How to Treat Head Lice with Tea Tree Oil

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Head lice are very small, wingless insects that only live on the human scalp by attaching and laying eggs in the hair. Contrary to popular belief, head lice are not contagious and poor hygiene is not the cause of head lice. They are spread through person-to-person contact. If you or your child is infected with lice, it can be treated with tea tree oil.

Table of Contents

Steps

Identifying and Reducing the Potential for Lice Transmission

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Identify signs of lice. There are many causes of an itchy scalp and it is easy to confuse dandruff with head lice. ^[1] It is important that you know the signs of head lice so that you can get effective treatment:

• Use a fine-toothed comb to examine the hair and scalp for lice and its eggs. When alive, lice are about the size of a sesame seed (2-3mm long), while lice eggs are usually yellowish white and cling to the hair shaft close to the scalp. The eggs are slightly smaller than the size of adult lice. ^[2]
• Look for eggs on the hair. The eggs that are attached to the hair shaft more than 5mm from the scalp are most likely to hatch into lice. The reason is because head lice have to suck a very small amount of blood from the scalp to survive, and the warmth radiating from the scalp helps them grow better. Eggs located further down the hair shaft will usually die or have hatched into lice. ^[3]
• Use a magnifying glass to examine the scalp and hair. Dust particles and dandruff are often mistaken for lice, so you must use a magnifying glass to determine if it is lice or nits. If you don’t see lice or only eggs are attached to the hair shaft and away from the scalp, the lice infestation is probably gone. ^[4]
• Look behind the ears and at the hairline. Head lice and nits are easy to spot in these areas because the hair density is quite thin. ^[5]

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Check everyone in the house for lice. Although they cannot fly or jump, head lice are extremely contagious and can be passed on to any member of the household. ^[6] If one person in the home has head lice, you should check the hair and scalp of everyone else for signs of this insect.

• Head lice are most contagious through sharing combs, hats, or sharing a bed with an infected person. If you have children who sleep in the same bed or room, or who often share the same clothes, you should check all of them for lice.

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Change into clean clothes. If you find someone in your home with lice, ask them to change into clean clothes, as there is a chance that nits are on clothing, especially shirts, scarves or hats. ^[7]

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Wash household items that have been used by a person with head lice. Poor hygiene is not the cause of lice, but they can attach to fabrics and objects, thereby spreading to other people. So it is important that you thoroughly clean and disinfect the items. ^[8]

• Machine wash and dry clothes, bedding, hats, towels, and all fabrics that have come in contact with a person with head lice. Use hot water and dry with high heat. If the item is not machine washable, wrap it in a plastic bag and keep it away for 2 weeks, the lice will suffocate in there. ^[9]
• Immerse combs and brushes in hot water (at least 50°C) for 5-10 minutes, or put them in the dishwasher with hot water.
• Vacuum floors and change upholstery. Head lice cannot live long if they are not fed with human blood, but vacuuming will remove the scattered lice to prevent them from spreading to others.

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Treat everyone in the house at the same time. Anyone who shows signs of lice infection or who shares a room with someone who has head lice should be treated immediately. Otherwise, another wave of lice will break out while they are still in someone’s hair.

Using Tea Tree Oil to Treat Head Lice

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Buy tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiviral properties. ^[10] Although the mechanism of action of these properties is still unknown, tea tree oil has been shown to be effective in killing nits, and reducing the number of lice. head lice. In addition, it also has the ability to repel lice. ^[11]

• A mixture of tea tree oil and lavender essential oil has been shown to kill lice and its eggs. ^[12] You should be looking for pure lavender essential oil.
• While many shampoos and conditioners contain tea tree oil, it’s often not concentrated enough to be effective. The essential oil content must be at least 2% to be able to kill lice eggs. ^[13]
• Look for essential oils extracted from the tea tree (Melaleuca alternifpia) that are produced using the “water distillation” technique.

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Buy a lice comb. This type of comb has very tight teeth so you can check the hair close to the scalp.

• If not, you should also buy a magnifying glass, to assist in checking the scalp after treatment.

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Mix tea tree oil with shampoo. Since tea tree oil can irritate the scalp, it is best to mix it with shampoo before using it.

• Use an eyedropper and drop 2-4 drops of essential oil into a small bowl.
• Add 2-4 drops of lavender essential oil.
• Add 96-98 drops of shampoo, which has a slight drop in content. (If you want a visual estimate, pour in enough shampoo to make a dime-sized puddle.)
• Add a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help suffocate the lice. ^[14]
• Mix well until completely blended.

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Apply the shampoo mixture to your hair. Pay close attention to the scalp as that’s where lice and eggs live, then roll your hair into a hood when showering or swimming. Leave it like that for 30 minutes.

• If itching or burning occurs during treatment, it may be due to an allergic reaction of the body. ^[15] You must quickly wash your hair with warm water and wash it again with a very mild shampoo. Use a towel to dry your hair and let it air dry naturally. Wash again if the scalp is still itchy or red.

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Stir the shampoo into a lather and rinse with water. Apply shampoo lather to your hair and run your fingers through it to try to remove as much lice as possible. Wash your head completely with warm water.

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Apply hair conditioner. Because conditioner is very thick, it can suffocate live lice that tea tree oil cannot kill. In addition, conditioner also helps you comb the comb to catch lice through your hair more easily, remember not to use water to wash the conditioner off your hair.

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Use a comb to catch lice through the hair. Start brushing from the scalp as this is where the eggs attach and hatch. If the person with head lice has long hair, you should divide the hair into small sections to brush them little by little.

• This is a step to take slowly! If you do not catch even a few eggs, they will hatch within a few days and start a new wave of lice.

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Repeat Steps 3-7 every day for 7 days. This is really necessary even though it seems too careful. Since nits take about a week to hatch and develop into adult lice, you should maintain the treatment for a full week to ensure that any spores are killed.

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Regularly use shampoo containing tea tree oil. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to the same shampoo as used to treat head lice, or buy a shampoo that already contains tea tree oil. Use this shampoo once a week to prevent lice from coming back.

Advice

• If your child has head lice, notify the school where they attend so they can warn other parents. It is very easy for young children to spread lice, so widespread preventive measures are needed to ensure that lice do not re-emerge. ^[16]
• Head lice live only on the human scalp and they are not transmitted by pets.
• Avoid giving your child head-to-head contact as much as possible (no head-to-head contact, no sharing pillows when sleeping in someone else’s house, etc.). Remind your child not to share clothes, hats or other items with friends. This will reduce the chance that your child will get lice from other people. ^[17]

Warning

• Tea tree essential oil can cause poisoning if ingested, do not apply the oil near the mouth and do not drink.
• Tea tree oil has not been tested for safety in pregnant or lactating women, so its use is not recommended.
• Some people are allergic to tea tree oil, so if you experience redness, irritation or itching, you should stop using it immediately.
• Tea tree oil may cause hormone-related side effects in prepubertal boys, such as abnormal breast growth (male gynecomastia). Although the relationship between tea tree oil and this health condition cannot be determined for certain, it is strongly advised not to give tea tree oil to boys. ^[18]

Things you need

• Tea tree essential oil
• Lice comb
• Magnifying glass
• Mild shampoo and conditioner

Head lice are very small, wingless insects that only live on the human scalp by attaching and laying eggs in the hair. Contrary to popular belief, head lice are not contagious and poor hygiene is not the cause of head lice. They are spread through person-to-person contact. If you or your child is infected with lice, it can be treated with tea tree oil.

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