The Dreaded Dilemma of Head Lice

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

10 Feb 2006 03:31 PM

If your family has suffered with head lice, here is new hope. These tips should help you get rid of lice, and keep them from ever coming back!

Mix about half a cup each of olive oil and white vinegar together and stir in two teaspoons of "tea tree oil." Tea tree oil is much less expensive, not to mention less toxic, than some chemical treatments.

Cover your child's hair with the mixture and work it into the scalp. Have your child put on a shower cap. You can buy packages of disposable plastic caps inexpensively at drug stores and dollar stores.

This mixture should be left on the hair for at least one and one half to two hours. When time is up, bag up the shower cap and throw it away. Wash the oil out of your child's hair. Dishwashing liquid or clarifying shampoo works best. You may have to wash the hair more than once to get all the oil out, but the bonus is that you'll also see the nits and eggs washing out as well. This mixture somehow loosens them from the hair and most of them will be rinsed away.

You should still use the nit comb, one section at a time, until all the hair has been combed through. This way, you'll make sure all dead lice, eggs, and nits are gone. Rinse your child's hair again after combing, wash the nit comb thoroughly with hot water, and look through your child's hair again after drying it.

To keep your child from getting head lice again, add two teaspoons full of tea tree oil to a full bottle of shampoo. Use regular shampoo, not a "two-in-one" that has conditioner in it. Shake well before each use, and use the special shampoo each time you wash your child's hair.

On the weekend, when your child is home from school, use a clarifying shampoo. This will help get rid of some of the residue left by the tea tree oil. As with any remedy, it is wise to check with your doctor or pharmacist before using tea tree oil, especially if your child is prone to allergies.

If you follow these steps precisely, you should never have a head lice problem again. *See "Caring for Your Home after Head Lice Infestation," in the Home and Garden Blog.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger

Andrea Hermitt (5512) 17 May 2007 09:42 PM

I use a shampoo that has tea tree oil all the time... I didn't know i was preventing lice. It is called JASON w/ Tea tree oil. Still somehow, my head is itching from reading this and the article that led me to it.

Sherry Holetzky (11404) 18 May 2007 05:52 AM

LOL, Andrea, many people have that reaction to even thinking about it. I think there are a couple of other shampoos that also contain tea tree oil. I found this remedy before I had ever heard of the shampoos. Have a great weekend! :o)

TipsOfAllSorts (50) 21 May 2007 07:40 AM

Thanks Sherry, for this natural remedy against the dreaded head lice. It's always good to know that olive oil and vinegar can be relied on to help solve some of our problems.

chinitabonita (5) 13 Oct 2009 04:40 PM

Head lice is a serious problem. I was a bit ashamed at first but soon realized that a lot of people go through it.