TICK PREVENTION + PROTECTION
TICK PREVENTION + PROTECTION
By The Milk Cleanse Founder Jody Levy
The Milk Cleanse was founded by people who suffered from the long-term effects of tick-borne illnesses. We take our tick prevention very seriously and as we gear up for the warm summer months wanted to share our ‘clean’ lifestyle hacks to avoid the dangerous critters. A note, ticks are around all year and all seasons so use the below accordingly.
In addition to the below prevention products and lifestyle hacks, the most important thing you can do to avoid tick-borne illnesses is regular tick checks on your body, your family, your pets. Be thorough, look in the nooks and crannies, and make sure you do this every-time you come in from the outdoors.
DAILY ROUTINE
The below oils are super clean and high quality. They work very well and smell amazing too. We recommend Rebeccas’s Herbs which is a small boutique apothecary in Boulder, Colorado. The below Bug Oil and Bug Repellent Spray can be used together or separately.
Natural Bug Oil
https://www.rebeccasherbs.com/collections/natural-bug-repellent/products/no-bug-oil
Natural Bug Repellent Spray
https://www.rebeccasherbs.com/collections/natural-bug-repellent/products/bug-away-spray
Lavender Oil
Ticks do not like lavender. It is like crypnotyte to them. So we love it!!
Apply Lavender Oil on your shoes, socks, and ankles. You can also put some Lavender oil on the top of your head, shoulders and arms as sometimes you may brush up against a tree branch in the woods.
https://www.rebeccasherbs.com/products/lavender?_pos=1&_sid=042dbea67&_ss=r
WHEN IN TALL GRASS, FIELDS, WOODS, HIKING TRAILS, BACK YARDS OR CITY PARKS
Ticks are tiny and sometimes as small as a speck or a poppy seed. There are millions of them in any small area of green space. When you know you are going to be outside and in their terrain you need to amp up the protection!!
Tall White Socks
When possible, wear tall white sock so that you can see ticks if they sneak up on you!
https://www.westerlindoutdoor.com/products/solid-calf-white-ss21?variant=39286711287831
Clean Lavender Dryer Sheets Stuffed in Tall White Socks
We know this doesn’t sound sexy, but if you take a lavender dryer sheet and stuff it in the top of your tall white socks, a tick that climbs onto your shoe will not cross the threshold, and therefore will not climb up your black yoga pants and dive into your fleshy skin.
https://www.mrsmeyers.com/product/laundry/dryer-sheets/dryer-sheets-lavender/
More Hard Core Repellent
Buzz Away Extreme, which can be found at Whole Foods Market and other Natural Markets as well as online, Amazon, etc, is a more robust repellent but still relatively ‘clean’. Use this when in nature and in the grass!
https://quantumhealth.com/buzzawayextreme
WHEN IN DEEP BACK WOODS TICK COUNTRY
DEET - The hard core stuff
If you find yourself in tick territory and in the deep back woods - cover up. Ideally your skin will not be exposed to the elements and you can apply the hard core repellent to the top of your fabric instead of directly on skin. Hit your shoes and sock well and often.
Photo Credit: Westerlind