Back to School: Lice Prevention and Treatment

(Please read our disclaimer)

For many years The Melaleuca Wellness Guide has warned of lice becoming resistant to pesticides. It was in August 2015 that researchers presented evidence of what are being called super-lice, or lice that have become resistant to permethrin, the active ingredient found in many lice treatments. Mutated lice were found in 25 out of 30 states.

The Melaleuca Wellness Guide teaches us that there are safer alternatives to using a pesticide on your child's head. Chemicals can be absorbed through the skin and inhaled by both the child and whoever is applying the chemicals. Using a pesticide to kill lice can be more dangerous than the lice infestation.

School Age Children

The Centers for Disease Control report that, in the United States, an estimated 6 million to 12 million lice infestations occur each year among children 3 to 11 years of age. It is a relief to know that lice cannot jump or fly. Instead they are picked up by close head to head contact. Even so, it is possible to catch lice by sharing hats, clothing, or combs and brushes. Symptoms of an infestation include intense itching and a "something is crawling in my head feeling." Some kids will scratch so much that they develop a bacterial infection.

If you think your child has lice, don't panic. There are 3 basic things you will need to do:

1) Kill the living lice.
2) Remove the attached eggs, also known as nits.
3) Avoid re-infestation.
Essential Oils

Tea tree oil (aka Melaleuca oil) is a well-known anti-lice remedy. Our recently published book, Practical Guide to Essential Oils reports on an Australian study that compared the efficacy and safety of three lice treatments: A formula with tea tree oil and lavender oil, a lice "suffocation" product, and a product containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide (pesticide). The groups that used the tea tree and lavender oil product, and "suffocation" product, were 97.6% louse-free after the last treatment. The pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide group were only 25% louse-free after the last treatment.

This article shows that a 1% tea tree oil formulation killed 100% of lice and lice eggs. It is noteworthy because very little tea tree oil was needed to successfully clear lice.

Essential oils are so very concentrated that for safety reasons they need to be diluted. And diluting all essential oils is advised because dilution reduces the chance of causing a sensitivity or allergic reaction, and makes application easier. It is important to properly dilute even gentle oils such as lavender and tea tree oil when used over larger areas, like the head and when used on children.

Practical Guide to Essential Oils provides information on why and how to make essential oil dilutions. To make a 1% dilution, add 9 drops of T36-C5 to 2 tablespoons (30ml or 1 ounce) carrier oil.

Treatment and Prevention

For treatment and prevention recommendations, consult your Melaleuca Wellness Guide.

Be Prepared!

Make sure to have a supply of natural Melaleuca lice-killing and prevention products. That way if your child does come home with lice you will not panic and be tempted to use a treatment that may be harmful and ineffective.

~ Richard M Barry

Lice Prevention and Treatment Success Stories

I have been a kindergarten teacher in public school for over 20 years. I also have been a Melaleuca customer for over 20 years. I am head to head with my students on a daily basis and the chances of getting lice are very high as each year I usually have several cases in my room. I have never gotten lice! I attribute this to my using Melaleuca's Herbal Shampoo or the Original Shampoo. And I love the smell of the Herbal Shampoo in my morning shower. It is invigorating and gets me going! Thank you Melaleuca!

~ Mary Lou

Head lice: just reading those words makes me itch! My family and I are very thankful for Melaleuca and RM Barry! We have yet to get head lice, and know full well it is because we use Melaleuca Original Shampoo! School is about to start and we all know what that means! I read an article the other day about lice and how they are mutating and becoming resistant to over-the-counter treatments. Not a worry here! It also prevents fleas, ticks and flies on our animals! We love it and wouldn't change a thing! Thank you RM Barry for your great Melaleuca Wellness Guide!

~ Londa

My husband's daughter was very prone to head lice. We would shampoo and soak her hair in T36-C5 Melaleuca oil and wrap it in a hot towel. Wash all her clothes and bedding in MelaPower and do it all again every other day for 3 or 4 treatments. Then we switched her to Melaleuca's Original Shampoo. How do you say good bye to head lice? With a smile. Never again did we have them in our home!

~ Eileen

I started using Melaleuca products before my kids ever started school or daycare. I have always added several drops of Melaleuca Oil to whatever shampoo my family members have been using at the time. With my son going into high school and my daughter, who loves having long hair like Mom, going into first grade, my success story is - we have never had lice!!

~ Ruth

My daughter got lice from school. I panicked and ran to the store for a treatment kit. I used it but it didn't get rid of them. After a couple of days my mom told me to try Melaleuca's Original Shampoo because it contains the Melaleuca oil. I had the oil and the shampoo on hand so I washed her hair and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I had her lay in the bath with several drops of the oil in the bath water. After a few minutes the lice was floating in the water. I used the lice comb to remove leftovers and the lice were gone for good. Now that's the only shampoo we use! Thank you Melaleuca!!!!

~ Candace

When my daughter was in elementary school she complained her head itched. We blew it off as dry scalp because the school nurse had just checked the kids for lice that day, and all was clear. She complained for a few weeks about her scalp itching. Her annual physical came up and I mentioned to the pediatrician that she'd been complaining about her head itching. He checked it and he looked at me and said "LICE" quietly. I was sick and felt like a bad mom. I found out that weeks prior to our daughter telling us about her scalp, the mother of the little girl she had stayed the night with didn't tell us other moms her daughter had lice. I was not a happy. I knew one of the risks of using Lindane was brain damage if not used properly. I wasn't going to risk that happening. Being new to Melaleuca I heard we had products that killed lice. I called my mentor and she gave me a recipe using Melaleuca products. I saturated our daughters scalp with the T36-C5 and Sol-U-Mel, wrapped it with saran wrap and a shower cap. She wore it for a couple hours. I then washed her hair with the Melaleuca shampoo and ran a nit comb through her hair. I just cried seeing all those nasty DEAD critters coming from my daughters scalp. We washed her hair daily with the Melaleuca shampoo, and every other day for a week I treated her scalp with T36-C5 and Sol-U-Mel. I wanted to make sure her scalp was clear of lice. I also washed all bed coverings and pillows with the MelaPower laundry soap, with a cap full of Sol-U-Mel, and sprayed the mattresses and carpet with Sol-U-Mel as well. Our family never had a lice problem again. Thank you Melaleuca for giving us safer alternatives to use for such things without risking the health of our children.

~ Pam

My husband's daughter was a magnet for head lice. After fighting it a few times we learned that head lice do not like Melaleuca oil. So we used what is now called Melaleuca Original Shampoo and never had the problem again. How did we get rid of the lice? We sprayed her head and saturated her hair with straight Sol-U-Mel, and wrapped it with a warm towel. I combed it all out with that special comb, of course. Washed all clothes and bedding and combs with MelaPower with added Sol-U-Mel.

~ Eileen

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.

~ Ybsick