Head Lice - Home Remedies to Prevent Their Spread

Head lice are parasites found on the head that spread when an individual comes into contact with another, infected, individual. They have six legs with tiny claws and are only found on human scalps. Individuals become particularly at risk in group settings such as a school, childcare centers, or during sports activities.

They can also be spread when individuals share personal items such as brushes or combs. Their bites may cause your scalp to become itchy and inflamed, with persistent scratching even leading to an infection.

Poor personal hygiene does not contribute to an infestation. They actually prefer clean healthy heads. Lice lay their eggs close to the scalp. These nits must be manually removed, as no treatment has been proven effective in killing these eggs. You should try to remove them in bright light, near a window is best.

There are 3 forms of lice: the nit, the nymph, and the louse. The nit is the egg, the nit hatches into a nymph, and 7 days later, when it is fully grown, it becomes a louse.

An adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, and is tan to grayish-white in color. They can live up to 30 days on a person's head and need a source of blood to survive.

Here are some things you should do to make sure your house is louse free:

Machine wash all clothing and bed linens the person touched 2 days before infestation to ensure any remaining lice are removed.

Dry clean any clothing that can't be washed

and seal it in a plastic bag for 2 weeks.

Wash combs or brushes for one hour in either rubbing alcohol or Lysol.

Last, be sure to vacuum the floor and furniture.

Here are some home remedies for head lice. Remember to use a nit comb after each treatment to remove any nits that remain.

Salad dressing - One remedy that is used by many is to apply liberal amounts of salad dressing or mayonnaise to the scalp for 30 minutes then rinse.

Another remedy is to apply Listerine to the scalp and let soak for 2 hours while wearing a shower cap. This kills any lice living on your scalp. Then, rinse with water.

Next, fully saturate your scalp with white vinegar for 2 hours. This dissolves the glue that holds the nits to the hair. This step makes combing them out much easier.

My third remedy for head lice is Avon Skin-so-Soft. Spray it directly into the scalp and let soak for 15 minutes. Now apply a conditioner then shampoo. Continue until you are louse free.

The next treatment uses cetaphil gentle skin moisturizer. First, cover the scalp with cetaphil. Comb out excess, then, using a blow dryer, blow until completely dry. You should be louse free.

Baby oil can be used to kill lice. Apply, then rinse with Dawn dishwashing liquid. Use it once a week, but no more than 3 times.

Olive oil is another good smothering agent for killing lice.

Neem oil is a natural insecticide for killing lice. Mix 3 tbsp with 8 tbsp of coconut oil. Apply to scalp and wrap the scalp with a shower cap for 15 minutes. Rinse hair and comb to remove any dead lice and nits.

Vaseline can also be used to kill lice. Apply to scalp, leave on overnight then wash out with Dawn dishwashing liquid. Can be difficult to remove and the scalp may need to be washed several times.

Cat shampoo that says on the bottle kills lice will also kill head lice.

*susananger.com

Although it sounds creepy, head lice are true parasites that live off human blood. They are easily spread, when you come into contact with an infected person or use their combs, brushes, towels, etc. Fortunately, using the remedies mentioned above, you can eliminate infestations or prevent their spread.