Home Remedies For Lice Problem In Children

 Home remedies for lice 

Head lice are a common problem for school going children and even in adults who don't maintain hair hygiene. Lice are tiny parasites that live in hair and suck blood and nutrition from the scalp. They make the hair weak and ultimately bring about the hair fall.

Why are Lice difficult to Get Rid Of:

All it takes for a colony of lice to sit on your head is just a single one of them. Each one can lay 5-10 nits or eggs a day which hatch in about seven days. So a full infestation takes no more than two weeks to happen. No wonder if you have more lice than hair in one month. Since the parasites are small no larger than a sesame seed you can't see them climb over on your precious hair. So, you can't stop them as you can't see them. They are very difficult to get rid of due to their tenacity and size. After the nits hatch, they just take 15-20 days to become a full-blown louse that is ready to lay its own eggs. So if you are not consistent or just become lazy for 1 or 2 weeks, that is more than enough space for the lice to form a colony. 

 Let us see home remedies that can keep the hair healthy by effectively getting rid of lice.

Remedy 1:

Take a few garlic cloves. Garlich has very high antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that fight hair infections. Grind these garlic cloves into a fine paste using a kitchen grinder. Now strain it using a sieve. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into this garlic extract. Mix well and apply the solution to the scalp and leave for at least two hours before shampoo. Do it twice or thrice a week for better results but don't overdo it.

Remedy 2:

This one is pretty simple. For this, we need 200 ml of coconut oil. Pour it in a clean container. Now we require some camphor which is easily available in all the stores. Take a small camphor pill and drop it in the oil. Stir well till it gets dissolved. Camphor has medicinal properties and should always be used in moderation. Don't use more than one pill for this quantity of oil. Massage the scalp with this oil every day for better results.

Remedy 3:

This one is super effective in not just getting rid of lice but also improves hair growth. Take a medium-sized onion. Peel and dice it for grinding it into a fine paste. Once the paste is ready strain the juice out. Take a cotton ball and apply it thoroughly to the scalp. Try to leave it overnight and shampoo the next day. Doing it at least twice a week will effectively remove all the lice and will make your hair grow faster. If the smell of the onion bothers you, try a lemon cleanse after the shampoo.

Remedy 4:

Take a handful of fresh neem leaves and wash them thoroughly. Grind them using a grinder into a really fine paste. The other ingredient we need for this remedy is mustard oil. Head lice hate mustard oil and would soon say goodbye to your hair. Mix two spoons of mustard oil with two spoons of neem extract. Stir well and apply on the hair roots. Leave for at least two to three hours before shampoo. Repeat three times a week.

Remedy 5:

School children are very much prone to lice and other infections as they mix up with other kids. They have gentle skin and an equally mild treatment should be considered for them. Peppermint and tea tree essential oils are very effective in hair infections yet mild when it comes to children. Essential oils are easily available at pharmacies and also online. Including mustard oil also gives better results.

Take two spoons of mustard oil in a bowl. Add five drops of any one of these essential oils. Remember essential oils are highly concentrated and should always be used in moderation. Mix it all well and massage the scalp with it every day. Follow it with a lice comb. Homemade basil and neem oil are also very helpful in problems like lice, dandruff, and hair fall. 

How to make homemade Neem and Basil Oil:

Get some fresh neem leaves, could be from your garden. Neem has amazing anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Regular use of neem on hair can cure various problems like itching, dandruff, and most importantly head lice. Neem leaves have been traditionally used in South Asian cultures for hair and skin detox. Wash the leaves and dry them. The next ingredient is holy basil, this is optional but will give great results if used. Though both Neem and holy basil are strong in action they are soft on your hair. So this can be used for children as well. Take both of them in equal amounts and grind them into a paste without using water as the fresh leaves have natural water in them. In a heavy bottom, pan pour 200 ml of coconut oil. Make sure that the flame remains at its lowest at all times. We just want to infuse the juices into the molecular structure of the coconut oil. Just a little warming will serve the purpose. Heating the oil too much will burn the natural juices. A few minutes into the process the color of the oil will start to change. 

The molecular structure of the coconut oil is such that the external fluids get infused easily. Keep stirring so that the paste does not get stuck to the bottom. Switch off the flame after five to six minutes. Now leave this oil to cool down. You can leave it overnight so that the mixture is done properly. Pour it into a container by filtering. Make sure the container is free from moisture as it may affect the shelf life of the oil. Though this oil itself is enough to stop and control the lice if the problem is too much or chronic a small addition of a camphor pill will give better results. Don't use too much camphor especially if you are going to use this for your child. Apply the oil thrice a week. Massage the scalp and the entire hair with the oil. Leave it overnight for the best results. Wash it with a mild shampoo the next morning. Within a few days of regular usage, the results would be astonishing. The oil would clear out lice and nits gently while making your hair softer and stronger. 

Few precautions to avoid lice:

• One of the major reasons for developing head infections and head lice is tying wet hair. Before going somewhere in hurry we mostly end up tying wet hair in haste. Sometimes we do it for the kids too. When tied without drying bacteria is developed due to moisture and lack of air. This may lead to dandruff, itching, and infection. 
• Wash your hair frequently as keeping your hair unclean for too long also results in many complications.  Keep your scalp clean too when you wash your hair.
• Don't share your towels, combs, hats and other hair related stuff as they can easily spread lice and other infections.
• Comb your hair regularly with a lice comb that is properly designed and 90 percent of your lice can be eliminated through this process.
• Consistency is the key to removing the lice and eggs completely. Choose a process and follow it religiously for a period of two to three months and then only the problem will get solved completely or you will have the risk of coming back to square one. 

Maintain good hygiene and stay healthy!