ability to smell, I’ve personally found that the straight oil lasts about last 3 days.
If you see ticks on day 3, that’s your sign to put it on every 2 days instead. I prefer and recommend being conservative with the straight oil application and try to stretch it out as long as it’s being effective (so you may even want to try 4 days first and see if that works for your bulldogs).
Hope that helps! Hope you have a wonderful summer!