Head Lice: Tips For Treatment And Prevention
You son or daughter has brought home something new from school - head lice. This article will explain how to copy with head lice and to get rid of them. In the last ten years, head lice have been developing a resistance to the most common chemical treatments, so we have some alternative methods to solve this problem.
Olive oil, vegetable oil or conditioner applied to the child's head is a popular alternative treatment to get rid of head lice. Mayonnaise is also a popular choice. The oil or cream if applied and left overnight, covered with a shower cap, suffocates the lice. These can be removed by combing the hair with a lice comb.
Tea tree oil, sourced from an Australian tree, is another good alternative treatment for head lice removal. This oil has unique anti-fungal and anti-vermicidal properties. A conditioner with a high percentage of tea tree oil would be ideal for the purpose. Just like mayonnaise, this too needs to be applied and left overnight, covered with a shower cap. The lice can be combed away in the morning.
Other alternative choices involve treating the child's diet with brewer's yeast and garlic. These two substances are perfectly safe, good tasting, and help make the child's skin and scalp an unpleasant environment for head lice. However, repeated combing of nits is necessary since brewer's yeast and garlic may only have a modest effect, and in fact, studies are ambivalent about whether they work at all.
A final option is the plain old fashioned plan of removing every single insect and nit by hand. This has the advantage of costing nothing, being with any concerns about toxic substances, and of being effective when you are persistent. It requires real commitment and diligence for as much as 14 days and is very time consuming. It may be chosen when nothing else has worked as a final option, and is much simple if you have a child with short hair or if you cut it short to treat lice this way.
With time and patience, you can rid your home and child's head of head lice with traditional, herbal, oil-based or manual treatments. As an extra precaution, don't forget to sterilize all the bedding, hats, pillowcases and other items in your home that could be hiding the eggs of head lice.
Head lice and pubic lice have become more resistant to chemical treatments in the last 10 years, so alternative methods are being used to combat this problem. Mayonnaise, olive oil, conditioner, tree oil, and vegetable oil have all been used as alternative treatments. Thoroughly coat the child's scalp with the remedy selected and then cover with a shower cap for the night's duration. The lice will be smothered and in the morning you can comb them out with a lice comb. Giving your child brewer's yeast or garlic to eat can also suppress this problem. The manual way of removing lice will take about 14 days, but is chemical-free.
Published October 25th, 2007