Did you know that tea tree oil offers benefits against nits and lice in children? Discover its most interesting properties in this regard, and how you can use and apply it.
The tea tree is a plant, native to Australia that offers many good properties for the skin and the body. It is noteworthy that, in the past, its leaves were used to prepare infusions. It was later when the Australian aborigines moved to the West when it was a more well-known plant and was immediately used in cosmetics, beauty and as a natural remedy.
And among its most common uses is to act as a prevention for lice and nits in children. And it is that the tea tree, or more specifically its oil, is an excellent natural option in this sense, very effective.
As we have advanced, tea tree oil has numerous medicinal properties. On the one hand, it serves as an antifungal, is antiseptic and bactericidal, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, offers soothing action, healing effect, acts as a topical, is parasiticidal and good for bronchitis, dandruff, dermatitis, for gingivitis, heals wounds, burns, mouth ulcers and warts.
What are the benefits of tea tree oil against lice?
One of the worst times for children is when they can’t stop scratching because of lice. They are small parasitic insects that live on the scalp and in the hair of the human head, and they jump from one head to another very easily and hence schools are breeding grounds for this problem. The worst thing is that children can also pass to parents with a simple hug or the contact of one hair to another.
To prevent the appearance of lice and nits (which will lead to new lice), tea tree oil is a fantastic natural remedy that is already sold in pharmacies, stores and other specialized places.
The oil tea tree does not eliminate lice, prevents appearing without harmful side effects. One of the reasons why lice does not appear is due to its natural insecticidal properties. It also contains terpinen-4-ol, a natural bacterial fighting ingredient that helps heal many skin irritations, hair problems, as well as infections and diseases.
It becomes, in fact, an effective natural remedy in the same way as, for example, apple cider vinegar for lice.
Uses against lice and nits
We can use tea tree oil from time to time to prevent. And more especially when children start school, they go to colonies in summer, to camps in summer or when we know that there is an infestation of lice at school.
Thanks to the oil, lice are prevented from jumping on our heads, because the oil repels them, and infections with clothing and other materials that may have lice are also avoided, as they also pass onto clothing quickly and easily.
It is usually very useful when the lice treatment has finished and is used to firm up and prevent them from reproducing.
How to use it?
One of the most common ways to use it is in the form of a spray. Then it is enough to spray a few drops of this oil on the scalp of children to drive away the lice, as they notice the smell and leave.
There are also tea tree oil shampoos. In this case, children can wash their heads with this shampoo to prevent lice and nits.
It is recommended to use the product in a natural way and that it is ecological, as this way we make sure that it contains the active ingredients necessary to repel lice. We can apply the product directly on the hair, on the roots, and especially behind the ears and the nape of the neck, which is where lice mainly settle.
This oil can be mixed with others that smell much better. Although it is a natural product, it is important to know before that we do not have an allergy. It is best to ask the professional and do some test on the arm to check that the skin is not irritated.
Some recommendations
Before any stinging or itching of the child’s head, you must use a special comb to see if there really are lice on the head. If this is the case, an effective method should be used to kill lice and nits. They are usually liquids that are applied after washing, left on for a few minutes and then the comb must be passed to get rid of lice. After a week the operation is repeated, and normally the lice disappear.
To avoid this process, tea tree oil is a natural and effective prevention. Tea tree oil should not be used by pregnant and / or lactating women.
