Better than homemade anti-lice shampoo: the essential oil treatment

Has your child caught head lice at school or during extracurricular activities? While completely harmless, lice are often a source of stress and can even, wrongly, cause feelings of shame. Fortunately, 100% natural solutions exist to get rid of these unwanted guests effectively and very quickly.

What is a louse?

Human lice are tiny grayish insects, barely larger than a sesame seed. They settle at the hair root to pierce the delicate scalp skin and feed on blood. The life cycle of a louse has three stages: it first appears as a nit, which hatches after 7 to 10 days, growing slightly and becoming a nymph. A week later, the nymph reaches its adult form and full size.

Lice can survive for up to 30 days on a person’s head, but if removed, they will not live longer than 3 days. Contrary to popular belief, lice thrive mainly in dry environments; frantically washing your child’s hair to get rid of them will actually make the problem worse.

How do you catch and identify lice?

School is the most common place for lice and nits to spread: schools and daycare centers often experience waves of infestations, with pupils passing them on to each other. Direct contact, as well as sharing personal items (hat, hairbrush, etc.), promotes the transfer of these parasites.

Itching is one of the first symptoms that reveal the presence of lice, caused by a reaction to the saliva the insect injects into the scalp to feed on blood. Upon close examination of your child’s scalp, you may also notice small red bumps scattered across it.

Is natural anti-lice shampoo the solution?

Conventional biocides, commonly found in parapharmacies, should of course be avoided when treating your child: they are harsh and completely unsuitable for use on a fragile, delicate scalp. Many people then turn to an organic anti-lice shampoo; after all, advertising and marketing have always led us to believe this is the right way to get rid of these tiny insects. But is that really the case? If lice thrive in a clean environment, could washing the hair to treat them actually be counterproductive?

At Hairborist, we have looked closely into the issue of lice and carried out extensive research to offer you a product that is both innovative and highly effective. Rather than treating hair with a natural anti-lice shampoo, we chose to develop a treatment based on vegetable and essential oils: by coating the entire hair and scalp with Renovator or Repair oil, a barrier is created around the hair cuticle, preventing lice from breathing. They are therefore eliminated through asphyxiation, a process that is far more effective and faster.

Essential oils enhance this process: highly potent, they are recognized in both the cosmetic and medical worlds for their many benefits. We have developed a synergy of essential oils called Plantapoux, containing carefully selected molecules chosen for their action against these unwanted pests. Here are the main active ingredients we use to eliminate lice:

Lavender essential oil has soothing properties in addition to its anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory qualities.
Tea tree essential oil is a well-known antiviral and antifungal, particularly useful in treating nits.
Spearmint essential oil soothes skin irritation and acts as a repellent against lice.

Combined, these ingredients work in synergy to deliver optimal results.

In summary: add a few drops of Plantapoux essential oils to Renovator or Repair vegetable oil and apply the mixture to the entire head of hair, before shampooing. Leave on for 20 to 60 minutes, then comb the hair thoroughly before washing twice to remove all oil residue. We recommend carrying out this treatment once a day for a week to ensure long-lasting results and prevent recurrence. For prevention, you can repeat the treatment once a month.

Preventing lice effectively

Once you’ve experienced a lice infestation, you’ll want to do everything possible to prevent it from happening again. Here are a few habits to adopt to stack the odds in your favor:

Once lice have been eliminated, it is recommended to continue the vegetable and essential oil treatment mentioned above with a monthly application. This will make it much less likely for nits to settle again, ensuring peace of mind for both child and parent.

Did you know that neutral henna (which has no coloring power) is a 100% natural remedy against nits? It coats the hair and adheres to it, preventing unwanted pests from anchoring at the hair bulb. While this method alone isn’t sufficient to eliminate lice already present in the hair, it is highly recommended as a preventive treatment, alongside the oil-based care. Ask your Hairborist hairdresser for more information.

Forget about organic anti-lice shampoos, whose effectiveness is limited: parasites can survive them because they are capable of temporarily closing their breathing openings. In contrast, our vegetable and essential oil treatment can be left on for up to one hour, which is long enough to asphyxiate the lice. This is an innovative concept that will make you forget all about conventional natural lice shampoos!