“Coconut Oil as Lice Killer”

A Science Investigatory Project

Presented to
Parish School of Saint Isidore
Pontevedra, Capiz

In Partial Fulfillment
of the requirements for the Subject
Science VI

BRIANA GRACE M. ARCHES

March 2024
 Acknowledgment

The researcher, would like to express the heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals

for their contributions and support in the completion of the study.

I would like to express our gratitude to my science teacher, making this work possible. I

was able to complete all stages of my science investigatory project because of the assistance and

suggestions.

I’d like to thank my families and friends for their unwavering support and patience as I

worked on my science investigatory project. Your prayers have kept me going so far.

Finally, I want to express our gratitude to God for providing us with the ability to persevere in

the face of adversity. Thank you for your constant strength and unending blessings. Thank you

so much to all of the researchers that put in so much effort and made so many sacrifices to finish

this research paper.

-Researcher
 Chapter 1

Introduction

The coconut plant has been considered as the tree of life not only by any scientist but also

by the ordinary people who use this plant to cater their needs.

Cocos Nucifera or usually known as Coconut Tree is commonly found throughout the

tropic and sub-tropic area and has been utilized for thousands of years because of its wide array

of functions and continuously being used and studied in the present times to further know what

are the other possible functions it can still perform. Because of the many roles this plant played

in the lives of people, it becomes the interwoven into the culture of many local community.

Coconut tree is inevitably one of the most important plants in the low islands in the Pacific are

because of its many capabilities coming from its different parts. Coconuts doesn't only take part

in the daily diets and culinary ingredients of many people but it can also function as a raw

material for other coconut-based products. Coconuts are different from any other plants because

almost all of its part can be processed and used. The clear liquid coconut water within its potable.

In this study the researcher wants to discover a common fruit that will minimize the level

of lies around people's head and therefore using and including this kind of solution will take a

long time to know the result.

Background of the study

The Philippines is the greatest worldwide producer of coconut oil. Indonesia and India

are the next largest producers. The Philippines, European Union, United States, and India are the

greatest consumers of coconut oil.

 Coconut oil is one of the oldest recorded sources of vegetable oils that has been

consumed in tropical communities for almost 4,000 years. The use of coconut oil is prevalent in

tropical regions throughout the world (e.g. south and central America the Caribbean Africa

micro- mele- and Polynesia and most of Asia). So respected are the uses of coconut oil that they

were documented in Sanskrit from 1,500BC in all areas relating to the mind, body and spirit by

your Ayurvedic medicine. Also popular in the western countries the coconut oil was sold during

post WWII as "margarine" in England and as "coconut butter" in the United States. In spite of

the nutritious properties and prolific use of coconut oil around the world, it was maligned

through a negative campaign as a contributor to heart disease because of its saturated fat content.

The anti-saturated fat theory began in the 1950s, with a steep rise in heart disease in the United

States. The negative campaign was initiated in 1954 by the two academic papers that young

researcher David Kritchevsky published.

Kritchevsky's initial paper described the effects of feeding cholesterol to rabbits, an

indicated that this may lead to the formation of black arteries, and consequently contribute to

potential heart disease. His second research described the beneficial effects of consuming

polyunsaturated fatty acids from the oil of corn, soybeans, safflower and sunflower seeds for the

lowering, at least temporarily, or cholesterol in the blood. Both theories fueled support for the

lipid hypothesis, which argued that "saturated fat and cholesterol from animal sources raised

cholesterol levels in the blood leading to possible deposition of cholesterol and fatty acids as

pathogenic plaques in the arteries."

Although many studies at the time had also shown research to the contrary, Kritchevsky's

theory was the one that took hold. With heart disease as the number one killer in the United

States, and the vegetable oil industry seeking a new market at the time, it is easy to see how
many "oil" quickly gets labeled as "bad for your health". This anti saturated fat campaign led to

most food manufacturers abandoning Coconut oil in favor of the polyunsaturated oils that come

from the main cash crops in the United States, particularly soy. By mid 60's the reputation of all

saturated oils in America had been destroyed.

The coconut oil industry, which centered in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia and

Indonesia, could not defend itself from such negative media campaigns. These tropical countries

did not have the financial and political resources to counter the unjustified attacks. While many

researchers who know the truth about coconut oil tried to correct this misinformation the public

opinion was already molded against saturated fats and tropical oils.

After a history of misinformation and disinformation which ruined Coconut Oil's

otherwise where the reputation modern medical research starting to scientifically debunk the

notion that coconut oil is "bad". Dietary changes based on the evidence presented by

Krischevsky and other similar studies were shown to be premature and are being dispelled. "The

true fact is that the populations who take this oil daily in their food have little or no coronary

heart disease and no cancer diabetes or the other chronic ailments?" clarified by Dr. Conrado

Dayrit, a cardiologist, pharmacologist and past President of the Philippine Heart Association.

With the "anti-saturated fat" exposed as nothing more than a marketing campaign, the

coconut industry is beginning to recover from the decades of negative publicity. In fact, Coconut

Oil is now returning to its rightful glory and is redefining itself with the help of an exploration

and sound modern science.

 Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine whether the coconut oil can be an alternative treatment for

removing lice specifically it's soft to answer the following questions:

1. Is the treatment produced out of coconut oil more effective and efficient than a

commercial treatment?

2. What is the correct proportion of coconut that produce the best quality treatment for

removing lice?

Hypotheses

Two hypotheses were made by the researcher to address the question whether coconut oil

is effective in killing lice. The following are the hypotheses:

1. The researcher think that coconut oil is effective in killing lice because of the lauric

acid present in it.

2. The researcher think that coconut oil is not effective in killing lice based on the

concentration used to make the product.

Objectives

Generally, this study was conducted to find out if Coconut oil can be used as a lice killer.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. To know if coconut oil can be used as head lice killer

2. To know if coconut oil is more effective as head lice killer than the commercial one.
 Scope and Limitations

This study was limited only to the use of oil of the coconut. The treatment will be as

follows:

Treatment

Lice – Coconut Oil – Water

Definition of Terms

This includes the specialized vocabulary words and some terminologies that will be used

in this study.

Coconut oil. An edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of mature coconuts

harvested from the coconut palm.

Lice. Any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura, parasitic on humans and other

mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking.

 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

Related Literatures

In recent years, the popularity of coconut and particularly coconut oil has soared because

of touted health benefits. Fueling the coconut oil trend, celebrity endorsements have claimed the

ingredient to help blast away belly fat, curb appetite, strengthen the immune system, prevent

heart disease, and stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A survey found that 72% of

Americans rated coconut oil as “healthy,” though only 37% of nutrition experts agreed. [1]

Coconut oil is popular in several trending diets including ketogenic and Paleo diets.

As consumer demand for plant-based foods increases, coconut oil has become a popular

fat choice for its rich flavor with a mild coconut aroma.

Coconut oil is an effective moisturizer for skin and hair. Using a small amount, gently

massage directly into skin. For dry or frizzy hair, apply a small amount to the hair shaft and leave

in for desired time (a few minutes to overnight), and then wash out. (Harvard T.H. Chan, 2024)

Head lice are found worldwide. In the United States, infestation with head lice is most

common among pre-school children attending child care, elementary schoolchildren, and the

household members of infested children. Although reliable data on how many people in the

United States get head lice each year are not available, an estimated 6 million to 12 million

infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age. In the

United States, infestation with head lice is much less common among African-Americans than

among persons of other races, possibly because the claws of the head louse found most
frequently in the United States are better adapted for grasping the shape and width of the hair

shaft of other races.

Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. Head lice are spread by direct

contact with the hair of an infested person. Anyone who comes in head-to-head contact with

someone who already has head lice is at greatest risk. Spread by contact with clothing (such as

hats, scarves, coats) or other personal items (such as combs, brushes, or towels) used by an

infested person is uncommon. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing

to do with getting head lice. (Global Health, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, 2020)

Related Studies

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is the freshly obtained mature kernel of the coconut, by

mechanical or natural means, with or without the use of heat and without undergoing chemical

refining. When compared to copra coconut oil (CCO), marginal differences exist with respect to

iodine value, saponification value, refractive index, fatty acid profile, specific gravity, and

moisture content. VCO has many health benefits, such as preventing the oxidation of low density

lipoprotein lipid increasing the antioxidant enzymes. Additionally, total polyphenol, antioxidant

activity, tocopherol, phytosterol, monoglycerides, and diglyceride content in VCO samples are

different from CCO samples. In vivo studies on Wistar albino rats prove that VCO samples are

better in reducing ypercholesteremia and diabetes. VCO was found to be good frying oil in terms

of stability and acceptability after 8 h of frying of soaked Bengal gram dhal. Blends of VCO

were found to be stable for up to 12 months of storage in various flexible and rigid packaging

systems, at varying temperatures. After VCO extraction, the resulting residual material obtained,

termed as virgin coconut meal (VCM), has been used to make different traditional Indian sweets
(ladoo & burfi) as well as baked goods (biscuit & cake). (Yashi Srivastava, … Gopal K. Sharma,

in Therapeutic, Probiotic, and Unconventional Foods, 2018)

Head lice infestation is a public health issue. In the effort to compile an evidence-base

about the physiology, detection, treatment, effects and management strategies of head lice

infestations we reviewed current literature. This literature signaled significant evidence gaps and

these gaps provide incentives for further research. Our conclusions from the literature are that

parents of children are responsible for head lice detection and treatment but have varying access

to advice about how best to treat this condition. Concern is exacerbated by misconceptions

surrounding the circumstances of infestation. Head lice are a low priority for health professionals

in Australia, whereas parents and teachers believe the problem necessitates greater attention. It is

important to provide a unified evidence-based approach to good information. It is timely for

health care professionals to re-examine and prioritize this public health issue. They should

research and work collaboratively towards the eradication of head lice. (Koch T, Brown M,

Selim P, Isam C. J, 2001 )

Forty studies met the inclusion criteria of this review and entered into the meta-analysis

including 200,306 individuals. Using a random effect model, the prevalence (95% confidence

interval) of head lice infestation among primary school children was estimated as 1.6% (1.2–

2.05), 8.8% (7.6–9.9), and 7.4% (6.6–8.2) for boys, girls, and all the students, respectively. The

infestation rate was found to be associated with low educational level of parents, long hair,

family size, mother’s job (housewife), father’s job (worker/unemployed), using a common comb,

lack of bathrooms in the house, and a low frequency of bathing.

Head lice contamination has a global distribution and it is regarded as a main health

problem throughout the world. Given the importance of physical health of students and head lice
prevalence at school age, we aimed to examine the rate of head lice contamination among

primary school students in the villages of Abadan in 2012. In this descriptive study, 624 students

were randomly selected from primary schools. The hair of all students under the study was

examined by the researcher (community health nurse) and the result was registered in the

checklist confidentially. Moreover, one questionnaire including personal and family information

was filled out for each student. The obtained data were later analyzed in SPSS software, version

18, using statistical test Chi-square and central qualitative and distribution statistics. The

frequency of lice contamination was 27 cases (4.33%) in total, all of whom were girls. Although

the difference between the head lice contamination and gender was statistically significant

(P=0.00), the difference between this contamination type and grade of students and their parents’

education and fathers’ occupation was not significance. The highest rate of contamination

(6.73%) was, however, observed in fifth graders. All contaminations were seen in girls, which

could be due to their longer hair or wearing scarf as compared with boys. Unfavorable health

condition and regional hot weather can be effective as well. Therefore, it is essential to provide

the students, especially girls, with health training. Salehi S, Ban M, Motaghi M. 2014
 Chapter III

Methodology

This chapter involves the materials, procedures, and statistical methods that will be used

in the study.

Materials

These are the materials used in the study:

 Basin

 Water

 Towel or Shower Cap

 Comb

 Coconut Oil

Methods

These are the methods used in the study:

1. Collect or harvest a Coconut by climbing the smooth, narrow trunk or by cutting the

bunches with knife attached to the bamboo.

2. Husk the Coconut

3. Poke it and then crack into two pieces.

4. Remove and collect the Coconut Meat.

5. Grate the Coconut Meat.

6. Extract the Coconut milk from the crushed meat.

7. Make a fireplace.

8. Boil the Coconut Milk.

9. Extract oil from boiled Coconut Milk.

10. Separate the pure Coconut oil.

11. Apply the Coconut Oil into your hair and scalp.

12. Gently massage it with your fingertips.

13. Cover with a shower cap or a towel for 1-2 hours.

14. After removing the cap, comb your hair to get rid of the eggs and lice.

15. Wash your hair thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner.