5 Tips to Keep Ticks off You this Summer

What to do once you are bitten.

Photo by Zest Tea on Unsplash

I’ve been bitten so many times this spring and summer that I am now allergic to them, and each bite swells and itches for a long time. I done a deep dive into researching ticks. Here is the information I’ve collected so far.

5 Methods that help to avoid tick bites.

• 1. Use permethrin on clothing and or other repellents, like Deet. Follow all label instructions.
• 2. Wear long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Tuck your pants into socks and your shirt into pants so ticks can’t find your skin as easily.
• 3. Wear a hat or bandana. I have long hair; I put it up and wear a hat.
• 4. I’ve been seeing pictures on social media of putting wide sticky tape around your ankle and wrists so the nasty little blood suckers get stuck & die, similar to a sticky trap people use for bugs and rodents that get in your home.
• 5. Know where the ticks are and avoid them. They are in grasses, bushes, trees, dirt, animals, and wooded areas.

I asked a group of people for their best tick prevention tips, which I’ve been collecting.

1. Use tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner. This gal lives in a heavily wooded area and swears she hasn’t had a tick for two years since using this. Also, rubbing organic coconut oil on her skin helps keep ticks off.
2. Numerous people suggested different essential oils. See tip 3 below. Some people swear by them, others comment that they are useless by themselves.
3. Recipe for tick repellent. Use tea tree oil, fractionated coconut oil, and neem oil, with some essential oils that ticks don’t like: Lemon, Orange, Cinnamon, Lavender, Peppermint, and Rose geranium oil. Put it in a spray bottle and use it on yourself and your dogs. The homemade tick spray should only be used on cats twice a week.
4. If you find that you are allergic to their saliva like me consult your doctor. I find that cortisone cream helps me feel less miserable.

Avoid Tick Infested Areas When Possible