Henna and head lice
Note: This article is an excerpt from chapter 13 of "Ancient Sunrise Henna for Hair" by Catherine Cartwright-Jones.
The book is a free download at http://www.mehandi.com/Articles.asp?ID=257 ![]()
Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) have been itchy, contagious pests annoying humans for millennia, living in people’s hair and sucking their blood. Henna will kill head lice! One application of henna paste to the hair can kill head lice as well as killing the nits and nymphs without resorting to chemical treatments or shaving the head. To kill head lice, eggs, and nymphs, use laboratory certified pure henna with high lawsone content such as Ancient Sunrise® Rajasthani Twilight that is guaranteed to have no impurities or additives. Do not use pre-mixed henna products that appear to be used for body art; these products may contain little or no henna, and may contain hazardous ingredients.
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When you have prepared your henna paste according to the instructions in Chapter 7, apply the paste according to instructions in Ancient Sunrise® Chapter 8, “How to Henna Your Hair” http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/AS_henna_for_hair... . Wrap the hair in plastic wrap and leave the henna paste in the hair for at least four hours, then shampoo the paste out of the hair. The dead lice, nits, and nymphs will rinse out with the henna.
Henna combined with fenugreek will kill head lice even in resistant infestations. Add 25g of Ancient Sunrise® Artemisia or Ancient Sunrise® Fenugreek per 100g of Ancient Sunrise® henna before adding the mildly acidic liquid to make henna paste for application to hair. A mixture of artemisia and henna is the most effective against head lice, but artemisia should not be used on children, pregnant or nursing woman. You will not need to reapply the henna unless there is a new infestation.
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If you also had dandruff or ringworm, henna should eliminate those from the scalp as well. Henna is an excellent anti-fungal that will penetrate the outermost layer of the scalp and rid the skin of even stubborn dandruff and ringworm that may be resistant to medicinal shampoos and ointments.
Do not use henna on a child with homozygous G6PD deficiency: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/medic... . G6PD deficiency is an inherited genetic disorder; if there is a history of G6PD deficiency in a family, ask a doctor to do a blood test on the child before applying henna.
Sources and references
Information on the use of henna, Artemisia, and fenugreek from M. El-Basheir and Mahmoud A. H. Fouad (2002) “A Preliminary Pilot survey on Head Lice, Pediculosis in Sharkia Governate and Treatment of Lice with Natural Plant Extracts.” Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology, Vol 32, No 3, December 2002, Zeinab https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12512805
Full text of Robert Burns’ poem about a head louse: http://www.robertburns.org/works/97.shtml
1 Gratz, N. (1998). "Human lice, their prevalence and resistance to insecticides.". Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO).
2 Buxton, Patrick A. (1947). "The biology of Pediculus humanus". The Louse; an account of the lice which infest man, their medical importance and control (2nd ed.). London: Edward Arnold. pp. 24–72.
3 M. El-Basheir and Mahmoud A. H. Fouad (2002) A Preliminary Pilot survey on Head Lice, Pediculosis in Sharkia Governate and Treatment of Lice with Natural Plant Extracts.” Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology, Vol 32, No 3, December 2002, Zeinab
4 Marimuthu, S., Rahuman, A. A., Santhoshkumar, T., Jayaseelan, C., Kirthi, K.. V., Bagavan, A., Kamaraj, C., Elango, G., Zahir, A. A., Rajakumar, G., Velayutham, K. 2012. “Lousicidal activity of synthesized silver nanoparticles using Lawsonia inermis leaf aqueous extract against Pediculus humanus capitis and Bovicola ovis.” Parasitology Research, November 2012, Volume 111, Issue 5, pp 2023-2033 Date: 13 Oct 2011
5 Dwivedi, S. C., Mathur, M., 2000. “Investigation of five plants for ovicidal effect against the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (L.)” Pestology 24, 19 - 22
6 Dwivedi, S. C., Kumari, A., 2000. “Laboratory evaluation of eight floral species inhibiting egg hatching in diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae)” Pestology 24, 36 - 39