Every year between six- twelve million children contract lice, this is a staggering number. The removal of head lice is a long, painful one for not only the child but the parent who is removing the lice. The symptoms are obvious, itching scalp, neck and ear area. The itching is a result of the lice saliva from the contact with our skin and blood, sounds awful to me. Lice need to eat every 4-6 hours and only can live in the presence of blood, for up to 36 hours, a very short life span.
Fall and winter are the prime time for lice, with a spike usually when kids go back to school. Who contract’s lice has nothing to do with cleanliness, as we might think. It has everything to do with children are the prime target because of the activities they are involved. Lice are contracted through sharing of hats, towels, blankets, hair brushes, close contact activities; kids love to wrestle and play dress up. This makes it Easy to transfer from one child to another. My daughter has never contracted lice, thank goodness, but, I wanted to have a plan of prevention and natural remedy for removal.
Prevention
Tea tree oil or Melaleuca has natural antiseptic properties. Spray hair, neck, and ear areas daily either morning or evening during lice season. There are other oils that work. However, melaleuca has been shown to have the highest effectiveness.
- Fill a small spray bottle with 2 ounces of water
- Add 12-15 drops of tea tree oil(melaleuca)
- Brush through hair
Treatment According to the CDC
Conventional treatment is typically done by using a Nit comb and applying a chemical to the infected person. According to the CDC try an over the counter shampoo conditioner combo first. A synthetic medication called pediculicide is used when all eggs have hatched but, before new eggs are made, which seems rather difficult to me. They recommend waiting 8-12 hours to see how the lice are moving and if you notice a slowing down of movement. If you don’t, the CDC recommends seeking medical advice. The next step would be a prescription for a stronger medicated treatment system. It’s difficult to find just one product to kill the lice. One kills unhatched eggs the other kills only hatched eggs. Usually, combinations of products need to be used. These chemical treatments come with warnings and concerns and have been shown to not always be effective. In some cases have if misused have been connected with health problems like central nervous system.
Non-Chemical Treatment
If your child contracts lice, there are other non-chemical options available. In my research I found options to include, petroleum jelly, vinegar, oil, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. However, along with that the investigation, I found an equal amount that showed these options not to be effective. Let’s face it, getting lice and spending hours upon hours cleaning, shampooing and combing our child and families hair we want a product that works. There is evidence to support essential oils to be extremely effective in killing lice.
- Coat hair with Olive oil combing thoroughly through hair.
- Shampoo hair combining 20 drops of tea tree oil(Melaleuca) which can be found at mydoterra, ten drops of eucalyptus oil, lather thoroughly.
- Leave shampoo oil combo on hair for 1 hour
- rinse and comb removing dead lice.
After lice removal for added benefit apply one drop of tea tree oil to shampoo daily for one week.
Special notes
- Make sure you wash everything that is washable. Bedding, towels, stuffed animals, personal clothes. Make sure to do this for all family members to be sure of not spreading to another person.
- Vacuum and clean floors as well as fabric areas although lice can’t live very long without human blood, don’t take any chances for lice that might haven fallen off infected person.
- Any item that can’t be washed or dry cleaned put in a plastic bag and seal for two weeks.
