Head Lice
Head lice are small insects that live in human hair. They are often thought of as afflicting only people with poor hygiene, but this is not true. They afflict anyone they come in contact with. An adult louse lives about 20 days and is about the size of a sesame seed. The female lays 5 or 6 eggs or nits per day. The new lice hatch in 8 days. Check the hair daily for adult lice and nits. The lice will most commonly be found around the ears and nape of the neck, but be sure and check the entire head just in case. Nit combs can be purchased cheaply that help remove the eggs from the hair shaft. Be sure and wash all bedding and what can't be washed can be placed in tightly closed plastic bags for two weeks. This effectively starves the lice that have fallen off the head and may be on toys, bedding or other items.
Symptoms
Head lice cause the scalp and neck to become itchy. Red bumps may be visible. When you look into the hair, you may see small insects moving about among the hair, or small nits attached to individual hair shafts. Nits are cemented onto the hair shafts and may be difficult to remove.
Causes
They are a common pest in school children or anyplace where large groups of people come into close contact. They can be passed from one head to another by head to head contact, sharing hats, hairbrushes and other items that come into contact with hair. Family members can become infected by each other through contact with bedding, stuffed toys that are held closely by infected family members and any method where one person comes into contact with another's head.
Cautions
Lice can weaken the hair shaft at the root and eventually cause hair loss. In severe cases, they may cause fever. The insecticide shampoos are increasingly failing to kill all the lice as they become more resistant. Exposing yourself or your child to these insecticides can cause other problems in sensitive people.
Herbal Treatments
Internal Applications
- Garlic – take capsules of garlic to help get rid of lice. It is unclear if the lice just don't like the garlic in the system, or if it kills them, but they disappear with regular ingestion of this herb.
External Applications
Aromatherapy
Essential oils that may be useful in treating headlice include geranium, lavender, rosemary, myrtle and teatree oil.
- Lavender – the essential oil of lavender can be added to olive oil and applied to the scalp. Be sure and coat it thoroughly so the lice are smothered. This can be left on overnight and washed in the morning. Repeat daily until no lice or nits are found.
- Rosemary – the essential oil of this herb can be used in the same method as the lavender oil. Other essential oils that can also be used in this way are peppermint and eucalyptus. Do not use peppermint or eucalyptus oils on infants.
- Tea tree – add several drops of tea tree oil to a bottle of shampoo and mix well. Use this shampoo to wash the oils out of the hair every morning. Even after all the head lice appear to be gone, this shampoo can safely be used for a few more weeks to make sure there are no further outbreaks.