Is Olive Oil treatment effective?
A State Health Department document, widely circulated by schools recommends olive oil as a safe and effective way to kill head lice. It is applied generously to the hair and left on for 8 hours or overnight, on 7 days in a 21 day period. This recommendation is presumably based on its supposed effect as a suffocating agent, or as an aid to nit-combing by lubricating the hair. The Harvard School of Public Health is usually quoted as the reliable source of this recommendation. In fact, Harvard advises of as many failures as successes in informal testing, and states we do not recommend the use of olive oil (or other such substances) as a treatment for headlice. Harvard advises caution in the use of olive oil because it may have associated hazards. The heavy load of oil on the hair may require multiple shampooing with harsh detergents, causing scalp irritation. The editor of this website agrees with the National Pediculosis Association in its comments that …if olive oil encourages people
