Do organic treatments for lice really work?

You get the call – your child has lice. Now what?

Don’t panic. First, recognize that contracting lice has nothing to do with personal hygiene or cleanliness. Lice feed off the blood of a human scalp, regardless of whether the hair or head is dirty or clean. And while they are itchy and burdensome, they don’t cause infection, transmit disease or pose a significant health risk.

The second step is to figure out how to treat it. While an Internet search will reveal a variety of natural or organic remedies to treat lice, the truth of the matter is that they are extremely time-consuming, very messy, necessitate lots of follow up, often require multiple treatments, and in the end, don’t kill all the lice and lice eggs. Then once the missed nits hatch, the process starts all over again.

Common natural practices suggest coating the hair with olive or almond oil, then shampooing, rinsing and repeating – every day for a week, followed by two weeks of nightly combing.

Other natural DIY lice removal techniques involve mixing olive oil with essential oils, applying the mixture to the scalp overnight for at least 12 hours, and then combing out the hair, shampooing, rinsing and repeating.

This is not to say that the best solution for removing head lice is over-the-counter solutions that contain pesticides. In fact, according to a 2016 study, a strain of “super lice,” bugs that have genetically mutated over time to become resistant to traditional methods of lice removal has besieged the U.S.

So, what’s a family to do?

The best, easiest, most effective and most organic way to get rid of head lice is actually, the least known. Lice removal clinics that employ a proprietary 3 stop process to kill head lice and 99.9% of nits in about an hour.

Plus, once you leave your appointment, aside from suggested preventative hair products (and a newfound education), there is no additional messy oils, laborious combing or repeat treatments. Once you’re done, you’re done.

A quick search of “lice clinics” in your area should direct you to a certified lice removal technician. If you live in the Denver metro area, Colorado Springs or Evergreen, the professionals at Lice & Easy have child-friendly offices and an expert staff.