Have you heard about the “Resistant Super Lice”?. Yes, that’s right, just like the super bug became Resistant to antibiotics, lice have mutated and become resistant to chemical based lice treatment. Resistant Super Lice how to beat it, more about that later.
For many years it’s been known that commonly used insecticides (particularly permethrins and pyrethroids) aren’t working as well as they once did against head lice. Dr. Kyong Sup Yoon, Ph.D who conducted a study on Resistant lice back in 2015, said “If you use a chemical over and over, these little creatures will eventually develop resistance,” So very true.
Resistant Super Lice how to beat it with Natural products
Let get to the purpose of this article, Resistant Super Lice how to beat it. A case study published by BMC Dermatology tested three treatments – melaleuca oil (tea tree oil) and lavender oil (TTO/LO); a head lice “suffocation” product; and a product containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide (P/PB).
Results : The percentage of subjects who were louse-free one day after the last treatment with the product containing tea tree oil and lavender oil (41/42; 97.6%) and the head lice “suffocation” product (40/41, 97.6%) was significantly higher compared to the percentage of subjects who were louse-free one day after the last treatment with the product containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide (10/40, 25.0%).
Conclusion : The high efficacy of the TTO/LO product and the head lice “suffocation” product offers an alternative to the pyrethrins-based product.
Pretty astounding, but not surprising, the natural products worked better than the chemical.
Why don’t Head Lice and other nasties became Resistant to natural products?
The simple answer is basic survival instinct. Whatever the form of life on this planet, human, plant, animal or disease, all have a basic survival instinct. Under threat, they evolve and adapt in order to survive. Think back to what you were taught at school in evolution, humans & animals aren’t the shape and form they were 1000’s of years ago. We all evolved and mutated to threats and our environment in order to survive.
The super bug evolved and mutated to survive the onslaught of antibiotic. Lice has evolved and mutated to survive the onslaught of pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide. Plants are no different. They are attacked by the same pests and disease humans are. They evolve and mutate to fight these pests and disease in order to survive.
What’s makes Tea Tree so special.
Tea tree naturally grows in the harsh tropical wetland environment of the ‘Bungawalbyn Valley Basin’. These humid wetlands are an eco system comprising of fungus, virus, bacteria, mosquito and other pests, constantly attacking the Tea Tree plant. The Tea tree is constantly evolving its defense system against these attacks. Unlike chemicals which remain the same year in and year out, the tea tree is adapting to changes each day.
Read how to use Tea Tree to eliminate lice in our article 37 uses for Tea tree.