Author: Namratha Gopal
Head lice are tiny parasitic insects. They live among human hair and are fed on blood from the scalp. This head lice problem is commonly found in kids and they are so annoying since their bites can make a person’s scalp itchy and irritated. Repeated scratching can lead to infections and soreness. But the thing is its not dangerous and they don’t spread disease. Taking proper care like repeated combing with lice combs, oiling and washing hair is the key for getting rid of head lice. So this article is all about head lice remedies. Without much delay let’s jump to the recipes!
TOP 6 HEAD LICE REMEDIES
Neem Paste
Things you need:
- 1 cup of neem leaves
- Small quantity of water
Directions:
Take one cup of neem leaves and add some water to it and boil until the leaves become soggy/cooked. Now blend it to a fine paste. Apply this paste all over your head concentrating on scalp and cover your head with shower cap. Wash it after 2 hours. Do this for once a week.
Benefits:
Neem has an insecticide called azadirachtin which prevents lice from breeding on the scalp. This is the most effective remedy and most of the moms out there swear by this since it’s one of the most ideal head lice remedies to get rid of lice naturally.
Olive Oil
Things you need:
- Olive oil (as per the hair length and individual requirements)
- Tea Tree Oil (optional)
Directions:
Take some olive oil and massage it over the scalp and cover it with the shower cap. You can also add in few drops tea tree oil. In the morning brush out the hair with the lice comb and wash your hair with tea tree enriched herbal shampoo. Repeat this once every week. Leaving the olive oil over scalp for 12 hours is must to get the best results.
Benefits:
Olive oil is an excellent smothering agent and is meant to kill head lice. Lice suffocate and die by oozing their breathing holes. So olive helps to loosen lice from the hair shafts which is why it need to be kept for overnight else it can live even without breathing for hours. So when combed with the lice comb, even the nits (eggs) and nymphs (immature lice) can easily be removed.
Onion Lemon Mask
Things you need:
- 2 onions
- Lemon Juice (optional)
Directions:
Take a blender and add chopped onions (2 no’s) and blend it smooth without adding water. Add in some lemon juice for better results. Now apply this paste over your scalp. Wash it after 2 hours and don’t forget to use tea tree enriched herbal shampoo. Use this remedy once in a week for better results.
Benefits:
Onions when it comes to hair health is immensely beneficial due to its high sulphur content.
When it comes to lice, it kills the lice due to its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It makes sure to prevent infestation in future. Since onion is pungent it is able to fight infections.
Garlic
Things you need:
- 8 to 10 garlic cloves
- Lime juice
Directions:
Take a blender and add the garlic cloves with some lime juice and blend it to smooth. Apply this paste over the scalp and wash it after 30 minutes with the warm water. Repeat this remedy once in a week.
Benefits
Due to the strong smell of garlic, it suffocates and kills the lice. Lemon/lime juice kills the eggs making sure they do not recur.
Camphor Treatment
Things you need:
- Coconut oil (as per the hair length and individual requirements)
- Some crushed camphor
Directions:
Take enough amount of coconut oil and add crushed camphor/powdered camphor to it. Give it a good mix and apply it over your scalp. Leave it overnight and wash it off in the next morning. Comb with the lice comb to remove nits and nymphs. Can be used twice a week.
Benefits
This mixture (coconut oil and camphor) smother the lice since camphor has anti-parasitic properties it can kill lice. Coconut oil helps in suffocating the lice and loosens as it is applied overnight.
Apple Cider Vinegar Remedies
Apple cider vinegar is capable of smothering the lice and suppressing the hatching of nits. Let’s see how we can use apple cider vinegar in different ways.
Apple cider vinegar and water
Directions:
Mix equal quantities of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and water to dilute. Apply this mixture to your hair and all over the scalp. Wash it after 1 hour with shampoo.
Apple cider vinegar and mineral oil
Directions:
Mix equal quantities of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and mineral oil. Apply this mixture to your hair and all over the scalp before going to bed and cover your hair with shower cap. Wash it in the next morning with shampoo. Comb the lice out and repeat the process once in every week to get rid of lice completely.
Note: Can use olive oil with apple cider vinegar for head lice treatment and wash after 1 hour keeping it overnight.
Essential Oils
There are number of essential oils that can be used for getting rid of lice. They are tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, anise oil, nutmeg oil, cinnamon leaf oil, clove oil, and neem oil that can be used as a cure for head lice infestation. All of these have natural insecticide properties that help in getting rid of head lice.
How to use?
Use any of the above mentioned essential oils as per your convenience and availability.
But make sure to mix them with carrier oils like coconut oil or almond oil or olive oil. And you can even mix some in the above list. The recipe with essential oils is as below:
- Add some 10 drops of tea tree essential oil, 5 drops of eucalyptus and peppermint oil. Add this mixture into carrier oil such as coconut oil (30 ml approx.).
- Can add this mixture into combination of 15ml of coconut oil and 15ml of olive oil.
- You can also add other essential oils (5 drops each).
- Apply this mixture onto your scalp.
- Give a gentle massage and wear a shower cap.
- Wash your hair after 1 or 2 hours with anti-lice / tea tree enriched herbal shampoo.
- Drain the excess water from the hair.
- Comb semi-wet hair to remove the lice with lice comb. Once your hair is dried completely use nit combs to remove the nits from your hair strands.
- Repeat this twice a week and comb your hair every day with the lice comb to kill the nymphs and lice and with nit comb twice a week to kill the newly hatched nits.
Note: Use neem oils and tea tree essential oil for effectiveness and for the best results.
Disclaimer:
- Always do a patch test before performing any of the above mentioned head lice remedies.
- Do not over perform any of the remedies mentioned above.
- Check to what ingredients you are allergic to.
- People or a child with lice has to take head bath for thrice a week for maintaining hygiene and overall scalp health.
- Avoid sharing the combs and other hair care products with others.
- Always use tea tree enriched shampoo for effective results.
- Don’t forget to use lice combs everyday in order to remove the adult lice and nymphs from the scalp and hair.
- Use nit combs thrice/ twice a week to remove nits from the hair strands to make sure to remove newly hatched nits.
- Always remember that any head lice remedy, only works to remove the lice and sometimes nymphs. Hence combing with nit combs and lice combs is essential part to get rid of them completely.
- Patience is the key and maintain consistency.
