Nits, Lice, and the never ending job of getting rid of them

[mum_of_boys]

I have little kids who are only just coming into contact with these bugs.  I used the tea tree oil and the steel comb.  Not the most pleasant of jobs. Personally I think the steel comb does wonders but with our corse, thick hair the combing is not appreciated by my 3yo.


When I took part in the recipe exchange, I also got this idea - a more natural way to go. I thought some of you may be interested...


not quite a food recipe but great none the less

Head Lice Spray

Fill a squirty bottle with water, about 2/3 or 3/4 full

Add some conditioner and shake it.  Add enough that it turns the water white and opaque and stays mixed in.

Add even amounts of Rosemary, Lavender and Eucalyptus oil.  Depending on the size of the container you are using, keep adding until it smells good. I use about a half teaspoon of each, but my bottle is pretty big.

Shake it before you use it everytime and take care to spray behind the ears, the nape of the neck and where the fringe is, so that it gets through to the scalp, thats where the little blighters live.  Don’t spray it near the eyes, I get the bottle really close to the scalp when I spray it and it has a bit of a tendency to run off the hair because of all the oils in it, so pat it into the hair



Does anybody else have ideas on how to combat these sometimes very persistent creatures?

[natalie adams]

i think i have bought every different type of head lice shampoo on the market!! and still they didn't all disappear!

the comb was the best thing, but as you said it wasn't a hit wiith the kids! each time my now 6 1/2 yr old has had them i have just had to wash, comb & repeat until they were all gone - this sometimes took days and days.

one good idea after using the headlice shampoo was to wet & condition the hair and then leave in the conditioner while you used the nit comb. slid through the hair a lot easier and the nits apparently don't like the conditioner.

If all else failed, i would go the easy option and just shave my son's head - lucky for me i have 2 boys, don't think you could get away with this with any little girls!!

tea-tree oil and water in a spray bottle make for a good deterrent - as a daily spray to use on their hair to deter any headlice.  so if you hear of them around the school or kinder just start spraying your child's hair everyday with it. And use lots of hair product (such as gel or hairspray) they hate the stuff!!

good luck!

[mummy1987]

I have had them a few times from when I was in school and also used the spray stuff and that comb which kills but I guess it has to be done to get rid of them!