Home Remedies for Head Lice
Natural Remedies for Lice that Work

Here are some home remedies for head lice that will help you get rid of a lice infestation without the use of chemicals. Simple products you probably already have at home can be used to smother lice so you can remove them from your child's hair.

Most children get head lice at some point in their lives. It's a natural occurrence. Children are in close contact with each other at school. When one child gets lice the entire class and sometimes even the entire school will end up with a case of head lice. Don't freak out if it happens to your kid. It's a natural part of growing up.

There are a number of lice shampoos on the market today. The most common ones are Nix and Rid. Both shampoos contain chemicals that kill the lice. You may not feel comfortable putting these chemicals on your child's head. That's okay. There are home remedies for head lice your can use instead.

Olive Oil

Oils are often used in home remedies for head lice because the coat and smother the lice. Cover your child's head with olive oil and then put a cheap shower cap or plastic bag on their head. You need to leave this on them for a long time. Some people say to do this before they sleep and have it stay on all night. I find that the cap often comes off in the night making an oily mess in the child's bed. I think it's best to do this treatment on during the day. Plan a day at home and have the child keep the olive oil and shower cap on their head. You can add a few drops of tea tree oil to the olive oil to increase the effectiveness.

At the end of the day wash your child's hair well. Then rinse the hair with vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar will loosen the nits (louse eggs) from the hair shaft. Then use a nit comb or fine toothed come to comb the nits out of your child's hair. Combing the eggs out is very important. The olive oil doesn't kill the eggs so they can hatch later on.

Neem Oil

Neem oil is another good oil you can use as a home remedy for lice. You can use it straight for really bad infestations or you can dilute ten tablespoons of neem oil in olive oil. Saturate the hair with the oil and then cover it with a shower cap or plastic bag. Neem oil smells terrible so you might not be able to stand having it on all day. Just leave it on for as long as you can manage. It needs to stay on for at least an hour. Neem oil is stronger than olive oil so it doesn't have to be on as long to work.

When you're done wash the hair and rinse with vinegar. Comb it out with a nit comb or fine tooth comb.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is another alternative you can use if you don't have olive oil or neem oil. Follow the same instructions given for olive oil when using mayonnaise as a natural remedy for head lice.

Getting Rid of Lice Completely

After the initial treatment to smother the lice you need to continue to wash your child's hair and rinse it with vinegar daily for ten days. After each wash comb it out carefully with a nit comb to remove any eggs that may be left on the hair.

Wash all towels, pillow cases and sheets daily in hot water to kill any lice or nits that may be on them for ten days.

Clean all combs, brushes and hair accessories daily in very hot water.

vacuum furniture daily to remove lice or nits.

If you found this information on home remedies for head lice useful you may like to read more readies on my Free Home Remedies page.

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