Alternative Treatments For Head Lice

Writen by Nathalie Lafleur

Although there are many alternatives to the common lice-killing shampoos that you can get at the pharmacy, some of them are perfectly safe for you to use on your child, and some of them are not safe. Other methods lie somewhere in between because they have not yet been tested. Where children are concerned, an untested method should be thought of as unsafe even if your intuition tells you that it's safe. Just because a product is natural does not mean it's safe, and children can be even more sensitive than adults, especially when it comes to things like essential oils. The bottom line is that you should stick to methods that are not only proven to work, but that are also proven to be safe for your child.

The mainstream methods for getting rid of head lice include shampoos and creams that kill live lice. Unfortunately, these do not also kill the egg sacks that have hundreds of baby lice waiting to hatch out of them. It's for this reason that you might seek an alternative treatment to getting rid of head lice; if you kill the live lice, but still have to comb out the egg sacks by hand, why not also comb out the live lice while you're at it and save your child's scalp from exposure to the harsh chemicals of a lice-killing shampoo. That's not to say that these special shampoos are not safe. These shampoos are tested rigorously by the FDA and are the most common recommendation by pediatricians when it comes to treating head lice. Rest assured that if the FDA approves it, you can feel confident using it for your child.

On the other hand, the creams and shampoos offered at the health foods store and at the alternative health pharmacy (if there's one near you) are NOT tested by the FDA. This should serve as a huge red flag for you. These products, may, in fact, be 100% safe, but since they are not tested by the FDA it is not a risk that you should take when your child's health is concerned. If you're looking for an alternative to chemically-laden pharmaceutical shampoos and creams, get yourself ready for a marathon of hair combing.

If you're intent on removing the lice from your son or daughter's hair without chemicals, you should be aware that removing the lice by hand is a lengthy process. Lice move very fast, and for this reason you will have to go over your child's head, literally with a fine-tooth comb, multiple times in order to even begin to satisfactorily get rid of all the lice and all of the egg sacks that the live lice have left waiting to hatch. Prepare your child that the process will be long, and encourage them to read or book or engage in some game with you (I'm thinking of, for example) while you work through their hair. This will make the process not only easier for them to bear, but also for you. Why not make it into some quality time with your son or daughter for a chat or a game since you know you'll be spending a fair amount of time on the process?

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