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Essential Oil Flea and Tick Spray Recipe for Dogs

by Tash 20 Comments

*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my affiliate disclosure.

Essential Oil Flea and Tick Spray Recipe for Dogs

As much as I love summer, I hate that it also entails flea season. My poor dog Orion, who is a fluffy Australian Shepherd, is always plagued by these annoying little beasties as soon as the weather warms up. June rolls in and almost as if on cue, you’ll find him scratching and biting himself incessantly.

My husband and I used to use flea control drops like Frontline and Advantage, but after realizing that these deterrents are full of some pretty toxic chemicals (not to mention they simply don’t even work anymore because fleas have become resilient), we decided to go for a more natural route.

Thus, this simple flea and tick spray recipe that helps deter pests between washings, smells great and is waaaaaaay less toxic than the flea control products you find at the pet store.

Essential Oil Flea and Tick Pray Recipe for Dogs

I want to begin by saying that this spray is for DOGS ONLY. Do not apply this to cats and do not apply this to your dog if you also own cats.

Cats are extremely sensitive to chemicals, even natural ones, and lick their fur often throughout the day. They also have sensitive lungs so I encourage you to avoid using essential oils in the proximity of cats.

So, once again, this spray is for dog-only households.

With that said, let’s get into the essential oils you can use for deterring fleas and ticks!

Some of the best essential oils you can have on hand for keeping your dog pest free include:

• Bergamot (FCF)
• Cedarwood atlas
• Citronella
• Clary sage
• Cypress
• Eucalyptus lemon
• Geranium
• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Manuka
• Niaouli
• Patchouli
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Spearmint
• Sweet orange
• Tea tree
• Thyme linalool
• Vetiver

I wouldn’t stray from this list as these essential oils are known to be safe for dogs.

How to Make Flea and Tick Spray Using Essential Oils

This recipe is really easy to throw together and can be used on your dog’s coat and even in your home on carpets, bedding (including your dog’s bed!), and upholstered furniture to help deter fleas.

I find that pairing this spray with ground cinnamon in the home before vacuuming is another great way to keep your house pest-free, but don’t put cinnamon on your dog.

As for the spray recipe itself, you will need:

• One 16oz spray bottle
• Spring water
• 8 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 8 drops lavender essential oil
• 8 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 12 drops geranium essential oil
• 20 drops patchouli essential oil
• 20 drops cedarwood atlas essential oil

Loving Preparation – Flea and Tick Spray Recipe

1. Begin by adding each essential oil to the 16oz spray bottle.
2. Next, fill it to the shoulder with spring water (not water from the tap)
3. Shake well before use.

To Use

I find it best to spray this on your dog’s coat in an even mist, avoiding the face, before taking your dog on walks or letting them outside. If they can roam freely between indoors and outdoors, you will want to spray them down twice daily to help keep fleas to a minimum.

Once you have sprayed their coat, brush it through their coat to help incorporate the essential oils evenly.

I like to make sure I really get the legs and underbelly evenly coated (but not dripping) with the spray to help keep fleas from wanting to jump on my dog. Fleas hate essential oils!

All in all, the spray has really helped keep fleas either off my dog completely or at least kept them mostly off. I may on occasion see one flea, but that’s way better than the dozens I used to find otherwise before incorporating this spray into our routine.

I hope you give it a try!

Have you made DIY flea and tick spray before? How did it work out for you? Please share in the comments below!

You may also enjoy reading:

Four Thieves Carpet and Mattress Freshener
How to Get Rid of Fleas on Your Pets Naturally
All Natural Flea Free Dog Shampoo Recipe

Essential Oil Flea and Tick Spray Recipe for Dogs - This spray is perfect for deterring ticks and fleas from your dog by using potent essential oils that pests hate!

    This post contains affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Please read my full disclosure and disclaimer.      
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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: flea, tick

About Tash

Tash Penman, Founder of There's an EO For That!, has a background in herbal and essential oil studies at The Herbal Academy and Aromahead Institute. Theresaneoforthat.com is a culmination of her passion and research regarding essential oils and their use for mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Read More…

Reader Interactions

Comments

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  2. TINA says

    July 5, 2019 at 8:22 am

    HI,
    NOBODY SAID IF IT DETERS TICKS JUST FLEAS, I WANT IT FOR BOTH, SO HOPING IT WORKS.

    Reply
  3. Lisa T. says

    May 11, 2019 at 7:06 am

    Hi! Is this safe for 10-week old puppies? They are boxers, about 9lbs. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Tash says

      June 6, 2019 at 12:59 pm

      I would be cautious! Essential oils are super potent, especially for such small puppies. 🙁

      Reply
  4. kathleen ragsdale says

    April 30, 2019 at 8:41 am

    Hi, so glad to have found this site. I am wondering if you have an recipes for itchy dogs. My dog is on apoquol which I would love to get her off . I have tried alerr free which has stinging nettle in it, among other things. It has helped bu not enough to get her off the meds.
    Thanks,
    kathy

    Reply
    • Tash says

      June 6, 2019 at 1:05 pm

      Hi Kathleen!

      Do you know if your dog has food allergies?

      Reply
  5. Laura Medico says

    April 7, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    How often should you spray your pet?

    Reply
    • Tash says

      June 6, 2019 at 1:12 pm

      At least once a week. My dog picks up fleas pretty easily so I sometimes spray every few days. He’s about 55lbs.

      Reply
  6. Terri Tuazon says

    March 6, 2019 at 8:43 am

    This sounds like a good mix. I started making my own cold processed soaps. One in particular especially for my two dogs. It’s a shampoo bar organic vegan. Has cedar wood, lavender,lemongrass essential oils. So start at the beginning and use a natural spray. A couple fleas are better than those other alternatives which would make my fur babies vomit.

    Reply
  7. Virginia L. says

    February 4, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    Do you think this will work on poultry lice? My neighbor has chickens and I found a couple behind my dog’s ear.

    Reply
    • Tash says

      February 28, 2019 at 9:30 pm

      Hmmmm, I’m not sure about the safety of use around birds 🙁 I would err on the side of caution.

      Reply
  8. KT says

    January 12, 2019 at 8:20 am

    Hello i just wanted to say that of you are using tea tree oil make sure you dilute it correctly otherwise it can harm your dog! So be careful <3

    Reply
    • Tash says

      January 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm

      Yes! Very true! All of these should be diluted carefully!

      Reply
  9. Cindy Prusinowski says

    December 3, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    Just mixed this one up & am trying it on my small dog. Wondering if this spray can be used on furniture, toys, etc.

    Reply
    • Tash says

      December 8, 2018 at 8:21 am

      Hi Cindy!

      Perhaps do a spot test to see if it affects the furniture and toys 🙂 Otherwise, it should be fine!

      Reply
  10. Katherine Cabana says

    November 22, 2018 at 7:01 am

    Our 5mth old cocker spaniel puppy keeps gettig fleas. I’ve been using lemongrass .. but only on his back. Is it safe to use all over … in case he were to ingest it ?? Which other ones would be safe?? Thanks

    Reply
    • Tash says

      December 8, 2018 at 8:52 am

      Hi Katherine!

      Yes, it should be fine. Just make sure it is well diluted. Try 8 drops in 16oz of water in a spray bottle and see how that goes 🙂 Lemongrass is labeled as a safe essential oil for dogs.

      Reply
  11. Claaudia says

    November 12, 2018 at 5:20 pm

    I’m very new to essential oil use and we have just adopted a 12 yo Chinese Crested Powderpuff who has never had any commercial flea product used on him but he’s full of fleas. I mixed this up — it smells heavenly, but it sure seems like a lot of essential oils — is this safe for a small dog (<10 lbs).
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Tash says

      November 13, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      Hi Claudia!

      if you mix this up in a 16oz spray bottle, it is actually less than a 1% dilution 🙂 You CAN, however, cut the amount of drops in half and see how that works out for you!

      Reply
      • Claudia says

        November 13, 2018 at 9:03 pm

        Thank you so much for the quick response. I did try cutting it in half and it’s still working on the fleas. I added some to his shampoo — lots of dead fleas in the water. So far the fleas aren’t coming back.

        My 14 y/o Granddaughter loves how it smells. She said “Grandma this smells good enough for people!” I told her it WAS safe for people because there were no chemicals — just essential oils and water.

        Reply
        • Tash says

          November 18, 2018 at 5:54 pm

          Oh good!! So happy it worked so well! 😀 I actually need to make up a batch of this myself for my dog. The fleas here in California are a menace!

          Reply

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About Tash

Tash Penman, Founder of There's an EO For That!, has a background in herbal and essential oil studies at The Herbal Academy and Aromahead Institute. theresaneoforthat.com is a culmination of her passion and research regarding essential oils and their use for mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Read More…

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