Is The Secret To Keeping Squirrels Away On Top Of Your Head?

Between nut-filled cheeks and bushy tails, there is no denying it — squirrels are pretty cute. But when they infiltrate your garden and start eating all of your hard work like it's their own personal veggie buffet, things tend to get a little hairy. Luckily, there are all kinds of safe, natural ways to deter these adorable rodents. For example, some people use coffee grounds to keep squirrels out of garden pots, and others spritz a hearty layer of jalapeno pepper vinegar or apple cider vinegar around their plants. While these methods offer varying degrees of success, the secret to keeping squirrels away might be sitting right underneath your hat. That's right — sprinkling some of your unwashed hair throughout the garden can help keep squirrels at bay.

This method works because squirrels have an excellent sense of smell — it's how they can sniff out buried nuts from months earlier. When they catch a whiff of your dirty hair, they are more likely to think that humans are around and less likely to cause a muck in your yard. This method of keeping trespassing squirrels off your yard and out of your garden also works with dog hair, as dogs have a pungent scent.

If you want to try the hair method in your own garden, simply trim off some of your unwashed hair, or collect your dog's fur each time you brush them. Then, slightly bury the hair trimmings just beneath the soil throughout your garden. You can also put some of the hair on top of the soil or wedged into the cracks of your raised garden beds to really up the bad smell factor. If you're concerned that the hair will simply blow away, you can try stuffing mesh bags full of hair trimmings and tying them to poles in your garden as well.

In addition to the squirrel deterrent benefits, both dog and human hair can actually be used as an effective soil fertilizer too. This works because hair contains plenty of nitrogen, which will eventually break down and nurture your plants. The nitrogen also helps with things like retaining moisture in the soil and regulating plant temperatures.