Head lice is not as uncommon as you may think. People simply don’t bring up treating lice in conversations as if it is something shameful.

As for me, I have disclosed about it to my friends that I have seen when I was dealing with it. I hesitated, but I even wrote about it on my social media accounts. It became my conversation topic because it was such a big part of my days!

I am always stunned by common misconceptions that people have about lice. The wrong notion about lice may cause unnecessary heartache.

Here are some correct information on lice.

1. Hygiene has nothing to do with lice.

Clean or dirty, as long as you have hair, lice do not have preference. They are attracted to any type of head with hair. The only lucky people who don’t have to worry about lice are either bald or shaved their heads.

2. Cleanliness of home or school has nothing to do with it, either.

3. Lice do not fly or jump. They crawl.

4. Lice spread mainly by head-to-head contact.

In order to properly treat lice and prevent avoidable mistakes and save energy, you should know a bit more about head lice to begin with. Link provided below is the 14 helpful facts to know about head lice.

14 Helpful Facts To Know About Head Lice

 
 

Natural Option to Treat Head Lice

Why do we want to treat with natural products?

In my case, my skin reacts to many chemical products.

Therefore, I am scared of using lice treatment made with the chemical compounds which can damage my scalp as well as my hands. Lice treatments based on chemical compounds are basically the same as pesticides.

It doesn’t feel safe or comfortable to apply pesticides on the human scalp to kill lice. This at the same time means that chemicals will be absorbed into the blood stream to the human body through pores.

Hence, I’m introducing a safer and effective option for you!

COCONUT OIL & TEA TREE OIL LICE TREATMENT

WHAT YOU NEED

-Coconut Oil
-Tea Tree Oil (Tea tree oil should be in a dark bottle.)
-Metal comb
*I highly recommend that you get a metal comb. Mine came with the Licefreee spray bottle. Metal combs are much more effective than plastic ones.
-tub or a small bucket
-shower caps (If you don’t have a shower cap, you can use saran wrap. I purchased mine at Japan Home Center.)
-medical tape
-a jar
-a brush (I bought mine at Japan Home Center. It was 33 Pisos. You can probably find a paint brush at a dollar store.)

HOW TO MAKE THE TREATMENT OIL

Coconut Oil 1/4 cups
Tea Tree Oil 15 drops

INSTRUCTIONS

OPTION 1: OVERNIGHT

1. Mix coconut oil and tea tree oil in a glass jar.
2. Using the brush, apply coconut oil mixture onto the hair starting from the bottom and work towards the crown of the head.
3. Apply the oil section by section and spread thoroughly.
4. When you finish all the way to the top, massage the oil using the soft tips of fingers to make sure you cover the entire scalp without leaving any spot where lice can hide.
5. Cover your head with a shower cap. I used a medical tape to seal the cap completely. *Optional: I doubled the shower cap.
6. Sleep with the cap overnight.
7. When you wake up in the morning, comb with the metal lice comb. Each time you comb, check to see if you have caught any lice or nits (eggs) between the teeth. Then dip the comb in the hot water to wash. Repeat.
8. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo and conditioner.

FOR LONG HAIR

If you deal with long hair, tie the hair while leaving small amount of the hair around the neck line on the bottom. Once you apply oil in that section, untie the ponytail and tie the hair again while leaving about a half to an inch line of the hair above the area you already worked. Work from bottom of the scalp to the top of the head.

OPTION 2: FOR BUSY PEOPLE

1 – 5. Same as above.
6. Let the head covered with oil and a shower cap or wrapped in saran wrap sit for 1 hour.
7. When the time is up, remove the shower cap.
8. Carefully comb with the metal lice comb section by section. Each time you put a comb through hair, check to see if you have caught any lice or nits (eggs) between the teeth. Be very diligent about it.
9. Each time you comb, dip the comb in the hot water to shake off any nits or lice you missed seeing. Repeat.
8. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo and conditioner.

*REPEAT THE PROCESS ONE WEEK AFTER THE FIRST TREATMENT.

Why?

There is always a chance that you have missed some nits/eggs. If they hatch, they will grow and eventually reproduce. This second treatment is to treat them before they mature.

 

What To Know About This Treatment

*The coconut oil suffocates lice. You need to leave it for 8 hours as lice can survive as long as 6 hours without air. (Basically they can go scuba diving without a gear. What a dream for humans!)

*Tea tree oil is known to kill lice.

*Make sure you get tea tree oil in a dark bottle. The dark bottles prevent essential oil from deteriorating caused by the sun light.

*The oil makes the hair very slick for the lice to hold onto the strands. Thus, it is easier to comb them out.

*The coconut oil is great for moisturizing hair as well.

*Coconut oil could irritate certain skin types. If you happen to react to coconut oil, you can try this method with other types of oil such as olive oil.

Want to know about the benefits of coconut oil? Read more on Medical Daily.
5 Surprising Benefits Of Coconut Oil For Your Health

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO REMOVE LICE FROM HOME

This process of removing lice completely from home is the key to stop the cycle of lice coming back.

CHECK EVERYONE’S HEAD

When you find one person with head lice, you have to check all of the family members who live in the same house to see if anyone else is infested.

WASHING

Below is the list of items to wash.
*No need to wash the items that didn’t come in contact with the infested head in the recent past.

-Beddings (pillows, sheets, duvet covers, blankets, etc.)

-Decorative pillows that could have been in touch with the infested head (like those used as pillows for a nap)

-Beanbag covers

-Bath and face towels (I have always washed the towels used by the one who hosted lice daily for 2-3 days just to be on the safe side.)

-Hats including baseball caps, straw hats, and knit hats that were worn on the infested head. (You can leave them in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks.)

-Scarves (Only if they were used by the infected person in the recent past such as within a couple of days before finding.)

-Earmuffs (Same as above)

-Winter jackets & coats that came in contact with the infested head in the recent past.

*If the items were not worn by the infested head longer than a week or two, I wouldn’t worry about them.

STUFFED TOYS & PILLOWS THAT CANNOT BE WASHED

All the stuff toys and decorative pillows that might have been in contact with the infested head should be treated. You put them in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks. You can use a trash bag or large size Ziploc bags.

VACUUM

-Sofas that might have been in contact with the infested head. Vacuum them.

-Carpets or area rugs where the infested head might have touched. This is more for families with little kids who lie down on carpets to play or read often. I didn’t vacuum all my rugs because my family members don’t lie on the carpet.

COMBS

Heat water until it boils. Soak all the hair brushes that touched the infested hair in the hot water for 5 to 10 minutes.

 

How I found out that I had a head lice

It was totally random.

I have been using Neutrogena T-gel shampoo on a daily basis since last July. It’s not because I heard it’s effective for lice treatment, but because the shampoo has been good to my overly sensitive skin.

One day I was working the lather of the Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo on my head. I had stopped the shower water to massage my head. (At the time Manila city enforced the water restriction due to the water shortage.) I noticed that I had a random black bug like thing on my finger along with my hair. I placed it on the white tile and squished it with my nail and it burst with the popping sound and blood. To my fear, it was definitely a louse.

I was extremely lucky to find it this way. The louse could have been washed away with the shower water. Since I was not itching at all, I had zero suspicion at this point.

Now I don’t have lice, but just thinking about it makes my head itch.

About Neutrogena T-Gel

I learned that Neutrogena is effective for lice treatment according to the article “Effective Treatments for Lice” written by a blogger, Andrea of Homemade for Elle. Who knew?

Also according to the blog post by Andrea and Environmental Working Group (EWG), Neutrogena’s toxicity is high. I may have to reduce the frequency of my use of Neutrogena on a daily basis to once every couple of weeks. It was fruitful to know this information. Without my lice incident, I would have not known about it.

Neutrogena T-Gel Therapeutic Shampoo, Original Formula (old formulation) by EWG

Safe Lice Treatment Products That Work Great

Here are two recommendations based on my own experiences for over the counter lice treatment that I find safe and effective for children as well as adults.

In the U.S.

Licefreee Spray

In India

Mediker Shampoo & Oil

If you live in the U.S. or India and would like to try products that are available at store, I highly recommend the above two products. I find them safe and very effective. If I was still living in the U.S. or in Mumbai, I may have not explored the natural option with coconut oil and tea tree oil.

MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO ARE DEALING WITH LICE

There are much worse things to deal with than lice in our lives. It is definitely annoying. The treatment requires tireless efforts. However, they can be treated. The struggles with lice will come to an end.

Breath and carry on!

My living room without pillows in the photo below. I kind of like it. The room looks bigger!

SOURCE

Frequently Asked Questions About Lice

5 Common Myths Associated with Head Lice

No-Panic Guide to Head Lice Treatment

Coconut Oil for Lice

Is Coconut Oil Good For Lice Treatment

Effective Treatment For Lice

Forget Treating Your Kids’ Head Lice With Chemicals: Here Are Toxic-Free Alternatives That Really Work

For Later