Can you put baby oil in your hair or on your skin to prevent ticks?

Not your best option: I know lots of online "experts" (none of them physicians) say baby oil will repel ticks. It makes a bit of sense, in that the ticks might not be able to recognize your skin if it's coated in oil, and if you have nothing else on hand it's probably better than nothing. Permethrin lotion, however, is far more effective. Deet is not very effective against ticks, but great for mosquitos and such.