Head lice are small insects which live only in human hair. They do not jump, as fleas do, but can easily be transferred from one head to another by contact. Small girls with long hair in school are an easy target for head lice.
The adult lice lay eggs known as 'nits' which cling to hair for a few days before hatching. One head louse can lay a large number of eggs, so it is very difficult to avoid infestation. Commercial treatments are generally harsh, pesticide-based shampoos.
If you do not wish to use unpleasant chemicals on your child's hair, but would like to get rid of hair lice, there are two important things to do. The first is to comb regularly with a fine-toothed comb: one intended for animals fleas may be less expensive than a comb intended for lice. This is time-consuming as it should be done by an adult, at least once per day for a week until all evidence of lice has gone.
Some people have success with electronic lice zapper tools, but these only destroy living lice and have no effect on nits. Moreover, they will only catch lice moving around the hair, and will miss those nestling close to the scalp.
The second thing that can be done is to use tea tree oil
, a natural product, to deter further lice. It is possible to buy shampoo or conditioner that contains tea tree oil, or you can use the oil neat from a dropper, or diluted in water with a spray. Most insects including head lice will avoid anything containing tea tree oil.
Unfortunately there are no known nutritional remedies that can deter or prevent head lice. Eating garlic can, in general, discourage insects but even raw garlic seems to have little effect on these parasites.
If a child in the family has head lice, it is important to check everyone else in the family too, including guests, and to treat them with tea-tree oil products as well. Bedding should be washed at high temperature, and furniture vacuumed well and sprayed with diluted tea-tree oil.
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