Are natural solutions really effective against lice? And are Essential Oils necessary?
A comparative randomized clinical study shows that treatment with a mixture of Tea tree and Lavender Essential Oils is more active than traditional treatments with pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide against head lice in children 1
This study encourages us to take an interest in the natural methods offered by aromatherapy in the fight against lice.
Let's discover with the Randamp.D team from Pranarôm the details of this study and its encouraging results!
Do you know about lice?
After any treatment (shampoo, oil or lotion), the lice comb allows you to remove dead parasites or remove nits
Infestations with head lice ' Pediculosis humanus capitis ' are becoming more and more common. The parasites are found in the hair but they can infest clothing and items that come into contact with the head (caps, collars of clothing, brushes, combs, etc.). These lice cannot survive more than 3 days if they are deprived of the blood meals they take from their human host and the eggs hatch within a week 2 .
The results of a recent IFOP/Pa ranix study reveal that half of French parents declare that their children have already caught lice and that 25% of them experience it rather badly.
However, there are several types of lice treatments available in the form of lotions, shampoos, oils, and cream rinses. These treatments are often insecticides such as pyrethrin and malathion or, increasingly, alternative natural products.
A study that validates the AROMA formulas!
Stephen Barker and Phillip Altman (August 2010) 1 , in the present clinical study approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of the University of Queensland. Australia', compared the effectiveness and safety of three topical pediculicide products: (1) a clear oily solution containing the essential oils of Tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia) "10% w/v" and Lavender (it is not specified what lavender) "1% w/v" (TTO/LO), (2) an opaque white lotion - which acts by asphyxiation on head lice - composed of benzyl alcohol, mineral oil, polysorbate 80 , sorbitan, carbopol 934, water and triethanolamine (PA) and finally (3) an aerosol foam containing pyrethrins '1.65 mg/g' and piperonyl butoxide '16.5 mg/g' ( P/PB).
Experimentation:
Tea tree - distilled part: the leaf 132 children (from 4 to 12 years old) from three primary schools, in the state of Queensland of Australia, infested with lice and nits, were accepted for this study (43 treated by TTO/LO, 45 by PA and 44 by the P/PB product). Among the 132 subjects who received at least one 'ITT Population' treatment, only 123 met all the requirements of the study ( 42 students were treated by TTO/LO, 41 by PA and 40 by P/PB) . The 3 pediculicide products were used in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions. The TTO/LO and PA products were applied three times for 10 minutes at one week intervals (on day 0, day 7 and day 14) and the P/PB product was applied twice (on day 0 and day 7) for 10 minutes. Treatment with TTO/LO required covering the hair with a polyvinyl chloride shower cap to retain the volatile components of the formulation. Once the application time has elapsed, the hair is washed with pure water for the TTO/LO and PA products and with a standard shampoo for the P/PB product.
Results:
Assessment of lice and nit viability was carried out one day after the last treatment and the results showed that children in the TTO/LO and PA groups were almost free of all lice and nits (table). A success rate of 97.62% and 97.56% respectively for the TTO/LO and PA groups compared to 25% for the P/PB group.
Table. Rental-Free Rate the Day After Final Treatment (ITT Population) 
The results table
Conclusion:
The very high effectiveness (97%) of the pediculicide products 'TTO/LO' based on tea tree and lavender oil and 'PA' which acts by asphyxiating head lice, offers an indisputable alternative solution to traditional pediculicide products. .
This prompted us to take an interest in solutions against lice based on Essential and vegetable Oils, both preventive and curative.
A randomized, assessor blind, parallel group comparative efficacy trial of three products for the treatment of head injury in children--melaleuca oil and lavender oil, pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, and a "suffocation" product. Stephen C Barker, Phillip M Altman. BMC Dermatology 2010, 10:6 (20 August 2010) 2 Head lice, pediculosis.
Information sheet : https://sante.canoe.ca/condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=175
