By Megan Smith, eHow Contributor
1. Pour 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil into a clean, empty shampoo bottle, preferably a travel size. Vegetable oil can be purchased at your local grocery store and does not have to be fancy or expensive. The least expensive vegetable oil will suffice for this recipe.
2. Add 1 tbsp. of aloe vera gel and shake the closed bottle vigorously to mix. Aloe vera gel is thicker than the other ingredients, so shake the bottle for one minute to mix, and shake again before using. You can purchase aloe vera gel at your local drugstore. If you own an aloe plant, you can scrape the insides of an aloe leaf in order to get 1 tbsp. of aloe gel.
3. Add 25 drops of rose geranium essential oil to the mixture. You can purchase rose geranium essential oil at your local health food store or online. Rose geranium essential oil is a natural tick repellent, as they do not like the smell or taste of the oil.
4. Add 25 drops of lavender essential oil to the mixture and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to mix. You can purchase lavender essential oil at your local health food store or online. Lavender is another herb that ticks do not like the scent or taste of, and essential oil concentrates this scent and taste into a strong concoction that ticks won’t touch.
5. Rub mixture your body before tick exposure. Squeeze a dime-size amount of the repellent onto your hands and rub on any exposed area of your body, including your hands, arms, ankles and neck. Instead of latching onto your skin, the ticks will fall off onto the ground after smelling and tasting the repellent on your body.
For more information about ticks and Lyme Disease, go to:
www.cdc.gov/Lyme