April 13, 2009

How effective is Olive Oil in Treating Lice?

Posted in Category : Natural Cures

A head lice infestation, though not a serious condition, is a big nuisance to the person who suffers it. These tiny parasitic creatures spread very quickly from one infected person to another and are quite resilient. Head lice puncture the scalp and feed on the blood. As a result, the scalp feels constantly itchy and small reddish bumps appear on the scalp. So, if you experience any of these symptoms, your head is probably infested with lice. If you are suffering from head lice you will also notice nits (that’s lice eggs) appearing on your hair. Nits are tiny white shells that are often mistaken as dandruff. However, unlike dandruff, which fall freely from hair, the nits cling to the strands of hair and are not easy to remove.

The olive oil treatment is a good remedy for head lice. For this treatment, you will need to massage your scalp and hair with good amount of olive oil. Thereafter, you will need to wrap your head with a plastic bag or shower cap. Leave your hair thus soaked in olive oil overnight and wash off in the morning. Add a little bit of apple cider vinegar to the water while you wash your hair. This will help loosen the nits from the hair and will be easier to remove. After you have washed your hair, pick up a comb and brush your hair with it. Comb your hair out while still wet and remember that the denser the teeth of the comb the better. Combs with denser teeth are better because they will be more effective in taking out the lice and nits from the hair. You will need to carry out this treatment once a week, and keep it up for at least a month. Repeated use of this treatment is necessary because head lice are unlikely to be eliminated with single use of this treatment. Although you may eliminate a sizeable number of head lice with one olive oil treatment, it is more than likely that the head lice population will increase again within a short time.

Besides practicing the methods mentioned above, it is also important to take some preventive steps so that the spreading of lice can be restricted. Whenever a member of the family is affected, care should be taken by the whole house to avoid using items (like combs, towels, and clothes) that are used by the infected person. Wash contaminated clothes with disinfectants in hot water and vacuum clean the house at regular intervals.