In family homes across the country parents are battling with a frustrating problem. Research shows that 1 in 5 children have headlice at any given time and they are becoming immune to conventional treatment. The standard treatment often involves chemicals such as pesticides and organophosphates. So what preventatives and natural alternatives are available?
The best way to avoid headlice is to have a preventative routine that you use when your children come into contact with nits at school. Regular brushing and combing, for example, is a good way to maintain scalp and hair health and to keep headlice away.
How to prevent lice:
- Tie long hair up while at school or with other kids.
- Put a drop of lavender onto your child’s hairbrush. The oil rests on the hair and deters lice from settling.
- Regular brushing stops nits from hanging around.
- Once a week or so do a quick nit check. Look behind the ears, under the fringe and at the nape of the neck. If there are just a few eggs follow this with a shampoo and then comb through with a fine tooth nit comb. Use conditioner to make the job easier. Rinse the conditioner out and then follow with a quassia bark rinse.
- Use neem shampoo once a week as a preventative.
Make your own: Quassia Bark Rinse
To make the rinse, soak a large handful of quassia bark chips (available from a herbalist or local health food store) in a one and a half litres of cold water overnight. Strain through a colander into a bowl and then it is ready for use. Bottled and stored in the fridge it will last for about a week. This herbal treatment is good as a preventative and effective in getting rid of nits too, if used every two days. Spray onto head using a spray bottle – make sure all hair is covered. Leave in, if possible. It doesn’t smell unpleasant but you can add a drop or two of lavender to the bottle to give it a scent.
There are other herbal preparations that can be used in the treatment of headlice. We would recommend choosing these over standard pharmaceutical products, but nothing can beat a regular combing session, through wet hair to eradicate nits.
DELACET HERBAL HEADLICE SOLUTION £9.99
A herbal based treatment containing tincture of Larkspur. The active ingredient of the plant is called delphinine and is a strong insecticide and parasiticide. Can be used on dreadlocks, no combing required.
NITTY GRITTY COMPLETE PACK £27.99
Free from organophosphates and pesticides the Aromatherapy Headlice Kit contains just natural ingredients and comes with a mean looking NitFree comb. Repellent Spray helps protect against reinfestation.
NEEM TEAM HEADLICE TREATMENT PACK £20
Organic neem oil shampoo and conditioner combine with pure neem oil to provide the sweetest smelling natural treatment and prevention against headlice.
BOTANICALS HEADLICE TREATMENT KIT £24
A neem and tea tree botanical shampoo and conditioner contains herbal extracts to erradicate lice. Plus lavender and rosemary leave-in fi nishing spritz and two combs.
Do you have any tips on removing or preventing nits? Please do share them.
Melissa Corkhill is the editor of The Green Parent magazine, mother of two and author of the book Green Parenting
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1 comment in response to this article
The Nitty Gritty head lice comb is really good and I was delighted to find I could get it free on prescription for my sons, I just phoned my GP and picked up the prescription.
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