Lice are insects which infest the body, sucking blood and laying eggs. There are three types of lice: head, body and pubic lice. Head lice infect the scalp, laying eggs known as nits, which they attach to the hair shaft close to the scalp. Body lice live in clothes and are the most invasive and difficult to get rid of. Pubic lice live in the pubic hair and are usually picked up through sexual contact.
Properties of Tea Tree
Tea tree is a powerful and versatile essential oil. Extracted from the Australian tea tree (Latin name Melaleuca Alternifolia) by steam distillation, it is widely used in aromatherapy. It is considered not only to be an insecticide, but also to have anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral and antibacterial properties. It is thought that, when applied directly to lice, it causes death by asphyxiation. According to MedlinePlus, "Early studies have found that tea tree alone or in combination with other agents may be effective against lice."
Tea Tree Oil Treatment for Head Lice
An effective way to remove head lice is to wash the hair in the usual way with shampoo before adding two drops of tea tree oil to your usual conditioner and leaving the mixture on for ten minutes. Comb the solution diligently through the hair with a fine tooth comb and check the comb for nits and lice. If they are not killed outright by the tea tree, the lice are rendered sluggish by it and unable to run away. Repeating this treatment over a few days should ensure a removal of all lice.
Tea Tree Oil Treatment for Body Lice
According to Emedicinehealth, body lice can survive for up to thirty days away from a human host. This makes it most important all clothes and bedlinen are washed on the hottest temperature possible to annihilate the lice, which inhabit the seams, waistbands, straps and hems of clothes. When washing the clothes, add 25 drops of tea tree to the first hot wash. This should help to eliminate the lice, particularly on clothes which cannot be boiled.
Tea Tree Oil Treatment for Pubic Lice
Because of tea tree oil's strength, never apply it directly to the genital area. Take a shower or bath and add ten drops to the bath water, or two drops to each handful of shower gel, which should be massaged all over the body. The lice should then be combed from the pubic hair. Tea tree oil will also help to ease unpleasant irritation from the bites. Says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pubic lice can also be found in coarse hair elsewhere on the body; for example, eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, armpits, etc. Therefore, you need to be vigilant and check these areas as well.
If you discover that you have pubic lice, you also need to tell anyone you have sexual contact with, as they may also be affected.
Some Precautions
Tea tree oil is one of the strongest of the essential oils and can be irritating to the skin. Before using it on your skin, it's a good idea to do a patch test on the inside of the wrist, and, if there is any irritation, not to use it. If you have any concerns about lice, consult your doctor.
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