Rosemary Herb as Head Lice Treatment

Lice are small, six-legged insects that love living in hair. Lice can bite and suck your blood more than 1,000 times per day. Lice are a common problem, especially in children age 3 through 12. Rosemary herb is a natural treatment option that has been used in Asian hair products to discourage lice and other small creatures from inhabiting hair. Rosemary is a safe, effective remedy for these small insects.

Detection

• Hair that has been infected with lice does not start itching until there are a large number of the lice, which can sometimes take months. Sometimes they are difficult to detect because when you put light to the scalp they tend to run away. The lice nits or eggs look like dandruff but are difficult to brush away.

Prevention

• The first step to prevent lice is to ensure you brush and comb your hair regularly. Mix equal parts of rosemary, lavender and lemon essential oils. When shampooing your hair, add two drops of the oil mixture to the final rinse. This preventive measure can keep lice from living in the scalp.

Treatment

• When lice are present, prepare the following treatment. It should be rubbed well into the scalp and left overnight.

  Melt 1 oz. beeswax in a dish over boiling water. Add the beeswax to 2 oz. of castor oil until a creamy consistency has formed. Allow this mixture to cool. Mix 27 drops of rosemary, lavender and geranium to form an equal blend. Add the essential oils to the castor oil-beeswax mixture while stirring well.

  If the person who has lice has scratched his head so much that it has caused inflammation or breaking of the skin, use this mixture as an antiseptic, cooling and calming remedy for the scalp:

  Use 20 drops of German chamomile oil, 10 drops of lavender oil and five drops of lemon oil. Mix the essential oils with 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or 1 oz. white beeswax and 2 oz. castor oil. Using rosemary in the lice removal remedy will leave the hair smelling pleasant and it's not medicinal like over-the-counter products.