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Two Letters Re: Dealing with Uninvited Guests
Dear Mr. Rawles
I would like to add one last letter in response to “Uninvited Guests” and
to let your readers know that the only effective means to control head lice
is by “mechanical” removal. We were unfortunate to live, for a
time, in an area of the country where head lice had become resistant to the
OTC treatments.
This is because most people did not realize that in addition to the application
of something such as Rid, one must also clean one’s
living quarters, as well as systematically go through the lice sufferer’s
hair—strand, by strand, by strand…. Now this may seem very laborious,
but it is amazing how easy this becomes if you do this once a day for at least
a week along with the essential oil treatment that I have listed below. It
took my daughter having lice twice, and the school where my children attended
to tell me that they had, during certain times of the year a 45% infection
rate! Through several conversations with the local health department, and doctors,
the conclusion was reached that the lice had become resistant to the OTC preparations,
which are also not good for anyone—this stuff is poisonous!
Once I came up with my own treatment, my daughter never had lice again, and
thankfully
we moved back to Texas away from the lice infested area that we had lived in.
Here is the treatment that I recommend, and have given to several people I
know. For the most part, the supplies are readily available and plentiful—for
now and everything is non-toxic!
Supplies
-One very fined tooted comb—a metal one with a handle (like a rat-tailed
comb) if you can find it-plastic will not hold up as well
-One regular comb(don’t use this one for lice removal)
-A set of metal hair clips (about 4 or 5)—like the ones hair dressers
use to separate hair when they are cutting it
-Plastic wrap or a hair cap
-a coffee can with a lid-- with olive oil in it—so when you find a bug
or a nit, you can place it in the can to smother it
-a pair of pointed hair trimming scissors
-a pair of pointed tweezers to pick up individual hair strands
-a bright light to shine on your work
-a couple of bath towels
-Essential Oil Mixture- 1 oz of olive oil, 5 drops of tea tree oil, 5 drops
rosemary oil, 3 drops oregano oil
-Plain Olive Oil
When I was going through my daughter’s hair, I would have her sit on
the floor with her head resting on a pillow covered in plastic on the coffee
table. That was she was comfortable, and could read a book, or watch a video—we
are not connected to trash TV). I would sit on the couch with her body between
my legs
Step One: Infuse the hair with the Essential oil mixture, making sure to coat
the scalp, and all the hair strands. Place the plastic cap on the coated hair
and leave on the hair for 30 minutes. This has a two-fold purpose-the body-heat
helps the oil to soak into the strands of hair for ease of running the very
fined toothed comb through the hair, and the heat also helps to kill the bugs.
Step Two: Part hair down the middle and clip each side with the hair clips
Step Three: Beginning with one side of the head, separate and comb out a very
small section of hair from the clip (it is better to go through fewer strands
of hair at a time), and run the fined-toothed comb through each strand of hair
Step Four: As you inspect each strand of hair, look for nits at the base of
the hair near the scalp. Lice lay their eggs at the base of each hair strand—it
is important to get all of these since these are the viable ones and missing
one may start the lice-cycle all over again—any nit higher up is more
than liking not a viable one, but these should be removed as well.
Step Five-If you find a nit on a hair strand single it out with the tweezers
and cut it as close to the scalp with the scissors. Same for a bug( adult lice)
No you will not make your child bald—even if the infestation is severe!
Lice attach their nits with a glue that makes it almost impossible to remove
without losing the nit in the environment—it is best to clip the hair
strand with the nit attached and place it in the olive oil in the coffee can.
Step Six- After each small section of hair has been inspected, use another
clip to twist the hair and separate the now “clean” hair from the
rest of the hair that needs to be inspected. Depending on the amount of hair—my
daughter has very thick hair—you might need to use several hair clips
Step Seven-after finishing with the first half of the scalp, repeat steps four
through six on the other half of the head
When I got the hang of it, I could go through one half of my daughter’s
head in 20 minutes
Step Eight-when the process is complete wash hair a couple times to wash out
the essential oils. Then massage a few drops of plain olive oil into the hair
and comb from the scalp to the tips (Remember—don’t
use the nit picking comb—you do not want to accidentally re-infest) If
the child’s
hair is long enough braid very tightly! The one thing that I was told that
lice do not like oily hair, or hair that is tightly bound—they cannot
attach themselves as readily!
Step Nine-clean and vacuum your house. Any stuffed animals placed an airtight
plastic bag. Any nits that hatch have to have a human host soon, or they will
die. Keep non-washable items in a plastic bag for about three weeks. Wash bedding
daily, and if possible, hang out on the clothes line in the sun to drive.
Repeat this process daily for one week, and then do a preventative once a week.
It is better to catch an early infestation, than to have to deal with a full
out battle! The olive oil also makes hair very shiny!
Although lice infestation may seem like a curse, my daughter and I certainly
made the best of it, and enjoyed our “nit picking” time together!
Best Regards, - Susan M.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
As a Registered Nurse, during my tenure at a local hospital, a nurse practitioner
showed me a simple test to determine if scabies were present in a patient
showing
possible symptoms of an infestation.
Use a Sharpie marker to draw lines between a person's fingers. Allow this to
dry. Take an alcohol wipe and wipe off the dried ink. If dark, narrow lines
are left after the surface ink has been wiped away, it likely indicates the
presence of scabies. The reason is that the critters tunnel under the skin,
leaving a narrow track for the ink to penetrate.
All the best to you and yours, - Publius
