ORIGINAL: TG78
I've tried coating them with everything... vaseline, fingernail polish, even varnish.
None of it worked.
Bingo! In fact most of the reputable sites such as the Lyme Disease foundation and others only recc. phsically removing the beast. They are now saying that even if there are parts of the tick left in after removal that it should not pose any problems. I did a lot of research on this a few months ago when we had a major tick episode and found a ridiculous amount of home methods that don't work. Stick with just pulling the buggers out.
Double bingo! Take it from someone who had Ehrlichiosis (similar to Lyme) last summer...and has done a ton of research. Just grab it close to the skin without squeezing and pull it out.
As a side note, I found out very quickly how uneducated and uniformed some doctors can be on the subject of tick borne diseases. I saw several and got a wide range of diagnosis and advice, some of which I later learned was completely off.