Head lice.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Head Lice
From: callie.writepage.com (Callie)
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 95 18:19:37 GMT

>Does anyone know how to get rid of head lice using herbal remedies? I have had some success by adding rosemary, tea tree, pennyroyal and eucalyptus to regular shampoo and cream rinse, but I have to use it every single night.
>I have been battling these bugs for months now. They are rampant at my daughter's school. I get rid of them for a month or two at a time and then she gets them again from someone at school.

You are fighting a losing battle. Go to the school adminsitration and demand that they send home an advisory to the parents about the epidemic and list the treatments available, herbal and otherwise. ALL persons in ALL families connected with the school will have to be treated - with whatever they feel comfortable with, but it has to be an attack on all heads at the same time, and with methods effective enough to kill the eggs. You will never grt rid of them on your own - because it is so easy to be reinfested.

Teach your daughter to never borrow or lend hair tools and toys, never try on another's hat, headband, scarf or anything! That's a major spreading factor - shared items rather than head-to-head contact.

>I refuse to use insecticides.

There are pyrethrum-based shampoos - it's an insecticide, but from a plant. Would that be acceptable? What you are using is clearly not working very well.

>I get rid of them for a month or two at a time and then she gets them again from someone at school.

This makes me think that you might not be getting the eggs: they have a life cycle (egg to adult laying eggs) of about a month. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days, so repeat whatever remedies you have found to be successful once a week to catch any new hatchlings before they can reproduce.

You have to de-bug hair items - hot water and soap, or seal them in a plastic bag and leave it somewhere for a week or two to starve the lice. they can live only a few days without feeding. A black plastic bag left in a sunny spot will kill them quickly from the heat.

From: redswan.dorsai.org (Rita M. Black)

> You have to de-bug hair items - hot water and soap, or seal them in a

Don't forget to treat any bedding or other places your daughter might place her head. They can leave eggs behind or might lay eggs there. My daughter had a doll that had to be treated when she got them years ago.