Head Lice in Children: Natural Remedies
Having head lice (pediculus humanus capitas) is a common problem in school age children. The lice travel fast between children and they prefer clean, oil free hair. The female louse is capable of laying over 100 eggs every 10 - 12 days. The eggs (called nits) are laid at the base of the hair. The lice and their eggs are visible to the naked eye. They generally cause intense itching and hence are frequently detected by an adult when head scratching is observed.
What can you do to prevent the spread?
Lice are highly contagious (easily transferred from person to person) and it is difficult, especially when an outbreak occurs in a junior classroom, to prevent the spread. Many of the activities that children participate in at school require them to interact closely. Their heads are often together. This makes it easy for the lice to move from one head to the next. Maintaining greater distance between heads or the placement of a barrier between heads are the best ways to prevent the spread. So things to help prevent the spread are:
keeping the hair short or well tied back,
wearing bandannas to cover the hair,
not sharing personal items, such as hats and combs and
checking the hair regularly and treating any lice found to prevent their spread.
What can you do to treat the condition?
Common treatments for head lice use either lindane (formerly sold under the brand name Kwell) or pyrethrin-based substances. Kwell contains harmful chemicals and in some cases even one application has lead to serious nervous system damage and convulsions in young children. Kwell's manufactures stopped making it, but the products can still be found on store shelves and generic brands are available. Pyrethrins come from chrysanthemums and are considered safe. However they are often used in a petrochemical base or are synthetically derived. You need to examine the individual product to be sure of its safety.
It is also possible to use electrically charged fine-toothed combs, specially designed to kill lice and their eggs on contact when thoroughly passed through the hair. This is a good way of avoiding dangerous chemicals but sometimes fails to detect all the lice. It is a more useful approach when dealing with short hair rather than long hair.
Herbal rinses are very effective in eliminating the lice and eggs. Thyme oil, sassafras, aniseed and lavender all work well. After a treatment apply some olive or coconut oil to the scalp to prevent dryness and to loosen the eggs. Cover the hair with a scarf or bandanna overnight and rinse or shampoo in the morning.
A useful lice mixture
Be careful not to get this in the eyes - it is not considered dangerous but it will sting. Also avoid taking this mixture internally.
4 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups water
1 tablespoon thyme essential oil
Combine all of the ingredients well. Test a small amount of the mixture on the nape of your child's neck. If there is any redness or stinging dilute it with more water and test the mixture again. Should your child react again to the mixture you will need to try a different mixture - you could try the one presented below.
Massage the mixture into the scalp and rinse the hair with it nightly.
Use 1/2 cup for children 7 and over and 1/4 cup for younger children. Repeat the treatment an additional 2 days each week for 2 weeks to kill any eggs that have managed to hatch or lingered.
For infants that may be infected wet the hair with a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water.
After each treatment comb the hair with a metal nit comb to remove both the eggs and lice.
Another useful mixture
Again, be careful not to get this in the eyes and avoid taking internally.
Chose any three of the following essential oils (your choice may depend on what you have in the cupboard).
Rosemary, eucalyptus, tea tree, aniseed, lavender and sassafras. Add 10 drops of each (a total of 30 drops) into 60 ml (2 fluid ounces) of olive oil. Test a small amount of the mixture on the nape of your child's neck. If there is any redness or stinging dilute it with more olive oil and test the mixture again. Should your child react again to the mixture you will need to try a different set of essential oils.
Apply the mixture to the hair and massage the scalp - leave no area that the lice and eggs could remain. Leave the mixture on the hair for 40 minutes and then use a lice comb to remove the lice and nits. Wipe the comb on a tissue after each pass through the hair - the dead lice should be visible on the tissue. Wrap your child's head with a scarf or bandana and leave the mixture in the hair overnight. Shampoo the hair in the morning. Repeat the process in 7 days.
You can also add tee tree oil or lavender oil to your regular shampoo. For every 100 ml (3 3/4 ounces) of shampoo add 25 drops of tee tree oil or 25 drops of lavender oil.
You can also make a spray. Using an empty spray bottle add 100 ml (3 3/4 ounce) of water. Add 25 drops of tee tree oil and 25 drops of lavender oil and mix well. Use this to regularly spray hats, combs, brushes etc.- especially if these are taken to school where there is the possibility they will be shared with other children.
Conclusion
Head lice infestations are unpleasant but not in themselves considered dangerous. However, some of the toxic, commercially available, chemical treatments can indeed be dangerous. Prevention is always the best option, but, even with maximum vigilance and excellent child compliance the likelihood of infestation during a local outbreak at school is quite high. Though a little messy and possibly a little time consuming, the herbal remedies above offer a much safer and quite effective solution when treatment is necessary.
References
Brewin, L. 2002, Natural Health for Children. ABC Books.
Hoffmann, D. 2000, The New Holistic Herbal. Element Pub.
Romm, A. 2000, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. Storey Books.
Smith, L., Walker, L. and Brown, E. 2002, Nature's Pharmacy for Children. Three Rivers Press.
12.11.2007. 00:38
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