Using Olive Oil for Lice Treatment: Does Olive Oil Kill Lice?

There are many lice treatment products available on the market today, but not all of them are cost-effective or have the ability to kill lice - and there are the unwanted side effects that infested individuals might experience as a result of these treatments. At LiceDoctors, the treatment protocol that technicians use is all-natural; it is an olive oil lice treatment, the key ingredient of which is everyday olive oil. This olive oil head lice treatment will never lose its effectiveness and is 99.6% guaranteed to work. The oil is thick and gets into the breathing apparatus of the lice.

Does Olive Oil Kill Lice?

Does this natural ingredient kill these tiny parasites or only help in removing them? Can olive oil be an effective alternative to OTC (over-the-counter) lice treatments that have several side effects? We, at LiceDoctors are fans of olive oil as it does a wonderful job of killing lice. The oil is viscous and provides lubrication to the hair to help it be combed out with a nit comb. In addition to removing the live bugs from the hair with the comb, you can use olive oil to kill lice by saturating the hair in it and leaving it on for 8 hours (lice can hold their breath for that long) so that the oil will suffocate the bugs.

Head lice infestation, common in children, is a benign condition but an irritating and embarrassing one. At LiceDoctors we have been using olive oil on families for over two decades and we know that it works. We not only use it to remove the bugs but we have clients follow-up with the oil to help prevent a reinfestation.

Does Olive Oil Kill Lice Eggs?

Olive oil is also an excellent tool for helping to loosen the nits from the hair shaft. But, does olive oil kill lice eggs? The answer to that question is an unequivocal no. Nothing penetrates the hard shell of the nit, including olive oil. The nit, which is the egg that houses the baby bug, has an impenetrable shell. Once the baby bug, also called a nymph, matures it will break out of its shell. Without the protection of the nit shell, the louse is now vulnerable to suffocation by olive oil, however, when it is inside the egg, it is impervious to anything you put in the hair.

A Simple Head Lice Olive Oil Treatment Recipe

As with any good recipe, you will need to ensure you have plenty of the right ingredients on hand. For an olive oil lice treatment at home, you will need 2 key ingredients: 100% pure olive oil (ensure that it is not mixed with other oils or essences), and professional lice comb. As olive oil is something most families have readily on hand, this helps to reduce the cost of completing this treatment at home.

• First, apply the olive oil to completely dry hair. Be generous with the oil! If you wonder if you’ve applied enough, add more!
• Second, comb the hair to remove any tangles and section the hair into roughly 3 inch wide sections if possible.
• Third, start combing with the professional nit comb. Keep combing the first section until all of the bugs and nits are gone. Repeat this step for each of the hair sections.
• Fourth, reapply more olive oil to the hair where it should remain saturated for 8 hours. These simple steps will get you started with an effective olive oil lice treatment at home.

POSTSCRIPT

As a postscript, we treated a family in Baltimore and the mom sent us a note saying, “After three infestations of head lice, I finally understand how to get rid of them thanks to LiceDoctors. I kept leaving nits in the hair untreated. Now I understand the value of having someone who knows what they are looking at come in and clean us up and I also know that I need to do an at-home follow-up. I also understand why!” Professional head lice treatment is available all over the United States, 365 days a year - including evenings and weekends when you call us at 800-224-2537.