Ticks are nothing to take lightly. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease diagnosed every year. Some studies even suggest that this number is closer to 300,000.

Lyme disease can lead to many symptoms such as rashes, fatigue, achy joints, headaches, fevers, night sweats, heart problems and cognitive decline, among others. People, especially those who spend a lot of time outdoors, need to protect themselves from ticks. One important step is to wear tick-repellent clothing.

Tick-repellent clothing is one of the first lines of defense against ticks. It is pre-treated with tick repellent, which generally lasts for up to 70 washes. The clothing is pre-treated with permethrin, which is also used in insecticide sprays and shampoos that treat lice. The clothing is proven to either cause the ticks to fall off or make them unable to bite.

Tick-repellent clothing is also better for humans, as they aren’t putting the repellent directly on their skin. You can find pre-treated clothing of all types: shirts, pants, jackets, socks and hats. You can also find some for men, women and children.

The best part of tick-repellent clothing is that it doesn’t look different than any other clothing.

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Tick-repellent clothing looks like any normal clothing, so you don’t have to worry about standing out.

If you don’t want to try pre-treated tick-repellent clothing, you can treat your own clothes with permethrin spray, such as the Sawyer Permethrin Pump Spray.

The spray last for six washings or six weeks before needing treatment again. Apply the spray outdoors and let it dry for two hours or four hours in more humid locations. The spray is odorless, so your nose doesn’t have the constant reminder of the repellent whenever you wear the clothing.

Most importantly, the spray protects against ticks that carry both lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The spray is available for just $16 and has 4.7 stars with 91 reviews.

Whether you buy pre-treated tick-repellent clothing or spray your own, you can protect yourself and still enjoy the outdoors with a little less worry of ticks.

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