Guest Post by Tammy Mahan
Natural ways to combat lice are just as successful as the toxic chemicals sold in stores without being harmful! Here are two of the best all-natural treatments for combating those pesky bugs that feed off your scalp and lay their eggs in your hair shafts
If you are not fond of the idea of putting poisonous chemicals on your head let alone your child’s head, then you will like these natural non-toxic methods of getting rid of those nasty suckers! Almost everything you will need to kill the lice and eggs with can be found in your local grocery store or even your kitchen cupboards. You will need a lice comb or a long very fine tooth comb, plastic wrapm gloves and two old towels.
OLIVE OIL & MAYO
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise
- Essential oils (a few drops of tea tree oil, peppermint, or eucalyptus)
- One to two ounces of regular shampoo
- White vinegar
Directions
- Combine ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, put gloves on
- Cover head with the mixture
- Wrap hair up in a bun on top of the head
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap twisting a rubber band around the top of the plastic wrap to hold it in place
- Let the mixture set on the head for one to one and a half hours
- Rinse with hot water three or four times (not so hot that it burns the scalp)
- Pour half the bottle of vinegar over the clean hair and rinse with hot water and repeat until the vinegar is gone.
- Place a towel around the child’s neck area so it covers the front and back of them
- Place another towel on the floor under them
- Use the fine tooth comb to comb the hair, be sure to start at the scalp and comb small sections of hair at a time
- As you comb the hair the dead lice, nits and eggs should fall out (editors note: gross!)
- Throw the towels away
- Check your child’s head the next day and make sure all the lice and eggs are gone – they should be
- In the unlikely event that a few survived, repeat the process above
CONDITIONER & OLIVE OIL
Ingredients
- One to two ounces of a heavy duty non-toxic conditioner
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- High-grade essential lavender oil (optional)
- Shampoo
Directions
- Mix the conditioner and olive oil together add a few drops of lavender, put on the gloves
- Wet hair with hot water (do not burn the scalp)
- Apply the mixture and let it set on the head for 15 to 20 minutes
- Separate the hair into small sections and comb through. The lice, nits, and eggs should all slide right out
- Rinse the hair with hot water until the mixture is all out
- Check the hair to make sure all the lice, nits, and eggs are gone
- If there are still some lice, nits or eggs left repeat – once all the lice, nits and eggs are gone, wash the hair with shampoo and conditioner
Re-check hair for the next 10 days – nits can lay eggs up to 10 days and then you have to start all over again.
Tammy Mahan is a certified natural health consultant and contributor for Healthline.com on natural health and medical related topics.
