Head lice treatment – let alone just the subject of head lice – is enough to make otherwise composed people somewhat squeamish. Anyone who has dealt with lice knows what an intractable problem the stubborn, tiny insects can be. Unfortunately, many parents and caregivers of children with lice want the problem to go away so fast that they often take any means necessary to rid a head and a home of the lice and their eggs, even if that means treating the scalp with toxic, untested chemicals. Reading the label of over-the-counter lice shampoos can be enlightening, and alarming.
Pediculicide Lice Shampoos: Toxic Chemicals Are Dangerous and Less Effective
Pediculicides (lice-killing pesticides like Nix® and RID®), though regulated by FDA, are nerve poisons designed to interfere with nervous systems of lice. There is no evidence to reveal how it can affect the nervous system of a child, who has a much more vulnerable immune system than an adult. Pediculicides don’t dissolve the nit casing, which if left on the hair shaft can hatch into a louse and re-infest the head, starting the whole cycle again.
Lindane, banned in 52 countries, contains carcinogenic ingredients. Tests prove evidence of damage to liver, kidney, nervous and immune systems. Permethrin, a common agent in lice shampoos, is also carcinogen. Lice are becoming resistant to permethrin making these products less effective.
Other common lice-killing chemicals are pyrethrums and pyrethroids, which contain pesticides that have recently been banned in food production ( www.licesolution.com/pesticides) and have not been tested extensively in humans.
Olive Oil: A Natural and More Effective Remedy for Lice
In the meantime, there is a safe and highly effective treatment that not only kills head lice but also removes the nits that are so crucial to eliminate. Most of the ingredients are common household items.
Set aside a good chunk of time, as with shoulder-length hair this process can take approximately two hours or more, in addition to the olive oil soaking time.
- Drench hair and head with olive oil, making sure to saturate the scalp thoroughly.
- Wrap up hair as completely as possible and cover with a tight-fitting shower cap. Since some olive oil is likely to ooze out, a towel draped around the shoulders is recommended.
- Leave the shower cap on for a minimum of three hours. The longer the cap is on with the head saturated, the less chance the lice have to survive and stay affixed.
- Now comes the more labor-intensive part: the de-lousing and nitpicking. Find a well-lit area (natural light is ideal) or use a bright light positioned near the subject’s head. Place towels or newspapers under a chair and have a metal lice comb (as fine as possible), bowl of warm soapy water, tissues or paper towels, and some hair clips handy. If hair is short, hair clips are not necessary. Reading glasses or a light with a magnifier can be helpful.
- Pick one section or hair at a time, clipping back other hair if necessary. Pull out one lock of hair at a time and comb from scalp to the end of the hair, looking for any live lice close to or on the scalp, as well as nits (translucent-colored eggs that are glued to the hair shaft). The olive oil helps dissolve the nits from clinging onto the hair shaft. Rinse comb carefully in soapy water (looking for dead insects and nits floating—a sign that combing is effective).
- If hair is particularly fine, using two fingernails to pull a nit all the way down and off each piece of hair may be required.
- Continue process for every section of the hair until, after close scrutiny, no more nits or lice are visible.
- Wash the hair with dish liquid, repeating if necessary, to remove the olive oil from the hair. Wash one final time with regular shampoo (tea tree oil has been shown to repel lice; many shampoos containing tea tree oil can be found at drugstores and natural food stores).
- Be sure to carefully dispose of tissues in a tightly sealed bag.
- Dry hair with a hairdryer—the heat helps kill any remaining lice.
- Repeat this entire procedure every three to four days for several weeks to be sure that any undetected nits won’t hatch and begin a new infestation (it only takes two).
Minimizing exposure to chemicals is paramount to keeping kids and adults healthy. Head lice treatment should be no exception. Treating the affected scalp and head with olive oil properly, with repeat applications and unwavering vigilance, is a healthier and more effective choice.
Sources:
eHow.com, "How to Treat Lice with Olive Oil" (Accessed April 28, 2010)
About.com: Dermatology "Lindane-Head Lice and Scabies Treatment" (Accessed April 28, 2010)
PesticideInfo.org: "PAN Pesticides Database-Chemicals" (Accessed April 28, 2010)
Phoebe Outerbridge - Phoebe Outerbridge has been a freelance writer for over 20 years, for clients as diverse as pharmaceutical companies, independent schools, ...
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