Lice Repel Shampoo Bar? Is this possible??

[ilove2soap]

A friend of mine from work was telling me that her daughter has had lice 2 times this school year and she asked me if I could make her a lice repel shampoo bar using essential oils. She said that they make them for pets and wanted one for her family to use to prevent infestation. I have no idea if this could work or if it would be a waste of time to try. The only essential oils that came to mind are tea tree, neem, and citronella. Any opinions? I would hate to waste money because essential oils are so expensive. I also would want to create something that might help her.
I suggested a hair mist with distilled water and a few drops of tea tree and neem oils but she wanted a shampoo bar.
Are the properties of essential oils maintained more by hot process (since they are added after neutrality) than in cp soap?

 

[judymoody]

CP shampoo bars can damage the hair cuticle, might not be the best delivery system. I also don't know how much help a wash off product would be.

Neem is a carrier oil, not an essential oil.

Good luck with your formulating!

 

[Donna]

One of my daughters owns a Hair Salon Ga. According to her, the county
she lives in has one of the highest percentages of lice outbreaks.
She carries a product called Fairy Tales. Supposedly it has a 90% success rate in preventing head lice.
Another daughter lives in Calif. and has received notices from the school that a few kids have had a problem.
She spritzes a very small amount of eucalyptus oil on her son's hair and has had no problem.
I realize that this has nothing to do with making soap, but hope it helps!
Perhaps eucalyptus in a shampoo bar would help deter them.

 

[adonudo]

Eucalyptus is good at keeping many insects away, but I have to recommend looking into Pennyroyal essential oil. I use it on my dog as a shampoo and fleas, ticks, and other insects avoid her in any way possible. That being said, I use Eucalyptus personally on my bug repellant soap. I would say using both would definitely give the bugs red flags to stay away.

 

[dagmar88]

Eucalyptus is good at keeping many insects away, but I have to recommend looking into Pennyroyal essential oil.

I suppose killing the kid would be a very effective way to get rid of lice.

I prefer putting a few drops of undiluted tea tree on the collar of their coat.
And make sure they put their coat in a lice bag/cape.

 

[Moonblossom]

10 drops of Tea Tree Oil per 1 oz of shampoo is what we tell the moms at the peds clinic I used to work at.

~Teri

 

[debbism]

Eucalyptus is good at keeping many insects away, but I have to recommend looking into Pennyroyal essential oil.

I suppose killing the kid would be a very effective way to get rid of lice......

I assume you are referring to the abortifacient properties of the herb on pregnant women, however that is for internal use which is never recommended. Used externally, in small amounts should have insect repelling qualities.

I would otherwise suggest using repelling EOs in a gel or leave-in conditioner to repel. I don't see the harm in using these in a soap or shampoo bar.

 

[dagmar88]

Eucalyptus is good at keeping many insects away, but I have to recommend looking into Pennyroyal essential oil.

I suppose killing the kid would be a very effective way to get rid of lice......

I assume you are referring to the abortifacient properties of the herb on pregnant women, however that is for internal use which is never recommended. Used externally, in small amounts should have insect repelling qualities.

I would otherwise suggest using repelling EOs in a gel or leave-in conditioner to repel. I don't see the harm in using these in a soap or shampoo bar.

There's plenty of other choices. Pennyroyal shouldn't be used on children in any form.
A combo of Lavender, lemongrass and tea tree would be a lot more appropriate.
Pennyroyal and mastic essential oil could be used on adults, diluted.

 

[debbism]

There's plenty of other choices. Pennyroyal shouldn't be used on children in any form......

Interesting because one would never know it is unsafe topically. I have read many sites about the uses of pennyroyal EO and I have yet to read anything about it being unsafe to use it EO topically, eg: in soap or lotion. I have only read about it being unsafe for internal use. If you have a link you could cite, that would be most helpful so we all can pass it along and share it.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Neem works but it smells like poo unless you smother the smell with EOs. I'd go with a spritz too. :wink:

 

[adonudo]

Here is a quick google search result:

Effects via the skin:
The dermal LD50 in rabbits is 4.2 g/kg. O. Moreno 1973. Reports to the R.I.F.M. Low dermal toxicity must indicate that very little oil is getting into the blood through the skin of animals, and almost certainly far lower levels from dermal absorption in humans.

A 6% solution of the oil has been tested on the skin of humans, and at that level no sign of irritation or sensitisation occurred. A. Kligman 1973. Reports to the R.I.F.M.
Note: This lack of adverse reactions can indicate low dermal absorption. 6% is far in excess of what is used for a routine massage.

A 10% solution of d-pulegone (which constitutes 60-90% of the oil), was tested on humans and produced no sign of adverse effects. It was found only poorly absorbed after it was applied to Guinea pig skin for 2 hours. F. Meyer 1965. Br. patent 1,001,949. Therefore only the minutest traces with NO toxicological significance, are likely to be detected in the systemic circulation following dermal application.

Found here: http://www.aromamedical.com/articles/pennyroy.html

Though I will say I found another article stating:

Since the use of pennyroyal oil has been associated with serious, even fatal, liver and kidney damage, oral or topical use of pennyroyal oil is generally not recommended.

However they also mention:

Pennyroyal has been used for digestive disorders, liver and gallbladder disorders, gout, colds, increased urination, as an insect repellant, to induce menstruation, and topically for skin diseases.

Found here: http://www.vimo.com/pharma/drug-details ... 4479/31478
Meaning I'm not the first person to think of it... But enough thread derailment, please IM me with any information you find in regards to the risk of accidental death due to the topical use of Pennyroyal. I'm currently designing a few recipes using it and I really do want to examine it fully prior to use.

 

[debbism]

Thank you.....very helpful info. I appreciate the share. With conflicting info, I would err on the side of caution now that I have read these.