PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR TREATING HEAD LICE If you and your family get head lice, don't panic! Lice cause no great harm, and have been with us throughout history. They cannot survive longer than 48 hours without a human host, so there's no need to "sterilise" the entire contents of your house. Most existing treatments based on insecticides are rapidly becoming less effective as the head lice become more resistant to them. Non-chemical treatments, based on plant-oils, are proving effective. These are now available through your local pharmacy, and are listed below. Who gets headlice and how do you get them? Only humans can get head lice. If stranded away from the human scalp they die quickly (1-2 days) The usual way people are infested is from direct hair to hair contact with another person. Head lice have neither wings nor jumping legs (so they cannot fly or jump from head to head without assistance) but they are terrific runners and hiders. What harm do head lice cause? Head lice live in the hair and come down to the scalp to feed. Many lice infestations cause no symptoms and probably less than half cause an itch. How does having head lice affect a child's school attendance? Schools may be encouraged to re-organise classrooms when a head lice infestation is suspected. Parents, students and schools working together on the problem is the only solution, particularly as 20-40% of children may be affected. What are the existing commercial treatments for head lice? Head lice seem to be on the rise worldwide. A study conducted in Brisbane in 1997 showed that head lice prevalence had risen to nearly 38%, and that the success rate of the common insecticide permethrin had dropped from 95% to about 60%. There are also products based on malathion, an organophosphate, and on synthetic pyrethrins. Some treatments also contain piperonyl butoxide and benzyl benzoate. Natural treatments, based on plant oils What alternative treatments are there? Commercially available Australian plant-based Head Lice Treatments approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration & the ACT Health department: Quit Nits All Natural Head Lice Treatment Wild Child TGA AUST L 66958 CONTAINS: olive oil based, essential oils & wild flowers Eucalyptus oil 12.50 microlitre/mL EQUIV cineole 10.00 microlitre/mL Lavender oil 6.25 microlitre/mL Geranium oil 6.25 microlitre/mL
Lice Blaster Emerald Forest Pharmaceuticals TGA AUST L 66390 CONTAINS: organically grown herbs, 15 essential oils Echinacea purpurea 80 microlitre/mL (herb top fl. Ext. liq. (1 : 2.0) in 60% E:W) EQUIV Echinacea purpurea 40 mg/mL (herb top fl. Dry) Stemona sessifolia 80 mg/mL (root ext. liq. (1 :1) in 45% E:W) EQUIV Stemona sessifolia 80 mg/mL (root dry) Tanacetum cineriifolium 30 mg/mL (flower ext. liq. Conc. (20.0 : 1) in 100% CO2) EQUIV Stemona sessifolia 600 mg/mL (flower dry) Melaleuca oil 20 mg/mL Adhatoda vasica 20 mg/mL (leaf ext. dry conc. (5.0 : 1) in 45% E:W) EQUIV Adhatoda vasica 100mg/mL (leaf dry) Lice Buster Emerald Forest Pharmaceuticals TGA AUST L 63221 CONTAINS: organically grown herbs, 15 essential oils Echinacea purpurea 80 microlitre/mL (herb top fl. Ext. liq. (1 : 2.0) in 60% E:W) EQUIV Echinacea purpurea 40 mg/mL (herb top fl. Dry) Stemona sessifolia 80 mg/mL (root ext. liq. (1 :1) in 45% E:W) EQUIV Stemona sessifolia 80 mg/mL (root dry) Tanacetum cineriifolium 30 mg/mL (flower ext. liq. Conc. (20.0 : 1) in 100% CO2) EQUIV Stemona sessifolia 600 mg/mL (flower dry) Melaleuca oil 20 mg/mL Adhatoda vasica 20 mg/mL (leaf ext. dry conc. (5.0 : 1) in 45% E:W) EQUIV Adhatoda vasica 100mg/mL (leaf dry) Pediculosis Blend Tinderbox TGA AUST L65290 CONTAINS: Sassafras albidum 8.8 microlitre/mL Eucalyptus oil 36.7 microlitre/mL Rosemary oil 29.4 microlitre/mL Pennyroyal oil 14.7 microlitre/mL Thyme oil 29.4 microlitre/mL Lemongrass oil 14.7 microlitre/mL Melaleuca dissitiflora 14.7 microlitre/mL (leaf oil ess.)
Whatever method you use, it is essential to have a lice comb with fine metal teeth that removes the lice and lice eggs. A lice comb approved by the U.S. National Pediculosis Association is available for online ordering on the internet at http://www.licemeister.org/. Follow the same method as for other headlice treatments - saturate the hair to the roots, leave for 20 minutes, comb through with a lice comb, wipe combings onto a tissue to examine lice, rinse with warm water, re-treat after seven days. The oils help remove the lice eggs and may kill the lice. Alternatively, boil two tablespoons of "Quassia chips" (available from some chemists and health food shops) with one cup of water. To wash your hair with this solution, scrub it into hair and scalp, leave it on hair and cover with shower cap for half an hour; rinse; shampoo hair in usual way. Castor oil left on the hair overnight is also recommended. How effective are the alternative treatments, and do they have any risks? The commercially available products above claim to be effective against insecticide-resistant lice after 2 treatments This claim has been verified in clinical trials by Professor Speare of James Cook University (Lice Buster Trial 27 Feb 1998).. Sensitive people, pregnant women and children under 6 months are advised to use caution if using essential plant oils. A preliminary test for sensitivity is recommended before saturating the head. Normal hair conditioner can also be substituted for plant oils, but may not kill the lice. What can I do to prevent my child getting headlice? Be vigilant and check your children's hair regularly, using a lice comb. Rinse the hair using a diluted solution with ti-tree, eucalyptus or lavender oil as this may help in repelling the lice.
Chemical Awareness in Schools is a non-profit community network, aiming to raise awareness of hazardous chemicals in children’s environments, and provide information about safer alternatives to a range of commonly used chemical-based products. Ph/Fax: (02) 6296 2199 or Ph: (02) 6292 4877 Email rdi@netspeed.com.au , Website: www.netspeed.com.au/rdi/cas |
Do-It-Yourself treatments use plant oils (such as olive oil, eucalyptus, ti-tree, geranium & lavender oils), which make the hair shaft slippery and difficult for the lice to cling to. The aromatic properties of these oils also repel the lice.