Hair Lice: Home Remedy for Head Lice

Head lice are primarily found in the hair of children. But they can be found in the hair of adults as well. They are extremely contagious and can spread very easily via head to head contact.

Although, head lice do not carry any specific diseases, they can be extremely irritating to the person suffering from it. The hair lice run around on the scalp and cause continual itching which is quite problematic and distracting.

An adult head louse is about 1/10th to 1/8th of an inch long. They feed on human blood. That is why they can be found on the scalp. Eventually, they lay about 6 – 7 eggs (called nits) every day to reproduce, spreading more and more lice. The eggs hatch in about 7 – 10 days and the lice take about 8 – 9 days to mature and begin laying eggs again.

The eggs laid by the hair lice are glued to the hair shaft and can be found about ½ an inch above the scalp.

It is because of their small size, and the fast cycle of maturity and reproduction, that head lice can survive and thrive. They cannot be detected easily and the eggs that they lay don’t come unstuck easily either.

Therefore any lice treatment aims at removing the mature hair lice, and destroying or removing the eggs. But the most important part is that the treatment needs to be repeated every 7 – 10 days for several times, to ensure that the baby lice have also completely disappeared.

Lice Treatment: Home Remedy For Head Lice

Normally, there are a variety of lice treatments found in pharmacies. These treatments comprise of chemicals and insecticides which can be harmful to the child. So, here are a few home remedies for head lice removal which can help you. But, remember that repeating the treatment every 7 – 10 days, and doing this at least 3 – 4 times will ensure that the lice have fully disappeared from the hair.

Combing

The best way to get rid of the lice and the nits is by combing. Fine toothed combs, specially designed for lice removal, are available in the market. This process needs patience on the part of both, the parents and the children. Make sections of the hair and clip them with pins or clips. Take the comb and run it through your child’s hair slowly but surely, trapping the lice and the nits into the teeth of the comb. You can use your nails to kill the lice and smash the eggs.

Then clean the teeth and repeat the process again with different sections of hair.

Wash the comb in warm, soapy water for at least 15 minutes after the entire session.

Repeat this process after 7 – 10 days. Do this for at least 3 – 4 times to make sure the lice have disappeared completely.

Cutting the Hair

This is another effective solution for lice. Cutting the hair of your children will ensure that there is no place for the lice to survive. But of course, it depends on you or your child’s desire.

One thing to keep in mind with this step is to reassure your child that the hair will grow back!

Mayonnaise and Vinegar

Apply mayonnaise to the hair and scalp and cover with a shower cap. Leave this on for at least 4 – 5 hours.

This ensures that the lice smother and die. They then fall into the shower cap.

Wash the hair with vinegar.

Repeat this process after 7 – 10 days. Do this for at least 3 – 4 times to make sure the lice have disappeared completely.

Lime Juice and Garlic Paste

Take 1 teaspoon of lime juice and add it to 1 teaspoon of garlic paste. Mix this well and apply to the scalp. Leave this on for at least 30 minutes and then wash the hair.

Repeat this process after 7 – 10 days. Do this for at least 3 – 4 times to make sure the lice have disappeared completely.

Other Remedies

Some other home remedies include rubbing cooking oil or tea tree oil or even mouthwash on the scalp and leaving it on for about 30 – 40 minutes and then washing it off.

But not to forget that one has to repeat this process after 7 – 10 days. Do this for at least 3 – 4 times to make sure the lice have disappeared completely.

Ideally, prevention is better than cure. So avoid head to head contact with people – especially tell your children not to do that at school or day care or at the park. They can also avoid sharing caps and hats or jackets with other children with whom they interact at school or day care or at the park.