The story of our homemade detangler begins with a hair saga. Since I have multiple daughters with long hair, giant portions of my day are dedicated to its care and arrangement. Brushing hair, attacking knots, braiding, pony-tailing or even inserting a headband is a trial! But this time of year our nightly search for ticks makes it especially endless. After our 5th tick bite in 5 days – even after our tick checks – I was at my wit’s end.
I needed a detangling product that would keep my kids safe from ticks, lice, and knots.
But like a lot of moms, I worry about the chemicals I’m putting on my daughters’ hair. There are a lot of great recipes out there for DIY detangler but not much I could find that would do double duty. Instead of shopping around, I developed my own homemade detangler for kids that also serves as a natural lice and tick repellent!
I started with my own simple homemade detangler recipe and used my interest in essential oils to make this natural lice and tick repellent version. I designed the essential oil blend to be kid-safe, too. (Be sure to read the disclaimer at the bottom about oils and kids.) We have been using it for a month now and no one has had a single tick bite on their heads. Anecdotal or not, that’s evidence enough to make this a year-round staple in our house.
Tick repellent and chemicals don’t have to go hand in hand. Be sure to read Heather’s post on pest-proofing your yard in a natural way. Ticks are scary but what we use to keep them at bay doesn’t have to be!
[box border=”full”]These amounts are correct for a 3% dilution which is appropriate for children over the age of 1 and the oils are considered child safe. However, essential oils are extremely powerful and can be dangerous when used incorrectly. Do some research before buying. I do not rep any essential oil brand but instead, enjoy using oils from a variety of companies. I will say that oils are like anything else, you get what you pay for. [/box]
