The essential oils of some plants are widely used. against lice has long been. Their certain effectiveness in combating various insects is generally explained by the sharp odor that most species of parasites do not tolerate.
However, lice are not the most common insects. First of all, because even when treating the head with essential oil, lice will not be able to leave the treated part of the body - in this case, they would simply be left without food. Secondly, the dense chitinous cover of lice makes them resistant to the action of aggressive environmental factors and even to the action of some insecticides.
Some rashly believe that tea tree oil from lice is effective largely due to the fact that in addition to the strong odor is also quite toxic, and therefore, unlike many other essential oils, not only scares off the parasites, but also can poison them .
Can this property of tea tree oil be used to effectively control lice? Let's understand ...
Is tea tree oil effective against lice?
Tea tree oil is really known for its toxicity. It is believed that it can cause serious poisoning when ingested into the digestive tract of humans and animals.
On the other hand, the same oil is widely used in cosmetology to cleanse the skin and combat its various defects - acne, inflammations, viral, bacterial and fungal infections.
Perhaps, in the wake of this tool, people have for some time begun to actively apply tea tree oil against lice. Without much, however, the result.
The point here is that tea tree oil has its toxic effect only when it penetrates inside a biological organism, be it a human or an insect. Lice are physically physically unable to use it inside through the oral apparatus: all that they consume is human blood.
The amount of essential oil that is able to penetrate inside the insect through its chitinous cover is too small to have a reliable poisoning effect.
Accordingly, it should be understood that tea tree oil will not poison all the lice on the head at once, although it will create uncomfortable conditions for their existence and can generally weaken insects. Moreover, tea tree oil does not help nits - it is in principle not capable of poisoning them due to the dense protective sheath.
On a note
The composition of tea tree oil does not include a single component capable of exerting a contact poisoning effect, that is, poisoning or striking lice, being on the outer integuments of their body.
On the other hand, the constant treatment of hair with tea tree oil makes it possible to somewhat inhibit reproduction and lice development, because being in the atmosphere of this substance, the parasites will remain in a weakened state (as it is, however, observed when using many other means - hairspray, colognes, decoctions of herbs). However, to achieve their complete disappearance only with the help of essential oil is impossible.
How oil is used against lice
Most often, tea tree oil for lice is used in various combinations of it with other substances.Usually it is added to shampoos or mixed with alcohol tinctures.
Practice shows that, together with shampoos, the effect of oil practically does not give. With alcohol, it can destroy lice, but the destruction occurs precisely at the expense of alcohol, which is actively acting on the external integuments of insects. The oil here is used more to “aromatize” the entire procedure, creating a feeling of a pleasant treatment of lice with a natural remedy for an ignorant person.
Actually means for removing lice is prepared as follows:
- In 50 grams of pure alcohol 30 drops of oil are added.
- Then the mixture is shaken, and 50 grams of distilled water is poured into it.
It is assumed that after this, it is necessary to moisten the hair and the skin on the head with the resulting solution, then rinse with warm water. This is done at least 5-6 days in a row, in the ideal case - until complete removal of lice.
On a note
Earlier, in tsarist Russia, such a recipe was used against lice: for 4 drops of clove oil, 20 drops of tea tree oil were added, and the whole mixture was diluted with a quarter glass of mineral water. However, there is no evidence of the effectiveness of such a recipe.
Finally, quite lazy lice fighters simply add oil to any shampoo and diligently wash their heads.
Of course, one cannot count on any reliable result in this case.
Feedback
“I had lice about two years ago, I picked them up in the camp, and there I tried to take them out with all sorts of folk remedies, tea tree oil, wormwood. But they did not lead out until they returned home. There already bought a normal lice shampoo and brought them out at once. "
Oksana, Moscow
Safety and side effects
Despite the ancient traditions of using tea tree oil in the fight against lice, the results of modern studies not only do not confirm the effectiveness of this tool, but also indicate a large number of contraindications to its use.
So, if tea tree oil gets into the digestive tract, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, headaches and stomach pains. When treating with skin oils, a serious allergic reaction and just irritation can develop, which is especially characteristic of children.
Feedback
“We used lice and tea tree oil.It does not give much effect, but the skin of me and the child after that was coarse, scaly, my daughter even had an allergy. Compared to him, even the same Nyuda, which directly mows lice, is generally harmless. ”
Catherine, Tula
It is not surprising that in the USA and some Western European countries, tea tree oil is not recommended for medicinal purposes due to the insufficient knowledge of its effect on the skin and the side effects it causes.
How does the oil work for sure?
The most effective will be the use of tea tree oil along with special insecticidal agents. In this case, the drug itself will destroy the lice, and the oil will soften its flavor a little.
Suitable for this sprays against lice Nuda and Paranit, fairly safe and not containing toxic to human components. When used in accordance with the instructions, you can also use Parazidoz and Pedilin shampoos, cream nix and some other means.
However, tea tree oil is used precisely because it is considered a natural and harmless to the body means, than the "chemical" insecticides cannot boast.To comply with the full naturalness and safety of removing lice, tea tree oil should be used in conjunction with special ridges such as NitFree, LiceGuard, AntiV and others. In this case, the oil will provide a certain inhibition and weakness of the parasites, and combing them with a comb will be much easier.
In general, tea tree oil is optimally used except as a prophylactic. If there is a risk of contact with infected lice, oil should be moistened skin behind the ears, temples and crown, and once a week while bathing, add it to the shampoo. So you can significantly reduce the likelihood of infection with lice and prevent the reproduction of single instances that accidentally fall on the head.
Useful video: how to completely remove lice using AntiV comb
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I couldn’t get rid of the lice for half a year, which means I didn’t try, all for nothing. But my mother bought tea tree oil, washed her head with it every day for a week. Very helpful, I advise.
Just soap or kept soaped for a while?
And please tell me how many drops of tea tree oil to add to the shampoo?
Chemericheskaya water used to buy. Now the funds are full of purchased. Took a spray - very convenient.