Do you want to prevent lice or do you think you already have at home? There are many products that can be used to combat them; however, most are full of quite strong chemicals and, therefore, more and more people choose to try natural products that are very effective and give great results, both to prevent lice and nits from appearing in the hair and to kill them.
In we recommend lavender essential oil, one of the most effective products to repel and eliminate these hair parasites. Read on and find out how to use lavender oil for lice.
Properties of lavender oil to combat lice
Lavender is a plant with great properties and health benefits, it takes care of the skin and hair, it is relaxing and helps you sleep, and so on. But one of its oldest uses and that is being resumed today is that of repellent for lice, being very effective to end its presence in the hair and at home. To begin with, we first explain what components make this oil especially good at scaring away lice, which as we will see are mainly alcohols and volatile essences of flowers.
Composition of lavender essential oil
- Linalool
- Linalyl acetate
- Cineol
- Ketones
- Camphor
- Monoterpenes
- Sesquiterpenes
All these components make this essential oil have many properties for our health, but regarding the subject of this article, lavender essential oil is antiseptic and also has repellent and toxic properties for lice, both for alcohols and for the powerful aroma. This means that it is perfect to avoid infestations of these parasites at home and in our hair, as well as to help eliminate them when they have already appeared. In this other article you can check out What are the properties of lavender.
In the following lines we tell you how to remove lice with lavender, so take note of the different methods to use it.
How to prevent lice with lavender oil
To prevent lice naturally you can use a variety of essential oils, among which the most effective are lavender, tea tree and menthol and citrus odors. To repel and prevent lice with this plant you can use its essential oil or its essence, but you can also use lavender cologne for lice. You can buy these products in different places such as drugstores, herbalists, herbalists, pharmacies or physical and online stores of natural products.
Steps to apply lavender essential oil to repel lice
- Once you have bought the essential oil or the essence of lavender to prevent lice, it is important that you keep in mind that especially once opened it is necessary to store it tightly closed in a dark place, because although the glass is dark it is better not to give the light because it can degrade faster.
- Apply it to avoid the spread of lice is very easy, because you only have to put between 2 and 5 drops in areas such as the nape of the neck, behind the ears and forehead.
- Put it on the skin itself or on the root of the hair in these areas, you do not need to apply it on the scalp, but if you think that one specific day you go to an area of high chances of contagion you can put it on the scalp and more parts of your skin and your clothes.
- Of course, you do not have to rinse after applying it, but you have to let its aroma make the repellent effect for these parasites and take advantage of the fact that for us it is a very pleasant fragrance.
- You can apply it daily.
If you want to use it as a preventive method in your home, you just have to apply lavender essence in the air freshener or a few drops of the essential oil in some furniture or fabrics of your house.
How to remove lice with lavender oil and vinegar
If you want to enhance the effects of lavender to repel because you need to eliminate head lice, we recommend that you add another widely used remedy, of those of a lifetime: wine vinegar, which is very effective thanks to its acids such as acetic acid. To use lavender essential oil and vinegar for lice follow these steps and tips:
Ingredients
- Lavender essential oil
- Wine vinegar
Preparation and treatment
- To use this mixture as a lotion to remove lice, you will have to take a spray or spray canister and fill it with the vinegar leaving a couple of fingers unfilled and then add the drops of lavender essential oil. The ratio is between 8 and 12 drops of this essential oil per 100 ml of vinegar.
- Before using it you always have to shake the jar so that the mixture is well prepared before applying.
- Once it is ready, start wetting your hair with this natural anti-louse mixture, starting with the roots and continuing towards the ends.
- Be sure to soak all your hair well.
- When everything is well wet with this remedy, cover your head with a plastic hat, such as shower caps, a bag or a towel. In this way, the ingredients will act more easily and forcefully and the parasites will die more quickly.
- After 2 hours for the remedy to take effect, you can remove the shower cap, pass a special barbed comb for lice and nits and, when you consider that there are no more left, you can wash your head well with plenty of water and your usual shampoo.
- If you think there are still some nits or lice eggs you can repeat the treatment the next day.
- If you want to use it as a repellent you can make a maceration letting the mixture rest for 7 days before starting to use it. In any case, you always have to shake well before applying it.
We recommend that you learn more about How to use vinegar for lice in this other article from.
How to remove nits and lice with lavender and tea tree oil
Tea tree essential oil is also a great repellent for lice, as well as being one of the most effective lice-killing essential oils. Here you can learn how to use tea tree oil for lice.
To use these two oils together as a repellent to prevent an infestation, you just have to apply them at the same time as we have explained in the section on how to prevent lice with lavender oil. Thus, you have to apply between 2 and 5 drops of each of these oils. You can mix them in the palm of your hand or in a plug of one of the oils and from there take a little with your finger to apply on the nape of the neck, behind the ears, the forehead … To enhance the repellent effect, you can add a few drops of these two oils in your shampoo, as we will explain later.
You can also mix at a rate of 50% of each type of oil to apply it to the fabrics and furniture of your house.
If you want to use this mixture to remove lice from the hair, it is best to add a few drops of tea tree essential oil in the previous mixture of lavender essential oil and vinegar or mix these two oils in equal parts in olive oil or almond oil. Use between 8 and 12 drops of each essential oil per 100 ml of olive or almond oil. These vegetable oils act as a conductor or transport of essential oils so that they can spread better through the scalp, while helping to eliminate lice because they cover them and they drown.
Shampoo to prevent lice with lavender oil
Another of the simplest ways to use lavender for lice is to prepare a natural lice repellent with it. The advantage of using this method is that you have the product ready to use it regularly as a repellent, while washing your hair, and you also have it ready to use as a lice killer if you have them.
You just need to use your own regular shampoo and lavender essential oil, the shampoo your kids normally use if you want a natural anti-louse for them. Make sure that your usual shampoo is one that in itself does not carry strong products; In addition, we do not recommend mixing the oil in the anti-lice shampoo, only in the normal washing shampoo. You can use this shampoo as often as you usually wash your hair without problems.
The amount to use will depend on the size of the shampoo bottle and if you use it as a repellent to prevent or if you want to fight them when they are already in your hair. The best thing is that you prepare it as a repellent, that is, with less doses of essential oil and that if one day you need it to eliminate them then add more of this ingredient.
The dose of drops of this essential oil to use in the shampoo is simple and you should use it as a basis to know the ratio for shampoo bottles larger than 100 ml. Simply add 10 to 15 drops of lavender essential oil per 100 ml of shampoo.
In addition, it is advisable to add to this mixture another oil like the one mentioned above. How many drops of tea tree oil to add in the shampoo? Very simple, as it is stronger than lavender, we recommend that you add half of the drops of tea tree essential oil of those you have put of lavender essential oil.
