Olive Oil Remedies and Treatments For Head Lice

Because there are many available treatments forrecommend leaving it overnight. When leaving it on
head lice infestation, anyone can get confused overovernight, be sure to put towels on the pillows to
which treatment option to choose. Commercial orprevent the oil from seeping. After leaving it on, run
over-the-counter remedies are typically comprised bya fine-toothed comb on the hair, sectioning the hair if
shampoos or hair lotions with pesticides or chemicalsnecessary to make it easier to remove as much oil,
as the active ingredient, and are typically used byadult lice, and nymphs.
many under the impression of quick and easy headAfter using a nit comb and removing most of the
lice removal solutions. However, many people areolive oil, the hair should be washed thoroughly.
now opting for natural head lice treatments, becauseAlthough olive oil is messier to slather and harder to
they are considered safer options that do not containkeep on the hair, it is easier to wash off compared
chemicals or pesticides. Among these naturalto mayonnaise or petroleum jelly. However, expert
remedies is olive oil, a safe and organic substancerecommend using gentle shampoos since it may still
that is readily available in most supermarkets.need a few repeated rinses to completely remove
People may get skeptical over using olive oil to getthe oil.
rid of pesky head lice. After all, oil made from olivesAnother variation of this treatment is to add a few
is typically used for cooking, and is also sometimesdrops of essential oils such as tea tree oil and
used in cosmetics and skin care products. However,eucalyptus oil to the this kind of treatment. According
like mayonnaise and petroleum jelly, olive oil is a goodto specialists, essential oils also have anti-bacterial and
smothering agent that can be used to kill head liceinsecticidal properties that may help make olive oil a
and nits by suffocating them. Because of itsmore effective agent against lice. Using shampoos
viscosity, olive oil easily coats the hair and the headwith essential oils after the olive oil lice treatment
lice and nits. Its slimy texture also makes it easier tomay also help prevent re-infestation, soothe itching
comb off lice using a fine-toothed nit comb.scalp, and heal sores from lice bites and scratching.
To use lice olive oil treatment, it must be appliedLike most lice remedies this treatment will also require
generously on the hair to make sure that the lice andre-treatments and manual picking of nits or eggs, as
nymphs are completely coated. Then, a plastic bag orno treatment completely gets rid of the eggs. It is
shower cap is used to cover the head, making surealso important to regularly check the head for
that no air gets in. This allows the oil to suffocate thepossible re-infection before it can escalate into
lice and nits effectively. Leaving it on for two orsevere cases, and to prevent them from infesting
three hours is usually sufficient, but some will evenother household members.