 I started looking into making my own homemade bug spray and tick spray when I began working out in the garden more, because you can get some seriously giant mosquitoes out there. And I wanted something natural to spray on my body that wasn't chuck-a-block full of harsh chemicals, just to help keep the mozzies away and other bugs and insects. Now in most commercial bug sprays and insect repellents, they tend to contain chemicals like DEET, or piccaridin, which are active ingredients that help to repel mosquitoes and other insects, but they are mixed results when it comes to how safe they are for our bodies. I do share more about the chemicals used in commercial bug sprays in my blog post, plus the recipe for this tick spray in that same blog post, which I'll share in the description below for you guys. Now I love to use this tick spray anytime I go out hiking or camping out in the bush, because you can find quite a lot of ticks out there, and this spray is a really great way to keep those ticks and other bugs away. Just one thing to keep in mind, this spray reeks when it's wet, but the smell does disappear as it starts to dry, so do rest assured knowing you won't be smelling so strongly of vinegar the whole time you're wearing it, it does dissipate after a while. This recipe is also really cheap to make, and you'll probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen at home already, which just makes it even easier. I like to re-apply this tick spray often once I feel that it's starting to wear off a bit, just to make sure that it's potent the whole time I'm out in the bush to make sure that no ticks or anything get on my skin. So I like to apply it every two hours or so while I'm out hiking in the bush, just to make sure that it still stays potent on my skin. This is just my recommendation, you don't have to do this if you feel that one application is enough for you, just go by how you feel. To make this tick spray or tick repellent, all you're going to need is a bottle of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons each of dried sage, rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint. I just collected these from my garden and they weren't actually dried, but if you do dry them it just makes them more concentrated in this tick spray. I just collected fresh sage, rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint from my garden, but it is much more recommended to dry them out because you'll get a more concentrated spray at the end. However, if you're short on time like I was, you can use fresh herbs as well. Then you're going to need a large glass jar with an airtight lid to store these herbs and apple cider vinegar in while they sit and infuse together. So to make the spray put the vinegar and dried herbs or fresh herbs into a large glass jar, then you want to seal it tightly and store on your countertop or you can place it somewhere where you know you'll see it daily. You want to shake it each day really well for two to three weeks. During these two to three weeks, the herbs and apple cider vinegar will infuse together to make this really potent and effective tick spray. It was very interesting to see how much it had changed over the first week to see the herbs start to, I guess, shrink in size and the colour of the apple cider vinegar started changing as the herbs infused with it. It was really cool. After two to three weeks, strain the herbs out and you can just compost the herbs and you want to store the liquid in spray bottles or tincture bottles, preferably in the fridge. You can use the spray whenever you need serious bug control. It's not just effective for ticks. It actually helps keep other bugs and insects away as well. So if you find you're just surrounded by mozzies, this may be a really helpful spray to use for that as well. I will share in the cards above my ultimate bug spray that I use when out and about in the garden or when I'm out hiking and I find there's just mosquitoes everywhere. It's really effective for keeping that away. I'll also share in the cards above a bug bomb that I love to use, which is just really soothing and moisturizing on skin as well and can help keep biting insects away as well. Now, a fun little fact, this tick spray can actually be used as a tincture as well for any illness that you may have. As this mixture is very strong and has antiviral and antibacterial properties. So for adults, the dose is one tablespoon in filtered water and you take it several times a day. For kids over two, the dose is one teaspoon in water several times a day. Now, it's always important that you do a tester on your skin before you start applying this spray all over just to make sure that there's no adverse reactions so you don't have any allergic reactions to the spray. Same with the tincture. You want to start off just by taking a small little amount to make sure that there's no adverse reactions and if everything's fine, you can continue to use. Otherwise, if you do find that there is any irritation or adverse reaction, cease use immediately. Yeah, that's how you make this awesome, effective tick repellent. So this is an all natural chemical free way to keep ticks away. Again, it's recommended to like reapply often if you are going out bushwalking or in the bush or hiking and you want to make sure it's really effective, you want to keep reapplying it often to make sure it's still very strong and very potent on your skin. But again, just always test a small little bit on your skin to make sure there's no allergic reaction or no adverse reaction. If it's all fine, you're good to go. So if you guys enjoyed today's video and do try it out, do let me know. I've enjoyed it and I hope to see you again in my future video. Bye.