How to Make Cinnamon Oil Tick Repellent

Commercial bug sprays are costly, and many contain harsh chemicals. As an alternative, you can make bug spray at home using natural ingredients that are safe for your skin and the environment. Using different combinations of essential oils is a natural means of helping to repel certain kinds of insects, including disease-spreading ticks. It takes only a few minutes to make a batch of insect repellent to help keep ticks away while you are enjoying the outdoors.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup vodka
• 2 tbsp. aloe vera juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• spray bottle
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon oil
• 3/4 tsp. lavender oil

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Instructions

• 1

  Combine 1 cup of vodka, 2 tbsp. aloe vera juice and 2 tsp. olive oil in a spray bottle. You can buy aloe vera juice at most grocery and health food stores. If you don't have any olive oil on hand, you can substitute soybean or castor oil.

• 2

  Add 3/4 tsp. cinnamon oil and 3/4 tsp. lavender oil to the mixture. Essential oils are available at most health food stores. Lemongrass and rosemary oil are also known to repel ticks. You can substitute any combination of essential oils you like, as long as the amount equals to 1 1/2 tsp. total.

• 3

  Put the cap on the spray bottle and shake the mixture vigorously to combine. Spray generously on your skin and clothes and reapply the mixture about every 30 minutes. You can save the repellent for later use; simply give the spray bottle a good shake before using it again to recombine the ingredients.