Natural Remedies for Head Lice

Head lice are a common issue faced by many people. These minute organisms cause many problems, especially in children. One of the most common symptoms of head lice is an itchy scalp. Head lice, however, cannot cause serious illnesses, but can be psychologically damaging to people afflicted by them. Lice go through three stages in their life span. The nit is the egg stage. This is followed by the nymph stage and finally the adult stage.

The nits are attached to the base of the hair by a strong secretion because of their requirement of body heat to hatch. The nymphs undergo three different moultings before turning into adults. The adult lice feed on blood after having pierced the scalp with their claws, causing an irritable itchy sensation. Other signs to confirm that you have hair lice, is by sensation of movement in the scalp, a swelling of the lymph nodes present in the front and back of the neck and by red or pus sores on the scalp caused by scratching. Lice are spread through various means. The frequent exchange of caps, uniforms, coats and sportswear will pass it on to other people. Objects such as pillows, bed sheets and other linen, which come in direct contact with other people, are also commons mediums to spread head lice.

There are many well-recommended home remedies to deal with the problem of head lice. Onion juice applied to the scalp kills the parasites present in the hair because of its high content of pungent sulfur. After having applied the onion juice, wash the hair to remove the dead lice. Since you will not rid yourself of lice in one sitting, the procedure needs to be repeated for a minimum of three days. Other time-tested remedies for head lice include grinding a clove of garlic into a paste and applying it to the scalp before going to sleep. The pungent chemical content of garlic will kill the germs overnight. You can wash out the dead lice from your hair while bathing the next morning. Allowing leaves of the margosa tree to soak in oil will draw out extracts from the leaves. Apply the oil to your scalp and leave it there for a while, after which you must comb your hair with a strong fine toothcomb. The extract of margosa kills the lice and the fine toothcomb helps you to comb them out of your hair.