Natural Ways to Get Rid of Head Lice

When Pesticides Aren't the Answer

School starts, you get everyone settled into their new routines, and as fall zooms along and you start focusing on the upcoming holidays…wham! One of your kids comes home with head lice. Head lice are passed around in any group setting, but particularly those that involve children: daycare, playgroups, preschools, kindergarten, and school. Children are much more apt to have head lice because of the close proximity of their play. Girls are more susceptible probably because their hair is generally longer than boys’ hair; and because girls elementary school age and above share more physical proximity with their friends than boys do. If nothing else, girls do share their hair care products with each more than boys do. 

Despite a long held social stigma and embarrassment about having head lice, it does not reflect on the hygiene or cleanliness of your home or child. On the contrary, head lice seem to appreciate nice, clean hair to live and lay eggs (“nits”) in. There is some anecdotal evidence that supports the phenomenon that people who use hair spray and hair gels are protected from head lice by their hair products. 

Having head lice is not a sure ticket out of attending school any more either. The dreaded “no nits” policy of a few years ago is being phased out because having head lice is not a health issue. There is nothing dangerous or disease-laden. Having head lice may cause a child’s head to be itchy, and excessive scalp scratching could lead to infected skin, but that’s about the only health risk involved. They are simply very contagious and very annoying.