I was busy at work when my phone rang and my daughter’s school number popped up. This was the third time in a month that they had called to tell me she was “scratching her head like crazy” and that they found lice in her hair. I had been buying those toxic lice treatments from the store because I figured they would work the best. But, no! These little demon bugs were forming an immunity to the chemicals in the lice treatment, and my poor baby’s head was so sensitive from them.
I soon gave up on the store bought stuff and really researched how to get rid of head lice for good. I tried out a bunch of different home remedies and let me tell you- they work better! They are safer for your little ones (and you), cheaper, and work fast for getting rid of lice and keeping lice away.
The main goal is to be able to kill the adults, and comb them out with the eggs (nits). To do that, you need to make sure they don’t run away while you are combing and that they are dead when you comb them out.
Kill the Lice
Killing lice is as simple as suffocating them. It doesn’t really matter what “treatment” you use as long as they cant breath.
- Mayonnaise
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vaseline
- Baby Oil
The key is to use anything that is really thick and oily. They can’t move in it, and it traps them. You can follow a recipe of some kind, but the idea is to slather this stuff on the hair heavily. You can’t really have too much. One the whole head is covered, wrap the hair up in a towel, saran wrap, or a shower cap of some kind. Then, leave it to sit for at least 30 minutes.
Comb Them Out
The trick to getting lice to go away for good is combing every last lice and nit out of the hair. If you miss even one, they can reproduce. We had to deal with this when my daughter went for a week without scratching and all of the sudden, she was infested again. You have got to get them ALL!
To do this effectively, you need to separate the hair into little, tiny sections and run a fine tooth metal comb through each section of hair. This could literally take you and hour or 3 depending on how long and/or thick your child’s hair is. The hair needs to be wet and it is best done while the “treatment” sits on the hair to make sure it gets on every last strand of hair.
Keep Lice Away
Keeping lice away means making sure they are gone in the first place and keeping a infestation from happening. This is tough for us moms with young kids in school.
It may seem a little extreme; but, we combed my daughters hair every night with a lice comb while her conditioner sat in her hair. This made sure that any newly hatched nits we might have missed got caught. You can get the lice combs at any drug store or big box store. They are usually right next to the chemical lice treatments like RID.
On the other hand, you cant protect kids from every lice-wielding child at school. That is where prevention come in and some of my favorite essential oils. There are certain scents that lice can’t stand, and some that will kill them as well. So, we created a spray to use on my daughter’s hair every day when we got her ready for school. Just fill a cheapo spray bottle with water and add a few drops of each of these oils. You can use them all or just a few. It’s up to you.
You can also just add a few drops of these oils to your child’s full conditioner bottle and mix it up well.
Essential Oils to Treat & Prevent Lice Tea Tree Oil
Once you have treated your child, you will want to also treat everyone else in the house and any items frequently used by your child. They can only live for 24-48 hours without having a host. So, strip the beds and pillows and throw them all in the dryer on high heat. This will kill any hanging out.
Caution: Never apply any essential oils directly to a child’s head. They should always be diluted first.
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