Lice on the hair? Defeat them with these natural remedies

Lice infestation, called pediculosis, causes discomfort and itching in the affected area. Fortunately, there are valid natural remedies to defeat lice. Let’s see how they work and how to prepare them.

What are lice?

Lice are small wingless insects with hooked legs capable of adhering strongly to the hair and hair of adults and children.

The infestation caused by lice is called pediculosis. It is responsible for great discomfort in the affected area because the parasites prick the skin by depositing their saliva, giving an intense itch.

Contagion occurs by direct contact with a person infected with lice. For example, following the sharing of brushes, combs, clothing, or bed linen and infestations often occur in trendy places, such as schools and gyms.

The development of lice goes through three phases: the eggs or nits, tiny and deposited at the root of the hair, subsequently turn into nymphs, and finally mature in the form of the adult louse after one or two weeks.

Adult lice lay up to five eggs a day: the infestation spreads very quickly and is diagnosed for the presence of the adult insect or eggs.

How to eradicate lice naturally.

If the infestation is small, it is possible to eliminate lice from the hair with natural remedies and straightforward treatments.

The first thing to do is comb the hair from the root to the ends with a steel comb with very narrow teeth: in this way, it is possible to diagnose a possible infestation and remove nits and any adult insects. Hair must be combed every three days very meticulously for at least two weeks.

To facilitate the operation, it can be useful to wash the hair with water and white wine vinegar before proceeding: the vinegar seems to be able to dissolve the substance that allows the lice to remain well-anchored to our hair, which is why it is always used to combat these annoying parasites. Thus, in addition to combing your hair carefully to eliminate insects and nits, you can resort to the use of natural products to eradicate lice.

Against lice, natural remedies such as oil and powder extracted from Azadirachta indica, a plant known as neem, seem to be among the most effective. It appears that the insecticidal action of neem is due to azadiractin, a substance effective against numerous insects, bacteria, and fungi.

The neem powder is obtained by grinding the plant’s dried leaves and making effective compresses against lice: mix the neem powder with water and apply the mask on the hair for about thirty minutes.

After the exposure time, rinse the compress with water or, better yet, with a solution of water and white wine vinegar. In addition to fighting lice, neem powder also has a moderate cleaning effect, and thanks to its ability to remove dirt from the hair, it can replace shampoo during the period of pediculosis treatment.

The neem oil is instead extracted by pressure from the seeds of the plant’s fruits; it is an intensely colored oil characterized by a strong, not particularly pleasant smell. Neem oil is also rich in azadiractin and has a powerful insecticidal effect.

Among the vegetable oils useful for fighting lice, we find coconut oil. Thanks to the high content of lauric acid, coconut oil is an excellent antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial product. In addition to being an excellent natural remedy for beautiful and shiny hair, coconut oil is also effective for treating and curing infestations caused by lice.

Finally, essential oils are also beneficial against pediculosis; in particular, Tea tree and lavender essential oils seem to be particularly effective.

Lice compress

Taking advantage of the properties of natural ingredients, we can prepare lice to compress, useful for fighting the infestation caused by these parasites in children and adults.

Let’s see how to proceed. In a bowl, mix 85 grams of coconut oil and 15 grams of neem oil, mixing well with a spatula to soften the coconut oil and mix the two ingredients. When the mixture is homogeneous, add 5 milliliters of lavender essential oil and mix again.

Apply the compress every three days and let it act on the hair for half an hour; this oil against lice can be kept in place to facilitate the removal of lice and eggs through the comb. After the exposure, time washes your hair thoroughly: it may take several shampoos to eliminate oil residues.