Tea Tree Oil for Head Lice: 5 Effective Ways to Try

A highly contagious condition, head lice infestation should be controlled immediately. Not to mention, it’s also very annoying and can make you feel anxious all the time. One of the best ways to get rid of head lice is to make use of tea tree oil.

In this post, you’re going to learn the following information:

What head lice are, what causes this problem, and what makes a person at risk of infestation.
What the useful properties of tea tree oil are?
Effective uses of tea tree for lice treatment.

What You Need to Know About Head Lice

Head lice refer to tiny parasites that live in the hair, sucking blood from the scalp to survive [1]. The eggs of head lice called nits resemble dandruff flakes but the difference is that they stay in place [2].

A louse can live for 30 days or more on the scalp of a human while the eggs can last for only two weeks [2]. In the United States, there are up to 12 million cases of head lice infestation each year [3].

It’s most common among children between the ages 3 and 11 [3].

The usual signs of head lice infestation include:

Scalp itching
Feeling of having something crawl on your scalp
Red bumps on scalp and neck
White specks on the hair strands

As mentioned earlier, head lice are contagious.

It’s possible to get infected if you have direct contact with another person who has this problem, or if you share personal items [1].

Keep in mind that head lice can be transferred through brushes, combs, hats, headphones, clothing, beddings, towels and hair accessories [1].

Children, particularly preschool and elementary students, are most prone to head lice problems [1].

That’s because they usually play closely together, and even share items like brushes and caps [1].

Parents and siblings of children who have head lice are also at great risk of this condition.

It’s important to know, however, that head lice are not a sign of poor hygiene.

Head lice do not have any preference between clean and dirty environments.

If you or your child have head lice, it does not mean that you have neglected your or your child’s hygiene.

To make sure that you fight off head lice, and never to have this problem again, it’s a good idea to make use of remedies that are both safe and effective like tea tree oil.

Medicinal Qualities of Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is an essential oil derived through steam distillation from a plant that originated in Australia [4].

For many years, it has been used medicinally as a topical antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory [5].

Australian folk healers have long relied on this oil for wound treatment and disinfection [4].

It is known to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities that can neutralize a vast array of viruses, bacteria, and fungi [4].

This oil is composed of terpene hydrocarbons, most of which are beneficial sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes [5].

Terpinen-4-ol is the most studied component of tea tree oil which is said to be responsible for many of its pharmacological effects [6].

Today, tea tree oil is incorporated in many skincare and healthcare products manufactured and sold not only in Australia but also in countries in North America and Europe [5].

People also rely on it as remedy for acne, seborrheic dermatitis, and gingivitis, among other health issues [6].

It is also believed to have anti-cancer properties that can reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer [6].

With all these practical benefits for the human health, it’s a good idea to have a bottle of tea tree oil in your home, ready for use anytime.

It can come to your rescue if anyone in the family starts scratching his or her head.

Why Use Tea Tree Oil for Head Lice Infestation?

There are three ways by which tea tree oil destroys head lice:

Tea tree oil’s active compound terpinen-4-ol impairs the nervous system of head lice by inhibiting the acetylcholine esterase activity.

The monoterpenes in tea tree oil dissolve the wax coating around the head lice that protects them and prevents them from getting dehydrated.

The monoterpenes disrupt the enzymes needed by the head lice to function properly.

Scientific studies have provided sufficient evidence to support the efficacy of tea tree oil as treatment for this parasitic infestation.

A study conducted in Dublin, Ireland confirms that tea tree oil removes adult lice and their eggs by inhibiting acetylcholine esterase [7].

At minimum concentration, tea tree oil’s terpinen-4-ol was able to inhibit this activity by up to 50 percent [7].

Italian researchers, meanwhile, probed how well tea tree oil and nerolidol work against head lice [8].

A total of 69 adult lice and 187 eggs were collected over the period of six months [8].

After exposure to both products, results reveal that tea tree oil was superior to nerolidol in killing adult lice and eggs, causing a 100 percent mortality rate within 30 minutes using only 1 percent concentration [8].

An experiment involving 32 school children reported that the use of tea tree oil resulted in significant reduction of eggs and lice in their heads, as well as alleviated symptoms such as scalp itching [9].

How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Lice?

Make use of the following remedies to relieve head lice.

All these are used in combination with other natural ingredients that have also been found highly effective in suffocating head lice, and disrupting their growth and spread.