Now that summer is well underway, we’re all spending more time outside with our furry friends. There’s nothing we want more than to protect them from ticks, fleas and other outdoor annoyances. Fleas can be miserable for your pet, not to mention hard to get rid of. And ticks pose additional risks as they can carry diseases like Lyme. Thankfully essential oils can be an amazing and natural way to help keep your dogs and even yourself free from annoying pests. We’ve put together a DIY Flea & Tick Spray that uses only Pup & Pony approved oils. It combines Bergamot, May Chang, Spearmint, Thyme and Palmarosa to help protect your precious pets while they enjoy the great outdoors.
If you choose to make this recipe with Everclear, make sure you use at least 151 proof, although 190 is preferred. If you instead opt to use vodka or witch hazel, make sure to add 1 tsp of Polysorbate 20 as an emulsifier. You’d also need to add a preservative if not used within a week.
Flea & Tick Spray for Dogs
What you’ll need:
- 4 oz bottle
- Everclear or Vodka/Witch Hazel + 1 tsp of Polysorbate 20
- 7 drops Bergamot
- 3 drops May Chang
- 3 drops Spearmint
- 3 drops Thyme Linalool
- 4 drops Palmarosa
Add all these products to your cart
What you’ll do:
Add ingredients to an empty 4 oz bottle. We recommend a preservative be used if the witch hazel does not already contain one. If alcohol is used, a preservative will not be necessary. Shake well before use. Spray directly on to your pet’s coat. Use as needed before outside activities.
But what about humans?
You can absolutely use the flea and tick spray for humans! Keep in mind though, there are a few essential oils in this recipe that are not KidSafe, so only use this spray on adults. Plus, there are a few other oils that are also useful for helping to repel ticks. Geranium, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Cedarwood Atlas, and Peppermint are all great choices for helping protect you and your furbabies from outdoor annoyances [1].
Essential Oils and Other Bugs
Fleas and ticks aren’t the only annoying pests found in the great outdoors. Plant Therapy has two amazing synergies you can use to create your very own DIY Non-toxic Natural Pest Spray: Nature Shield and KidSafe Shield Me.
- DIY KidSafe Buzz-Off Lotion Bars with Essential Oils
- Ask Plant Therapy’s Experts: Essential Oils and Pets!
- DIY Outdoor Wipes
- Essential Oils and How They Support Green, Non-Toxic Living
Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/natural-repellents.html
If you’re looking for more amazing ways to use essential oils in your life, be sure to check out our Safe Essential Oil Recipes (SEOR) Facebook Group!
Why doesn’t your recipe say to solubolize the essential oils in Everclear for at least an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients, when it does say you’re supposed to do that on the blog about Everclear?
Sometimes I’m baffled by your “safety”.
Hello kelly, we always recommend to err on the side of caution and use the best judgment when creating products. If applying topically, it might be best to let the product meld before adding it to a water base. We are always doing our best to update information and recipes as we research and find out more information. That way we can provide the safest information possible. If you would like to read more here is also a great blog from Robert Tisserand, https://tisserandinstitute.org/effective-use-alcohol-aromatic-blending/#:~:text=Ethanol%20is%20used%20to%20solubilize,separated%20into%20two%20distinct%20substances Thank you for letting us know. Have a great day.
So i see that some of these aren’t kid safe, if i want to make a tick spray to use on my kids what oils should i substitute and how much?
Hello Jessica! Here is a good recipe that is safe for kids!
7 drops Bergamot
3 drops Citronella
3 drops Spearmint
3 drops Bourbon Geranium
4 drops Palmarosa
Would using the synergy Nature Sheild be as effective for my pooch as the above flea and tic DIY spray? No cats or small children in my home
It would not be as effective as the Flea and Tick spray as it was not made to help with just fleas and ticks, but focuses on the other Outdoor critters. We hope this helps!
How safe is it for dogs to use Everclear to make dog sprays? I didn’t realize this could be used with dogs.
Hi Laurie, we definitely understand the concern. It will always be a personal choice to use Everclear in your DIYs, but it is completely safe. The amount of alcohol in the finished spray is minimal and evaporates quite quickly. You can learn more about Everclear and DIYs here.
Found two ticks on my fur baby today. Mixing this up right now!!!!
How much Everclear should be added?
You can use 4 ounces of Everclear for the entire mixture. Or if you want to use it with water, Everclear needs to be at least 25% of the mixture. In this case, it would be one ounce.
can i just use lemongrass with everclear
Hi Barbara, Lemongrass is one good oil to help with fleas and ticks. However, using it by itself won’t be as effective as combining it with other oils.
I made this for my old Beagle and it works great! Even the places on her back that are usually hairless in the summer has hair on it because she’s not constantly scratching and biting at it. I did substitute Lucky for the May Chang and Spearmint since I didn’t have either of those oils. I looked at your chart first to make sure I could use lime on her. I spray her and her bedding once a week to keep the fleas at bay. Great job to whomever came up with this spray! Maggie and I both thank you!!
I will deff be trying this for my furbaby!
This post came at the best time; we were just looking for a natural product to use on our dogs. Thanks for all the work you put into your site!
These sound great! Definitely have to try these recipes
Great recipe! And bonus points because it also helps keep mosquitoes away when I’m out walking the dogs… An extra bonus points because it makes them smell fresh and clean. Thanks again PT for another amazing recipe.
Thank you so much for this blog post! I’ve been wanting to try something with essential oils for my dogs!
This is great. I won’t use any of the chemical flea products for my dog and we have been noticing fleas and I really wanted to find a safe, natural recipe. Thank you.
This sounds like it would smell really good! I will have to give this a try on my dig.
I’ll have to try this. I have everything but may chang… perhaps I’ll add it to my list!
I love reading about eo’s and dogs. Can just witch hazel be used or does it need to be mixed with vodka?
Hi Paula! Vodka is the safest option for this spray.
These recipes look great. Can’t wait to try them.
Can’t wait to try this with my fur babies! Thank you so much for starting this line of products, and also letting us know what regular oils are also safe for our pets!
So spraying this on my dog each morning should take the place of needing the flean and tick (natural) collar i have on her?
Hi Kristin! We always suggest that you follow your vet’s instructions, so if your flea/tick problem is serious I would use this spray as an added treatment.
I bet this smells amazing!
Thank you so much for this blog and recipe. I recently made bug repellent bars for myself and my family and love them, but needed a good pet safe recipe for the doggy. You guys never disappoint. I can’t wait to try this next time we go visit great grandma in the Valley, they have a ton of ticks and fleas over there.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I’ve been trying to find a spray for humans, but that is safe to use around dogs.
What an informative article! I cannot wait to try the recipes. Just what I was looking for
Thank you so much for all of the bug repellent recipes. It’s a great feeling to not have to use the mass market chemicals. Our old man is 13 and used to get head tremors, they called them idiopathic head tremors because they couldn’t find the trigger. Well, have been using recipes like this for two years and he hasn’t had one since..
This!! We moved and our normal flea repellent isn’t doing it as well. Maybe this will be something that gives my dogs some relief
Once again another great recipe! Thanks PT!
I would like to make this flea anc tick spray for my dogs. I don’t have May Chang or Spearmint so what other oils can I substitute. I was thinking another mint but i have no idea about the properites of May Chang.
Hi Sandra! You can simply omit those oils if you need for this recipe!
Perfect recipe. Exactly what I’m needing and I have everything.
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I am so happy that now can make a natural pest repellent for my dog. Thank you for the recipe.
Very helpful! I intend on making this for humans!!
Can not wait to try this! Could I use shield me instead?
Shield Me is Pup & Pony Approved and you could use it. Just make sure that you dilute it using the Pup & Pony dilution chart for the weight of your dog.
Great! I love Shield Me. Is lemongrass safe for pets? That’s my favorite to difuse!
Lemongrass is safe for use around pets, just keep in mind it’s not KidSafe.
I read lemongrass can attract bees so I wouldn’t diffuse outside.
Very helpful article, thank you!
Just to double check: is it Palmarosa or Rosemary (as it says in the first paragraph)? Have both, but prefer the rosemary scent 😉
Good catch! It is supposed to be Palmarosa. However, Rosemary is another good oil that helps prevent fleas and ticks and is Pup & Pony approved.
Cannot wait to do this tick spray, we live on a pond and the ticks have been awful as well as insects,have not enjoyed boating as yet, have had 2 imbedded ticks this year so far but luckily no rings, so TY plant therapy for this recipe.
Can’t wait to try this. The ticks are so bad this year!
I definitely be making this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I do not have the May Chang or Palmarosa. Could I substitute one of the other oils (Geranium, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Rosemary or Cedarwood) in place of these two?
Lemongrass has a lower recommended max dermal than May Chang even. All of the oils you mentioned are Pup & Pony approved. However, I would make sure to reach out to our animal aromatherapy experts at [email protected] to confirm a safe dilution.
I’ve been using Nature’s Defence diluted in coconut oil for my 17 lb fur baby with great results. After reading this blog, not sure if it’s safe.
Hi Charlotte, without more info on Nature’s Defence, it’d be hard to say if it’s unsafe or not for your pet. But I can say that Shield Me is a Pup & Pony approved blend that you can safely use (when diluted) with your fur baby!
Thank you for the great blog post! I constantly see people posting on social media about using unsafe oils at unsafe dilutions for both them and their pups. So far I’ve had great luck using Shield Me & Nature Shield (this one is just for myself) as tick repellent (I live in a high risk area). I’ll be glad to add a few more to my rotation.
I can’t wait to try this on my three dogs. It’s never fun dealing with parasites on our furbabies. I hope this recipe helps.
Just curious if this blend is also safe for our feline friends?
Thanks so much for the wonderful, trustworthy recipes. I always feel assured of safely using essential oils when it comes from Plant Therapy.
Unfortuately not. We don’t recommend the use of essential oils around cats as their bodies can’t properly process essential oils. You can learn more about it here.
I made this for my two little dogs..they don’t seem to have any fleas and they smell great! Can I use this on my cat as well?
We don’t recommend the use of essential oils around cats as their bodies can’t properly process essential oils. You can learn more about it here.
We’ll have to try this on our dog!
I don’t have palmarosa, can I replace that with one or the other safe oils listed or is that an oil that needs to be in the mix
Hi Miah! I would reach out to our animal aromatherapists at [email protected] and they can give some guidance and recommendations.
Thank you! I have been looking for a good flea and tick combo!
How effective would this be with just bergamot and spearmint? Right now those are are the only 2 I have.
You can always try but would recommend getting the other oils to use in synergy if you can 🙂
Doesn’t say how much alcohol or witch hazel to use
Once you add the essential oils, you’ll fill up the rest of the 4 oz bottle with the alcohol or witch hazel. So you’ll need about 4 oz.
Can’t wait to try this out all natural recipe on my family and fury friends!
So thankful for a safe list of bug repellent eos for dogs. I had been using a natural store bought kind. But it had clove and didn’t know that wasn’t safe for them until PTs educational info out.
Thank you for covering this important topic. Bonus points for citing the CDC info 😉
I Absolutely LOVE This post! Definitely going to give this a try as we recently move to the middle of no where & ticks are HORRIBLE even after spraying
Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s going to come in handy the next couple months.
Thanks for the info. on the natural tick/flea repellent for dogs. I dont have all those oils, can you give me substitutions for may chang and palmarosa?
Please reach out to [email protected] and one of our animal aromatherapists will be happy to assist!