School-aged children and their families represent the biggest population of head lice sufferers, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. During school outbreaks, check one another's scalp and hair for the wingless insects, as well as their telltale white eggs. Over-the-counter lice shampoos are one option, but home remedies represent all-natural and inexpensive alternatives. Whichever method you choose, make sure to follow up with a fine-toothed comb to remove remaining lice and lice eggs, called nits.
Herbal Oil Method
Herbalist Barbara Griggs recommends an almond oil essential rub to rid hair of lice. Mix 2 ½-ozs. of almond oil with 25 drops each lavender and rosemary essential oil, 13 drops geranium essential oil and 12 drops eucalyptus essential oil. Saturate the hair with the formula, from scalp to tip. Gather the oiled hair under a plastic bag and let the formula set for at least two hours. Body heat helps activate the essential oils. Shampoo and style as usual.
Mayonnaise-Vinegar Treatment
The home remedies website Grannymed.com notes that mayonnaise is a popular head lice treatment because heavy fats and oils help smother the lice, killing them and loosening them from the hair. Coat your hair in sections, with a goal of saturating as many individual strains as possible. Cover hair tightly with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Leave on overnight, or for at least two hours. Rinse hair, using vinegar to remove all traces of the mayonnaise. Vinegar also has its own disinfecting properties, which may contribute to further treating the lice problem. If desired, use olive oil instead of mayonnaise.
Tea Tree Oil Application
Tea tree essential oil is gaining popularity as a lice-buster in both home remedies and commercial lice shampoos. Grannymed.com points to studies showing that lice are increasingly resistant to conventional insecticidal shampoos; all-natural tea tree oil may offer a solution. Tea tree oil contains a compound called terpene, which kills lice by interfering with their nervous systems.
Add tea tree oil to your favorite shampoo, or use the herbal oil method, replacing tea tree oil for the other essential oils. Whether you add the tea tree oil to shampoo or a carrier oil, make sure to keep the ratio at one part tea tree oil to 10 parts oil or shampoo.
Listerine® Spray
Powerful essential oils also play a part in the mouthwash Listerine's® chemical makeup, according to the website The People's Pharmacy. The brand is composed only of alcohol and essential oils, both of which may contribute to its popularity as a lice home remedy for both scalp treatment and to treat infected sheets and clothing.
For personal treatment, add Listerine® to a spray bottle and apply to all parts of your scalp and hair. The liquid supposedly does not smell when it dries; use the formula as a leave-in treatment. To use it for bedding and clothes, add a cup of Listerine® to the final rinse cycle in your washing machine.
References
- "The Green Witch Herbal"; Barbara Griggs; 1994
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Head Lice
- Grannymed.com: Tea Tree Oil for Lice
- The People's Pharmacy: Listerine for Lice
- Grannymed.com: Tea Tree Oil for Lice
