In the last year or so, super lice has been a big problem in many schools. Lice has become resistant to the typical over the counter lice treatments and are now harder than ever to treat. Unfortunately, it was a severe problem for us personally in my daughter’s classroom last year. It seemed like the inevitable happened….my daughter came home with lice. I knew that I needed to do some research to find an alternative treatment after everything I’d been hearing about this hard to kill super lice.
After reading some studies, I employed a plan that worked after ONE treatment. To be readmitted to school the next morning, my daughter had to be checked for lice by their staff. They were SHOCKED that they couldn’t find nary a nit or louse on her. Since then, I’ve had friends spend hundreds of dollars on over the counter treatments, countless hours treating and retreating to no avail. Finally, when they tried this method they had the same success I did. One treatment and it was gone.
Here’s the treatment we employed:
Hair Masque
This made enough to treat 2 females with long hair and 2 males with short hair. Adjust accordingly. I treated the 3 non-infected prophylactically.
1 cup coconut oil
8 drops Tea Tree oil
4 drops of lavender oil
Gently melt coconut oil if in a solid state. Stir in oils until well combined. Apply to scalp, massaging in and working down to tips of hair ensuring all hair is coated well. Pin up using butterfly clips, cover with a shower cap, leaving on for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, without adding water, apply tea tree oil shampoo and start working into the scalp, massaging with your fingertips. Slowly add a little water to the lather and work the oil mixture out of the hair. Rinse thoroughly. Shampoo again. Then apply tea tree oil conditioner and wet comb hair with a nit comb. Rinse well. Towel dry hair and blow dry paying close attention to the scalp and removing any nits with a clean nit comb. Apply essential oil spray (see below) focusing on the scalp area and brush through.
Essential Oil Spray
This is great to spray on every morning as a repellent.
Fill a 3 oz spray bottle almost to the top with filtered water. Add about 10 drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil. Shake well before each use. Spray on hair, focusing on scalp and brushing through hair.
Preventative Measures
Use the tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner and use the essential oil spray before school as it is said to repel lice.
Shopping List
Trader Joe’s
Coconut oil $5.99
Tea tree oil $6.99
Tea tree oil shampoo $3.99*
Tea tree oil conditioner $3.99
*The Trader Joe’s tea tree oil shampoo also has several other essential oils that are said to work against lice: eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, thyme.
Sally’s Beauty Supply
Nit comb $3.99
Butterfly hair clips $2.69
10 pk disposable shower caps $2.99
3 oz spray bottle $2.39
Any Natural Foods Store
Lavender essential oil
TIPS
Clean all brushes and soaking them in rubbing alcohol, allowing them to air dry. After each use, repeat, being sure to only use a clean brush. I just used a small, shoebox sized plastic storage container that I kept full of rubbing alcohol to soak brushes, combs, hair elastics, etc.
Heat also helps will lice, so I made sure to blow dry the hair and ran a flat iron (410 degrees) through to help the process.
Clean all bedding, towels in hot water, etc.
Keep long hair pulled back and/or braided.
Desert Heart CPR 