Oil for Lice

While head lice don't pose a health hazard or transmit disease, they do spread quickly and can cause discomfort, so it's important to treat an infestation as soon as possible. If you're concerned about the side effects of pesticides, essential oils provide a natural alternative for managing head lice. Commercial essential oil lice treatments exist, but you can also create your own blend.

Potentially Effective Oils

Oils of eucalyptus, rosemary, marjoram and pennyroyal have the potential to kill lice. A combination of thyme oil, tea tree oil and paw paw extract and a combination of anise, ylang ylang and coconut oils may also be effective against lice. Tea tree oil and lavender oil in combination make another potential treatment option. Citronella, which is oil from the grass Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus, may also help control lice infestations.

Research-Based Evidence

Eucalyptus, rosemary, marjoram and pennyroyal oils can kill lice in test tube experiments, but as of late 2010, no trials have proven their effectiveness in humans. The combination of tea tree oil, thyme oil and paw paw extract eliminated lice infestations in one small, uncontrolled trial published in Phytomedicine in December 2002. A combination of tea tree and lavender eliminated lice in 97.6 percent of study participants, found research published in BMC Dermatology in August 2010. A study published in the Israel Medical Association Journal in October 2002 reported that anise and ylang ylang oils in a base of coconut oil treated 92.3 percent of lice cases.

Misconceptions

While the idea of smothering lice with any thick oil may seem logical, this method is ineffective. Adult lice and eggs can survive being covered in cooking oil, including olive oil, warn experts from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. These oils lack the active ingredients that help essential oils kill lice. Plain coconut oil may be somewhat effective against lice, but this oil alone isn't strong enough to eliminate an infestation.

Application

Blend 10 drops of any combination of essential oil of tea tree, thyme, lavender, anise or ylang ylang in 1 cup olive or coconut oil. Saturate the hair with the oil, massaging it into the scalp. Leave the oil in for two hours, then shampoo out. Resaturate the hair with plain olive, coconut or any salad oil. Comb the hair with a nit comb to remove as many nits, or lice eggs, as possible. Shampoo out the oil and dry the hair. Repeat the application seven to 10 days later to kill newly hatched lice.

Considerations

Some essential oils may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction. Before using on yourself or your child, apply one or two drops of each essential oil you plan to use to the inside of your or your child's arm. Leave the oils on for 24 hours to check for adverse reactions. Essential oil treatments can't kill nits. This makes it critical to repeat treatment seven to 10 days after the first treatment to kill lice after they hatch. After the second treatment, continue to check for lice to ensure the treatment was effective.