Our oldest is in 5th grade this year, and thus far, we have avoided lice. Without fail, we receive a letter from a least one kid’s teacher (or daycare teacher, back in the day) each year that a case of lice has been reported in their room.  Now that the little two are in kindergarten, I realized that our odds of remaining lice-free are slimmer and slimmer. So, I did some cursory research to find recommended preventative measures.

We half-joke that since they’re all boys, we could go the extreme route if someone does get lice: shave them bald. They’ve had “Army” haircuts off and on for years, and most of them prefer their hair short over long, anyway.  (The 11yo is postponing a haircut as long as possible right now so that he can dress in character for his Albert Einstein report next week. You think I’m kidding?)

Anyway, back to the prevention ideas. From what I read, it looks like rosemary, lavender and tea tree oil are recommended as lice deterrents. I don’t happen to keep lavender oil or tea tree oil on hand, but I did have an almost-full herb container of rosemary that has been in the pantry for years, so I figured I’d try an experiment.

I ground the rosemary into powder using a mortar and pestle, then steeped it in hot water to make “tea.” I strained out the herb with a paper towel and let it cool, then dipped a plastic comb into the “tea” and wet the boys’ hair (particularly behind the ears and nape of the neck, which is where I read that you should apply the lavender/tea tree oil). The aroma is nominal, so no worries about the boys smelling like perfume.

So, I’ll keep you posted on whether or not it helps. I am going to try to remember to douse them every day with it, at least until I run out of the “tea” concoction. I figured that it certainly couldn’t hurt, and if it keeps the lice away, then score one for not having to buy expensive chemical shampoo and that awful wire comb to scrape out the nits. *eww* I shiver just thinking about it.