Natural Ways to Tackle Head Lice in Kids

Every parent knows the frustration of when a child comes home from preschool with an unstoppable urge to scratch their head.

Initially, many parents don't connect the dots to lice. They might assume their child just spent too much time in the sandbox or perhaps doesn't wash their hair enough – yet this assumption is off the mark because no amount of washing can solve this issue.

So, what's the first step to take?

First off, stay calm. Secondly, grab a fine-toothed comb and comb through your child's hair while it’s still wet. Why wet? Because it's much easier to remove lice that way.

Since traditional approaches don’t endorse chemical solutions for eliminating lice, here are some 'grandma's remedies' that work wonders without chemicals.

Vinegar – your new best friend

If you haven’t yet embraced it for house cleaning, you might just start using vinegar to clean your child's head. It’s known for its strong lice-fighting properties when mixed with... hot water.

How to treat with vinegar: Mix two tablespoons of vinegar in a bowl of boiling water. Dip the fine-toothed comb in the bowl and then comb through the hair. You can also ‘wash’ the hair with vinegar and then comb it out.

Olive oil – suffocates lice effectively

Just like its companion vinegar, olive oil is famed for its remarkable ability to eliminate lice.

How to treat with olive oil: Generously apply olive oil all over the head. Wrap the hair with a plastic bag or shower cap for two hours, wash your child's hair, and then comb with a fine-toothed comb.

Along with olive oil, you might also consider using essential oils like rosemary, lavender, tea tree, and geranium. These oils have strong scents that can kill lice. Applying these oils behind your child's ears before school helps keep lice away (or kills any brave enough to approach).

If your child refuses to use these methods, there's another option: hot air drying. The heat from a hairdryer can 'burn' the lice.

How to treat with heat: Dry all parts of the child’s head daily for about ten minutes with a hairdryer. The more consistent you are, the cleaner your child's head will be.