Tea tree oil is most commonly known in the U.S. for uses like skin irritations but it can also be used to ward off fleas and ticks. Here is an effective homemade tick repellent recipe for humans while outside in areas that harbor ticks and fleas. Make sure to find out the many other tea tree oil uses.
Homemade Tick Repellent Recipe
Lately I’ve been finding teeny tiny ticks on the dog – and I almost wouldn’t have seen it but for the fact that I’ve been hyper-vigilant about checking for ticks. It looked like a piece of dirt!! But those teeny tiny ticks still bite and they still transmit lyme disease.
Last week I made this homemade tick repellent recipe using tea tree oil and a few other essential oils and low and behold – NO MORE TICKS!
What is tea tree oil?
Tea tree oil is derived from the leaves of the tree using steam distillation or a similar process. A natural tick repellent can be made for both animals and humans using tea tree oil as an active ingredient. If you are not into DIY or don’t have time, scroll down to the bottom to find a ready-made mixture you can apply easily to repel ticks naturally!
In small concentrations (.1% to 1%), tea tree oil is tolerated and safe for cats and dogs.
I love Rocky Mountain Oils because of their quality 100% pure essential oils that require no minimum purchase and always gives FREE shipping! Plus they always have specials going on!
Rocky Mountain Oils’ essential oils are verified by a third-party, independent lab. GC/MS tests verify purity and quality of the oils sold so you can look at the bottom of the bottle to find your individual batch code and then input that number into our website to pull up the GC/MS test results.
Purchase your Essential Oil here!
Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium essential oil is safe to use around kids and this study showed it as very effective in repelling ticks.
This study from the National Institutes for Health found that geranium oil works comparably to DEET in repelling ticks. This is for humans and NOT dogs.
Cedarwood Essential Oil
According to this study in Environmental Entomology, cedarwood oil repels fire ants and actually kills ticks! It is so toxic to ticks but safe for kids!
If you do happen to get bit by a tick, learn how to remove a tick properly.
Homemade Tick Repellent Recipe
Never apply tea tree oil directly to the skin as it could cause an allergic reaction, particularly if the oil is highly concentrated. Mix the oil in some carrier oil like sweet almond oil to dilute it a bit.
For best results, use a glass bottle. Oils such as tea tree oil react with plastic and may cause dangerous chemicals to leech into your repellent. Before each use, shake the bottle vigorously to thoroughly mix the oils. When applying to pets, rub the repellent under their fur so that it reaches their skin.
You can also use a plastic spray bottle that is labeled as safe for oils, like this one.
Ingredients
2 ounces liquid oil such as jojoba oil (which is non-greasy), olive or almond oil.
15 drops geranium essential oil
15 drops tea tree oil
15 drops cedarwood oil
Directions
- Mix oil and essential oils together into spray bottle. Store in a cool, dark area when not in use. Should last 2-3 months.
- Spray directly on skin before going outdoors.
Note
If you prefer, you could add peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, or camphor oil or lemongrass.
Alternative to making your own homemade tick repellent
Don’t have time or patience to make the Natural Tick Repellent Tea Tree Oil Recipe? Don’t have all the oils on hand? No worries, you can get Bug Off! essential oil blend to help keep mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and other insects away. The gentle blend features Citronella, Cedarwood, Lavender, Peppermint, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus citriodora, Thyme, and Lemongrass. You can also try diffusing it on your patio in the evening, or mixing it with a carrier oil in a roller bottle and applying it to ankles, wrists, and back of the neck.
Bug Off! Mist Spray Recipe
75 drops Bug Off!
4 ounces Distilled Water
Add all ingredients to a 4 ounce, fine mist spray bottle. Shake well before every use. You can apply to areas where you might be bit. (If the spray is for your pet, use 10-15 drops) You can also use a light carrier oil or witch hazel instead of water if you are spraying on the skin.
Bug Off! Carpet Freshener Recipe
100 drops Bug Off!
1/2 cup Baking Soda
Mix all ingredients in a ziploc type bag. Seal and massage bag until essential oils are thoroughly mixed in. Pour into a glass jar and seal with a lid. Sprinkle over carpeting, leave for 10–15 minutes and vacuum. Use when you have a big problem with ants and other bugs.
More posts like homemade tick repellent recipe
DIY Natural Tick Repellent for Dogs
How to Remove a Tick and Treatment
Natural Homemade Insect Repellent
I am a New England mama of 3 kids, 3 kitties and 2 puppies! I grew up in the great state of NH and blog about all things healthy and natural near Nashua and Boston.
Sounds like great information! All these darn ticks nowadays! We never had to worry about this when I was a kid, and I ran around in the woods non-stop! #wineddownwednesday
I did not know that about geranium. I will have to get some. We live in the country and are outside quite a bit. Ticks especially seem to like my 4 year old. :/ I like that this is an easy recipe without a bunch of essential oils that are hard to find! Thanks for sharing on This is How We Roll link up.
Wow great tips. I am trying this. Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts at Over The Moon Party.
See you next week.
Hugs,
Bev
I am so happy you shared this. I plan on making this since this is a big problem. Thank you for sharing at Dishing it and Digging it link party. I am a huge fan of your blog.
Great for summer! We do a lot of hiking I need to try this. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & sharing.
This is fantastic! I love tea tree oil for so many things, but I hadn’t realized that it works against ticks, too! Pinning! 🙂 Lisa
I am definitely going to give this a try. We live in an area with ticks and would love to have something that would rebel them. Thank you for sharing!
Cheers,
Lisa at Dreams and Caffeine
Wow! So glad I saw you on a link party. I’ve got tea tree oil, i’ll need to get the generenuim. We’ve had BAD ticks this year, and it scares me because 3 summers ago, I got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and had NO IDEA what it was until I was at the hospital with all my organs enlarging and a rash, muscle stiffness and trouble breathing. Scared the heck out of me, now I’m so paranoid my kids or I will get it again. Nothing seems to bother my husband, lucky guy! The kids and I are always the buffet when we step outside. I even had to stop drying my clothes outside this summer because ticks were getting on them!! Thank you for this recpie!! I’m grateful to learn of a nontoxic treatment for our skin! (Because I’m not joking, we’ve treated the lawn three times, and they still keep coming!)
Oh my goodness! I actually was just tested for lyme disease because I was having muscle/joint stiffness and PAIN! But I didn’t believe it was that since I always use these oils. I love that there is a study that proves these oils effective against ticks. PS. It was a reaction to new meds.
I started spraying our shoes before hiking in the woods to prevent picking up ticks. My husband thinks the bug spray destroyed the waterproofness of his hiking boots. Is that even possible? This tea tree oil spray sounds much better than the chemical sprays. I’ll have to douse my husband when he’s not paying attention!
I’m going to try this out to help keep away ticks, this is a bad year this year!!
Thanks for sharing at #bloggerspotlight!
This is such a useful recipe! Thanks for sharing.
I have contracted Lyme disease twice and had a scare last month when we visited Shiloh Civil War Battleground and I found a tick crawling on me. So glad to have this recipe for a natural tick repellent. Have begun using a tea tree oil conditioner on my hair and love the fragrance. Will be mixing up some of this.
Hi, Will this dog spray deodorant also work to deter fleas & ticks on dogs??? Since it is natural, I was just wondering if I can also spray my mini poodle . .cause we are always outside walking & hiking thru the woods. Plz reply
Hi Enid – I would use the tick repellent recipe specifically designed for cats and dogs. While essential oils are natural, you still need to be careful which ones you use on your pets! Find the recipe here: https://www.fivespotgreenliving.com/natural-flea-tick-repellent-essential-oils/.
Isn’t tea tree oil the most toxic for dogs out of all essential oils? It’s toxic for humans too in large doses, but very bad for dogs and cats. https://m.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ken-tudor/2014/january/tea-tree-oil-safe-pets-31282
The recipe I use is only .05% concentration of tea tree oil. Per the article you included, “In small concentrations (.1% to 1%), tea tree oil is tolerated and safe for cats and dogs.” You can use 12-20 drops of oil to achieve a 0.05% dilution in 4oz of liquid which is what my recipe calls for. I’ve been using this on my dog for months and she is fine. Of course, with anything, you need to watch out for reactions for your pet as just like with humans they may be sensitive or allergic.
We have lots of wonderful friends we hike with that share their spray with us and I know I have heard her mention all of these in it. It does work quite well; not perfectly of course but quite well.
I definitely prefer natural solutions for my family – including our dogs. Does Bug Off have a scent? My hubby is highly sensitive to smells.
Hi Sinea – Yes Bug Off does have a scent. I believe it has citronella in it so it smells like bug spray. I am sensitive to smells as well and perfumes can trigger migraines but I am not affected by essential oils because they are natural. If he really doesn’t like citronella, I would make your own spray using lavender, lemongrass, cedarwood and tea tree oil. Those are not strong-smelling oils especially when mixed together!
Thanks for doing the research on safe oils for pets AND kids. For some reason people don’t seem to realize they need to know if a oil is safe for them. They also aren’t told that a carrier should be used with oils (!). Thank you! I’m going to check out the link for the cats & dogs you posted above. I have a indoor only cat so I’d definitely like to see what you have to say on that. And I need to see about the tick recipe for the kids and I – we live at the parks in the summer time!
Thanks Tina! Yes a lot of it is hit or miss so I like to include other oils that also work but you don’t have to use ALL of the oils. And cats are so different from dogs.
Wow. What great information. I use tea tree essential oil for so many things, but am going to try you combo for tick repellent this week. Will pin and reshare. Congrats at being featured at Pretty Pintastic Party #262, where I posted Recipes for Remarkable Vegan Meatballs (a vegan meatball roundup). Have a great weekend and be well.
Almond, geranium, and tea tree oil are all toxic to dogs. Cedarwood does kill ticks, but it is dose dependent and, more importantly, it does NOT repel ticks.
Hi Steve – I agree with you about needing to be cautious using those oils with dogs. However, this tick repellent recipe is for humans. And Cedarwood actually has been proven by the CDC to repel ticks! 🙂