With the start of school often comes the threat of lice entering your home via the heads of your little ones. Last year I had a guest post about a homemade concoction to get rid of lice in case you ever have an encounter with them. When discussing it on our Facebook page, people wanted a simpler solution, something that they didn’t have to put together themselves. They also wanted something to use so that they didn’t have to deal with lice in the first place. Thus, this post: Natural Lice Prevention!

Prevention Shampoo

There are a couple of options available when it comes to lice prevention. You all know that I love my Poofy, so of course, I have to share their shampoo with you. This shampoo can replace what it is you are using as a daily shampoo. You can choose to start using this at the beginning of the school year, or wait until an ‘outbreak’ occurs in your child’s school. Here are the ingredients: Purified water, Decyl Polyglucose (plant source), Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Essential Oils of Tea Tree, Rosemary, Citronella & Geranium, Xanthan Gum. If by chance you forget to use it and do contract lice, this can be used as a treatment as well, along with some other important components which include “combing through the hair thoroughly with a lice comb as well as using some kind of suffocating element (coconut oil works well), and the hot dryer or dishwasher for all items that might come in contact with the head/hair (pillow cases, pillows, sheets, brushes, hats, etc.). The shampoo alone won’t take care of the problem but it’s an important component”(Sarah Gomez-Kaveney).

Prevention Spray

The other option, that can be used instead of or in conjunction with Poofy’s shampoo, is Poofy Organics Lice Prevention Spray – a great option to quickly spray on your children’s heads as they are heading out the door to school.

Fairy Tales also makes a spray, but I don’t love the ingredients as much as Poofy’s. Specifically, I don’t love the dicetyldimonium chloride, but it only rates a 2 on EWG. Fairy Tales does make a repelling shampoo as well, but if you look at the ingredients, you will see that some are toxic and not something you would want to use on your child’s head every day.

Ingredient Comparison

Poofy Organics Spray: Distilled Water, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Lavender Hydrosol, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Organic Tea Tree Essential Oil, Organic Geranium Essential Oil, Organic Rosemary Essential Oil, Organic Guar Gum

Fairy Tales Spray: SD Alcohol 40-B (Alcohol Denat.), Water (Aqua), Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aminomethyl Propanol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cymbopogon Nardus (Citronella) Oil, Fragrance* (Parfum), Geranium Maculatum Extract, Glycerin, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Pimpinella Anisum (Anise) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Triethyl Citrate..

Fortunately, the prevention products have worked for my family and I haven’t had to ever treat lice. Feel free to share your tried and true lice treatment strategies in the comments if you have had to deal with the little pests.