Here's what I know from various credible medical resources gathered over the years:
1. Pulling a tick out with tweezers, fingernails, etc, as soon as you see it is the most reliable method with the fewest complications.
2. The mouth parts left behind when you pull out a tick is not its head, and will work out of your skin in a few hours to a few days, usually with no ill effects.
2. Applying noxious substances to the tick to make it back out is popular among folk-healing advocates, but actually increases the risk of transmitting infection. The tick can and usually does regurgitate saliva and stomach contents into your skin in response to the noxious stimulant, greatly increasing the risk of infection.
But go ahead and do what you uncle/dad/neighbor advises if that makes you feel better.
