Hair30 min
Getting rid of head lice: neem oil, a fine comb and patience
Lice spread easily among schoolchildren and have nothing to do with being unclean. The most reliable home method is systematic wet-combing with a fine lice comb, helped along by a slippery coat of oil — repeated over two weeks.
The Ayurvedic view
Lice lay eggs (nits) glued close to the scalp, and the eggs hatch in about a week. That's why one treatment is never enough: you need to catch newly hatched lice before they lay eggs of their own. Indian homes have long used neem — valued in Ayurveda as a bitter, cleansing herb — in oils for the scalp. The oil also makes lice slower and easier to comb out.
Ingredients
- 2–3 tablespoons coconut oil with 1 teaspoon neem oil mixed in
- A metal fine-toothed lice comb
- A regular wide-tooth comb, hair clips, a white towel and tissues
How to prepare
- Mix the oils in a small bowl.
- Seat the child in good light with the white towel around the shoulders.
How to use
- Coat dry hair and scalp with the oil mix, detangle with the wide comb, and divide the hair into small sections with clips.
- Comb each section from the scalp to the ends with the lice comb, wiping the comb on a tissue after every stroke.
- Leave the oil for an hour, then shampoo. Repeat the full wet-combing every 3–4 days for two weeks.
Helpful habits
- Check everyone in the household and treat all who have live lice on the same day.
- Wash pillowcases, towels and caps in hot water; soak combs in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Teach children not to share combs, clips, caps or helmets.
Precautions
- Neem oil should be diluted as above and kept away from the eyes; do a patch test. Never let children swallow neem oil.
- Don't use kerosene, insecticides meant for crops or pets, or other harsh chemicals on the scalp.
- For babies under two, pregnant women, children with scalp sores or infection, or lice that persist after two careful rounds, see a doctor.
