Head lice are no fun to have, but luckily there are ways to get rid of them naturally.
This DIY coconut oil head lice treatment with anise oil and apple cider vinegar get the job done.
But first, let’s look into what head lice are and what they do.
Head lice basics
Head lice are tiny parasites that like to settle in the scalp and neck area where hair grows.
They lay their eggs near the hair shafts, which makes it often difficult to locate them.
You will most likely notice them because of the strong itching and the red bumps they cause. Sometimes you might see the lice crawling through the hair.
Head lice are usually not bigger than 2-3 mm in size. The eggs are little white / yellow dots.
They feed of small amounts of blood (ew, I know), so the sooner you get rid of them, the better.
Head lice spread very easily. They can literally move from an infected person’s head to someone else’s and sometimes also through clothes and objects such as combs.
Head lice are not hygiene related and anyone can get infected. Hair washing frequency has nothing to do with getting them.
Young school children are particularly prone to head lice outbreaks, because when one kid has it, it rapidly spreads to the other children.
Having head lice is very annoying and it requires a bit of work to get rid of them.
You need to do this in stages so that you can remove both the adult head lice and the nits.
The good news is that there are very effective natural remedies to do this. There is no need to use questionable chemicals on your or your child’s head.
I explain how to do this step by step using this DIY coconut oil head lice treatment with anise oil, apple cider vinegar and a nit comb.
Getting rid of head lice
For the nits:
Apple cider vinegar helps remove the nits by loosening the glue that holds the nits tightened to the hair shaft.
This way they will be much easier to take out with a nit comb.
The best type of vinegar that you can use for this is a natural, organic apple cider vinegar. It is mild for your skin and has an acidity level of 5%, which is what you need.
Do be mindful about skin sensitivities, especially if the scalp is irritated from the scratching and the lice bites.
For the head lice:
Coconut oil has strong anti-parasitic properties. Scientific tests have shown that a mixture of coconut oil and anise spray is very effective against head lice.
It’s fascinating how coconut oil is so gentle and nourishing on one hand, yet strong enough to combat harmful invaders at the same time.
This multi-stage DIY coconut oil head lice treatment with anise oil and vinegar is a good, natural remedy that is safe for both children and adults.
How to make it
Ingredients:
2 cups / 500 ml apple cider vinegar
1 cup / 250 ml water
3 tbsp coconut oil
10 drops anise essential oil
tea tree essential oil (optional)
These amounts are enough for shoulder-length hair. Increase the amounts for longer hair.
Vinegar treatment:
Mix 2 cups of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water. Apply it to the hair, scalp, back part of the neck and the area behind the ears.
Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes and rinse the hair.
Use a nit comb to comb all the nits out. Start at the scalp and work towards the hair ends.
Repeat the apple cider vinegar wash for at least two more days or until all the nits are gone.
It’s important to keep combing the hair with the nit comb, up until two weeks after you stop seeing head lice.
Coconut oil treatment:
For this DIY coconut oil head lice treatment with anise oil you need to mix you need coconut oil in a liquid consistency.
If the coconut oil is solid, gently melt it au bain marie in a bowl placed in a pan with shimmering water.
Remove the bowl from the pan and mix in the anise oil.
Massage the mixture into the scalp and hair by working from the roots till the ends.
Cover your head with a shower cap and leave it on for 3 hours minimum.
Remove the shower cap and throw it out.
Comb the hair using the nit comb, then wash the hair as usual.
You can finish up with massaging a bit of coconut oil into your scalp and leave it in.
Lice treatments need to be repeated until all signs of head lice have disappeared.
Both the coconut oil treatment and the vinegar wash should be repeated several times until the head is free from lice.
Make sure to comb your hair twice a day with a nit comb and hopefully the lice will soon be gone for good!
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