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Tick spray
I have chronic Lyme disease and working to prevent anyone else getting it. We live in Idaho, and right next to the foothills and have ticks all over. I am looking for a tick spray that is non-toxic as it needs to become part of our daily routine like putting on sunscreen.Questions:
- What are good tick sprays that are non-toxic, but work? Right now I have Cedarcide & Melaleuca Insect Repellent. I am aware that using non-toxic means I need to apply it more often.
- Permethrin is often recommended to apply to clothing, but not skin. How toxic is it to wear clothing with permethrin sprayed on it?
- Any “recipe” for how to make my own to keep in large spray bottles?
Please give me any and all advice on this!. -
4 Replies
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Hey ,
I’m so sorry to hear about the Lyme disease. Are you experiencing symptoms? If you do, let us know, and we could provide you with some extra tips!
The good news is that research shows that essential oils can be used to repel ticks. Oils from lemongrass, cedar, peppermint, thyme, and geraniol are often used. A blend like your picture can definitely help.
Some oils might work better against one species and another might work better against another. This makes giving advice difficult, but I would stick to a blend.
This 2012 study compared how a few working components of different oils worked against different species. Carvacrol (found in thyme oil) worked well compared to commercial products, but it gave little protection against the Turkey Tick (A. americanum). Nootkatone (found in oils of the cedar tree) gave better protection.
The chemically synthesized oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) provides also protection. It would be a better choice when it comes to repelling ticks as the natural oil because the working compound is more concentrated.
It is hard to give you some concrete advice on what product would be best. I’m based in Europe and although we have ticks, the market for natural remedies is really small in my country.
Permethrin is a pesticide and can affect you when it is absorbed by the skin or when you inhale it. Really not non-toxic at all. Prolonged or repeated contact can therefore influence your health, but it’s hard to talk about what type of risk you’re taking here. Without alternatives, it is hard to advise you on this since you will have to balance the risk you take with the ticks.
When the oils give you enough protection, I probably wouldn’t use Permethrin. Below I have added the hazardous substance fact sheet of Permethrin so you can make a better educated choice there.
[3422.pdf]
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Hi I know you’re asking about natural tick repellants, but first allow me to share some other preventative steps that you can all take as well.
Lyme has been proven to be transmitted by other vectors, not just ticks so it’s important to prioritize and focus on keeping our immune system strong first and foremost. It goes back to the “germ” and “terrain” theory. Is it the germ that causes us to be ill, or does a weak terrain allow the germ to thrive? It’s both, but ensuring that our terrain (immune system) is robust, is our best prevention against all types of pathogens.
So if you haven’t already, I would check and optimize these key immune nutrients: vitamins A, D, and RBC zinc. I would also check copper as it’s synergistic with zinc and if low, can affect immunity as well.
Keep in mind that high dose vitamin D suppresses vitamin A, and high dose zinc suppresses copper. I’ve been seeing this happening more often since covid because of everyone supplementing with these nutrients in high doses, and without testing.
Here’s a handout on vitamin D about optimal ranges (typically 50-70 ng/ml). And both vitamin A and zinc should be in the upper half of the reference range.
Supporting these immune nutrients is the first step. But removing anything that taxes the immune system is another. This is where reducing our toxic load in our environment can play a huge role. If you’re not sure where to start, please watch the videos in the Air & Skin section in the Beginner’s Health Roadmap. Removing food sensitivities and working on our digestion/gut microbiome are other important players for immune health.
Do you have any GI symptoms? If so, I’d start and focus on gut health as a priority since 70% of our immune system resides in the gut. Let us know if you need more guidance here.
So keeping our immune system strong, wearing protective gear, doing tick checks every time you’ve been outside and learning how to properly remove ticks are all important steps.
Many integrative/holistic doctors recommend astragalus and cistus incanus tea (which, if taken over time, either in tincture or tea form, can actually act as a repellent) and be taken all season long, especially in particularly endemic areas. This is the cistus tea that I purchased during Covid, as it’s also shown to prevent viral attachment. Dr. Klinghardt was the genius to share this info. Supposedly dogs in Germany who were given a daily dose of Cistus tea got 1/100th the tick bites compared to dogs who weren’t.
• Directions: Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup of boiling water, let it steep about 10 minutes, and strain. Important: Re-use the same tea 3 times in order to extract all the different phytonutrients.It usually takes about a month before any herb to really take effect, so keep that in mind. I would also take breaks from it every so often.
Now to answer your question about non-toxic tick repellants that work. Checkout this one by Tick Tock Naturals.
I’ve never made one myself, but if you take a look at the ingredients in Tick Tock naturals (Active Ingredients: Lemongrass oil, Thyme oil, Rosemary oil, Eugenol, Geranium oil / Inactive Ingredients: Cold Pressed Grape seed oil), you might be able to replicate it. Just not sure about the ratios of each EOs.
And NO – I would not advise the use of permethrin. As Daniel stated, it’s an insecticide and even though you’re not spraying it directly onto your skin, you will be inhaling it, which is the primary route of toxin exposure to be aware of.
Hope this helps.
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& Thank you so much for this. Sounds like possibly using mixture of sprays. I will get into the habit of using this each time we go out for a hike in our backyard hills. We will keep the spray by our door, do tick checks, and create an awareness.
I do have symptoms. The typical fibromyalgia pain, joint pain and low energy. I did AIP protocol VERY strictly January 2022-June 2022 and felt the best I have in years. Worked on my healthy gut and felt amazing until I got covid in June 2022. Haven’t been able to rebound back to the pre-covid level of health, but this is to be expected. I will read below on Bernadette’s vitamin recommendations and continue to work to keep my gut healthy. Trying to prioritize sleep in crucial, but my 5 year old doesn’t understand, so I do the best I can! Ha. I am so happy I found B Better to get help and support.
I also have all the herbs to do Dr. Rawls Lyme protocol, but had severe herx reactions when I started it in December 2022.Bernadette, I’ll read all this more and might have more questions on the vitamins. Currently home with a sick kiddo. Yes, prevention and keeping my immunity is key. Thank you so much for this.
Cistus tea sounds very promising. Thank you. I believe Klinghart has a good sense on Lyme. I see a practicioner trained by him every 2-3 weeks or as needed for a laser detox therapy. She works on Lyme, 5G, methylation, and whatever else she finds. She has been a great asset to my Lyme team. I have a Naturopathic doctor, my Primary Care doctor who will order any labs I need that can be covered by insurance, chiropractor, Dr. Rawls assistant I do coaching sessions with, and follow Dr. Sarah Ballantyne for her AIP, Paleo & nutrivore information. I took her 6 week lecture series for AIP. It was amazing in understanding gut health.
I’m currently trying to reassess all my supplements, and vitamins to see how they work together. Now I know I can come to this group to get help with that.
I am also working to switch over my household to all non-toxic everything, cleaners, shampoos, lotions, water filter, etc. If you have any resources in this group I should watch/read for that please let me know. I am so happy to have found this group! -
I’m glad to see the team you’ve surrounded yourself with. And I’m also glad that we can play a part in your journey as well.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen the protocols we share, but I have one for supporting kid’s immunity when they get sick (click here), and also a guide for adults here in the Resources section.
Feel better soon and we’re here when you need us.
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