Essential Oils Archives | Kuball's Khaos

DIY Bug Spray: Protect Your Family with a Simple Recipe

Lyn — Sun, 26 May 2024 14:50:18 +0000

DIY bug spray: Protect your family with a simple recipe using natural ingredients. Not only is it safe for your skin, but it’s also eco-friendly! Do you like mosquitoes? I feel like that is a trick question…..does ANYONE actually like them? Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. I HATE them, they love me…..my skin has the scars to prove it. I try not to run low on bug spray because I have such bad reactions to them, but I am a busy person so it has happened once or twice (like 12 times a summer). When this happens, I’ve already participated in the adult fun (shouldn’t be driving) and I’m not going to DoorDash bug spray – so I make my own with things I already have on hand. Witch hazel – if you don’t have a steady supply of this, I highly recommend that you start. WHY? You ask……. Witch Hazel Benefits Other ingredients Essential oils!!! Listen, if you have ever read a single thing that I have written, you know how I feel about these oils. To avoid boring those of you that have read – here are some links for those of you that have not read my stellar insights to essential oils. DIY Bug Spray You will need a small spray bottle like this (size doesn’t matter). Mix 5 tablespoons of witch hazel, 5 tablespoons of water and 5-10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Shake gently and spray on your body. Obviously the above recipe is intended for a smaller bottle but if you want more, remember your math skills. 15 tablespoons = about one cup; one cup = about 12 fluid ounces You’re welcome for doing some of the math for you. Drop us a line and let us know how it went when you tried the bug spray.

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6 of the Best Ways to Use Lemon Essential Oil

Lyn — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:08:00 +0000

INSIDE: CHECK OUT THE 6 BEST WAYS TO USE LEMON ESSENTIAL OIL – YOU WILL BE THANKFUL YOU DID! Lemon essential oil is similar to it’s citrus cousin, orange essential oil, because they are both cold pressed from the fruit peel they come from. Citrus Limon has magical superpowers that make lemon essential oil. So let’s find out the 6 best ways to use lemon essential oils. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. How to Use Lemon Essential Oil 1 – Decrease stress I mean….I might drink this by the gallon if it works…..JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!! To help yourself – simply add it to your favorite diffuser blend. And don’t forget you can add 5-7 drops of a cup full of baking soda to eliminate odors from your home and cabinets. 2 – Ease morning sickness Oh…how I don’t miss this issue. Many new mamas suffer from “morning sickness” but let’s be real…it can happen all day! To alleviate this issue, you can add it to your diffuser, add it to your water (make sure it’s food grade), or take a great big sniff from the bottle. If you want to make sure the “morning” sickness doesn’t plague you – add it to your diffuser overnight. I use this diffuser because it stays on for 15 minutes and then off for 15 minutes. It makes the smells less overwhelming and more noticeable. 3 – Clear skin infections Fungi (like athlete’s foot) can be nasty, irritating little buggers. BUT – you don’t always have to resort to the sprays….you can try some lemon essential oil first. To treat fungus, simply place a drop on the affected area. I urge you to be careful, essential oils can irritate skin easily. This is also not medical advice. If your PCP says – use medicated ointment – then do IT!!!!! Another way to cure yourself of this aliment is to soak your feet in warm water with 10-15 drops of lemon essential oil added. This will help get rid of toe nail fungus as well as soften calluses. ***Which reminds me – I am a medical professional BUT I am NOT yours! Essential oils do not have medicinal approval from the FDA and I do not suggest using oils INSTEAD of medicines. I use essential oils as an ADJUNCT to medicine!!!!! 4 – Increase alertness Adding lemon essential oil to your diffuser can help increase your alertness. The fresh lemon scent has been found to increase mental clarity and improve focus. I don’t know about you but I really need this at work! But I don’t want to have a separate diffuser for work….so my cheap and easy DIY solution to this: 5 – Nourishing hair I found this one to be the most intriguing. Lemon essential oil provides protection against dandruff and strengthens hair. The best way to reap the benefits of this is to make your own shampoo. I know it sounds crazy, but it is very simple. Supplies: Directions: 6 – Degreaser Lemon essential oil is a part of almost every produce wash. There is a reason for this. Not only does it serve as a disinfectant, but it gets rid of all the sticky residue that fruit and vegetables accumulate while growing. Not to mention, if pesticides are used….get rid of the gunk! Want to make your own produce wash with lemon essential oil? Shake it before each use. Spray it on your produce and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then using a produce brush, scrub gently and rinse. How to pick essential oils? Check out this post to find out how to choose wisely! Be Well,

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Ultimate Guide to Making DIY Laundry Soap: Get Rid of Chemicals

Lyn — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 00:30:00 +0000

INSIDE: Tried of spending ridiculous amounts of money on laundry soap? Come check out the ultimate guide to making DIY laundry soap and get rid of chemicals! At this point, you know how I feel about laundry. It’s sucking my will to live! However, my new laundry room does help perk up this task. Wanna know more about that remodel? Check out this post. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. The other day, I was doing a price comparison for cable and it got me thinking…what else do we waste money on? Laundry soap!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like we spend a small fortune on this stuff. Currently, we use TIDE. Why? Because it cleans clothes the best? It is on all the “lists” of best laundry soap. Coincidentally, it is also the most expensive. I normally buy Tide from Target for $17.99. This size claims to be able to wash 89 loads of laundry. I use the liquid because a really smart dermatology nurse told me it’s better for the skin; you don’t have to worry about the grit from the powder. That equals $0.20 per load. I guess that’s not HORRIBLE right??? BUT – the chemicals???? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I decided I would give DIY laundry soap a try. There are several motivating factors here….I like DIY’ing, my daughter loves to make things with me, I like the idea of saving money, and chemicals are in the laundry soap. BOOOOO!!!!!!! I found a recipe and tweaked it to my liking. Here is the price break down: How many GALLONS can I make with these supplies? Using my mastery math skills – I consulted with a certain 10 year old math genius – I figured out that: With these supplies, I can make 7 GALLONS of DIY laundry soap AND have some ingredients leftover to make more; only buying the washing soda next time. Here is the recipe after I tweaked it: Ingredients – Directions – ***TIP – I added the oils before the soap, to help the oil mix with the water better. ****UPDATE: the glass jar was not the best idea – the top started to rust about 5 months into the journey – so we switched to a plastic version. I didn’t want something huge (keeping with the gallon option) and I realized that most of these are drink dispensers, so we went with this one. Back to the price thing – I have an HE washer so I only need to use 1/4 cup per load (normal washers need 1/3-1/2 cup). 16 cups in a gallon – I only need 1/4 cup = 64 loads of laundry per gallon. 7 gallons = 448 loads of laundry for $24.20 WHOA!!!!!!!!!!! That is about $0.05 per load BUT does it work? Well, only one way to find out….. I took this towel (and a bunch of other towels that had been used to dry off the dogs after their bath) and threw them in the washer. I added 1/4 cup of detergent to the soap dispenser in my washer and added vinegar to the “bleach” dispenser. Adding vinegar to all towels makes them fluffier and removes any gross smells that end up on towels. I dried the towels and this is the end product: What do you know….it DOES work. I decided to try it on my laundry for a week and see if it was true! And I am completely satisfied. **However, I recommend keeping the liquid warm, if you can. It separates in a strange way….still works the same, just looks weird. Happy DIY’ing, Do you use DIY laundry soap? How do you make yours? Comment below and let us know if you have a better way!

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Shower Melts That Actually Work

Lyn — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 14:51:56 +0000

Have you ever stopped to read an article with a flashy headline, only to find out the information you were looking for was NOWHERE in the text? Well, that isn’t going to happen here. Continue reading to find a recipe for shower melts that ACTUALLY work. Not some click bait attempt at getting you to read something you don’t have time to read! Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. Anyways, I was looking for a recipe for a homemade shower bath bomb sort of thing. I had the worst cold and my nose was completely useless for 6 days. (Seriously, I didn’t need the nose cause it wasn’t working AT ALL!) What I found was a zillion recipes for BATH bombs and DIY chest rubs. Neither of those was what I wanted….I’m a busy lady, I take showers! I needed something that was going to de-stuff my nose WHILE I was being productive (and not smelling). Since my nose was suffering for so long, I decided I had to try something. Anything!!!!! So I took all of these recipes and decided to make my own! The first part of my plan was to figure out which essential oils would work best for my nasal congestion. The next part was the actual shower vapor magic. What you’ll need: Directions To use your shower melt: I can’t tell you what a difference this made to my nasal usage! It cleared me up (I’m sure the hot shower helped) but I could finally breath out of both nostrils. Do you have any home remedies that you use to clear congestion? How about curing the common cold? What do you do? Happy Breathing,

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How to Clean Your Gross Furniture Without Nasty Chemicals

Lyn — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 02:33:32 +0000

INSIDE: SEE HOW TO CLEAN YOUR GROSS FURNITURE WITHOUT NASTY CHEMICALS AND KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE FROM THE DIRT!!! Spills are a part of every mom’s life. Sometimes take over our lives…..so wouldn’t it be great to have a way to clean your furniture without chemicals?!?!?! Yes, yes it would!!!!! When we moved into our current house, we bought new furniture. I had the genius idea of owning white-ish couches. I thought, no big deal, I’ll just clean them. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! These things DO NOT come clean! I tried everything, even the strong chemical stuff. In fact, I decided that I don’t like the “comfort” of these couches because they won’t come clean. These couches have been thrown away……taken to the dump. They were so bad, I couldn’t fathom giving them to someone…….GROSS!!!!! Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. Part of the aforementioned purchase was an over-sized chair. It is actually very comfortable and many visitors have actually fallen asleep in it. However, it is the same material (not color thank GOD) thus…………shows all the stains. Here are the starting pieces I also have this old microfiber chair from our first house. It’s funny how easy it is to “ignore” less used or seen furniture. BUT microfiber can look a LOT dirtier than it actually is. Today I am going to tell you how to clean BOTH types of these pieces of furniture without chemicals. Leather is a whole different ball game. So we aren’t going to talk about them today. I have tried the chemical cleaners and it did NOTHING for the crappy furniture. So I decided to make my own cleaner and see what happened. Honestly, if it didn’t work, I wasn’t out anything….they couldn’t look any worse! Most of the ingredients you probably have on hand already. If not, run to Target and grab the things you need. Or click the links below and make a Target Drive Up Order. Now to play scientist!!! And here are the final products: Honestly, I am amazed at the transformation. I would have done this years ago had I known…… Before and afters: Let’s see how long it lasts! Try this cleaner and let me know how it goes! Happy Cleaning,

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How to Use Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Lyn — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:30:00 +0000

INSIDE: COME SEE HOW TO USE EUCALYPTUS ESSENTIAL OIL IN WOUNDS AND TO KEEP BUGS AWAY The Australians gave us some amazingly useful things from their trees. Thank you mates! Eucalyptus oil is no different. While eucalyptus trees used to be native to Australia, once their leaves were discovered to have oils that aided in breathing, wound cleansing, and bug deterrent – the whole world figured out how to grow these babies! **TIP – keep it away from your CATS – it has been known to cause drooling and unsteady gait – while some might find this funny…..I wouldn’t recommend letting cats around eucalyptus essential oil. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. The main ingredient in Eucalyptus globulus is cineole. Cineole is extracted from the leaves of the tree – either by steaming the leaf or drying and crushing the leaf. The cineole should be above 70% in your eucalyptus oil. I mentioned the importance of choosing the right essential oil company in this post, so I won’t go into it again BUT please think before you BUY! And now – How to Use Eucalyptus Essential Oil 1 – Breathing Eucalyptus essential oil has a property that interacts with the mucous membranes (pink parts of the nose and mouth that secrete mucous) of a human. This reduces mucous production, as well as loosening up what is already there. Here are a few ways to get these effects: 2 – Bug Repellent Flying, biting insects are MY worst enemy!!! I get eaten alive for most of the year. Thank GOD they go away when it gets cold!!! But since these insects don’t like strong smells, eucalyptus essential oil can be an effective repellent – when mixed with the right stuff! Homemade bug spray: Mix it well in a small glass bottle (cause plastic lessens the effectiveness of the oil) and spray it on. Be mindful not to ingest this!!!! 3 – Wound cleanser Since the 1800’s, surgeons have been using eucalyptus essential oil as an antiseptic during and after surgeries. So……why wouldn’t we?? Well, I’m a medical professional….so….while I think it’s a great thing to use at home for treatable wounds, I wouldn’t ask your surgeon to use it during surgery anymore. Cleaning a wound, that can be treated at home (if it needs stitches, go to the doctor…..we are talking MINOR cuts or scrapes), with eucalyptus essential oil is easy. Merely add a few drops to water and pour over the wound. The antiseptic properties will remove bacteria. OR if you have some castille soap on hand, you can add a few drops to the soap and scrub the wound. 4 – Wound healer This is where the real wound stuff happens. Adding eucalyptus essential oil to aloe vera gel creates a barrier around the wound, while promoting healing. You can still apply a bandage, just make sure you change it frequently. Another option – AND I highly recommend this one – is adding eucalyptus essential oil to a mixture of beeswax and coconut oil to make a salve. It will keep the wound clean, help heal it, and protect it from foreign invaders! 5 – Breath freshener DO NOT SWALLOW THIS!!!!! After brushing and flossing, add 2 drops to 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of water, swish it around for 30 seconds, then spit it out. I don’t recommend swallowing or ingesting any essential oils. I haven’t seen enough research about the effects it has on your body. Until I do, I DO NOT recommend ingesting them! 6 – Joint Pain Reliever Eucalyptus essential oil might have the highest anti-inflammatory properties. It also has some analgesic properties leading to pain relief. To accomplish this you can do several things: I hope you find this list helpful and relaxing and refreshing. Have other ideas? Share below! Be well,

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7 Amazing Ways to Use Orange Essential Oil

Lyn — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 12:00:36 +0000

INSIDE : COME SEE 7 AMAZING WAYS TO USE ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE AND FOR YOUR HEALTH. Oh sweet citrus! 🍊🍋 You smell so good….and yet, I cannot eat you. Does citrus fruit make your tongue itch? Cause it does mine….so I generally avoid eating them. 🥺 BUT – I love the smell of oranges. I like to peel them for my daughter, use lotions with the scent, and even use it to clean. So when I discovered sweet orange essential oil, I was HOOKED! Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. The main ingredient in Citrus sinensis is limonene. The limonene is harvested from the peel of an orange and cold pressed to extract the oil. I have discussed the importance of choosing the right essential oil company in this post, so I won’t bore you again BUT please think before you BUY! Without further ado, my favorite uses for orange essential oil. How to Use Orange Essential Oil 1 – Deodorizer Orange essential oil is pungent (and not in a bad way) therefore it is great for getting rid of smelly odors. There are many ways to use orange essential oil to assist in the de-funk-ing of your home and car. 2 – Respiratory Inflammation Combatant Citrus fruits have a lot of anti-inflammatory properties, making them great additions to sinus and allergy sufferers arsenals. Thus….making their oils great for use too. There are a few ways you can do this: 3 – Acne Treatment Since orange essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties, it can be added to your skin care routine. It will reduce redness, cystic acne, and inflammation caused by other irritants. To do this simply add one drop of orange essential to a cotton ball, add 4 drops of carrier oil (like olive or almond) and apply to your face. Make sure you wipe off this mixture after 5 minutes. (TIP: it helps remove makeup too!) 4 – Calming & Anxiety Reducer Who doesn’t need this in their life? 😎 Adding orange essential oil to your diffuser will bring peace and relaxation to whatever room you use it in. Another option is to drop the oil into your palms, rub together, and hold your hands over your nose. Taking deep breaths will help calm your nerves and improve your overall mood. 5 – Digestion This does NOT have to be ingested to work!!!!! Adding it to your diffuser will not only help calm your upset tummy but it also takes care of any natural smells emanating from your body because of your tummy troubles. You can also add 5 drops to a teaspoon of coconut oil and rub on your abdomen. The mixture helps reduce gas. 6 – Insect Repellent Bugs HATE strong smells. So, obviously, orange essential oil is one of their least favorites! To keep things simple, add orange essential oil to your pulse points and forget about the bugs! (Make sure your skin can tolerate direct contact with the oil or add it to carrier oil.) 7 – Achy Joints Since citrus fruits are naturally filled with anti-inflammatory goodness, you can add orange essential oil to your current lotion OR add 10 drops to 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Mix your oils together and spread on your aching joints. Make sure rub the oil until it is well absorbed into your skin. Ahhhhhh sweet relief. I hope you find this list helpful and relaxing and refreshing. Have other ideas? Share below! Be well,

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7 Practical Ways to Use Tea Tree Oil

Lyn — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 12:45:17 +0000

INSIDE: CHECK OUT 7 WAYS TO USE TEA TREE OIL AND LEARN HOW TO PICK A RESPONSIBLE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPANY. It’s all the RAGE….essential oils to make you healthier, not really but they are an alternative to strong chemicals…but what do they really do? Let’s explore one of the most popular…come along and learn 7 ways to use Tea Tree Oil. Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia plant naive to Australia. Thanks to modern science, the oil can be extracted from the leaves and delivered right to your front door. The Australians found that TTO has many antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. There are a few main components of the oil that you need to check for when you are purchasing your oil: While doing this research, I found hundreds of sites claiming to have the BEST TTO. BUT…how do you know? They all claim to be therapeutic and natural, but as consumers, do we just trust the word of sales people? Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. Well, sorry peps, I don’t. So….I went digging. I found some important things to look for BEFORE you buy!!! I found a few companies that I’m ok with mentioning – https://www.planttherapy.com/quality/essential-oils https://www.nowfoods.com/essential-oils/quality-safety https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/aromatherapy/essential-oils Now, for the 7 ways to use your Tea Tree Oil: 1 – Acne Acne plagues many of us…even into adulthood. Serious EYE ROLL here! I am almost 40 – I have worse acne now then I did as a teenager!!! So annoying! The bottom line is oily skin is often the culprit. Sure diet, hormones, and stress all play their part too…but the one thing YOU cannot control is your oily skin. Thanks DAD! To clean AND treat your acne prone skin: 2 – Athlete’s Foot Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus that grows between the toes of affected people. This can be SUPER itchy and really agitating! The first thing I NEED to say is – make sure it is actually Athlete’s foot and not something else. Once you have established that is WHAT it is – you can treat it with TTO. To treat Athlete’s Foot: 3 – Lice Repellent You can read more about my trials and tribulations with these ratchet beasts here. But adding TTO to your regular shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, or detangler is very helpful in repelling the DUMB bugs. They don’t like the smell…..unfortunately, neither do the kids, that’s why it is helpful to add it to currently used products. It will help the kids get used to the smell. To use as a lice repellent: 4 – Dandruff Another common aliment of us oily skinned people – dandruff. No matter how much shampoo you use, it still happens. It can also be caused by not ENOUGH shampooing, yeast on the scalp, or maybe it isn’t dandruff at all. So before you use this – be sure it is actually dandruff and not something more – consult a medical professional first! In addition to the antiseptic and antifungal uses of this wonder tree, TTO also has anti-inflammatory properties. Placing the oil in your shampoo can help unclog hair follicles, reducing the amount of oil that gets trapped inside the follicles and allowing them to breath…thus reducing the build up oil, yeast, and dirt. You can buy special TTO shampoo OR you can add the oil to the shampoo you use every day. To treat dandruff: 5 – Muscle Aches Living with every day aches and pains seems like it is just the thing to do as we age….sucks I know, but it could be worse…. To help calm your muscles after a long day, or even to start your day off with a bang, try adding TTO to your bath. Epsom salt is a wonderful thing. It is made from magnesium sulfate which helps heal, rejuvenate, and replenish our muscles. You know what else it does??? Reduces anxiety! Which one of YOU doesn’t need that? Studies have shown that increasing our magnesium intake (whether orally with supplements or soaking through an Epsom bath) can improve our sleep and make us less anxious for the next day. And with all our “to-do” lists, I think we can all benefit from a good soak. As if Epsom salts weren’t enough on their own, when you add TTO to them (and your bath) you can get rid of those stinky toxins from the day and emerge from your bath a NEW you! To use TTO with Epsom salts in a bath: 6 – Yeast Infections We all get them. Yeast infections are annoying, and for all the things we do to avoid them (if you don’t know how to avoid them – we need to talk) we can still get them. However, we don’t have to use powerful OTC medications that sting and burn, and we don’t have to call and beg our doctor to write a prescription (unless it is BAD, only you know your body….don’t listen to me if you know the only way to cure YOU is with prescription – this is NOT medical advice!!!!!!). See above. Soak in an Epsom salt bath with TTO. The TTO has antifungal properties that will help rid you of your yeast. 2 warnings – make sure it is a yeast infection first! Obviously, there are ways to know this – I will let you Google those because I am not here to give medical advice. Second warning – make sure you aren’t sensitive to the TTO before submerging your ENTIRE body into the mixture! You can also use TTO in a SITZ bath: 7 – Air Cleanser I have dogs….they stink sometimes. I really dislike when I know people are coming over and my dogs have made my house smell like a kennel. BUT – I have found a CRAZY air spray that doesn’t smell like fake flowers or chemicals! To make the air cleanser spray: Do you have other uses for Tea Tree Oil? Help a sister out….comment below and share the love! Happy Healing,

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Every parents worst fear…lice!

Lyn — Sat, 11 May 2019 12:30:57 +0000

**Warning – long post ahead** Today was no different than yesterday except one thing….every parents worst fear….LICE!!!!!!!!! I picked the kids up at 5:59pm. Literally one minute before after school closes. I knew I was going to get an ear full from both girls! 😤Work was busy and time had gotten away from me. Thank god Kris has handled dinner all week….or we’d all be eating cereal for dinner! As I pull in to pick up the girls, the curbside pick up guy greeted me with a weary smile. I said ‘cheer up! It’s almost Friday!!’ He said ‘I need to give you a heads up about something….’ Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Click here for the full disclosure. I brace myself for something like your kid is a jerk or has a hole in her head or got in trouble for being rude but what I got was ….’we’ve had an outbreak of LICE!’ I thought ‘oh ok no big deal.’ I said, ‘what does an outbreak mean?’ He said ’15 people were sent home including 3 adults.’ 😳😳 Back story Let me back up for a minute, I have a younger sister and younger brother. None of us ever had lice. I chalk it up to being greasy whops. Whatever, I can call us that….you CANNOT! So my medical career has taken me into some pretty strange places, and I’ve seen lots of cases of lice. Infestations, mild cases, over-reactive parents, over-reactive hairdressers, not responsive enough patients….there are all kinds. None of that prepared me for this past winter. I got a note home saying ‘a student in your child’s class has been diagnosed with head lice…take precautions…blah blah blah.’ Not my kids! We are too greasy. Plus I spray their hair with detangler every morning, and we don’t shower every day yet. They are FINE! Right???? NOPE! She came home the next day scratching like a crack head, and apparently, her teacher noticed too. She was sent to the nurse to be checked. Got the all clear….but her teacher (who knows what I do for a living) said ‘have your mama check you.’ So like a gorilla mama, I checked that child’s head. I saw nothing. The next morning (it was a weekend THANK GOD!) I was doing homework, and she said ‘my head really itches today!’ I look again and notice the tell-tale sign – red, irritated scratch marks behind the ears. Crap! I still don’t see live bugs or even the nits. Until she starts to walk away, y’all I freaked out! I caught that bug in my fingers and smushed but inside I was screaming!!!!! Not my baby!!!!! I ran to one store and bought the last box of treatment…went to the next store and bought their last 2 boxes….and called my mom!!! MOM – buy your drugstore out please!!!!! When I calmed down and realized that I knew what to do and that my child needed me to reassure her that she was going to be ok (really my mom had to tell me to calm down and relax about 45 million times). I thought about how those 2 drugstores could be almost out of lice treatment. Obviously, there is an outbreak. OMG what if it’s some super strain and I can’t get rid of it?!? Calm down…..she needs you. I checked the smallest baby and she was good. But I’m paranoid now…so I decided to treat both of them. I am a medical professional and believe in science. I went for the chemicals!!!! Yup, the organic eating, organic gardener went straight to chemicals! I knew by my reaction that I could not afford to have a house full of these frickin things! I explained what we were going to do to the girls, and off we went. We spent the better part of the afternoon combing out their hair with that tiny nit comb. Overall, I found only a few live bugs and some nits on one kid. The other was fine but glad I treated her anyway. I stripped beds, washed pillows, sprayed couches and car seats. Now I looked like the crack head. The worst part was I couldn’t help but look at the child’s hair. I was constantly on the prowl for bugs. It was disturbing, and I’m sure it has scarred her for life. 2 days after the initial treatment, we combed again. I found nothing. Phew!!! 2 days later combed some more, still nothing. On the 7th day we retreated her hair. It is what the manufacturer recommends, so there has to be science behind it. Still no bugs! What a relief. Current situation In January, I started putting tea tree oil in their detangler to prevent any future issues. So imagine my gut-wrenching when I heard him say those words!! ‘We have an outbreak’ while I’m running late and having no desire to be anywhere but my bed….🙄 Please don’t do this to her……..Not again!!!! She said she was checked and cleared. Phew 🤦🏻‍♀️ but like a mother gorilla, I had to make sure, I had been here before. So every day for 3 days I picked apart her hair looking for signs….🥺 Still nothing. 5 days after the initial ‘bad news,’ we got THE news. She was checked again, because 29 people had confirmed cases….yes I said 29….crazy…they found teeny tiny live lice and a few nits. OH GOD! I stopped and got more chemicals…..went home and immediately pulled out my gorilla instincts. Even though I still saw nothing……….I treated her. What harm would it do? Well, there were 3 tiny bugs and maybe 10 nits. So we caught it REALLY early! Thank goodness! But she couldn’t go to school, which meant mama had to stay home with her. This leads me to my current frustration Treatments – if your kid has LIVE bugs or NITS…..they need to be treated……………not with mayo, vinegar, or garlic! Use medicines! I’m not saying use the strongest, most potent stuff, but these bugs have been around for 10,000 years! They aren’t going to go away easily! I’m sorry…..I don’t want to put chemicals on my kids either BUT I don’t want them to lose sleep, infect their friends, or miss days of school for something that can be PREVENTED and TREATED! Pyrethrum is actually safe. There are a TON of studies online that prove it has low toxicity to mammals and it highly effective in killing louse. READ THE DIRECTIONS! Dry hair, apply in sections, add water when finished to create a lather, THEN rinse. NO more than 10 minutes! COMB – I know, it’s easy to put the chemicals on and be done. But that isn’t the end. You HAVE to comb the bugs and nits out of the child’s hair. Yes, it is time consuming (and to some gross) but it is a necessary part of the treatment process. Launder – Wash all sheets, pillows, bed spreads, and stuffed animals in HOT water. No special laundry soap….no special cycle….JUST really HOT water! Lice die after 5 minutes of exposure to heat of 129 degrees. Clean – DO NOT spend your life’s savings on cleaning supplies. Just vacuum, launder, and if it can’t go in the laundry, zip it up in an air tight plastic bag for 2 weeks. Lice die after 2 days without human blood. The 2 weeks is overkill but better be safe than sorry. Hair brushes/combs – These need to be cleaned too. DO NOT forget them. Pull out all the hair FIRST!!!! HOT tap water mixed with the lice treatment soap in the bathroom sink will do the trick. Let them soak over night, rinse and air dry. Isolation – Do NOT send the kid to school or day care if there is an active infestation. I get that it is a pain….you want to treat them and move on, but you need to be sure they are not going to infect their friends or re-infect themselves! This might mean a day out of school or work. DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE! Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics says it is NOT necessary….I promise with the amount of selfies and hugs I’ve seen in these kids….keep them home. Just ONE day! Kill the bugs, remove the nits, and move on. We all need mental health days anyway. RE-comb – every 2 days….AT LEAST!!!! Wet their hair and get that nit comb out! You will find dead bugs and nits….they need to be removed or the infection will continue. RE-treat – 7-10 days later…..do it all over again! You might not see anything but that doesn’t mean a microscopic nit isn’t in there….DO IT AGAIN! Now I am wondering…why?!? Why do we have lice? Why does it continue to affect our children? Well, after hours of research (and subliminal scratching my own head) the answer is simple….they are worse than cockroaches. Scientists have carbon dated lice back to 7,000BC?!? Mummy’s have been found with lice and nit combs. So….if they’ve been around this long, chances are they aren’t going away any time soon. What’s our next move? Prevention!!!!! Ok – my tea tree oil in the detangler isn’t a horrible idea. And a very wise lady told me hairspray or mousse in the hair will prevent them from sticking. I sprayed the tea tree oil detangler AND hairspray for 5 days (post outbreak) and it still happened! A friend, who’s child was also a victim of this outbreak, had been washing her kid’s hair with that special lice repelling shampoo….it didn’t work either!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY?????? There is NO scientific proof that tea tree oil prevents lice. There is a SMALL amount of scientific evidence that supports lice dying when exposed to the combination of tea tree AND lavender oil. BUT no one has a way to prevent them. So……..let’s think about this. My greasy head, tea tree OIL, lavender OIL, coconut oil….all these “home” remedies have ONE thing in common……..SLICK HAIR! If they can’t grab the hair, they can’t lay their eggs. NOW we are onto something. How do you keep your hair slick enough that lice can’t attach but not so greasy that you look like you belong on Jersey Shore? Since I already have detangler with tea tree oil, maybe I will add lavender and mint…..I’ll see how this works. Then maybe I’ll market it…..stay tuned. The next part of prevention is NOT sharing articles related to the head. I have preached and preached and preached some more about not sharing hats, scarves, headbands, ponytail holders, brushes, etc…we don’t try them on in stores, and we don’t share them! So how does the head to head contact happen?!? They don’t fly or jump….so….stay away from everyone? No hugging your friends? No selfies…..Yeah, good luck with that! I knew I didn’t like hugs for a reason! Get out the Aquanet!!!

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