Head Lice

Head lice are easily spread from one person to another through hats, combs, towels, and contact with an infested person's hair. Lice feed on blood from the scalp, and cause intense itching and sores. Herbal and essential oil remedies offer a safe and effective alternative to chemical products. Use the following natural remedies to kill and remove lice, and repeat treatments after one week to kill any new lice that may have hatched.

Essential oil treatment
Rosemary and lavender essential oils help kill lice.
30m1 (I fl oz) olive oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
Mix the ingredients, dampen the hair, and massage the oil thoroughly into hair and scalp. Cover with a shower cap and leave for an hour. Follow with Lice-removing shampoo and Anti-lice hair rinse (see below).

Lice-removing shampoo
Follow the essential oil treatment by shampooing with neem, a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to remove parasites, and thyme. Mix one tablespoon of a shampoo containing neem with three drops of thyme essential oil. Lather up, and wait five minutes before thoroughly rinsing with warm water Follow with Antilice hair rinse (see No. 76). Caution: Thyme is a potent natural insecticide and is irritating to the skin and scalp. Do not exceed the recommended amount and never apply it undiluted.

Anti-lice hair rinse
Follow the Lice-removing shampoo (see above) with a hair rinse that helps soften the glue that attaches the nits (lice eggs) to the hair.The rosemary and lavender essential oils help to eradicate any remaining lice.
S00ml (16fl oz) warm water
500m1 (I 6fl oz) apple cider vinegar
6 drops rosemary essential oil
6 drops lavender essential oil
Mix the ingredients together and rinse the hair and scalp thoroughly with the mixture after shampooing. Cover the hair with a shower cap
for 15 minutes, and then comb it with a lice comb (a special fine-toothed comb available at pharmacies). Rinse the hair and scalp again thoroughly with warm water

Prevent reinfestation
To prevent lice from finding new homes, be sure to wash all combs. brushes, clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water. Thoroughly vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture. including car seats and headrests.