Head Lice Herbal Treatment

A head lice herbal treatment is much safer for you or your child than most of the over the counter concoctions available.

Do you really want to put pesticides on your head if you don't have to? I didn't think so! 


Besides, it appears that the lice seem to be developing a tolerance for the stuff. It's been reported that most of these typical lice medications (like Rid and Nix) are no longer as effective as they once were as a result.


Below I've included an herbal head lice treatment that you can make yourself, but for those who don't want to make up their own homemade lice remedy concoction, here are a number of other natural ingredient head lice herbal treatments that you could choose from and have the convenience of them already prepared, much like the nasty chemical treatments (without the nasties, of course). 

If you prefer to save money and Do-It-Yourself, you can make a one time investment in some good quality essential oils and make up your own head lice treatment. 

This is a more economical solution in the long run, particularly if you have a lot of heads to treat, like my sister with her nine children! :~)
Here's that simple herbal remedy for treating head lice using good quality essential oils.


What You'll Need:

• 1 12 oz. bottle of regular shampoo (for normal hair)
  
• 1 12 oz. bottle of regular conditioner
  
• Leave in conditioner
  
• Eucalyptus Oil
  
• Lavender Oil
  
• Geranium Oil
  
• Neem Oil
  
• Thyme Oil
  
• Peppermint Oil
  
• Wide tooth comb
  
• Fine tooth comb or head lice comb
  
  

The better the quality of the essential oils you buy, the more effective the treatment will be, of course. You can purchase good quality essential oils at Puritan's Pridefor reasonable prices. 


The only one I haven't been able to get there is the Neem Oil. For that one you may have to go elsewhere so I've included a source (to the right) which may change from time to time based on availability.


It may seem like a big expense when you add up the cost of all the necessary ingredients. Remember this, though. You will only be using a small number of drops from each of the essential oils, so this investment will last you for years. And you'll also have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you aren't putting harsh chemicals on your child's head.

Prepare Your Head Lice Herbal Treatment

Okay, once you have all the necessary ingredients, here's the "recipe" for your head lice treatment. 

Add to the shampoo bottle:

• 10 drops of Eucalyptus oil
  
• 5 drops of Geranium oil
  
• 5 drops of Lavender oil
  
• 5 drops of Neem oil
  
• 5 drops of Thyme oil
  
  

Add to the conditioner bottle:

• 20 drops of Peppermint oil
  
  

Be sure to shake the bottles well before using them to be sure the oils are well dispersed throughout the shampoo and conditioner.

Apply Your Head Lice Herbal Treatment

Applying your natural herbal remedy for head lice is not at all difficult. These step by step instructions will walk you through the process...

1. Lightly dampen hair and brush or comb it so that it is free of tangles.
   
   
2. Shampoo the hair with your Special Herbal Shampoo. Be sure to cover well and scrub around the ears and the nape of the neck. Those are the warmer locations on the head that lice enjoy best.
   
   
3. Rinse the hair well.
   
   
4. Apply the Special Herbal Conditioner liberally and massage it over the entire scalp. Be sure that you distribute it well all the way to the ends of the hair.
   
   
5. I prefer to allow the conditioner to set for about 20 minutes or so on the head. This helps suffocate any especially hearty lice that just don't want to die from the herbs. The conditioner makes it so they can't breathe. I like to pile the longer hair up on top of the head and clip it with a hair clip to make the 'wait' more bearable.
   
   
6. Using the wide tooth comb, de-tangle the hair.
   
   
7. Using the fine tooth comb or head lice comb, comb the entire head, one section at a time. If you don't want to invest in a special lice comb, you'll probably find a white fine tooth comb to be the most effective alternative. It makes it easier to see the offending bugs as you are combing them out.
   
   
8. Rinse the comb after each pass through the hair. I can't resist examining the comb after each stroke to see how many lice I've gotten.
   
   
9. When you've finished combing the entire head, rinse the hair thoroughly. Be sure to dry the hair with a clean towel.
   
   
10. Apply the leave-in conditioner and comb through the hair one more time with the fine toothed comb. Leaving the conditioner in the hair will help prevent any lice you may have missed from laying any more eggs on the hair shaft.
    
    

Be sure to rinse the combs in hot water after use. It's also important that you wash the towels, sheets, pillow cases, and clothes/hats worn that day in order to avoid re-infestation.


It's a good idea to go through this simple process 4 days later and then 4 days later again. This will help insure that you have gotten all the little critters that may have hatched in the meantime.


It's good practice to use this Head Lice Herbal Treatment once a month on your children just in case a stray louse has come home with them. If you work with children yourself, give yourself this little treat, too.


Warning: Although I believe this head lice herbal treatment to be a fairly safe remedy for head lice, I have read some reports that concern me about essential oils. It's possible that an overuse of certain essential oils can affect the hormonal balance in children and affect their development. For them, it might be best to only use it on the children as an actual lice cure rather than a regular routine.


If this is a concern for you, consider this olive oil home remedy for head lice.


If you've tried this head lice herbal treatment or had success with another one, please tell us about it. It can be very challenging for those who are dealing with a seeming plague of the little monsters. I'm sure they would appreciate your encouragement.


To your good health!

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