Head Lice Prevention with Rosemary

Two letters have already been sent home from school this week — “Headlice in the classroom.”  Who wants to deal with the laundry, the chemicals and incubation periods?  Not me. Some local hair salons are selling over the counter spray, full of Rosemary Essential Oil, to prevent the lice from even thinking about jumping on your head. But you can make your own cheaply. Rosemary is a great lice preventative, because headlice cannot breathe through the smell of rosemary. It’s pretty easy, and inexpensive, to make you own head lice spray. Here’s how:

Pick up a bottle of rosemary essential oil, which you can find at Whole Foods.  Just put a drop or two behind your child’s ear, the back of the neck, and around the scalp, and the smell will keep the lice away. Rosemary is supposed to be good for concentration and memory — so it’s a double whammy.

If you prefer a spray, just add 10 drops of rosemary essential oil, with 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil (optional — the lice just happen to not be able to breath that too) to an 8-ounce bottle of water. Add a spray nozzle, and spray the entire scalp — your child’s hat — and the back of their coat.

Of course, I forgot to douse my kids this morning before they left the house… so I could be in for some laundry anyway. I’ve heard from friends that a great way to kill lice, once it’s on the head, is to cover the hair with olive oil, wrap in plastic, and a towel, and sit for a couple of hours. The olive oil smoothers the lice.