Greatest Tick Repellents of 2024

When you’ve spent greater than half a minute within the woods in hotter climate, you might be nicely conscious that ticks suck. These multi-legged parasitic arachnids actually suck the blood of their chosen hosts, abandoning itchy bites and generally harmful ailments equivalent to Lyme illness, Rocky Mountain Noticed Fever, anaplasmosis, and alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), which may set off an allergy to crimson meat. Ticks additionally figuratively suck as a result of they’re simply plain gross. 

In keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management, avoiding wooded and bushy areas is the easiest way to forestall tick bites. Sadly, this isn’t possible for sportsmen and ladies since these areas are the precise locations recreation animals name dwelling. If you wish to keep away from creepy-crawly ticks and nonetheless benefit from the nice outdoor, you’ll want to make use of an efficient tick repellent. 

How I Examined the Greatest Tick Repellents

Trendy tick repellent is available in all kinds of varieties and formulation, from old-school chemical DEET to pure non-toxic important oils. You’ll be able to even make the most of odor-free insect-repellent clothes. However does any of it work? I braved the tick-infested woods to place one of the best tick-repellent sprays, lotions, and clothes to the take a look at. 

Does it Repel Ticks?

Fancy packaging and producer’s claims imply nothing if the merchandise don’t deter ticks. I utilized every spray product to strips of a unclean white cotton t-shirt. Earlier than utility, the shirt had been worn for a day of yard work within the North Carolina summer time to make sure it had loads of that yummy human odor that ticks discover interesting. I then laid every strip, together with a non-treated management strip, in a identified tick hotspot, sat again, and waited for the buggers to reach. Ticks appeared to provide many of the handled strips a large berth, however at the very least two seed ticks waltzed proper over the management strip, though they saved transferring after they realized there wasn’t a meal close by. 

I additionally utilized every of our take a look at repellents in response to package deal instructions and headed into tick nation to verify path cameras and clear capturing lanes within the August warmth. 

How Does it Really feel on Your Pores and skin?

Some bug sprays can go away you feeling like a slippery, slimy, greased hog. This can be nice for combating off ticks, however it may actually detract out of your out of doors expertise, significantly in scorching, sticky climates. I evaluated how every product felt in opposition to the pores and skin each earlier than and after working up a sweat.

How Unhealthy Does it Stink?

Time and testing have each confirmed that DEET-based repellents are extremely efficient for preserving ticks at bay. Nonetheless, the stuff reeks. Whereas it might be a sound possibility for tenting, climbing, fishing, and even dove or rabbit searching, DEET-based insect repellents simply aren’t sensible for hunters making an attempt to slide previous the eager noses of ungulates throughout bow season. So whereas I acknowledge that odor is a key means many tick repellents work, the odor can negatively influence out of doors experiences. 

It’s additionally no secret that folks don’t get pleasure from sharing a truck cab or searching cabin with a buddy drenched in noxious bug spray. That’s why I scored every repellent on how nicely I may choose up the odor. I used a five-point scale, with one being the faintest and 5 being the stinkiest. 

How Straightforward is it to Use?

I additionally evaluated how straightforward every repellent was to use. Straightforward spray-and-go purposes ranked excessive on this class. 

Greatest Tick Repellents: Critiques & Suggestions

Greatest Total: Grand Tongo Perfume-Free Insect Repellent

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Picaridin
• Odor Rating: 1
• 4.5 fluid ounces
• Value: $15

Execs

• Dries quick
• Lasts for as much as 12 hours
• Disappears in your pores and skin
• Secure to make use of in your face

Cons

Grand Tongo insect repellent is my go-to bug spray for prolonged tenting journeys. The spray mist goes on easily and evenly. It’s additionally tremendous light-weight and dries so quick it was straightforward to overlook I had even put it on. The fragrance-free system leaves no residual odor in your pores and skin or clothes. It is a main bonus if you’re sliding right into a sleeping bag on the finish of the day with out a correct bathe. 

Grand Tongo’s fragrance-free system has a faint odor when making use of it, however the scent disappears inside seconds. The model additionally gives a mildly fragranced inexperienced tea and mint and a pleasant-smelling citrus and sandalwood selection should you’re wanting so as to add some nice aromas to your yard or campsite. 

The system supplies 12 hours of safety in opposition to ticks and mosquitoes and eight hours of aid from gnats, chiggers, biting midges, and flies. It was truthfully troublesome to search out something to criticize, however the 4-ounce bottle doesn’t appear to final so long as different repellents in equally sized containers. 

Greatest Finances: OFF! Deep Woods Tick

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: 25 % DEET
• Odor Rating: 5
• 6 fluid ounces
• Value: $7

Execs

• Straightforward to use 
• Gives all-over protection
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• It reeks
• May cause adverse reactions in some folks

With regards to heading off ticks and mosquitoes, OFF! is the OG. Does it go away you feeling sticky and greasy? Sure. Does it make you odor like a noxious chemical cocktail? Sure. Does it keep at bay a complete host of biting bugs, together with ticks, for hours? You’re darn skippy, it does. 

We’ve got undoubtedly come a great distance in taming the tell-tale stench of chemical insect repellents, however this one is old-school. And since so a lot of my formative out of doors reminiscences are drenched in DEET, the odor of Deep Woods Off! feels deeply nostalgic. 

Greatest Lotion: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Picaridin
• Odor Rating: 2
• 4 fluid ounces
• Value: $12

Execs

• Good for exact utility in delicate areas round face and neck
• Lasts as much as 14 hours

Cons

• Entire-body utility isn’t sensible

Sawyer’s Picaridin Lotion completely busts the idea that insect-repellent needs to be sprayed on in a poisonous fog to be efficient. You apply this one similar to you slather on sunscreen on the lake. It even has an analogous consistency and really feel to typical SPF 30. It goes on with none fumes. The lotion has solely a gentle citrus odor that virtually disappears as soon as it dries in your pores and skin. Along with successfully repelling ticks and mosquitoes for as much as 14 hours, Sawyer Picaridin Lotion additionally retains chiggers, biting flies, and gnats at bay for as much as six hours. 

As a result of it is a lotion, it doesn’t work nicely as a whole-body therapy. Nonetheless, it’s excellent for filling the gaps in most tick-repellent methods. Since it’s simpler (and arguably safer) to use to areas round your face, ears, neck, and fingers, this product capabilities nicely as a complement to clothes remedies or spray-on repellents. 

Greatest for Pores and skin: OFF! Clear Really feel Insect Repellent Clear Gel

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Picaridin
• Odor Rating: 3
• 6 fluid ounces
• Value: $10

Execs

• Straightforward to use
• Accommodates pores and skin softening components

Cons

• Unattainable to deal with total physique

I by no means thought I’d get pleasure from making use of any insect-repellent, however OFF! Clear Really feel Gel completely modified my thoughts. This clear gel product is simple to make use of and goes on evenly with none greasy residue. It additionally made my pores and skin really feel instantly softer. 

Whereas that is technically a fragrance-free product, it does have a detectable odor. I scored it as a 3, though the pungency drops to a 2 after it goes on. The scent turns into virtually undetectable after about quarter-hour, so it may work for deer hunters. Nonetheless, the gel simply isn’t sensible for all-over purposes. It really works higher as a supplemental possibility for fingers, ankles, and across the ears and neck.  

Greatest for Treating Clothes: Sawyer Premium Insect Repellent

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Permethrin
• Odor Rating: 1
• 24 fluid ounces
• Obtainable as a pump or aerosol spray
• Value: $13

Execs

• Unscented
• Lasts as much as six weeks

Cons

• Have to be utilized upfront and allowed to dry utterly
• Can’t be used on pores and skin

Sawyer’s permethrin spray differs from customary bug spray as a result of you’ll be able to’t simply spray your self down and head outdoor. Permethrin have to be utilized to clothes upfront and allowed to dry for at the very least two hours earlier than you swimsuit up. It can also’t be utilized on to the pores and skin, which leaves locations like your face, neck, and fingers unprotected. 

Regardless of the drawbacks, there are few issues ticks hate greater than permethrin. Sawyer claims {that a} single spray therapy lasts six weeks or six washes, and my expertise helps the declare. In searching seasons previous, I’ve handled my searching pants, shirt, and searching boots the evening earlier than the turkey season opener and remained largely tick-free for the whole season. Sawyer Permethrin Spray additionally works in opposition to mosquitoes, chiggers, and fleas and leaves behind no detectable odor. 

Greatest Pure: Murphy’s Naturals Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Mosquito and Tick Repellent Mist

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
• Odor Rating: 4
• 6 fluid ounces
• Additionally obtainable in a pump spray
• Value: $17

Execs

• Constituted of botanical components
• Received’t stain or degrade clothes or gear

Cons

• Robust lemony odor
• Wants frequent reapplication
• Leaves a barely sticky residue on pores and skin

Murphy’s Naturals is a stable possibility if you wish to decrease chemical publicity whereas minimizing tick bites. This product makes use of oil from the lemon eucalyptus plant. The model sources the oil utilizing a steam distillation course of that minimizes waste and makes use of a closed-loop recycled water cycle. In different phrases, it’s pretty much as good for the surroundings as it’s on your physique. The corporate claims their system repels deer ticks for as much as 4 hours and lone star and canine ticks for greater than eight, which implies you would possibly have to reapply in case you have dark-to-dark plans outdoors. 

This mist was the easiest-spraying possibility within the take a look at bunch and offered probably the most even protection, though it has a barely sticky really feel. It has a pungent lemon-eucalyptus odor, however it isn’t disagreeable or chemically. Nonetheless, it will not be the odor you’re going for should you’re making an attempt to stay incognito within the woods.

Greatest Tick-Repellent Looking Clothes: Sitka Equinox Guard

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Permethrin
• Odor Rating: 1
• UPF 50+ solar safety
• Breathable material 
• Scent-free
• Value: $249 (pants), $149 (hoodie), $50 (gloves)

Execs

• Lasts for 70 washes
• Light-weight
• Sturdy building

Cons

• Costly
• Not obtainable in girls’s sizes

When you want camo gear for spring turkeys or early archery season, Sitka Equinox Guard gives glorious concealment with built-in insect repellent. The system incorporates Insect Protect know-how, which binds a permethrin-based system to the garment’s threads. The system is not going to rub off in your pores and skin and lasts as much as 70 journeys by way of the washer. 

Sitka additionally added Polygiene odor management know-how to their Equinox Guard line. This state-of-the-art tech makes use of silver salt and silica within the material to neutralize odors attributable to sweat, which implies you received’t have to clean your gear until it’s bloody or muddy. Much less frequent washing means it can take a number of seasons to achieve that 70-load restrict, even should you’re used to searching onerous.

To get one of the best tick safety, you’ll want the whole system, which incorporates pants, a light-weight hoodie, and gloves. The most important downside to this gear is the value. An entire system will set you again about $425. Nonetheless, the repellent ought to final almost endlessly, so that you’ll save the price of permethrin bottles over time. 

My son wore this technique on a mom/son turkey hunt this spring for a side-by-side take a look at in opposition to Forloh’s Insect Protect clothes. Each methods carried out equally nicely in opposition to ticks. Choosing a winner between the 2 felt so much like somebody asking me, as a mom, to choose my favourite little one. In the long run, this isn’t toddler t-ball the place everybody comes out a winner. Sitka received out just because it feels sturdier within the woods, the hoody has a built-in face masks, and the pants have extra pockets. And truthfully, you’ll be able to by no means have too many pockets.

Greatest Looking Clothes Runner-Up: Forloh Insect Protect

Key Options

• Energetic Ingredient: Permethrin
• Hyper-wicking and fast-drying
• Odor-control tech
• UPF 1000+
• Value: $129 (pants), $109 (hooded long-sleeve shirt)

Execs

• Lasts for 70 washes
• Comparatively inexpensive
• Additional comfy

Cons

• Minimal pockets
• Could possibly be extra sturdy

I fell in love with Forloh’s Insect Protect system through the 2024 North Carolina spring turkey season. It was the primary season I made it by way of with out bringing dwelling a single tick or chigger. The know-how undoubtedly works. 

Not solely does this technique embrace Insect Protect, however it additionally hosts a ton of different hunter-friendly tech. This clothes line-up options Brrr Professional cooling minerals for hyper-wicking and fast-drying fibers. It additionally has built-in UV safety and Polygiene tech that eliminates each overseas odors and odors attributable to sweat-loving micro organism. 

The system consists of a hooded long-sleeve shirt and light-weight pants, each of that are designed and made solely within the USA. They’re tremendous comfy, and it nearly felt like I used to be strolling into the woods in my pajamas. Regardless of their silky, light-weight really feel, they’re surprisingly sturdy, though they actually work higher as a base layer. 

The best way to Select the Greatest Tick Repellents

One of the best protection in opposition to ticks is to make use of a very good offense, and there are a selection of chemical compounds and pure components that ticks discover offensive. Here’s a breakdown of how the preferred tick repellents work.

DEET

DEET (which by some means stands for N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the oldest and one of the crucial efficient insect-repellent compounds in use at the moment. It’s designed for direct use on the pores and skin and makes it tougher for ticks to odor you and establish you as a strolling buffet. Sadly, DEET is inherently smelly and may go away a greasy residue in your pores and skin and clothes that doesn’t simply dissolve in water. 

DEET-containing merchandise are available quite a lot of varieties, together with liquids, lotions, sprays, towelettes, and roll-ons. Though DEET tick repellents are handy and efficient, they will have unwanted side effects. Some folks expertise pores and skin irritation or develop dangerous rashes. It will possibly additionally trigger nausea, vomiting, and upset abdomen if swallowed. Overexposure can set off nasty unwanted side effects, together with blisters, aggressive conduct, and seizures. 

Permethrin

Permethrin is an artificial compound much like a pure compound present in chrysanthemums. It takes care of ticks by overstimulating their nervous system, leading to paralysis and ultimately loss of life, which implies this isn’t technically a “tick repellent”.” It’s an insecticide. 

In contrast to most repellents, permethrin isn’t one thing you need to spray in your pores and skin. As a substitute, you deal with your clothes and kit with it and allow them to dry totally earlier than sporting them. You can even purchase clothes constituted of permethrin-infused material. 

Spray remedies of permethrin typically final for about six weeks. Permethrin material will last as long as 70 washes should you observe the producer’s laundering directions. 

Permethrin is an endocrine-disrupting compound, so that you don’t need to inhale or take up by way of your pores and skin. Nonetheless, should you observe utility directions, publicity is restricted, and possibilities of unwanted side effects are minimal. Reported unwanted side effects embrace headache, dizziness, fatigue, muscle weak spot, nausea, and vomiting. 

Picaridin

Developed within the Nineteen Eighties, picaridin is way youthful than DEET however works equally. It doesn’t kill bugs however appears to dam ticks and mosquitoes from registering you as a possible meal. Research counsel that picaridin is barely more practical than DEET at repelling mosquitoes and equally efficient at deterring ticks. 

In contrast to DEET, picaridin is odorless and non-greasy and barely causes pores and skin irritation. 

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) is an artificial focus of para-methan-3,8-diol (PMD for brief), which is a pure compound discovered within the lemon eucalyptus plant. OLE differs from lemon eucalyptus important oil, which has a a lot decrease focus of PMD and lacks the identical repellent qualities. 

Analysis suggests that OLE impacts tick attachment and feeding, and it might be more practical than DEET or picaridin in repelling pesky parasites. It additionally has a lemony scent that some folks discover pleasing. OLE merchandise may cause minor pores and skin irritation in some people. 

Important Oils

A number of important oils have been scientifically confirmed to repel ticks, together with creeping thyme, citronella, clove bud, and crimson thyme. The downside to utilizing tick-repellent merchandise that comprise important oils is that few research have been carried out on their security. The Environmental Safety Company has authorised no important oils to be used in opposition to ticks. 

FAQs

Closing Ideas on the Greatest Tick Repellents

Looking, fishing, tenting, and every little thing else outdoor is tons extra enjoyable with out worrying about ticks. Whereas there are many efficient choices to select from, the important thing to discovering one of the best tick repellent is selecting one which not solely retains the creepy-crawlies away but in addition fits your out of doors wants and way of life.