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Hey all, I posted about a month ago about my finding out about this supposed bug-killer and supplement; and here are my erratic, dateless results:
Bugs:
First day I got the stuff in the mail, I put a good bit on my hair (just the scalp, no need to coat all your hair seeing as the bugs aren't there and it looks and feels like putting flour in your hair... It's messy). The first thing I noticed is that when it is in your hair, your hair is all but unmanageable. It instantly will make your hair very dry and very prone to tangles and being pulled out while brushing. However, once the DE is washed out, your hair hours back to normal, so I'd recommend brush, then put in DE, leave in hair for a day or so, then wash thoroughly, wait till dry, and then try to brush your hair. And you may have to wash it twice. However, with all of that trouble that needs gone through, it works! While I haven't completely phased out the lice problem yet, they're no where near the numbers there used to be. I've been doing this every 4-7 days since I got the stuff. I haven't found an adult louse since day 3 (I was finding them almost every day). This truly is a 100% natural lice cure! And an effective one at that! It also works on spiders, beetles, fleas, and any other pest with an exoskelleton. And it is perfectly safe for people (any bread you eat actually most likely contains DE because they use it in silos to stop bugs from eating the grain).
Onto the health benefits side:
I'll preface this with saying that I am extremely skeptical of alternative medical stuff. I went into this expecting nothing, and even now I recognize that my "evidence" hereafter is purely anecdotal. I have no empirical, scientific reasoning at my disposal to explain the effects, just my own experience.
The first week, I took one tablespoon a day. I noticed no difference and so the second and third week I upped this to two tablespoons. About halfway through week 2 I noticed small increases in my energy level, boosted mood (on a regular basis, I'm bipolar and have seasonal mood disorder which usually starts to kick in mid-september making this a particularly interesting time to start a regiment that is supposed to help mood), and a slight decrease in craving for cigarettes. this lasted through the better half of week 4 (during week 4 and 5 I stopped taking DE completely). After this and up until right now, everything that seemed to be an effect of the DE has gone away. Today is the start of week 6 and I'm going to start taking 3 tablespoons each day.
I take my DE in a drink. I tried sodas, water, and juices and have found that the easiest for me is strawberry or chocolate milk. DE does not disolve, it is like pouring sand in your cup along with your drink. Milk seems to me to be the best way to counteract the gritty texture.
Also, if anyone else is going to try this, you NEED to make sure you are buying FOOD GRADE DE. There is insect grade, pool grade, and FOOD GRADE. The insect and pool grade types have added chemicals. The FOOD GRADE is pure DE and is safe for consumtion, as well as effective on those critters. The way it kills them is physical, not chemical, so 1) there is no need for chemical additives and 2) they can't adapt to be imune to it. It truely is a great product.
Good to hear! My parents used DE to keep insects down in the kitchen, take care of ants in the yard, etc. I hadn't even thought about it for lice (brilliant!) and have never heard of it used internally, thanks for the heads-up
-TBG
Supposedly, being that it is mostly silica, it helps to clean out your colon, rid your body of heavy metals, and theres a laundry lost of other stuff it's "supposed" to do. I put that in quotes because, as I said, I'm extremely skeptical of new-agey stuff and vaguely documented natural "cure-alls" that are backed by nothing but anecdotal evidence. But it appears that this stuff it working for me. I'm
Not going to say that it IS, but it appears to have some sort of positive effect. And as far as I can tell it isn't harmful, so even if it doesn't help, it also doesn't hurt.
Yeah, never underestimate the effect of an active placebo. Inactive placebos are ~30% effective, so an active placebo. . .
Heh, I was just reading about DE an hour or two ago, probably first time in months.
I thought it would be abrasive/damaging to hair? I got dust from rock cutters in my hair a long time ago and it was VERY difficult to comb.
I hadn't thought to try this on spiders, etc. My tea tree oil solution seems ineffective...
It's not damaging, but it is abrasive. It makes your hair very dry. Which is why I strongly recommend brush, use DE, immediately tie back in a low braid, let sit for a day (to make sure the bugs get a good coating of it), then wash it out thoroughly, then brush it. Trying to brush your haute with DE in it is painful and results in a good bit of hair loss
Hey Jarvis,
Thanks for sharing your experience with using diatomaceous earth to treat head lice. As a public health nurse, this is one of the more common issues I'm called upon to help people with, especially during the school year. I am going to explore my options for offering this as an alternative to chemical lice treatments, especially for families that seem to have a recurrent problem.
Cheers,
Val
Hi Jarvis,
This is all good information to have and I appreciate you posting it. I am happy it is working well for you, but hope I never have to use it for my hair. I like the length and straightness of your hair by the way:)
Take care, Ted