No matter how old you are- an adult or a child- you can’t escape the itchy creatures crawling in the hair, as well as the white knits on the hair locks. Lice are really a nightmare!

Tea tree oil, which is extracted from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, has potent antiseptic, antiviral, bactericide, germicidal, and fungicide properties that effectively fight mites, infection, and parasite.

When it comes to head lice parasites, the oil is able to kill adult lice and takes care of the eggs that have latched onto the hair.

Using tea tree oil for head lice treatment has the following benefits.

Prevents Lice –  According to experts, tea tree oil at 1 percent solution can completely eliminate head lice.

Speeds up healing – it also makes your scalp healthy.

Reduces the number of lice eggs – so that they do not grow and irritate you further. It also kills lice in the nymph and those at adult stages.

Prevents the hair follicles from getting clogged – it nourishes the roots and promotes hair growth.

How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Lice Treatment

Here are two ways of using tea tree oil as a lice treatment:

Recipe #1

Mix 1 teaspoon each of tea tree oil and peppermint oil and 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Using the solution, massage your hair thoroughly and comb it gently. Allow the oil to set for 2 hours and then comb it again and rinse to remove the oil

Apply a mixture of 1 cup of water and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar to saturate your hair. Put the mixture in a hairspray bottle and apply on the hair. Rinse and comb again. Lastly, apply some coconut oil and allow to settle.

To ensure that all lice and eggs are killed, you need to follow the entire procedure once a week for a month.

Note: You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to your shampoo to get rid of lice.

Recipe #2

Add 10 drops of tea tree essential oil to 60 milliliters of regular oil (olive or vegetable oil). Massage the mixture onto the hair and leave on for about 3 hours. Dip a nit comb in warm water and vinegar. Comb the dead lice and the nits. Use a regular shampoo to wash the hair and remove the oil.

Important Reminder

Applying tea tree oil directly on hair and skin may cause severe burns.

Even if mixed with a carrier oil, tea tree oil is still very strong. That’s why it should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women and infants younger than six months. For children above six months, see to it that you carefully do a patch test on them to see if they are allergic.