Natural Remedies and Head Lice Treatments

A few months ago I blogged about my kids getting head lice... ew! I ran straight out to the store and bought the medicated lice treatment from the supermarket as quickly as I could. i was so distressed when this happened again around a month later and I still had the medicated brand in the cupboard that I treated their hair again with this product.
Unfortunately the most unwanted side effect of using this product is that it dried out the kids hair. Their hair was lice free but was also matt and dry for almost a week after.

Since then I have been on the look out for a good natural lice treatment that I can use in case this ever happens again!

Although  I found Vinegar & Water, Onion and Rubbing Alcohol were listed in some places as effective treatments for lice. The two that I would use on the children in the future are:





Castor Oil:
It is said that Castor Oil can smother head lice. This thick oil is excellent for trapping lice and their nits.


Work the castor oil into the hair and scalp 

Cover with plastic shower cap. 

If possible wrap a dry towel around the plastic cap. 
Leave on 1-3 hours before shampooing. 
Wash through thoroughly and use an SLS free shampoo to remove all the castor oil. 



Tea Tree Oil:

Tea tree oil is an essential oil said to treat head lice naturally. This does seem like a much faster treatment.


Add one teaspoon of pure undiluted tea tree oil with four - five tablespoons of a carrier oil (olive oil or even castor oil).

Rub it into the scalp and leave on ten minutes before rinsing off. 

Take care not to get the mixture or shampoo into the child's eyes.




I would have thought that a combination of the two would be a very effective lice treatment. Instead of wrapping a warm towel, lightly warming the oil combination and applying to the scalp. Then apply to the scalp and leave on for fifteen to thirty minutes. 

Jamaican Mango and Lime already have a version that contains Tea Tree. 


Hope this helps someone concerned about using medicated shampoo on afro hair. This is what I will use in future.

Embrace Your Inner AfroDeity 
Leilu

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