Head Lice

I’ve been hearing some complaints of head lice amongst friends lately. I thought I would talk a little bit about some oils that are good for these pesky little critters. Lice isn’t picky about where it decides to make a home, as long as it is warm and hairy they’ll lay some eggs.

You can use the following essential oils as an addition to rinsing when washing the hair as a lice deterrent. Rosemary, Geranium, Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Lemon.

Valerie Ann Worwood gives us a preventative recipe in her book.

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You can make a blend of equal parts Rosemary, Lavender and Lemon and then add 2 drops of this blend to the final rinse after shampooing.
If you think you already have lice then make a blend of Rosemary, Lavender and Geranium and add it to White Beeswax and Castor Oil. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler, add the Castor oil until you create a cream. Don’t add the essential oils until this cream cools as heat can change the chemistry of your therapeutic grade oils possibly making them less effective. Rub this cream deep into the scalp and leave on overnight. If your kiddo has irritation or inflammation from so much scratching you can use the following antiseptic oils for cooling and calming: Geranium, Roman Chamomile, German Chamomile and Lavender.

In my Essential Oils Desk Reference I’ve got another remedy for head lice.

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The oil recommendations are Tea tree, Lavender, Peppermint, Thyme, Geranium, Nutmeg, Rosemary, and Cinnamon Leaf. I guess I would think it would be best to be very careful with these oils on a child’s head…just exercise caution and like with anything try on yourself first! The head lice blend recipe is 4 drops of Thyme, 2 drops of Lavender, and 2 drops of Geranium. This should be diluted 50:50. Apply a tsp to scalp and massage in and cover with shower cap for at least 1/2 hour. Then shampoo and rinse well.

I also just read that Pine is a good oil for repelling lice. Rosemary and Geranium are mentioned in every reference guide I’ve looked in so those are really great. Plus Rosemary is just good for your hair in general!

I think with these tools you can come up with a good recipe on your own, something that will work well for you and your family.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before but if you have lice, it doesn’t mean you are dirty, you just happen to have a nice warm head of hair and a little bit of bad luck. Happy Delousing!