It´s a fact that head lice are all around. Especially when you have small kids who go to school, there’s a high probability that you’ll have to deal with lice at some point. There lice sign is almost always present on the board in my daughter’s school and I take the prevention very seriously. Whenever the sign appears, I check all of our heads and I apply the anti-lice treatment. I started with pharmacy treatments which, after a while, cost me a great deal of money. Therefore, I decided to go with the homemade remedy.
The tea tree oil and lavender oil are known for their lice-killing effect and if you use treatments purchased in a pharmacy, maybe you already know that they smell like tea tree. The combination of these two oils kills the lice and their eggs, however, they are also pretty strong allergens, therefore, you should never apply them without a carrier oil, if you don’t know the reaction of your/your child’s skin. I use coconut oil as carrier oil because it doesn’t allow the lice to breathe. I use only the bio and non-refined one that conserves its coconut scent. You can also use olive oil as a good alternative. And I also add some flaxseed oil that makes the hair easier to comb and nourishes it.
Table of Contents
You will need (this is enough for two long-haired girls):
- 60 g of non-refined coconut oil
- 10 g of flaxseed oil
- 1,5 g of 100% essential oil tea tree
- 1,5 g of 100% essential oil lavender
- scales that weight grams and less
You will also need for the whole treatment:
- lice comb
- something to wrap the hair in – transparent foil, plastic bag etc.
- shampoo
How to do it:
Melt the coconut oil slowly in a water bath. Then add the flaxseed oil and mix. Switch off the stove, let it cool down a little and add the essential oils. Mix well. Done.
How to use it:
Split your hair into sections, if the hair is long, use bobby pins or elastic bands to separate them. Apply oil to all the sections until all hair is completely soaked. Apply also on the skin of your head, especially behind the ears and on the nape. Wrap the hair in foil and leave it like this over night. If you don´t have that long than at least 2 hours. Then unwrap and start combing each section properly from roots to tips (preferably do this in the bathtub or at least wrap your shoulders in a towel). Then rinse the hair in warm water and wash twice with shampoo. I say twice because after just one wash your hair might still be greasy.
Prevention
Don’t underestimate prevention, it can save you a lot of work later. If there’s lice around you, the first thing to do it check your hair and the hair of everyone in your home and pass the lice comb. If you don’t have lice yet and you want to keep it that way, I recommend you to put a few drops if tea tree essential oil behind your ears and spray some tea tree hydrolate on your hair.
