What are the best home remedies for head lice?
It starts out as an itch that grows in intensity. You can feel tiny legs walking all over your scalp. That’s when to sound the alarm because you have head lice.
Head lice are tiny insects that invade the scalp and feed on human blood only. They spend their entire lives on your scalp and are not found on any other animal on the planet.
It’s easy to get head lice and only a few can start an infestation. They spread from person to person when you come into close contact. Also, by sharing clothes or hats, you make it easy for them to find a new home in you.
Once you get head lice, apart from itching, you notice red bumps all over your head, neck, and shoulders. They reproduce very fast and in no time you have an infestation on your hands. Other members of the family are at risk if you don’t take measures to eradicate them.
In the US the CDC estimates about 6 to 12 million children between the ages of 3 to 11 get head lice annually. It’s mainly due to close contact in schools, at home, or in play areas.
What are the most common home remedies for lice?
Once you discover that you have head lice, there are numerous home remedies you can use to get rid of them. The sooner you take action the better.
- Tea Tree Oil
Many people continue to use tea tree oil for numerous purposes across the world. Among them is using this oil to kill head lice and prevent further infestation. Though more research on its effectiveness is required, so far it shows promising results.
The oil works as an effective natural remedy and is safe to use even on the hair of a child with lice. The best way to use it is by mixing with water on a spray bottle. Once you do, spray it all over the hair and scalp covering every inch of it.
After that, get a towel and cover the head for some time for it to work. Once ample time elapses, remove the towel and rinse all the oil off the hair and scalp.
Comb the hair removing as many nits (lice eggs) as you can the oil it. For effective results, do repeat the process two days in a week.
- Garlic
For thousands of years human beings have used garlic for all manner of home remedies. It still proves effective to date even for getting rid of lice.
Garlic has a strong pungent smell and a bitter taste. It’s also full of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that help with swellings and redness. Head lice hate it making it an effective home remedy.
Prepare it with lime juice in the form of a paste. Take 10 cloves of fresh garlic and place on a blender. Pour in 2-3 tea spoons of lime juice and grind to a paste.
Section your hair, apply the mix to your scalp and let it sit for 30-45 minutes. Cover every inch of your scalp. Once the time is up, rinse your scalp and hair using warm water then comb the hair with a fine tooth comb. You can opt to repeat this once more in that week.
- Olive Oil
By far the most popular home remedy is using olive oil to remove lice and keep them away from your scalp. Olive oil has been around for centuries as a home remedy with many functions.
You need a generous amount to cover your hair and scalp completely. This is in a bid to suffocate the lice. Be ready to keep the oil on for hours.
Start by sectioning the hair. Follow this by saturating both hair and scalp until the oil starts dripping off. It can get messy but the results are worth it. The lice and nits remain under the oil with no air to breathe.
Leave the oil on for 30 minutes to make sure all of them are dead. Comb them out after and wash your hair with a good shampoo to remove the excess oil.
Since olive oil benefits your hair and scalp, you can repeat the process 3 to 4 times in a week to be sure all the lice are gone.
- Petroleum Jelly
Many home remedies that work to get rid of head lice do so by suffocating the insects and their eggs. This is exactly how petroleum jelly works through its thick consistency.
You need to use a lot of it to cover the whole scalp and things might get a little greasy. Use it as a home remedy staying away from other treatments that can have side effects.
Scoop out a lot of petroleum jelly and apply all over your scalp. Leave no part of it without the jelly. After that, put on a shower cap or wrap the head with a towel.
You can opt to wait for about an hour or simply do this at night and head to bed. In the morning, comb out the dead lice and nits then shampoo your hair to remove excess petroleum jelly.
Repeat often to prevent lice from coming back.
- Onion Juice
Onions are a common home remedy with many functions, especially when it’s many benefits to hair. Many people use it as part of their hair care routine and it comes in handy with treating lice infestations.
Like garlic, onions are bitter and have a strong smell. Their anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties work to soothe the inflamed itchy scalp due to lice.
To make onion juice, take 5 onions, peel them and chop into small pieces. Place the pieces on a juicer and extract the juice.
In case you don’t have a juicer, you can opt to create a paste using lemon juice. Put the chopped onions of a blender and add in three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Grind into a consistent paste.
Pour the juice or coat your scalp with the onion paste. Leave it on for 4 hours which is ample time for all the lice and eggs to die.
Comb all of them out then shampoo your hair to remove the strong smell of onions. For worthy results, repeat this process 3 to 4 days in a week.
- Coconut Oil
I enjoy using coconut oil on my hair because it’s prone to dryness. For many people, coconut oil is an answer to many hair related matters.
The same goes when you have a lice infestation at hand and need a home remedy. By far using coconut oil on head lice has proven as an effective way to get rid of them for good.
Coconut oil has lauric acid in it which is deadly to lice and nits. It’s the best to use especially on a sensitive scalp that can’t stand stronger treatment options.
Get a lot of coconut oil for this process and a shower cap. Rinse your hair with warm water and let it dry then coat the scalp with as much coconut oil as possible.
Ensure the coconut oil is in liquid form for the best results. Once you apply it, massage it all over your scalp and hair coating all the nits as well.
Put on the shower cap and leave it on for 8 hours. You can do this at night and sleep with the cap on. In the morning, take a fine toothed comb and comb out all the dead lice and nits.
Shampoo your hair and repeat the process 3 to 4 days in a week.
- Mayonnaise
Lice are annoying and can’t leave you at peace until you get rid of them. The best way is to out a home remedy using safe natural products like mayonnaise. It’s the best way to kill of the lice without using harmful products especially on children.
Mayonnaise is made using raw eggs, vegetable oil, and vinegar. These are safe ingredients that benefit rather than harm your hair and scalp. Coating your hair with this thick consistency ensures you suffocate all the lice and nits.
Start the process by sectioning your hair, coat it and the scalp with as much mayonnaise as you can. Applying on the scalp only leave the nits attached to hair shafts free from the mayonnaise.
Put on a shower cap and leave it on overnight though the smell can be a bit overwhelming. Comb your hair after with a fine toothed comb removing all the nits and lice.
Shampoo your hair with a sweet smelling shampoo and warm water to help get rid of the strong mayonnaise smell. Repeat the process twice a week successful results.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV has plenty of crucial uses at home when it comes to all manner of home remedies. When it comes to lice, the matter still holds true.
ACV works to kill all the lice and eggs from your head. Pour apple cider vinegar on a spray bottle and spray it covering all the hair and scalp.
Leave the wet hair as is with the ACV for 8 hours. You should wear a shower cap and continue with other activities.
After the time is up, comb your hair to dislodge all the nits and remove all dead head lice. Shampoo your hair then rinse it. Towel dry and apply coconut oil on it.
- Neem Oil
Not only is Neem oil beneficial to your hair, it can help you get rid of lice. Get a generous amount of the oil to use.
Section out your hair and pour generous amounts covering the scalp then massage it coating your hair. Wear a shower cap and leave the oil on for 8 hours or overnight.
Later on, use a comb to remove all the nits and dead lice. Shampoo the hair with warm water afterwards. Repeat this process for 4 days a week for complete eradication of lice.
- Eucalyptus Oil
Using eucalyptus oil to kills lice and nits is a remedy that goes back in time and is used by many people. It helps soothe an itchy scalp and redness that are common in a head lice infestation. In case you have any allergic reactions to the oil then opt for another like coconut or olive oil.
Get plenty of eucalyptus oil to use and cover all your hair and scalp with it. Don’t be shy about making a mess as long as you cover every inch of your head.
Wear a shower cap for 8 hours giving the oil time to smoother the lice and nits. After that, comb them out and shampoo your hair. Do these twice a week for complete annihilation.
Other Approved Treatments for Lice Infestation
As much as we’d like home remedies to be the answer we need for treating head lice, they may not work. At that point, seeking approved treatments is the right thing to do. You can buy the right products over the counter or get a prescription from your physician.
- Over the Counter Lice Treatments
The best lice treatments you can buy over the counter are shampoos such as Nix and Rid. They have proven effective because they contain pyrethrins in them. Pyrethrins are a class of chemical compounds known to be deadly to lice. They do so by affecting the nervous system of lice resulting in instant death. The two are found in many pharmacies. Nix is good to use for people aged from 2 months and above. For Rid, the right age is 2 years and above.
- Prescription Lice Treatments
Even OTC products can prove ineffective to lice. If this is the case, it’s time to visit your doctor for stronger prescriptions. There are numerous alternatives for treating lice that require a prescription from a licensed physician. They include Natroba, Sklice, Kwell, Ovide, and Ulesfia. Prescriptions cost more than over the counter treatments but they get the job done.
Preventive Measures to Keep Lice from Coming Back
Lice find it easy to spread from one person to the other. Even if you deal with the ones on your head but still visit an infected person, they come back. Ensure you pinpoint the source of your infestation.
Is it a colleague? Was it your child who got them from another in school? Did someone borrow your hat and return it without washing?
Only interact with the source after they handle the infestation on their end. If your son/daughter brought them home from school, inquire if the school is aware. They must notify all parents and deal with the matter collectively.
Wash all your beddings and clothes that came into contact with the head lice. Nits and lice might still be on them and cause a recurring nightmare of infestation.
Teach children the importance of not sharing their clothes while in school. You can successfully get rid of them on your end then have them recur due to hats sharing at school.
In case natural remedies don’t produce desired results, opt to use over the counter or prescription lice treatment solutions.
Conclusion
Lice can invade without any notice having you scramble to find solutions to get rid of them. Start by trying out natural remedies that are safer for your hair and scalp.
Home remedies also benefit the hair and scalp since they lack harmful chemicals. At time when dealing with super lice, these can prove ineffective forcing you to seek other treatments.
Head to the drug store and get over the counter treatments. In case that still doesn’t cut it, consult your physician to get a prescription for effective medicated treatments to use.
Take measures to prevent a recurrence of the lice and get rid of all nits.
Sources
- https://www.medicinenet.com/head_lice/article.htm
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- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164492
- https://www.healthline.com/health/head-lice
- https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/epi.html
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325844#do-home-remedies-work
- https://www.healthline.com/health/lice-home-remedies#smothering-agents
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