TREATING HEAD LICE WITH OLIVE OIL

A new device called a LouseBuster is being touted a way to kill head lice.  The device, invented by a Utah man, is essentially a powerful hair dryer that move twice the amount of dry air in the infected hair, killing a high proportion of the lice and their eggs.  The device is going to be sold to schools and doctor's offices and is forecasted to cost between $1,000 and $2,000.

Head lice epidemics are common even in young people and have no relationship to poor hygiene or poverty. They can be easily transmitted by close contact, like kids have in school every day.  Insects breathe by taking air into a series of openings in their skin and distributing it to all parts of the body just as we do with out lungs.  The traditional way of killing head lice is with chemical shampoos that can be purchased over the counter at drug stores. The problem with these chemicals is that the lice build up resistance to them through repeated exposures.

Several years ago when my wife and I were foster parents, we had an eleven-year-old girl with long, fine blonde hair.  We soon discovered that she had head lice and make the trip to the drug store to buy the specials shampoos.  We used them as directed, but after a month the lice were still there, but not as many as before.  I researched head lice on the Internet and discovered the facts.  People with oily hair normally do not get head lice because the oil smothers them.  People with fine, dry hair are generally the victims.

The cheap, effective solution is olive oil.  Before the infected person goes to bed, rub olive oil on two their hair thoroughly so all of it is coated, especially the ends of each strand.  Place a shower cap over their hair, tucking all the hair into it.  The next morning, they wash the oil out of their hair.  Wash all the bedclothes, and anything else that has had contact with the hair.  Repeat the process every three to four days until so can no longer find any lice or their eggs on the hair. This is necessary to kill any lice that have hatched since the last treatment.  A very fine-toothed comb is helpful in this process. 

Within two weeks of this treatment the girl was free of lice and never had another infestation. 

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