Having lice on your head is embarrassing. It is more embarrassing because people notice you for a wrong reason. This is especially true, when you are out for a social gathering. Louse is a wingless insect feeding on skin and scalp. A louse’s color varies from pale beige to dark gray. But when they suck blood, they become darker and appear as black. There are two types of lice seen in human body; head lice and body lice. Head louse lives and feeds on the scalp. But, body louse lives on clothing and feeds on body. Head lice is common in children, especially those going to preschools.
Louse spreads through close contacts. Once louse gets in the head, it is difficult to remove it from the head. It spreads to other family members as well. Louse can live off the scalp undetected for about three months. In this period, there will not be any itching on the scalp and hence it goes unnoticed. A louse can take up to two weeks to mature. Once the growth is complete, it can mate with males and lay eggs. The eggs get attached to the hair using saliva produced by lice. Since nits stick to the hair, it is difficult to remove them.
Why tea tree oil for lice removal?
Remember, plants are also attacked by insects. Plants had been in the earth for more years than human beings. So plants have immunity against many insects and their attacks, just like humans do. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties. Tea tree oil contains an organic component known as “terpinen-4-ol“. This component provides the oil its antimicrobial properties. The oil is volatile and is toxic for humans when taken by mouth.
The oil is effective against lice as well. The oil can be effective against nail fungus, warts, yeast infections, etc. The oil kills lice and its nits.
How to use tea tree oil for lice treatment?
Using tea tree oil for lice treatment requires you to have following things:
- High Quality Tea Tree Oil
- High Quality Nit Comb
- Good Coconut Oil
For each person, take four tablespoons of coconut oil and mix four drops of tea tree oil. Apply the mix on your scalp and keep it for about an hour. Comb your hair using nit comb. Since your head is already oiled, it should be smooth. Take your bath and comb again. I recommend not to use shampoo while bathing. You should be able to get rid of lice within a couple of days. But you should continue this for at least a week, until everyone in your family is free of lice.
Besides these, you should take care of the following as well:
- You should try not to use any hair bow during this period. Hair bow will have some lice on it and they will not be able to survive without “food”.
- Wash or dry clean your bed sheets and pillow covers. Make sure that they do not have any lice on it before using.
- Comb everyone with nit comb. There is no exception. Especially, if children have lice problem everyone in the family will have lice too.
- If your kids “brought” this problem from the school, inform the teacher as well. The teacher may inform other parents and they will be aware of this problem. Trust me, when my son brought this problem from his school, I informed the teacher. And, that proved to be effective. Otherwise, my son would have got this problem again and again.
Precautions
Tea tree oil is volatile and is strong smelling. You should never apply tea tree oil on your skin without diluting it. If you are using tea tree oil for the first time, make sure to test for allergy. You may apply diluted mix we created earlier on a small area. If there is no allergic reactions like itching, then we are safe to go.
Your kids may be watching you prepare this oil combination. Make sure that you keep the oil away from their reach. As I mentioned, the oil is toxic when taken by mouth. It creates other reactions and sunlight sensitivity if applied on the skin without dilution. Besides, keep it away from your pets as well. Read my article on tea tree oil and essential oils to know more.