If you have school aged children, chances are you will be exposed to lice. It doesn’t matter how clean and tidy your home and children are (lice actually LIKE clean hair!) lice can be contracted by anyone, anywhere. The good news is, lice is not a health threat, the bad news is, they are a huge annoyance and can be tricky to get rid of. Before you run out to the drugstore to pay big money for bad chemicals, check out these non-toxic, cost effective natural lice treatments first!
All Natural Lice Treatments
Olive Oil Method
Pick up a lice comb at your local drug store and grab a bottle of olive oil. Separate hair into small sections and thoroughly coat each area with the oil. Once you have coated the entire area, carefully comb through each section of hair, rinsing out the comb often under running hot water as you go. This method suffocates the lice and slows them down for easy removal. Once complete, rinse the hair and shampoo as usual. Soak the comb in vinegar then wash in hot, soapy water. Wash the towels in the hottest water cycle. Repeat at least twice, 10 days apart to ensure you have removed all the nits as well as live lice.
Tea Tree and Olive Oil Method
Combine 2 ounces of olive oil with 15 to 20 drops of *Tea Tree essential oil. Liberally apply to the scalp and hair then wrap in a towel. Leave on for at least an hour. Comb, rinse, and shampoo as usual. An alternative method is to mix 15 to 20 drops of Tea Tree essential oil with 4 ounces of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Saturate the hair and scalp with mixture and leave in for 12 hours. In the morning, comb thoroughly, rinse, shampoo and style as usual. Once again, repeat at least twice, 10 days apart.
Once you have treated everyone in the home, it is very important to treat all the items that may have come in contact with the lice. The secret is to either kill them with heat or suffocate them. below are some simple tips.
Lice Removal for the Home
- Machine wash clothes, towels, bed linens and washable items that have come in contact with the person with lice during the 2 days before treatment. Wash items on the hottest laundry cycle and high heat drying cycle.
- Non washable items such as stuffed toys can be put in the dryer on a hot setting or sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks to ensure all lice and eggs have been killed.
How to Prevent Lice
- Remind your child to avoid head to head contact with classmates during play and other activities. (did you know that selfies are known to spread lice?)
- Instruct your child not to share their personal belongings with classmates. Items like hats, scarves, coats, combs and brushes can easily spread lice. Not sharing is ok this one time only!
- Instruct your child to avoid shared spaces. Tell your child to store hats, coats, gloves, etc inside their backpacks instead of just hanging them on a shared coat rack.
- Add 2 drops of tea tree oil per ounce of your regular shampoo to deter lice OR
- Mix 15 to 20 drops of Tea Tree essential oil with 4 ounces of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and lightly spray hair daily.
Wishing your a lice-free school year!
Caution: Tea Tree oil can be a skin irritant in some people. Always do a spot test in a small area before using as a treatment on skin.