Tackling head lice is a huge problem. These little parasites suck the blood from your scalp and leave behind hair problems. With all the discomfort that lice cause, it is a little tricky to find a safe and workable solution. That's where olive oil for head lice treatment comes to the rescue.
You might have tried solutions like lice combing, chemical shampoos, and essential oils. But no other remedy works well as olive oil to get rid of hair lice. However, it is crucial to understand the problem and the solution step by step. Hence, today, we have come up with this olive oil for head lice guide for you!
In this guide, we will unleash the following:
- Why choose olive oil for killing lice?
- The benefits of olive oil for head lice
- How to use olive oil to get rid of lice?
- Here are a few tips to keep head lice away
So, now, let's plunge deep into insights!
Why Choose Olive Oil for Head Lice?
Before we get on to answering how to use olive oil for head lice, let's see how effective it is and why to choose it. Firstly, olive oil does not contain any antibacterial or insecticide properties like other essential oils. But it has the potential to knock off head lice or nits.
Olive oil is dense like coconut oil and can be used in killing lice through the smoothening technique. It also slows down the activity and weakens the hold of the louse on the hair strands. This way, anyone can remove the lice using nit combs. Even though there are several other shampoos and methods to tackle lice infestation, none of them acts steady as olive oil.
In fact, commercial shampoos for lice removal more often make the hair dry and cause itchiness in the scalp. On the other hand, olive oil for head lice treatments uses the suffocation method rather than toxic chemicals to tackle lice, hence making the hair soft and supple.
As a result, olive oil for head lice is a highly recommended solution. It is 100% safe to use and has many other benefits for hair problems that we will be talking about in the next section. Also, if you are wondering how to use olive oil to get rid of lice, we will discuss that, too.
The Benefits of Olive Oil for Head Lice
Olive oil for head lice is not only a natural and gentle solution for the treatment, but it also helps to make hair shinier. Given below are the benefits of using olive oil blends for hair:
1. Intense Moisturization
Using olive oil for head lice treatment helps to improve the moisture and water retention of the scalp. The healthy fats and antioxidants that suffocate lice initiate damage repair and control the dryness of the hair. It also helps the wounds caused by lice to heal faster.
2. Scalp Repair
In the process of killing lice, olive oil also helps to repair the cuticle damage. It helps to repair the scalp damage that lice cause. It even helps to remove product buildup and dirt that causes dandruff and hair fall.
3. No Side Effects
Olive oil head lice treatment is safe to use for all age groups. This remedy is natural and does not have potential side effects like harsh chemical shampoos for removing lice. That's why many people prefer using this remedy to treat lice problems in kids.
How to Use Olive Oil to Get Rid of Lice?
Here in this section, we have listed down the top five proven ways to use olive oil for head lice as your one-stop solution. Note that you can use olive oil solely or the way you want by mixing it with other oils or ingredients.
1. Smoothening with Olive Oil
Smoothening with oil or suffocating lice is a tested way of using olive oil for head lice. This technique involved simply massaging your hair with olive oil. This technique blocks the supply of oxygen and suffocates the lice. It stunts the lice, and they start to move, which makes it easier to remove them with combing. You can divide your hair into small sections and comb out all the lice because this method may not work on the lice eggs. You can repeat the process in the gap of a few days to remove all the active head lice.
2. Olive Oil & Tea tree Oil
Using tea tree oil and olive oil for lice removal is a good solution. Mixing tea tree essential oil with olive oil helps to repel lice. The strong composition and antibacterial properties of tea tree oil put together with a base like olive oil nourish the hair and kill the active lice. The strong action of olive oil and tea tree oil even works for lice eggs. It also improves the growth of hair and tackles the problem of dandruff and itchy scalp. For this remedy, you need to mix 2 to 3 drops of tea tree oil with some olive oil and leave it on the head for 40 minutes. Then, you can comb and rinse your hair with warm water.
3. Olive Oil & Vinegar
The next remedy is something different and interesting. In this method, you have to use white vinegar and olive oil to get rid of lice. This remedy helps prevent the lice and its eggs from sticking to the hair shaft. Unlike the other overnight ways, this is a quick remedy. Blend two tablespoons of olive oil with equal parts of white vinegar and apply it generously on the scalp. Then, you can use a shower cap and leave it on your hair for an hour. Gently comb out all the lice and eggs before you shampoo your hair.
4. Olive Oil & Shampoo
Using olive oil with regular shampoo is another way of relieving yourself from itchiness caused by head lice. You can mix half a spoonful of virgin olive oil with your regular clarifying shampoo to remove or treat lice. In this remedy, the olive oil suffocates and slows down the active lice. The shampoo helps to wash up the hair and saves you the time of combing hair. However, this is a temporary solution as it can leave the lice eggs stuck on the head.
5. Olive Oil & Neem Oil
Many people generally use neem oil for hair problems and to remove lice. Mixing neem oil and olive oil for head lice treatment helps to kill nits with smoothening and antibacterial properties. The presence of Azadirachtin in neem oil stops the growing lice and the eggs. By using this remedy for 10 to 15 minutes, you can get excellent results. To try this remedy, you have to mix four tablespoons of neem oil with three tablespoons of olive oil. You can leave this oil blend overnight or even shampoo or comb your hair after 20 minutes.
Trying out remedies is not enough to break the lice infestation cycle. And dealing with it again and again is a tedious and discomforting process. Moving forward, let's have a look at the ways to prevent head lice.
What are the Best Tips to Keep Head Lice at Bay?
Hair lice infestations are pretty common nowadays. It is one of the most tedious recurring problems that require you to take timely precautions. In case of avoidance, it can lead to severe health issues and scalp ailments. So, it is better to be aware of the tips and treatments. Hence, here below are a few tips you can make use of:
- It is always better to keep a check for any signs of lice or lice eggs. Detecting head lice saves you from further discomfort and infestation.
- Maintaining hair hygiene is also an important part of avoiding the spread of these blood-sucking parasites. You can occasionally use tea tree oil or olive oil for head lice to prevent any conditions that lead to hair lice.
- Avoid sharing personal belongings like combs or pillowcases. The reason is that sharing can cause many other hair problems along with that of lice.
Conclusion
When using olive oil for head lice treatment, you must make sure to repeat the process to break the cycle of nits. In case you have tried chemical shampoos but have more hair problems than solutions, then try these remedies once. In addition to killing the lice, the benefits of olive oil will help you revive your hair from the damage done by lice and chemical products, leaving them soft, shinier, and fuller.
Want more insights? Check out similar articles on hair problems and their solutions right here on The Voice of Woman.
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