Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Nasty Little Nits

 

They're driving me crazy mom!!

In fourth grade either my little sister or I brought lice home from school. Not on purpose mind you. Man that itched like crazy! My older sister and her friend Debbie spent much of their free teenage time helping us get rid of them.The skin across my body crawls to think about the time I spent with those nasty little things crawling on ( and biting )my head! They are miserable to have, and miserable to get rid of. So, how do you get rid of them?

Well, the way we got rid of them was to use the commercial "RID" product. In my experience, we had to do more than one treatment because the first time didn't completely get them. This is actually a pesticide...on your brain. If used often can cause health problems. Is there another way?

Here is one mom's experience:


Treating lice in my home was a detour in our summer to say the least. After some research, I made up an effective solution of apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil and water.

• Apple cider vinegar helps restore natural pH to the scalp.
• Tea tree oil is reported to be the most effective in repelling and eliminating lice.
• Eucalyptus and rosemary also are considered to be effective.
• Lavender is great to sooth itching.
• I first washed and rinsed the hair, and then, without adding conditioning agents, I poured this solution through each of my family member’s hair. The solution actually has a rather nice smell. The lavender seemed to calm down the apple cider vinegar smell. I then put coconut oil on the hair.
• Coconut oil is reported to suffocate the lice so that they cannot live nor grasp onto the hair.
  I combed through my daughter’s oiled hair with a nit comb and braided about 20 strands in her hair so I could keep a watch on things. Throughout the day I would spray the hair with the apple cider essential oil solution I had made. I also sprayed couches and my car. All bedding and clothing worn was put in a hot water wash to sanitize them. These parasites can’t live in temperatures of extreme heat or cold. You can also bag items for 24 hours to ensure lice are killed if you cannot wash these items.

http://herballegacy.com/Scratching%20My%20Head%20Over%20This.pdf
Here is her recipe for the spray:

Lice Hair Rinse

3/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar (with the “mother” in it)
1tsp. Tea Tree Oil
1tsp. Eucalyptus Oil
½ tsp. Lavender Oil
3 1/2 C distilled water.
 
Mix and it’s ready. I used about 1/3 of the solution on each head of hair for the initial dose. Do not rinse the solution out. Let it dry. I later applied coconut oil to the hair. After using the hair rinse, letting it dry and applying the coconut oil (and in my case braiding) I would spray the hair wet with a spray bottle a few times a day to moisten the scalp. Spray bedding and furniture down to deter lice. Note: this is to be used externally, not internally.  We did this rinse twice, a few days apart, and for a total of about a week of spraying and monitoring. Be sure to close your eyes when spraying the solution so as to not bother your eyes.

Recipe by Kelly Pomeroy
Printable Version:  http://www.herballegacy.com

It is nice to know that there are natural alternatives because my experience was miserable. All of the ingredients are easy to store for emergencies also. Thank you Kelly Pomeroy for Knixing those Nasty Little Nits so we could benefit.