It’s about that time again! Back-to-school time? Well, yes – time for school supplies and new clothes and locker combinations. It’s also time for head checks, itchy scalps and and those little demon bugs we call lice. Whenever hundreds of children get together in close proximity in warm weather, the threat of lice is there. 
A local hair dresser said she had three children unknowingly come in with lice and/or nits just in the last few days. This revelation inevitably made my scalp itch, and the paranoia creep in. (Admit it, you’re scratching your head right now.) A couple of years ago, our children were victims of a lice outbreak at school. It’s incredibly embarrassing for kids, especially for those who take great care to wash and groom themselves (a.k.a. vain). I learned of this fool proof method from a friend, which we used on our children with great success… after we spent lots of money and time on the failed harsh chemical treatments. This method WILL work, but it’s important that you not skip any steps.
Fool Proof Lice Treatment
Materials Needed
- Olive Oil
- Plastic Shower Cap or plastic wrap
- Dawn Dish Soap (yes, it have to be Dawn brand)
- Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner
- Metal Lice Comb
- Hair Dryer
- Flat Iron
Steps to Lice Freedom:
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With your child in the bath tub, rub olive oil all over his/her scalp. Be sure to rub down under the hair and make sure it gets to the skin. The oil will “suffocate” any live lice.
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Place the plastic shower cap over the oil-covered head and leave on overnight, or for several hours.
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Wash the hair with Dawn dish soap, which will cut through the oil.
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Wash with tea tree oil shampoo and use tea tree oil conditioner. Tea tree oil works to repel lice.
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Comb through the hair with the lice comb to remove any visible nits.
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Dry your child’s hair on the hottest setting he/she can stand. High heat will kill any remaining lice.
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Use the hot flat iron all over the hair, getting as close to the scalp as possible. Be careful not to burn. The heat from the iron burns the mess out of any remaining nits.
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Continue to wash hair with tea tree shampoo, dry with a hair dryer, and use the flat iron for the next several days.
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Share this method with all the parents at your child’s school so they don’t keep sending their children back with lice!
After treatment, wash all clothes, bedding, pillows, and anything that was in the child’s room where they sleep. Put any stuffed animals, or plush toys you can’t wash in thick trash bags for 48 hours and then in the dryer on high heat. Vacuum all floors and furniture and sweep/mop floors. Throw out household brushes and buy new ones. This is our fool proof battle plan against lice. Please let me know if you try it and tell me how it worked. Of course I can’t guarantee 100% success but we’ve not been let down yet!
So when we found out all 3 kids had lice 2 days before we were suppose to fly to the States for 3 weeks, I called my friend who is the local lice removal expert to come help me. The good news is that you don’t have to put stuffed animals away for four weeks. You can put them in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes or bag them for 48 hours. Lice can’t live without human nourishment for more than 48 hours. So your child doesn’t have to live without their fav stuffed animal for a month. I did both the dryer and 48 hours on a shelf just to be sure. 🙂 Boiled our brushes, and the rest of the post was very similar to what she did. We also got a super good comb and combed for a good week. Like the flat iron idea. Will have to tell her that one. And now I mixed peppermint essential oil, water, and a spray on conditioner that my DD uses to spray on her hair every day. I’m about 99% positive the peppermint oil was the reason I didn’t have lice like the kids. I had a few bites on my neck but no lice. I had been using the peppermint oil on my chest and neck for a good month before for other reasons. I don’t think they stayed. 🙂 and our poor boys – we just shaved their heads.