LICE and essential oils

LICE



have you itched your head yet? I have.... just the mention... the sight....seeing the health clerk checking...I can itch the whole day, ...power of suggestion.  This post is because I already have seen three grades effected (in September) and a teacher reached out for oils to diffuse in her classroom (shout out to all teachers! because they all spend money for their classrooms to enrich the environment in so many ways)

Here are a few truths about Lice:
It's not because you are dirty, they LOVE clean straight hair (easier to crawl)
you probably have had them for at least two weeks before noticing an infestation
they do not jump (only can crawl)
adult louse need heat and a food source or will die in 24-72 hrs
lice can live underwater for 8 hrs
eggs hatch in 7-10 days
nymphs (baby louse) mature in 9-12 days
adults live 3-4 weeks
females lay up to 6 eggs a day
lice cannot survive on pets
per CDC lice are not a communicable disease and school staff no longer are to send children with active infestations (live bugs) home

with the information above, working in a school, and using essential oils, here are some tips for eradicating those nasty buggers!* these tips come from some research (some studies linked below if you're so inclined), the health assistant at my school who is a goddess and sees lice ALL the time and will check me when I cannot stop itching (and yet I have never had as an adult! I even had a parent check me once I was so freaked out, she offered... I'm just saying),and reading about essential oils.

Use coconut oil (lice can be smothered and olive and coconut oil show effectiveness without the difficulty of removal-or gross factor-of mayonnaise and Vaseline) but primarily because this is a great carrier oil for other oils (helps them spread evenly.) In the coconut oil (fractionated or not, just rub in your hands if it's solid as it will remain liquid in proximity to body.) add 5-10 drops of following oils, I'd recommend using three oils at once, the top three being the ones to start with (substitute geranium if an allergy to Eucalyptus). Leave this on overnight, or at least 12 hours, with a shower cap.  Then use a fine tooth comb, or your fingernails as necessary, and section hair and remove EVERY nit.  this can be tedious depending on the amount of hair and number of people infected. This is also KEY, the nits are harder to kill and must be removed. You must repeat the nit removal every three days for at least two weeks, and I would repeat the oils as well.  Switching oils some may help kill a different stage louse.   If you just do nit removal, you can get rid of lice, the live adults will be combed out and crawl up the comb (your arm potentially).  Nit removal is key, check your child every day for two weeks following an infestation.  If lice are in your child's classroom, the essential oils below are also a deterrent as well as hair being up.  Catch it early and it's so much easier.  That being said, as parents what a blessing to know lice is going around.  My daughter has waist length hair, and I was always so grateful a parent reached out (we have grade level FB pages, doesn't even need to state who but that someone has lice) saying a child had lice and I knew to keep my daughter's hair up and to check early for signs of infestation.
Here is a list of oils that have some effectiveness against lice:
(test all of these for an allergic reaction, especially tea tree and Eucalyptus)
Melaleuca (tea tree)
Eucalyptus
Lavender (kinda a powerhouse oil!)
Rosemary (also helps the itch of the bites)
Peppermint
Geranium
Pine
Cinnamon leaf
Thyme
Spearmint
Cassia
Clove
Anise

per this study.. ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27112758) Spearmint, cassia and clove combination was the most effective at inhibiting nymphs emerging from eggs (nits).



(you're welcome I didn't post a photo of a louse!)


                                                                                         -Lo

  (*disclaimer, I am a Do Terra rep so I can get a discount on products I buy for myself and give that discount to friends who want oils, I'd be happy for you to sign up under me to make some extra cash as a single mom! but this post is for information; my do  Terra ID #  is  6095873)


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28266704


*** Love essential oils. They do so much for people. I wish I would of known more about them when my kids were in Elementary school! Love, Ro