LEARNING WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS ARE BEST FOR TICK BITES.
Let me first start with saying, do what you know is best for you. Tick bites are not to be taken casually. You need to closely monitor your situation to make sure it is not serious. Typically a tick bite is just an annoying itch. However, other times it is much more serious and will need further attention.
This is my story with tick bites. During late summer in Tennessee, on a nature walk through the woods, I made a big mistake. I couldn’t resist the lure of being next to the water’s edge and was reminded of why you want to stick to the main trail path. After deviating off of the trail, I stepped into a nest of micro-ticks. My legs were covered with hundreds of them. I had approximately 50 tick bites on each leg that itched so badly it felt maddening. It doesn’t seem fair that something so tiny can cause so much grief! I don’t think I’ve ever had this many tick bites at one time. Thankfully, they didn’t make me sick. If nothing else it has been a really good experiment in testing which essential oils truly help relieve tick bite itch.
I’ve narrowed it down to lavender, lemongrass, and geranium as my favorites. You can use just one, combine all three, apply them topically, or take the oil in a capsule for longer itch relief. If an itching fit starts, I apply the oils topically and take a drop of each in a veggie capsule with flax seed oil.
HOW I REMOVED THE MICRO-TICKS.
Luckily, since I try to always carry lavender essential oil with me, I was able to put drops of it on a baby wipe to soothe the itching and remove several of the ticks until I could get home.
Once home, I used a washcloth with rubbing alcohol to rub over the ticks. These ticks are small enough that the alcohol should kill them on contact. The alcohol, also gave a bit of relief to the itching and irritation.
HEALING TICK BITES WITH ESSENTIAL OILS.
Tick bites do not clear quickly, so guess who used up all of the lavender essential oil? My husband, who also had his legs covered in tick bites. Since I order my essential oils using doTERRA’s Loyalty Rewards Program, I used my collected LRP points to order more lavender for free. This is a huge perk to ordering with the Loyalty Rewards Program with doTERRA, you can use the points at any time to get essential oils and most of their products for free.
LEMONGRASS ESSENTIAL OIL FOR TICK BITES.
If you don’t have lavender, another excellent option is lemongrass essential oil. The itching that a tick causes is suspected to be linked to the germs that they leave behind in your body after the bite. Lemongrass essential oil has been studied for it’s ability to kill a variety of fast acting germs. (1) This makes it a multipurpose oil for a variety of needs. To test it’s effectiveness on soothing the itch of the tick bites, I quickly mixed a bottle of lemongrass and castor oil, applied it to my legs and was relieved that the itching almost immediately stopped.
GERANIUM ESSENTIAL OIL FOR TICK REPELLENT AND BITES.
Another of my favorite essential oils is geranium. I love it’s feminine rose scent, and often use it as perfume or in place of underarm deodorant. Geranium, I discovered by curiosity, is a very effective tick bite relief. Some of the bites were starting to itch, I had just applied geranium as perfume and dabbed a bit on the tick bite. To my relief, it worked! As an added benefit there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that geranium essential oil is also an effective tick repellent. I will definitely be testing this and not make the stubborn mistake of being ill-prepared to ward off ticks while frolicking in the woods next time. Being able to apply one of my favorite essential oils, enjoy nature, and avoid ticks, that is an incredible combination!
ESSENTIAL OILS THAT REPEL TICKS.
There is scientific research to support using essential oils to sooth insect and tick bites as well as what to repel them with. A report found that the common cow or dog tick can be repelled best with a combination of lemongrass and thyme essential oil. Also on the list was basil, bergamot, clove, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, and spearmint. (2) This gives several options to choose and try to suite your preference of essential oils.
HOW TO MAKE AN ESSENTIAL OIL ROLLER BOTTLE.
When making your own essential oil roller bottle, always use glass bottles, and I prefer a glass or metal roller ball applicator. Frosted or colored glass is best to diminish light exposure. If your roller bottle is made with clear glass, keep it stored in a dark place once filled with oil, like a purse or makeup bag.
To make a 5mL roller bottle, add up to 10 drops of essential oil and finish filling with your choice of carrier oil; use 5 drops or less for children.
If using a 10mL roller bottle, first add up to 20 drops of essential oil and finish filling with the carrier oil; use 10 drops or less for children.
I prefer to use organic castor or avocado oils for my roller bottles. I like the thickness of these oils to minimize the oils leaking out of the roller. Plus, they both possess beneficial anti-inflammatory properties.
How will you plan to remain tick free this season? For how to order your own essential oils, click this link.
This information is not FDA approved. Always be very cautious when bitten by ticks, seek immediate medical attention if you experience red rash, tenderness, or infection.
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Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8893526
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28645519