Head Lice

January 21, 2004

I have added tea tree oil to whatever you wash their hair with and

did it everyday for a week to make sure i got all the nits and eggs

killed. Tea tree oil is very penetrating and it killed the lice

pretty fast. Wash all their bed clothes, sheets, pillows etc,

anyplace the nasty little creatures could hide out.

I'm sure others on here have more on this subject, this is just what

i did when my kid go 'em.

HTH

diane in nw mt

herbal remedies , " erica_johns_1999 "

<ericajohns@h...> wrote:

> How's THAT for a subject line for an intro?!

>

> Hi,

> I just joined this group today thanks to the fact that my family is

> fighting head lice. We have not used pesticides on our heads. No

> thanks! I like my kids with the brains they have.... I have

> been doing a variety of natural methods for trying to rid ourselves

> of this scourge but so far we are still working on the problem. I

> have heard that the herb Tansy is good for repelling lice, and I

> actually have some that I have regularly made into a tea and used

as

> a hair rinse for the whole family after hair washes.

Unfortunately,

> I kind of got out of the habit, and now here we are.

>

> Any advice would be appreciated.

>

> Thanks,

> Erica

> mom to 6 great kids

August 9, 2004

> I just returned home from a lovely week's vacation in Northern Idaho

to a

> phone call that led to the discovery of head lice on three of my four

small

> children. We are going to do the mayonnaise scalp/hair mask thing

along with all

> the other (arghh!) necessary washings, spraying, etc.

> Does anyone have any tips or advice about head lice and their

erradication

> (sp?). Any herbs, eo's, etc. involved?

> Thank you all in advance for your time in responding.

> Teresea C.

Welcome home Teresea :-D

Below I've included some archived list messages dealing with headlice.

Also, here is the link to Lowana Veal's AGORA page on headlice

http://www.wingedseed.com/samara/Agora/Lice_page.htm

Good luck!

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com <http://www.alittleolfactory.com/>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vaneta [vanetarae]

Thursday, September 26, 2002 7:48 PM

Re: lice!

Greetings Michelle,

Living in the south, head lice runs rampant in the schools. The formula

we use is as follows:

3 Tbls. tree oil

3 Tbls. eucalyptus oil

1/4 bottle of shampoo

fill the bottle the remainder of the way with olive oil

place all the ingredients in the bottle and shake until well combined.

Soak the entire head with the solution, leave on for 1/2 hour then

rinse.

Safe to use weekly but we have found one application is all that is

required as long as you wash the bedding, hair brushes and any clothes

that might be contaminated.

Vaneta

== == == == == == == == == == == ==

Mottershead Helaine [herbandteas]

Friday, June 18, 2004 4:09 PM

Re: Lice

Treatment for head lice as follows: all pillows, blankets and sheets

need to be put in dryer for 20 minutes each day after use. All clothes

need to be picked up, put in plastic bag till washed and dried. All

stuffed toys should be put in plastic bag tied closed for 1 month. You

can save a favorite that the child sleeps with but it must go in the

dryer with the bedding each day. Vacume the mattress daily. This is

what we do for the hair brushes....I soak them after each use in a cup

filled with water that has 4 drops of peppermint oil. What I have done

is washed my girls hair with head and shoulders shampoo just cuz its a

medicated shampoo. Then rinse with vingar. Then I have a cup handy

that is filled with water and 3-4 drops of peppermint oil. As I pick

thru thier hair wet the comb with the peppermint water. The lice does

not like the vingar and the peppermint essential oil. I have long ago

used the over the counter stuff but really all you need to do is the

following and

it should keep them at bay. As long as there are no eggs or in thier

hair they should go away. I also add 2-3 drops peppermint to our shampoo

during this time to keep reinfestation down.

Herbal hugs, Helaine

Herbal teas and more!

http://www.misshelaineous.com

== == == == == == == == == == == ==

Dale Bernucca [DBernucca]

Saturday, June 19, 2004 7:36 AM

Re: Lice

One last tip. We put a couple drops of rosemary oil in our bottles of

shampoo...at the very least I remember to put them in our kids' shampoo

each time we open a new one. I've done this in the hopes of repelling

lice because every year my kids' school experiences an epidemic in one

class or another. In the last three years that I've done this my kids

have not gotten lice in spite of one child having her seating assignment

place her next to a child who was the first to be spotted with lice one

year.

Don't know if the rosemary did the trick, we were lucky or we were dirty

enough (they do only get a washing once a month whether they need it or

not!) ... LOL .. but the lice didn't come our way.

Dale

August 9, 2004

Hello!

A vinegar rinse will help release the nits. They attach themselves to the

airshaft by a protein substance. The vinegar will help dissolve this. I use 1/4

cup apple cider vinegar in 32 ounces of water.

HTH,

Jan S

www.sweetprairiesoap.com

jans

August 9, 2004

spaepiphany wrote:

>I just returned home from a lovely week's vacation in Northern Idaho to a

>phone call that led to the discovery of head lice on three of my four small

>children. We are going to do the mayonnaise scalp/hair mask thing along with

all

>the other (arghh!) necessary washings, spraying, etc.

>

>Does anyone have any tips or advice about head lice and their erradication

>(sp?). Any herbs, eo's, etc. involved?

>

We recommand a blend of 90 percent jojoba oil and 10 percent fine

lavender oil, if possible wild harvested.

Put this blendt on the scalp before sleeping, eventually washing the

morning after with a soft schampo (not always necesaary

since jojoba oil penetrates so well).

Repete this after some days.

In the meantime, use a blend of clove oil (Eugenia caryophylata in

alohol: 10 percent clove oil), which you put in a bottle with

a spray. Use the special head lice comb you can buy in a pharmacy

(anyway here in Europe) and spray a little of the clove

blend on the hair while combing the hair: the head lice will be easier

to remove.

Don't forget to protect the eyes from the clove blend!

Regards,

Michel

August 9, 2004

Hi,

Sorry to hear of the head lice troubles.

I will tell you that my pediatrician told us that the sprays for bedding and

such, do not work, so I wouldn't waste my money on that.

Best course of treatment, is the mayonaise.....leave on the hair and scalp

as long as possible, covered with a shower cap.

He also told us to rinse with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and isopropyl

alcohol, and comb well with a nit comb. The vinegar/alcohol mix loosens the

lice eggs for easier removal....plus helps to cut the greasy feeling in the

hair from the mayo.

Be very careful not to get the vinegar/alcohol blend in the

eyes....obviously it will BURN like the devil!

Also, wash all sheets, pillows and pillowcases in hot water and a bit of

bleach, if possible. If not, hot water should work well. Anything that

cannot be washed, should be bagged in garbage bags, and left sealed for 2 to

3 weeks. This will smother any eggs or lice that remain in your child's

favorite stuffed animals.

Also, vacuum bedding and other furniture well....several times per day, and

empty the bag each day. We found that adding a small amount of Tea Tree EO

to our regular conditioner helped as well. We haven't had a case of lice in

over 8 years.

Hope this helps and good luck getting rid of the little buggers! OH! BTW,

if you don't get rid of all of the nits, you will see a recurrence of lice

within 7 to 10 days....this is when the lice eggs will hatch. So, it would

be a good idea to do another treatment around day 6 or 7, so hopefully you

will catch any that you might have missed.

Candy in AL

August 10, 2004

Tea Tree oil rubbed into the head does the trick

July 17, 2005

Once when there was a breakout at my kids school, I

did a lot of research. Try tea tree oil shampoo.

Another thing I've heard helps is lavender oil. One

friend who used the pesticide still couldn't get rid

of the lice on her daughter and what finally did was

covering her hair in vaseline and wrapping it up at

least overnight. This will suffocate the lice. It is

really difficult to get the vaseline out of the hair

but if your son has short hair it won't be so bad.

>>Message: 4

Sat, 16 Jul 2005 14:23:47 -0000

" personalfitnesstutor "

<personalfitnesstutor

Hello to all

I am new to the group and I just wanted to say hi to

everyone and I

know I will enjoy being here. I have a quick question

if anyone could

be so kind to share any information. Being summer, my

son has been

outside and playing quite a bit, and this morning I

noticed him

scratching his head, and found a louse. Now, many

years ago was he was

small, he had a similar problem, but I have become

much more educated

on health since that time, and do not wish to poison

my child with

pesticides that are normally sold for the riddance of

head lice. Is

there any natural remedy that anyone knows that is

effective? Any help

would be greatly appreciated.Thank you so much for

your time.<<

__

Start your day with - make it your home page

http://www./r/hs

July 17, 2005

I found an all natural headlice treatment here in the UK. Check the internet for your location.

love

Lisa

"personalfitnesstutor"<personalfitnesstutorHello to allI am new to the group and I just wanted to say hi toeveryone and I know I will enjoy being here. I have a quick questionif anyone could be so kind to share any information. Being summer, myson has been outside and playing quite a bit, and this morning Inoticed him scratching his head, and found a louse. Now, manyyears ago was he was small, he had a similar problem, but I have becomemuch more educated on health since that time, and do not wish to poisonmy child with pesticides that are normally sold for the riddance ofhead lice. Is there any natural remedy that anyone knows that iseffective? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you so much foryour time.<<

July 17, 2005

You can also just use vegetable oil or olive oil.

Flo

July 25, 2006

Hi Gill,

Tea tree oil... and Olive oil. First kill them all by putting olive oil

on the hair and wrapping the head up in a plastic bag for at least one

hour. (You could also use mayo for this). After washing the olive oil

out of the hair, put some tea tree oil in the rinse water. Pick all the

nits out, adding more tea tree as desired.

You should also put some tea tree oil in the hair spray bottle and use

it whenever you and the kids need to go anywhere. It also helps to hit

bookbags and things like that with a bit of it.

I would also put some tea tree in the shampoo on a regular basis, and

add a bit to the bath water as well. It not only will kill the lice, it

will help heal scratches and things like that!

I hope this helps...

Peace,

Mouse

(Nature loving mom of one)

;-)

Gill Shelton wrote:

> Eeek help. Nits have invaded. Does anyone have a natural method of

> getting rid of them without harsh chemicals. I have tried looking in

> the files section but cant find anything.

>

> Ta

> Gill

>

July 25, 2006

Call or go to your local herbal store! They have shampoos there and I will look through my files and send stuff in ASAP

----

Gill Shelton

7/25/2006 2:07:50 PM

Head Lice

Eeek help. Nits have invaded. Does anyone have a natural method of getting rid of them without harsh chemicals. I have tried looking in the files section but cant find anything.TaGill

July 26, 2006

this is very old fashioned cure for them--buy a bottle of your fav, shampoo then empty out 2/3rds bottle and re-fill with kerosene yes kerosene let set 15 mins then shampoo out of your hair follow by conditioning the daylights out of your hair. it's never damaged the hair as far as i can remember. this was used after we had folks around that had it all the time and never got rid of them till we left this on their porch with directions. ladyfire_26101

Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

December 20, 2006

IN THE LAB

Victory in louse wars?

Head lice -- yuck -- have developed a creeping resistance to common

insecticides. Maybe it's time for a new tack -- like blasting them

with hot air.

By Regina Nuzzo, Special to The Times

November 13, 2006

IN the war against head lice, we face an enemy that is fast and

plentiful, with nimble armies that can evolve and outwit standard

weaponry. Will we ever take the lead in this scalp-biting, nit-

picking

arms race?

Last month, experts from around the world gathered in Buenos Aires to

swap battle tactics at the Third International Congress on

Phthiraptera, the group of 3,000 species of wingless parasitic

insects

that includes Pediculus capitis, bane of parents and school nurses

across the land.

Researchers reported needed progress in the fight. Some are turning

to

new classes of insecticides for which head lice have yet to develop

resistance. Others are eschewing the poison and getting creative:

tricking lice into thinking they're drowning; moisturizing the

blighters until they leak water; or blasting hot air until the

insects

are desiccated hulls.

They know that their efforts will not save human lives. Head lice —

unlike their close relatives, body lice — don't carry diseases, says

Dr. Sydney Spiesel, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at

Yale University.

" They're just a nuisance, " he says. " Honestly, nobody likes to have

bugs in their head. "

Every year, 6 million to 12 million Americans are infested with head

lice, regardless of socioeconomic status, says Deborah Altschuler,

director of the National Pediculosis Assn. Annual sales of anti-louse

shampoos exceed $160 million, according to some estimates — and for

years, the insecticides they contain have been the gold standard for

getting rid of head lice.

But recent reports suggest that many lice alive today have inherited

mutations rendering them impervious to common treatments such as

lindane, a potent DDT-related insecticide (it is banned in

California)

and permethrin, the active ingredient in Nix.

Some researchers are instead reaching into the barnyard medicine

cabinet for a new anti-louse remedy: ivermectin, an insecticide that

has been used to treat parasites in horses and sheep for years. It

has

also been used over the last decade to treat river blindness and some

types of roundworm infection in humans, and, in some countries, human

scabies.

Small preliminary studies suggest that two oral doses of ivermectin

can also kill head lice that don't respond to other insecticides.

Louse researcher Dr. Craig G. Burkhart, clinical professor of

dermatology at Medical University of Ohio at Toledo, is working with

pharmaceutical companies to develop an ivermectin product that could

be applied directly to the scalp.

Neurotoxins aren't the only way to slay a louse. One new treatment

already on the market in Europe uses slippery silicone instead. The

over-the-counter product, a lotion consisting of a substance called

dimeticone, has a polymer base that slides easily across a louse's

hide and into its breathing tubes.

After the lotion dries, large molecules left behind form a snug

coating, blocking those tubes.

" You effectively shrink-wrap the louse, " says Ian Burgess, director

of

the Medical Entomology Centre, a private research organization in

Royston, England, that helped develop the new product.

Strangely enough, asphyxiation isn't what kills the louse, Burgess

says. Instead, the coating tricks the insect into thinking that it's

being engulfed by water. " In response, the louse immediately closes

down all the hatches, as if it were a submarine. " It switches to a

state of suspended animation — but unfortunately for the louse, the

shrink-wrapping is there to stay. After a while, the creature

exhausts

its energy reserves and dies.

In a study published last year, 70% of 127 people who used dimeticone

lotion — a night application and morning rinse — were free from

infestation after two treatments. Negotiations are now underway with

companies in the U.S. to license the product, which is known as

Hedrin

in Britain. Dieno George, chief executive of the British

pharmaceutical company Thornton & Ross, estimates that pharmacies in

the U.S. could carry the lotion as early as summer 2007.

Another potential lice-killer might be waiting in the shower. Many

hair conditioners and cream rinses contain compounds — modified

vegetable oils, mostly — that attach to both hair oil and water. A

louse's casing is slightly oily and also semi-porous, and this

composition is crucial to the beast for sweating out its extra

moisture. Cream rinse, when it mixes with body louse wax, throws off

this delicate balance. " What was once a somewhat waterproof louse is

perhaps not so waterproof anymore, " Burgess says. The moisturized

louse starts to lose water — and in time, it will dehydrate and die.

In a study of 126 subjects published last year, a combination of

conditioner and meticulous removal with a comb — the so-called wet

combing method — worked effectively for 57% of lice-infested

volunteers in England and Scotland. In another study, researchers

found that volunteers who soaked their hair in conditioner rid

themselves of lice 50% of the time, even if they didn't do any

combing.

Using conditioner with combing is highly touted by public health

groups in Britain, Burgess says — but the technique has yet to

receive

widespread endorsement in the U.S.

Quick drying, rather than slow leaking, is the idea behind a new

desiccation device that promises to treat an infestation in as little

as 30 minutes.

The LouseBuster, a portable hot-air machine with a flexible hose, can

expel twice as much air as a hair dryer. Its blast of 140-degree air

can suck the moisture out of whatever happens to be in its path — be

they adult lice clinging to hair strands or eggs cemented to the

strands' base.

" It would be like sticking your head out of a car window at 150 mph, "

says Dale Clayton, a professor of biology at the University of Utah

and co-inventor of the LouseBuster. " That would dry out your eyeballs

right away. "

In a study published in Pediatrics this month, Clayton and his

colleagues tested the new device and other hot-air methods on 169

lice-infested children in Utah.

By slowly raking a nozzle expelling hot air along the scalp, the

LouseBuster killed 80% of adult lice and 98% of eggs, even when

operating at a slightly cooler temperature than a normal hair dryer.

A week after being treated with the new device, all of the

infestations had disappeared. There were no reported aftereffects,

not

even dry scalps, Clayton says.

The LouseBuster is being developed by a University of Utah spinoff

company called Larada Sciences, for which Clayton is chief scientific

officer. The patent-pending technology is going through the Food and

Drug Administration review process, Clayton says, and he hopes it

will

be available within a couple of years.

Home hair dryers are no substitute for the new device, he says. For

one thing, they don't perform as well as the LouseBuster, which has a

wide-tooth comb at the end of the hose that helps direct the air to

the scalp. More important, it's easy for overzealous parents to burn

delicate scalps.

The price is still uncertain, but Clayton expects the LouseBuster to

be available for schools and clinics for a few hundred dollars.

Not all nifty ideas end up making a difference in the head lice war,

however. A few years ago, Spiesel invented a shampoo that causes

louse

eggs to glow brightly under the right conditions, making them easier

for parents to pick out. Sadly, the formulation is still sitting in

the lab without a developer. Spiesel is philosophical about the

demise

of the product, which he once thought of calling HeadLights.

" It's a shame, but it's not like it was an antibiotic that would save

lives, " he says. " It's just head lice. "

Regards

Caroline

http://alwaysnaturallygreat.com

December 21, 2006

How I hated those days! my girls would come home with notes like that

and their school was horrible about it, they actually came home with the

stuff! This is the ONLY thing that worked for us, and we tried

everything from the " RID " (expensive!), tea tree oil, mayo, etc.

We got a small bottle of oil from the pharmacy called " Mojave Adventure "

and put a few drops into a spray bottle filled with that green alcohol.

yep, the rubbing alcohol that is green, you can get it for less than a

buck at the dollar general store. I would spray it in their hair (yes,

it will burn a bit but it won't hurt them) and then comb their hair with

a lice comb. Everyday. twice a day for a week then once all the lice

was dead and gone (it kills the lice but I don't think it affects the

eggs, so you have to do this for at least a week) and you've combed the

eggs out; I would spray their hair each morning before they went to

school. It's a lot of work on " mom " since she is the one who usually

has to do the combing but it is a very cheap and most of all EFFECTIVE

way to get rid of the lice. I would also spray all the furniture and

beds and linens with the alcohol mixture (after the bed linens were

washed) each day for a few weeks.

The oil has rosemary, peppermint, and a couple more oils in it and yes,

I also would add a few drops of tea tree oil. One bottle lasts a long

time and many bottles of alcohol. I do not know if the plain

white/clear alcohol works the same way, I've only used the green.

I sure hope this helps you as much as it has helped us.

take care

kellie

, " freeseliz " <freeseliz

wrote:

>

> Good Morning--my daughter came home from school yesterday with the

> dreaded note that someone in her class was sent home with head lice!!!!

> UGH!!!She doesn't have it yet---but just in case does anyone know of

> an alternative treatment..so I can be prepared in case she gets it. I

> understand a few drops of tea tree oil in shampoo helps...is there

> anything else??Happy Holidays to all...thank-you for your help!!!!!Liz

>

December 22, 2006

Ok this is what ya do

rub mayonaise in hair and on scalp..must be lite mayonaise....then put

a shower cap on head and let sit on there for bout 5 - 8 hours or over

night...was with shampoo only...then once completely shampooed rinse

with white apple cider vinegar and then take a lice comb thru the

hair...all will come outlol good luck

December 22, 2006

Use quite a bit of tea tree oil. It worked. We had lice when my

daughter was in kindergarden and it killed them off quickly. Just

leave the shampoo (we also used tea tree shampoo from the drug store)

with the extra tea tree oil in it on the head for an extended time.

Repeat a week later to get the eggs that hatched. Wash bedding in hot

water and/or put in the freezer to kill off eggs.

Another remedy I read about but never tried since we haven't had them

agin is to soak the head in mayonaisse. Apparently it clogs their

breathing pores. Might leave the hair shiny too a side effect!

Sharon

, " freeseliz " <freeseliz

wrote:

>

> Good Morning--my daughter came home from school yesterday with the

> dreaded note that someone in her class was sent home with head

lice!!!!

> UGH!!!She doesn't have it yet---but just in case does anyone know of

> an alternative treatment..so I can be prepared in case she gets it.

I

> understand a few drops of tea tree oil in shampoo helps...is there

> anything else??Happy Holidays to all...thank-you for your help!!!!!

Liz

>

December 22, 2006

Cetaphil rubbed into scalp and hair and then dried with a very warm hair

dryer will kill the live lice. Massage vinegar on scalp and hair and leave on

for 15 minutes and then use a lice comb to remove the eggs. Wash with Dawn dish

detergent several times and use hair dryer again. It is possible that this

may need to be repeated, Wash all bedding, clothing, towels in very hot water

with vinegar in wash and rinse. Dry very hot dryer setting. Use borax to

sprinkle on all carpets and vacuum off after a few hours. Check heads each day.

Teach kids not to share hats, coats, hair brushes, combs, barrettes or ties.

also tell them not to put heads together at school. It is well to use clean

clothing each day. Laundry would be bagged and tied shut. Stuffed animals

need to be bagged and tied shut for at least a month and then run through the

dryer.

Nearly any child of school age will run into lice sooner or later and it is

such a nasty thing to get rid of.

Peace, thyme

January 24, 2007

Hi Kellie,

Would you happen to know what those other oils, you did not mention, were

used along with the peppermint & rosemary? I appreciate your help.

Regards,

~^~CAROL~^~

--\

-

" TO ALL MY RELATIONS "

MOTHER'S MATERNAL LINIAGE

_____

PERRINE BOURG - SIMON PELLETRET

HENRIETTE PELLETRET - PIERRE DOUCET

MADELEINE DOUCET - RENE BERNARD

MARGUERITE BERNARD - FRANCES ARSENAULT

MARIE ANNE ARSENAULT- CHARLES DOUCET

MARIE MADELEINE DOUCET - JOSEPH HACHE GALLANT

MODESTE HACHE GALLANT - JEAN LAVIGNE

HENRIETTE (MARIE)? LAVIGNE - ELECTRIUS OAK(E)S

HELENE OAK(E)S - FULGENCE THIBODEAU

ELISABETH/ELIZABETH? (BETSY) THIBODEAU - RICHARD OUELLETTE

GEORGIANNA OUELLETTE - REGIS MICHAUD OF ST. FRANCIS, ME.

EDITH MICHAUD - DAVID (BABE) THIBODEAU OF ST. FRANCIS, ME.

AMANDA THIBODEAU - ELDEN (MORIN) MORROW (MOTHER & FATHER)

CAROL (MORIN) MORROW

----Original Message Follows----

" kellie " <KaiJaFon

Re: head lice

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:33:19 -0000