headlice.org.uk

Promoting a natural alternative to chemical head lice treatments

Report: Conclusions (page 27 of 28)

Although this report is published by Botanicals – a company specialising in chemical-free body care products – we’ve tried to make it as unbiased and objective as possible.

These are our conclusions:

  1. Prevention is better than cure. A weekly check with a nit comb will help ensure that any infection is quickly controlled. (See right for an easy-to-follow procedure using botanicals products.)
  2. The fastest, easiest and surest way of killing head lice is to use a malathion or carbaryl-based insecticide lotion. But as with any ‘quick fix’, this short-term approach has some serious disadvantages: Head lice are developing resistance. They can soon reappear after treatment. And it exposes children to some potentially dangerous toxins.
  3. Herbal lotions containing essential oils may be able to offer an effective alternative to insecticidal lotions. But it requires a carefully controlled, scientific study to discover the facts.
  4. The safest form of treatment, with the best chance of a long-term solution, is wet-combing.
  5. A truly ‘natural’ hair conditioner, used in conjunction with the wet-combing technique, offers an effective and completely chemical-free solution.

If you've got any questions, or would like to reproduce the report – in part or full – please contact us.


Site sponsors:

Wendy Stirling founded Botanicals. This is how she checks her two young daughters for any head lice:
1. Shampoo hair with neem & tea tree shampoo.
2. Apply neem & tea tree conditioner and comb through with wide-tooth comb.
3. Rinse hair well in clean water and rub gently with towel to remove excess water.
4. Mist with lavender & rosemary leave in finishing spritz.
5. Comb through with wide-tooth comb to remove any tangles.
6. Then comb through with head lice comb and check for lice.

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