natural remedies for lice?

[mamatosaskia]

Hi,

we got a notice from dd's daycare that they found lice on a child. I just bought the nit kit, but wanted to know if anyone else has any good remedies for lice. Dd doesn't have it yet, just in case I want to be prepared.
Jacqueline

[JBaxter]

A cyber buddy on another board was trying to help her friend delouse herself and her three daughters. The lice shampoo was not working-the bugs were still crawling around when it was time to rinse. She started looking online for natural remedies and found there to be almost as many remedies as their are websites. She decided to put together a mix of some of the most named ingredients, and made my own. IT WORKED! THE BUGS WERE DEAD!

Here is the mixture she used:
1 c. Mineral Oil
1 TBSP each of:
Tea Tree Oil
Peppermint Oil
Anise Oil

She put very liberal amounts on the child's head, rubbing it into the scalp as I continued to add more. She then worked tons of Suave's coconut conditioner into their hair. (Lice don't like coconut) Put a shower cap on and left it for 45mins/1 hr. After she washed it out, she found TONS of dead bugs. I would imagine, that you could mix this up and then just keep it on hand for when it's needed.

[abeliamama]

I've been mixing Tea Tree oil in my kids shampoo as a preventitive since a lot of kids in their school are getiing lice. So far so good!

Mama to DD4-00 and DS 4-03

[nataliebassoon]

Vinegar in a spray bottle makes it easier to get all the nits out. Also go overboard with washing the sheets in hot water, freezing the stuffed animals, vacuuming every day, etc. I had lice 3 or 4 times as a child, and the environmental stuff is absolutely vital to preventing re-infestation.

[alllyssa]

Pretty pricey, but so is lice!

To prevent:
http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/ca...AE_Shampoo.htm

If you actually get lice: http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/ca...#8482;_4oz.htm

[boo'smama]

Our school is going through a "heads up for head lice", too. Here are a few websites that I found helpful:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7446.html
http://www.headlice.org/
www.liceknowingyou.com

The best remedy that folks seem to have come up with (and studied at Harvard even), is covering the head with oil (coconut oil works well) and then donning a shower cap. Leave on for at least 2 hours, or overnight - then shampoo. I would add a few drops of tea trea or cedar or citronella oil to the shampoo, too.

Clothes should be removed the minute he arrives home from daycare and dropped in a plastic bag or the washer. Coats go into the dryer for 30 minutes on high heat. Bed linens get washed every other day until the lice danger has subsided.

Use diluted tea tree oil (or cedar or citronella) as a repellent - rub a little through his hair before school. You only need a drop in a tsp of carrier oil. A little goes a long way. Tea tree oil is powerful stuff and not to be applied full strength to kids.

These are the major points - let me know if you want more info.

Good luck!
Melissa

[bigeyes]

we use a tea tree oil shampoo to keep them away. works like a charm.

we keep getting the letters from school and haven't seen one since we switched shampoos.

[catnip]

A foster mom I used to know always just used crisco. Put it on, let it sit overnight, and wash it out. Suffocates the lice.

[intorainbowz]

I know a foster mom slathered the kids hair in mayonaise and covered with shower caps. She did it every other day and also did all the other household things mentioned. This killed drug resistant lice.

[annethcz]

I didn't use any of the 'natural remedies' but I was able to get rid of lice without using chemicals. We just carefully combed everyone's hair twice a day. It was very time consuming, but it was easy enough to do. I bought a set of lice combs (they probably come with the chemical kit), and used them. It did take a little over a week to get rid of them, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

[sunanthem]

I heard brushing the hair w. lavender e.o. helps prevent it. Good luck, we just had a round w. those lousy things and it took forever to get rid of and we did have to use alot of chemicals, and cut our hair

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by sunanthem

I heard brushing the hair w. lavender e.o. helps prevent it. Good luck, we just had a round w. those lousy things and it took forever to get rid of and we did have to use alot of chemicals, and cut our hair

we found that with the chemicals they kept coming back. Tea tree oil was the only thing that finally got them to stop. We had them for about 2 months straight until we switched to the tea tree shampoo, now we haven't had a problem since, even when we get the warning letters from school that there is an outbreak. I read somewhere that they were becoming resistant to the chemical stuff, and from our experience I can believe it.

[Mamato2and2]

We always used tea tree oil as a preventative measure. Yeah, the kids smelled awfully strong for a while but it kept the bugs away. I would just rub drops of it in their hair. Also, if they ever actually got lice we would use apple cider vinegar as a rinse in their hair and tea tree oil.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by mika3

We always used tea tree oil as a preventative measure. Yeah, the kids smelled awfully strong for a while but it kept the bugs away. I would just rub drops of it in their hair. Also, if they ever actually got lice we would use apple cider vinegar as a rinse in their hair and tea tree oil.

The tea tree mint or lemon tea tree shampoo smells less strongly of tea tree and still does the job. My dh can't stand tea tree oil, but can tolerate those.

[trinity6232000]

I'm another that uses tea tree oil as a preventive. I put a few (maybe 7-12 drops) of TTO in dd's shampoo when I buy it. I'm one of those who likes the smell of the TTO, rarely can I smell it the day after I've washed her hair. So far so good, we haven't had lice in the house yet.

[dancingmama]

Robicomb!!!!

Worked like a CHARM. Love it. Zaps all those little buggers.