HEALTH: A natural recipe for treating head lice

The nitty gritty on treating head lice naturally


Aromatherapy
Ellen Cox

When my brother returned from a trip to London with more than his back pack, I think I cried for most of the day, silently petrified of what on earth I would do if the pony got the head lice too (I was ten)! How would I possibly use that tiny comb on his wiry main and tail, not to mention his thick winter coat? As it turns out, horses, dogs and cats do not fall prey to human head lice.
In the October 13 issue, medical herbalist Sabine Hiller took a comprehensive look at head lice. As Sabine pointed out, chemical-based treatments should be avoided in favour of natural treatments, and combing is paramount to effectively eradicating lice. Remember to be a little bit sensitive with younger children, not only with the comb but with your attitude – children have active imaginations and should not be made to feel anything ‘bad’ is happening.
If the scalp is itching, all the more reason to switch to a gentle, chemical-free shampoo (if you’re not already doing so). Camomile oil is extremely soothing for everything itchy and scratchy.

Lice biology
The life cycle of the louse is about four weeks. Approximately eight days are spent in the egg stage, which is the hardest stage to kill. The eggs then hatch into tiny immature lice (called ‘first instar nymphs’), then into second and third instars and finally into adults. The females are larger than the males.
Lice eggs are opaque. If they are clear, it means the lice have already hatched out.
Lice and eggs are found within 1cm of the scalp. They cannot jump, fly or swim but are transmitted by head-to-head contact – not by combs, brushes or furniture. They do not live in school buildings or home carpets.
Head lice are not a sign of bad hygiene. They prefer clean hair to dirty hair. This should be explained to children.
Aromatherapy
Head Lice
Treatment

100ml lavender water
62 drops of tea tree
62 drops of lavender
62 drops of geranium
62 drops of eucalyptus

>  Put the above ingredients into an 100ml atomiser – drop the essential oils in first and then add the lavender water.
>  Shake the mix thoroughly (each time you use it) to help dilute the essential oils and spray the top of the head generously, avoiding the eyes, massage the scalp lightly. Follow by combing (normal comb) the oils through the hair.
>  Leave the oils in the hair for two to three hours – or overnight if possible. Shampoo the hair, and using a ‘fine’ comb to remove the lice and eggs, comb the hair thoroughly. This is very important. (During the ‘infestation’ at home I recall newspaper being laid flat on the table and the combing took place over the paper, which is a good tactic. Live captives can be killed with the back of your nail!).
>  Repeat the treatment every 48 hours. Four treatments ‘should’ get rid of an infestation provided combing is carried out in conjunction with the treatment.
>  In school, children will be treated at different times, so to help prevent re-infestation use the spray once a week as directed above until the entire class is ‘lice free’. Also, spray on hoods and hats.
This gives a 5 percent dilution. For children under ten years, use 100ml of lavender water but half the quantities of the oils to give a 2.5 percent strength.

Note there are a wide variety of dropper inserts available. Different essential oil companies use different types, which produce different drops of different sizes. Atlantic Aromatics supply oils with a dropper that give a relatively small drop and one which is easy to control allowing more accurate dispensing when following recipes.