Summer’s quickly drawing to a close, but flea and tick season isn’t quite over! Are there natural flea and tick repellants you can make for your dogs? Absolutely! While the synthetic products work for some pet families, others may prefer to make their own repellant out of natural ingredients that only harm the pests they aim to kill.

Lavendar is shown to have flea repellant properties. Though it’s debated whether or not lavendar successfully kills fleas, it is by and large agreed that lavendar serves as a preventative measure by repelling the fleas to begin with. Chamomile, an herb mostly known for its calming effects, especially when taken as a tea before bedtime, is one incredibly effective as a flea and tick repellant. This is because chamomile has what is called pyrethrin, which is a neurotoxin that affects all insects. (1) Consider it nature’s highly-effective, yet naturally-occuring insecticide. As a matter of fact, the commonly-used insecticide called Pyrethrin by Bonide is considered organic because of its natural occurence in the genus chrysthanthemum, and because it only harms the insects it aims to repel.

Here are a few natural remedies for those pesky flea and ticks:

Natural Skin Spray:

4 tbsp Aloe Vera Juice

4 tbsp Witch Hazel

10 drops Lavendar essential oils

10 drops Lemon essential oils

20 drops Cedarwood essential oils

Mix the ingredients together and pour into a clean, empty spray bottle. After you shake the ingredients all together, lightly mist your pet’s fur and use your hand to work the oil mixture into your pet’s skin. This should be applied very lightly as essential oils can be potent.

Chamomile Infused Oil

1 jar of sesame seed oil

1 handful of dried chamomile flowers

1% concentration cedar or juniper essential oils (6 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce infused oil)

Pour the dried chamomile flowers into the jar of sesame seed oil. Sit the jar in a pot of warm water for 3 hours. Strain the flowers from the oil and add the cedar or juniper essential oil. Use oil to rub into pet’s paws and in between toes, and keep the jar for up to 4 months in a cool, dark place. (1)