Sometimes fleas attack your pets and you have to resort to some pretty potent chemicals that are not good for them. The fleas go away, but at what cost? The chemicals hurt your pet’s skin, even if you don’t think that they do. You don’t have to use these chemicals because you can make your own flea powder with natural ingredients.
The homemade flea powder is composed of several ingredients that work to naturally repel insects. Most of these ingredients are actually recommended by holistic vets as killer flea treatments.
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
This powder is comprised of fossilized remains of aquatic organisms (this includes coral) known as diatoms. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is very sharp, when inspected under a microscope, which helps to puncture insects and ultimately kill them. Food grade DE is harmless to humans and pets, but deathly to insects.
Yarrow Powder
This has famously been used to help heal wounds in herbal medicine because it has amazing anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe irritated skin. It also has antimicrobial properties, which help to remedy the flea bites or secondary infections that pets can get.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
This natural insect repellent has some pretty potent antiseptic properties, which help to accelerate the healing process after your pet is bitten by insects.
Neem Powder
This classic, Ayurvedic medicinal herb has been used as an insect repellent for centuries. It can help ward off ticks, lice, mites, mosquitos, and fleas. There are compounds in neem that kill larvae, if insects breed on your pet’s skin. It also has moisturizing properties that help to keep your pet’s skin from becoming too dry.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup food grade Diatomaceous Earth
- ½ cup neem powder
- ½ cup yarrow powder
- 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil (omit this if you are using on cats)
Instructions:
- Mix all of the ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine. Put a shaker top on the jar when you are ready to apply it to your pet.
- Starting from the head, apply this powder on your pet’s back all the way to the tail. You should also rub it on the belly and legs. Cover as much area as possible.
- It can be beneficial to brush the fur in the opposite direction to allow the powder to penetrate the fur to the skin.
- Use this once a month, but reapply if you give your pet a bath. You may need to apply more frequently if there is a flea infestation.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
