Cutter reminded us the other day there are a lot of bad suggestions circulating out there for how to remove ticks. He received an email recommending using a cotton ball soaked in liquid soap. We've seen suggestions ranging from vaseline to rubbing alcohol. Sure it might suffocate the tick and it could release it's grip, but more than likely it will just die embedded in your skin and then you're really screwed. Or even worse it could regurgitate fluids into your skin or bloodstream and bam....Lyme disease. All you hardy outdoor folk know the best way to remove a tick is by gently pulling. So says the FDA. So say other experts. Only problem is when the tick is located in a hard to reach place, like between your toes, where it's hard to get a good grasp of the sucker. The Trix Tick Remover uses a little adjustable lasso to remove the tick. Guy at Cool Tools has had good luck removing ticks from his pets. Visit the TRIX site for more info or Buy It for $12.50 here. Interestingly, they actually recommend twisting and not pulling:

You can do it either way but it is best to twist. Tests on more than 500 ticks has shown that if you pull, 9 of 10 ticks are damaged, if you twist 1 of 10 are damaged. The tick has a lot of barbs on its suction instrument (hypostome). The barbs and the tick´s glue will release best if you twist it away, and the risk to damage the tick is decreased. Use a good tick remover which are able to make a firm grip around the ticks mounthparts.