Lice are nasty little insects that get into your hair and feed on the blood from your scalp. They are between 1mm and 3mm long and live for around a month. The females lay between seven and 10 eggs, which are called nits, each day, which they attach to the hair shaft close to the head. According to Family Doctor, head lice spread more easily among children 3 to 12 years of age.
Methods of Treating Head Lice
There are three main methods of treatment: Insecticides, wet combing and using a herbal remedy such as tea tree oil. Applying insecticide to a child's head is not something that all parents are keen on doing. It can be irritating, the lice may be resistant to it, and it is only recommended when the head is already infected. Wet combing is the most effective treatment -- the hair must be wet, and the lice and nits combed out with a fine tooth comb. It can take up to two hours to completely clear a child's head of lice, and the treatment must be repeated daily. This is fine if you have a child who doesn't mind sitting still for that length of time and having her hair combed!
Properties of Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree, Latin name Melaleuca alternifolia, essential oil has been known among aromatherapists for its insecticidal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties for some time. However, Medline Plus says that although tea tree may be effective against lice, " large, well-designed trials are still needed before a strong recommendation can be made." Tea tree not only helps to kill lice, but will ease any infection of the scalp due to the irritation caused by scratching the bites.
Using Tea Tree Oil
Combining wet combing with tea tree oil cuts down the length of time needed for treatment. When washing the hair, add one to two drops of tea tree oil to the shampoo or conditioner, if you use that, massage it into the scalp and leave for 10 minutes. Before washing out the conditioner, comb the hair through, removing as many of the nits and lice as you can, then rinse thoroughly. Repeat the action over several days, until there are no more lice or nits on the comb.
Preventing Re-infestation
Once the lice have been removed, it's a good idea to use the tea tree oil once a week as above, to prevent the lice from returning. It's also important to check the heads of everyone in the household, as the lice pass from head to head via close contact. In this way, with regular checking and weekly treatment, the lice should be prevented from becoming established if anyone does get reinfected.
Precautions When Using Tea Tree
Tea tree oil can irritate the skin; therefore it should never be used by itself on the scalp. It must not be used on children under 2 years, and sparingly on children under 12. If you have any doubts, contact your doctor.
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