DIY Lice Prevention Spray With Essential Oils
Have you ever battled with extreme scalp itchiness? If you felt like something was crawling on your scalp at the same time, you probably had head lice. Lice infestation causes sores and scabs as a result of intense scratching. Lice can actually afflict any part of your body; especially where body hair is concentrated.
These small insects or parasites are roughly the size of a sesame seed. They suck blood from your scalp or body and multiply leading to a full blown infestation. What attracts lice to your head and body? The obvious answer is to find food or blood. It is common knowledge that lice are highly contagious. Below is a look at the top causes or modes of transmission for these blood-sucking wingless pests.
Causes of Head Lice
As mentioned above, lice are contagious and in this respect, you can get lice by having close contact with a head that is infested with lice. Due to the playful nature of young children, this transfer is most commonly registered among preschool and elementary school children. Sharing of grooming equipment like combs, brushes or hats is also a likely cause of lice. Lice are also known to live in upholstery which can also cause the problem. Teachers and caregivers at elementary schools and their families are therefore at a greater risk to contract lice.
Why Prevention is Better
Those who have suffered with lice infestation will attest to the fact that it is not pleasant at all. In essence, preventing head lice is the way to go. From discomfort to sores and hair loss, lice can damage your scalp badly. When thinking prevention, it is wise to look at natural alternatives; they are more sustainable. The most effective remedy is a lice prevention spray made with essential oils. You can make this spray at home and keep yourself and your family effectively protected from lice. How do you make this spray at home? The following DIY guide sheds more light.
DIY Essential Oil Lice Prevention Spray Guide
The first thing is to consider essential oils that repel lice and they are many. The most notable oils that have been observed to be effective are tea tree, rosemary and marjoram oils. This combination will give you excellent protection from head lice as needed. This simple recipe will require the following things;
Marjoram or rosemary oil – 20 drops
Tea tree oil – 25 drops
Distilled water – 3 tablespoons
One tablespoon – witch hazel
Amber glass bottle or a cobalt bottle – make sure it has a sprayer lid
How to Make
All you need to do is combine everything in your bottle then shake well to make sure that all the ingredients combine properly. Your spray is now ready for use. Before using the spray, make sure to shake well each time. It should be sprayed on hair when you are going to potentially lice-infested areas. You can also use the spray as needed on the go. The DIY spray is simple to make and gives you utmost convenience. Prevention is cheaper than cure and in this regard, getting some quality essential oils to make this spray at home is worthwhile.
Important Facts About Head Lice
Understanding how lice cause infestation is the key to wholesome prevention. Below are some interesting lice facts that you will find helpful.
People often think that lice spread easily because they are highly contagious. As a matter of fact, lice don’t spread easily and when they don’t find a human scalp to host them, they often die within 24 hours.
Another reason why they don’t spread easily is because lice cannot jump; they can only crawl. This is the reason why most transmissions will happen when there is head to head contact. Sharing of combs and brushes is therefore not the most common method of spreading these parasites.
Lice infestation is not caused by poor hygiene. This is because many people think it cannot affect people from a higher socioeconomic class. Lice contagion cuts across classes and any person can get them.
Apart from head lice, people also suffer from pubic lice and body lice. Sometimes, lice can be found on eyelashes and eyebrows. Chest hair and underarms can also play host to lice.
Conclusion
Treating head lice and other kinds of lice is not difficult. What is important is to keep at bay re-infestations. This is why an essential oil lice prevention spray is pivotal. To treat lice, you can purchase a product that kills lice. Anything containing pyretrins or permethrin should be able to kill both lice and their eggs. You can also opt to make a home remedy for lice and there are endless resources online for this.
When you choose to make a home remedy to treat lice, essential oils will also come into play. Tea tree oil has been found to have some excellent benefits when it comes to getting rid of lice. Oils that can suffocate lice include coconut, olive and anise oil. Petroleum jelly is another ingredient that may kill lice by suffocation. Other people use mayonnaise to make lice slippery enough to be combed right out of hair.
Whichever method you employ to treat lice, make sure that you put in place effective prevention measures. After treatment of lice, it is good to clean items like pillows and sheets, especially if there was close contact. Experts advise to use water that is hotter than 130 degree to kill lice. Vacuuming is also good to get rid of any lice eggs that could be present. All in all, a lice infestation does not have to devastate you. Get the right treatment and above all, prevent lice problems easily using a simple essential oil spray.
This is good to know
Score another one for Tea Tree Oil! Thank you for the simple recipe. Perfect for summertime sleepovers when kids share everything!!
This is amazing, I had absolutely no idea about being able to get rid of lice with essential oils!!! Thanks you so much for sharing this, I will be sharing it with all my friends who have children!
Perfect advice. Thanks
I had no idea! Love your diffusers! The Opulence is my favorite!
I remember as a kid, one of my siblings classes had an outbreak of lice.Wish I knew about this back then.
Dang. Now my head itches just thinking about lice.
I wish I knew this when I was in school. I’ll pass this on to all the parents I know!
this was greatly helpful tyvm
I wish I had this information 15+ years ago when my daughter came home from summer camp with these awful tag-alongs.🥺
The power of nature…love that you can use essential oils for just about anything! Thanks for educating, elevating and empowering.
Sounds like a simple recipe for prevention and treatment.
Good info! I had no idea essential oils can help with this.
I’m glad that this is not something I’ve had to deal with. I’ll pass the info along to my friends with kids.
Very useful information, I did not know that something natural could be good, thanks
Helpful information—thanks!
Fantastic! Good to know!
Recipe much more economical than products in hypermarkets! 🙂
I work with kids in treatment, so this is helpful information. Thanks.
This will be valuable information for my clients. Thanks!
I never knew you could use essential oils for head lice – I love learning more about all the essential uses for essential oils.
Good information, thanks 🤩
Another excellent article. I suffer from this, from time to time, I am going to try your tips.
Cheers