Hiking, biking, or other outdoor activities are fun ways to spend the summer, but they're also a clear invitation for ticks. If any of these insects have sneaked into your hair or stuck to your skin, you should quickly remove them with a comb, tweezers, and disinfectant. If you want to test the tick for disease, you can keep it. If not, you should throw it away so it can't find its way back to your hair.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Eliminate Ticks That Did Not Attack
Step 1. Ask someone to check your skin
Make sure you're wearing gloves before you start. Ask him to look carefully at all areas of the head and skin. Ticks can be very small, so you should look for tiny brown or black spots on your skin.
- If you notice any ticks that haven't stuck to your skin, you should pick them up with gloves, a handkerchief, or tweezers.
- It's easier to have a friend remove the ticks, but if you have to do it yourself, check your skin using a mirror.
Step 2. Comb your hair
Using a fine-toothed comb, brush your hair to move the ticks that are hiding. If you notice ticks falling or getting stuck in the comb, kill them by putting them in a glass of denatured alcohol.
Step 3. Wash your hair
In the first two hours after you get home, take a shower and wash your hair with your usual shampoo. This will help you get rid of the ticks before they have a chance to stick to the skin. If you do this right after you get home, the odds of one of these insects burrowing into your skin are lower.
Method 2 of 3: Remove Ticks That Attached
Step 1. Part your hair
You may need to pull your hair away from the tick so you can reach it. To do this, use a comb or toothbrush. Be careful not to touch the insect and secure the hair with a hair clip.
Step 2. Pick up the mint with tweezers
Try to bring the tip of the tweezers as close to the surface of the skin as possible. If the tick is swollen, avoid grabbing it by the abdomen. It may release fluids into your body that can cause disease.
- There are many tools on the market designed for removing ticks; you can use one of these instead of tweezers. The required operation is the same.
- If you don't have tweezers, you can use your gloved fingers or a handkerchief, but these are more complex methods. Be careful not to squeeze or crush the tick.
Step 3. Pull the tick directly off the skin
Avoid making circular movements or in different directions, otherwise you could break the tick, leaving parts of its mouth inside your body. Instead, pull the insect out of the skin with a steady hand.
Step 4. Kill the germs by wetting the area with disinfectant
Soak a cotton pad with denatured alcohol, iodine, antiseptic cream, or another disinfectant. Gently apply it to the bite area. Wash your hands when you're done.
Step 5. Avoid burning or suffocating the tick
Don't try to smother a tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly while it's still attached to your body. Likewise, don't burn it, as you could get hurt without removing it. These methods can cause the insect to burrow even deeper into your skin or release fluids into your body that can cause you to contract disease.
Step 6. If you can't remove the tick, go to the doctor
If you are having trouble getting rid of the insect, see a doctor right away to do it for you. After two weeks of surgery, return to your doctor if you have symptoms of illness, such as irritation, fever, joint pain, or swelling in the bite area.
Ticks can transmit many diseases, such as Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, or Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Method 3 of 3: Discard the Mint
Step 1. Place the insect in a safe container if you wish to test it for disease
You can use a jar, an airtight plastic bag, or any other sealed container. If you develop symptoms within 2 weeks of the bite, take the jar with you to the doctor. The doctor can send the tick to the lab for examination.
- If you have decided to save the mint for testing, don't crush it, don't burn it, and don't put it in alcohol. Just insert it into the container and leave it there until the time of the exam.
- Medical tests can be expensive. Even if the tick transmits a disease, it does not mean that you are infected with it.
Step 2. Preserve the tick with tape if you want to identify its species
Attach the mint to a sheet of paper with a piece of clear tape. This allows you to hold it steady until identification. The various species can transmit different diseases; if you get sick, this information can help your doctor diagnose.
- You can take the bug to the doctor or search the internet for different types of ticks to identify them for yourself.
- Black-legged ticks are more likely to transmit Lyme disease, while the lone star tick and dog tick can infect you with Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Step 3. Drown the tick in alcohol if you want to kill it
If you don't want to keep the insect, eliminate it with alcohol. Fill a glass or bowl with denatured alcohol, then soak the mint in it for a few minutes. Usually this will be enough to kill her.
Step 4. Flush the tick in the toilet to get rid of it permanently
To be even safer, you should avoid throwing a tick in the trash. Instead, wrap it in toilet paper and flush it down the toilet. This way you can be sure that you have safely expelled her from your home.
Step 5. Be careful when going outside to avoid ticks
Next time you go out, try to stop ticks from sticking to you. There are several things you can do to reduce the chances of a bite.
- Use insect repellent with DEET. If you have children, spray repellent on them.
- Spray permethrin all over your clothing and equipment. You can usually find it in stores dedicated to outdoor activities.
- Make sure no one has been bitten by ticks when you get home. Pay particular attention to the arms, knees, waist, navel, ears and hair. Remember to check your pets too!
- Once inside, put the clothes in the high-heat dryer for an hour to kill any ticks that may be hiding in the fabrics.
- It is easier to see ticks on light-colored clothing. If possible, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and boots. Tuck them in well.
