Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

Head lice are tiny wingless insects that only live on the 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 the appearance of head lice.They are spread through person-to-person contact. If you or your child gets lice, you can treat it with tea tree oil.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Identifying and Minimizing the Lice Transmission

1. 

   Identify signs of head lice. There are many causes of itchy scalp, and it's easy to confuse dandruff with head lice. It is important to know the signs that the head has lice so that it can be effectively treated:
   • Use a combed tooth comb to check your hair and scalp for lice and its nits. When alive, lice are the size of a sesame seed (2-3mm long), while nits are usually yellowish white on the hair shaft close to the scalp. Eggs are slightly smaller than the size of adult lice.
   • Find eggs in your hair. Eggs that remain on the hair shaft more than 5 mm from the scalp are most likely to hatch into lice. This is because lice must suck a very small amount of blood from the scalp to survive, and the warmth radiating from the scalp helps them grow better. The eggs further down the hair shaft will usually die or have hatched into lice.
   • Use a magnifying glass to check your scalp and hair. Dust and dandruff particles are often confused with lice, so you must use a magnifying glass to determine if it is a lice or nits. If you do not see the lice or have only the eggs on the hair shaft and away from the scalp, the lice infection may be gone.
   • Look behind the ear and at the hairline. Head lice and nits are easy to spot in these areas because the hair density is quite thin.

2. 

   
   
   Check everyone in your home for lice transmission. Although they cannot fly or dance, head lice are extremely contagious and can be passed on to everyone in a family. If one person in your home has head lice, you should check the hair and scalp of everyone else in the house for signs of this insect.
   • Head lice are most contagious by sharing a comb, hat or sleeping in the same bed with an infected person. If you have children sharing a bed or room, or sharing clothes often, you should check all those people for lice.

3. 

   
   
   Change into clean clothes. If you find that someone in your household has head lice, ask them to change into clean clothes, as there is a chance that nits are stuck on clothes, especially a shirt, scarf or hat.

4. 

   Clean household items that have been used by someone with lice. Poor hygiene is not a cause of lice, but they can latch on to fabrics and objects, thereby spreading them to others. It is therefore important that you clean and completely sterilize these items.
   • Machine wash and dry clothing, bedding, hats, towels and all clothing that has been in contact with the person with lice. Use hot water and dry with high heat. If the item cannot be machine-washed, wrap it in a plastic bag and put it away for 2 weeks, the lice will suffocate in it.
   • Dip the comb and brush in hot water (at least 50 ° C) for 5-10 minutes, or put in the dishwasher with hot water.
   • Vacuum floors and change upholstery. Head lice cannot live long if they are not fed on human blood, but vacuuming will remove scattered lice to prevent them from spreading to others.

5. 

   
   
   Treat everyone in your household at the same time. Anyone who shows signs of lice infection or who shares a room with someone with lice should be treated immediately. Otherwise, another wave of lice will flare up while they remain in someone's hair. advertisement

Part 2 of 2: Using Tea Tree Oil for Lice

1. 

   Buy tea tree oil. Tea tree essential oil has antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiviral properties. Although the mechanism for these properties is not understood, tea tree oil has been shown to be effective in killing lice eggs, and in reducing the number of head lice. It also has the ability to repel lice.
   • A mixture of tea tree oil and lavender oil has been shown to kill lice and its eggs. Look for pure lavender oil.
   • While many shampoos and conditioners contain tea tree oil, the levels are often not concentrated enough to be effective. The essential oil content should be at least 2% to be able to kill lice eggs.
   • Look for essential oils extracted from tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) that are produced using the technique of "water distillation".

2. 

   Buy a lice comb. This type of comb has very tight teeth, so the hair can be examined near the scalp.
   • If not, you should also buy a magnifying glass, to aid in examining the scalp after treatment.

3. 

   Mix tea tree oil with shampoo. Since tea tree oil can irritate the scalp, it's best to mix it with shampoo before using it.
   • Use an eye drop dropper and place 2-4 drops of essential oil in a small bowl.
   • Add 2-4 drops of lavender essential oil.
   • Small next from 96-98 drops of shampoo, the type has a slight decrease in content. (If you want to approximate with your eyes, pour enough shampoo to create a puddle about the size of a coin.)
   • Add a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help suffocate lice.
   • Mix the mixture well until completely mixed.

4. 

   Apply the shampoo mixture to your hair. Pay close attention to the scalp as that is where the lice and nits reside, then roll your hair into your hood when you shower or swim. Let stand for 30 minutes.
   • If itching or burning symptoms appear during treatment, it may be due to an allergic reaction in the body. You must quickly wash your hair with warm water and rinse it again with a very mild shampoo. Use a towel to wipe your hair and let it air dry. Rinse again if the scalp is still itchy or red.

5. 

   Stir the shampoo into a foam and rinse it off with water. Rub shampoo on your hair and use your fingers to run through your hair to try to get rid of as many lice as possible. Wash your head completely with warm water.

6. 

   Apply conditioner to your hair. Because conditioner is so thick, it can choke live lice that tea tree oil cannot kill. In addition, conditioner also makes it easier to comb the lice through your hair, remember not to use shampoo to remove conditioner from your hair.

7. 

   Use a lice comb to brush through your hair. Start brushing from the scalp as this is where the eggs attach and hatch. If the person with lice has long hair, divide the hair into small pieces to brush it in little pieces.
   • This is the step to do slowly! If you cannot catch even a few eggs, they will hatch within a few days and a new wave of lice starts.

8. 

   Repeat Steps 3-7 daily for 7 days. This is really necessary, although it seems too careful. Since nits take about a week to hatch and develop into adult lice, you should maintain treatment for a full week to make sure you kill any scattered eggs.

9. 

   Regularly use shampoos containing tea tree oil. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to a shampoo similar to the ratio used to treat lice, or purchase a shampoo that already contains tea tree oil. You should use this shampoo once a week to prevent lice from coming back. advertisement

Advice

• If your child has head lice, notify the school where he / she learns so they will warn other parents. Young children get lice easily, so large-scale prevention is needed to ensure that lice do not return.
• Head lice live only on the scalp of a person and they are not transmitted by pets.
• Avoid letting your child have “head-to-head” contact as much as possible (don't lie on their head, don't share pillows while sleeping in someone's house, etc.). Remind your baby not to share clothes, hats or other items with friends. This will make your child less likely to get lice from others.

Warning

• Tea tree oil can cause poisoning if taken, do not apply it near the mouth and must not drink it.
• Tea tree oil has not been tested for safety in pregnant or lactating women, and is therefore not recommended for these users.
• Some people are allergic to tea tree oil, so if you experience redness, irritation, or itching, stop using it.
• Tea tree oil can cause hormonal side effects in pre-pubertal boys, such as abnormal breast growth (enlarged male breasts).While there is no definite relationship between tea tree oil and this health condition, it's advisable not to use tea tree oil for boys.

What you need

• Tea tree oil
• Lice comb
• Magnifying glass
• Shampoos with mild amounts of mildness and conditioner