Back to School Lice Advice

(Please read our disclaimer)

At the beginning of the school year, there is one concern that may plague parents of school age children...lice.

School age children may work in small groups which may mean close head to head contact. Lice cannot fly or jump, but being in close proximity can be one way they spread. Symptoms of an infestation include intense itching or a "something is crawling in my head” feeling. Some kids will scratch so much that they develop a bacterial infection.

Some parents become so distraught at discovering lice on their child’s head that they reach for a treatment that can be more dangerous than the lice. Over-the-counter lice medications are actually pesticides, which are toxic. A strong warning about the use of pesticides can be found on the Head Lice Organization site.

There are safer alternatives than using a pesticides on your child's head. Italian researchers in search of a non-pesticide treatment for lice found that tea tree oil at 1% concentration killed head lice with 100 percent mortality in thirty minutes. Using a 2% concentration killed louse eggs as well.

The Melaleuca Wellness Guide has an entire chapter detailing how infestations occur and how to safely rid you, your child, and your home of these pests. Immediately upon suspecting or seeing evidence of lice, shampoo with Melaleuca Original Shampoo and bathe with 1oz Sol-U-Mel and 1oz Renew Bath Oil added to the bath water. Afterwards, massage T36-C5 into the scalp and hair to soften and dislodge the nits. Comb the oil through the hair. To fumigate the live insects, wrap hair in a hot moist towel for 10 minutes. Repeat every other day for at least 5 treatments (10 days). Generously applying Sei Bella Leave-In Detangling & Smoothing Spray or one of the Affinia Moisture Conditioners will make it easier to run a fine-tooth comb or nit comb from the scalp to the hair ends. The nits should comb off easily.

For Prevention

In a 4oz spray bottle of water add 3 drops of T36-C5 and 3 drops of lavender oil. In the morning, lightly spray your child's hair. The scent will be pleasant to you and your child, and unattractive to lice. A study found Melaleuca Oil effective against both lice and house dust mites with lavender oil as the second most effective.

Another simple preventative measure is washing hair regularly with Melaleuca Original Shampoo which is rich in pure T36-C5 Melaleuca Oil and natural conditioners like sunflower and silk amino acids.

The start of a new school year is an exciting time. Along with shopping for all those needed back-to-school supplies, make sure to have a supply of natural lice killing and prevention products.

~ Richard M Barry

Lice Treatment Success Stories

Let me start by saying that I love and use my Melaleuca Wellness Guide often. It continues to impress me with the amount of useful tips and tricks it has in what looks like such a small book! My granddaughter had gone with relatives to play with some children for the day. Come to find out after one of the parents called and let my daughter know they had found lice on their child, there was a chance our 3 year old granddaughter now had lice. After my daughter consulted her Melaleuca Wellness Guide, she called me knowing that I had converted our home 100% to Melaleuca, and asked if we could use the products needed which included Sol-U-Mel cleaner. Considering what I've learned about not only the "brand name" cleaning products, but the lice products as well, I was very concerned about putting ANY chemicals on such a sensitive area of a child. Imagine my relief and delight when I followed The Melaleuca Wellness Guide's advice, used the Melaleuca products, and was yet again rewarded with what has now become expected when using Melaleuca products - positive results! No redness or irritation, as well as no more lice. Thank you yet again Melaleuca for providing effective and safer alternatives.

~ Kim

We have multiple lice stories. My daughter has long black hair to her waist and got lice when she was young. It was a nightmare. She was exposed to them a few years later. When we were at a salon the stylist spotted some dead bugs in her hair. She said she had never seen anyone get lice and be able to kill them before they even laid eggs. She had been using Melaleuca Original Shampoo. We were sold. During an outbreak at my daughter's college she was one of very few that didn't get lice. At another outbreak at camp she cleaned their cabin with Sol-U-Mel and Sol-U-Guard and everyone used the Melaleuca Original Shampoo. No one in her cabin got it. By mid-week they were lined up at her door. Now her daughters go to camp and they ask them to bring the Melaleuca cleaning products and shampoo.

~ YB

I began using Melaleuca Original shampoo four years ago after returning from a mission trip with head lice. I had also read that it helps with hair loss in The Melaleuca Wellness Guide. I was having trouble with hair loss, so decided it would be worth a try. I have found that it does help, as each time I wash I do not lose as much hair, and the areas of loss have not increased, and I am thankful for that. I went on the same mission trip last year and didn't get head lice and all the other participants also used the shampoo as protection with no one getting head lice.

~ Nancy

My granddaughter is a social worker and works with children who often have lice. She needs to pick them up, cuddle them, and otherwise be in close contact. When she shampoos her hair she adds Melaleuca oil after her conditioner and rubs it in well. She has not contracted lice in over 3 years. Also, there is lice going through a local school and I have told all the moms to use Melaleuca oil after shampooing to prevent occurrence/reoccurrence until the epidemic, yes it reached epidemic proportions, is over.

~ Iona

Our story with Melaleuca Original Shampoo has to do with my daughter. She was very prone to head lice. After treating her several times with Melaleuca products to get rid of the head lice, we started washing her hair with the Melaleuca Original Shampoo. Once we started that, she didn't get head lice anymore. It was such a simple solution!

~ Eileen

I have always had long thick hair, and I have two daughters with long thick hair. I was always so scared of lice because our hair would be extra hard to work with in removal. My oldest daughter went to camp, and there was an outbreak in her cabin. Eight girls in the cabin and she was the ONLY one who did not contract lice during an outbreak. She was also the only child shampooing with Melaleuca Oil shampoo! I don't think that is a coincidence. Lice don't like Melaleuca oil. Mom wins, lice lose!

~ Jennifer

Lice kept going around my daughter's elementary school. When we switched to Melaleuca's Original Shampoo, we never had a problem again!

~ Barrie

It works! It really works! That is so important because school children are exposed to other student's lice infestation... and most people still use the toxic chemical that, of course, kills lice, but is also a dangerous chemical that is rubbed onto children's little heads, only 1/2 inch from their developing brains! Melaleuca to the rescue! I recommend applications of the Melaleuca Original Shampoo with a few drops of the T36-C5, and another the following day. That should get rid of those lice pronto! And continued shampooing keeps the lice away!

~ Beth

My husband's daughter always was susceptible to head lice, and she often would bring them with her when she came to visit. We would treat her with T36-C5, rubbing it into her scalp, then covering her head with a hot towel for about 15 minutes. Then we would wash it all out with Melaleuca Original Shampoo. We finally bought a second bottle for her to take to her Mom's house to use. As long as she used the shampoo, we didn't have to deal with the head lice! Thank you Melaleuca for the great products and RM Barry for helping us to learn how to best use them.

~ Eileen