Home Remedies for Head Lice
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Head Lice Home Remedies:
Submitted by Cheryce at 2007-01-16 04:01:02
I have read all the suggestions on here, as of today. While there are some ideas on here that would be worth a shot, some of them are absolutly INSANE! Like Kerosene. Or rubbing alcohol. Some of them are just flat out not going to work. As in, hairspray, or regular shampoo.
I know how much lice infestations suck. My three daughters have been fighting it off and on for 8 months now. They picked it up from daycare, and we cant get rid of it for more than a month at a time. When we do squash it, they end up having an outbreak in school/daycare.
The only thing that worked to get rid of them is getting rid of the nits. Not the lice. Lice are fairly easy to kill. It's the eggs that will do you in.
While you can bomb & spray, vaccuming is just as effective, as long as you are dilligent about it. Make sure the bag/canister gets emptied after you vaccum. Lice can only survive a day or so with out a human head. And nits will die with out heat, and a snack when they hatch. ALL bedding, toys, rugs, etc MUST be washed. We actually got new pillows for everyone just in case.
Now, here comes the 'fun' part. It takes forever each morning. But it will work if you are dilligent about it. First off, I would reccomend buying a very well made METAL nit comb. Not the cheap plastic lice combs that come with the shampoos. Wash with dandruff shampoo. Comb the hair out EVERYDAY! To make it easier to get the nits out, rub in some type of oil or hair gel. After you comb, wash it all out! Thats very important, to make sure all loose nits are out. Blow dry it EVERY DAY. Lice cant live under the heat, and the nits seem to dry out also. Use some sort of gel/hairspray/product in your hair EVERYDAY.
I realize how long this takes to do each morning, but the pesticidal shampoos dont work, and they are dangerous. The only way to get rid of lice is to break the cycle of louse/egg/louse/egg. Period.
(PS. Our pediatrician told us that the tea tree oils can be just as dangerous as a pesticide if misused. As for leaving stuff in the hair overnight, it can cause problems, too. Rancid mayo is a terrible thing for a child to have to sleep in, especially when their head is on fire due to the plastic. And they can't sweat to let the heat out!)
rating: 7 (20 votes)
Submitted by S. at 2007-11-05 16:37:45
I've been using a home-made shampoo to kill all live lice which is completely natural, and safe. All of the ingridients are effective at repelling or killing live lice, but in combination they work wonders.
Salt - salt is a natural antiseptic and will help to kill the live ones.
Vinegar - vinegar loosens the glue that holds the nits onto the hair, making them easier to comb out.
Tea tree oil - The wonder from down under, tea tree oil is an antiseptic and insecticide.
Peppermint oil - This stuff is potent and kills the live bugs. It also works to repel them when used in your regular shampoo after the infestation has been removed. An added bonus, it has a wonderful cooling and soothing effect on the scalp when applied.
Dish soap - The grease-fighting action of a good-quality dish soap will help make it more difficult for the little critters to hang on, and make it easier for you to comb them out.
You can make your own shampoo out of these safe, relatively inexpensive ingriedients that effectively kill the live lice. The nits, however, will probably survive. This is where the full treatment course comes in.
The life cycle of a louse is about 30 days. The nymphs (technical term for baby lice) do not reach sexual maturity for approximately 5-10 days after hatching.
Step 1. Make a shampoo using some or all of the ingriedients above. Be careful not to exceed 5-10 drops of essential oil when preparing the mixture. Essential oils are absorbed very quickly and efficiently into the skin. Using too much may cause adverse complications. Use the dish soap as a base, making sure not to dilute it excessively, as this will make it difficult to apply and lather. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN TO INGEST ANY OF THIS MIXTURE. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH YOUR EYES. It really burns; trust me, I know. :)
Step 2. Comb out your hair using a specialized nit comb. I recommend using one of the high-quality 'microgrooved' combs available for this purpose. These combs are so effective that they can be used entirely on their own to remove head lice infestations, without resorting to any kind of preparation to kill the lice. Check out www.nittygritty.co.uk for more information. If you can't get one of these special combs, a normal lice comb will suffice, but you must be very diligent and pay close attention to detail. You must comb your hair at least once a day (2-3 times a day if possible would be ideal) for a period of 7-10 days. Every inch of the scalp must be carefully combed, working with small sections of hair. Be sure to work the comb through at different angles (upward, downward, left and right) to dislodge the nits. Rinse out the comb between swipes through the hair, and sterilize thoroughly before using on another person. For the remaining 7 days, continue to comb your hair, though at this point you will be looking for any evidence that the infestation remains rather than actively removing the insects, so you don't have to go all out. If you are still finding bugs after 7 - 10 days, continue the treatment for another week.
Step 3. Clean your environment. Although new research is showing that we do not need to go as 'hog wild' cleaning our homes as previously thought, a good clean will definitely help prevent re-infestation. Studies have shown that spraying pesticides all over our furniture is largely ineffective at controlling infestation, but if you still want to do it, use Lysol rather than the more expensive 'special' lice sprays. For the most part, a thorough vacuuming of the carpets, beds, couches, chairs (don't forget the car!) should be sufficient. Adult lice do not survive for much than 24 hours off the host body. Nits require warm temperatures to hatch, so it is unlikely that any nymphs will hatch from eggs that have fallen from your head, but even if they do, they will die within a few short hours unless they are able to get an immediate meal of blood.
Wash all of your laundry in hot water and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes - this is sufficient to kill them. Adding additional chemicals is not necessary, and may even be harmful. Anything that may be contaminated by contact with an infested person (or their personal effects) and cannot be washed should be sealed up in plastic bags for at least two weeks. This does not suffocate them as is popularly thought, but rather starves them by preventing them from finding their way back to your head.
Don't go crazy - save your time and energy for removing them from your head. If you're scrubbing every nook and cranny, you're just wasting your time, given the creatures' extremely short lifespan when not in contact with the host.
Step 4. Repeat the shampoo recipe as above for 2 weeks, applying it every 2 days. Use as a normal shampoo, and leave on for at least 5 minutes in the shower. As the mixture only kills the live lice, the strategy here is to kill off each new crop of lice before they reach maturity and have time to lay their eggs. Again, diligence is the key. Wash thoroughly. Massage the mixture deeply into your scalp. Comb your hair! Manual removal is the key component of any lice removal program. IF YOU DO NOT COMB YOUR HAIR CAREFULLY AND OFTEN, NOTHING ELSE YOU DO TO GET RID OF THEM WILL WORK.
Step 5. After each treatment, change bedding and re-vacuum all surfaces that might have been in contact with the infested person. The course of this treatment should last no longer than 2 weeks. In many cases, infestations can be removed succesfully in as little as 3 days to a week, depending on the commitment and diligence of the individuals involved.
One of the most important things to remember is this: your house doesn't have lice, -you- do. Your head is this creatures' complete biome, and it cannot exist for very long anywhere else without you. Head lice are very specific to the scalp and do not live anywhere else on the body, nor can they be carried by animals. Reinfestations commonly occur because of re-exposure to another infested indivdual, or incomplete removal of the bugs in the first place. Although the environment can cause reinfestation, with proper cleaning, it is rare. Concentrate on your head because that is where they live and breed.
Step 6. Since lice are a social disease, it is usually impossible to keep everyone affected isolated. Eventually your kids will have to go back to school and all it takes is that one missed nit on someone's head to start things all over again. When an outbreak of lice occurs and many people around you have been infested, it's a good idea to continue to use small amounts of the essential oils in your regular shampoo for about a month following the outbreak. Dandruff shampoos with zinc as their active ingredient have been reported effective at repelling lice, as well as taking zinc vitamin supplements. Follow package directions carefully when taking nutritional supplements.
The great thing about these lice un-friendly ingredients is that they are safe and non-toxic when used topically. Concentrated essential oils are powerful chemicals, albeit natural ones, and should be treated with respect and care. Used in moderation, they will do their job effectively.
rating: 7 (88 votes)
Submitted by There's always a silver lining at 2008-07-04 09:40:38
I've had long hair down to my waist for 10 years now. Not to be conceited, but I HAD gorgeous, thick hair. My boyfriend's niece's daughter had lice, no one told us, and a week and a half later, I was itching. He checked my hair and lo and behold, I had the little buggers. I went straight to the store and bought RID. Didn't work. I went back and bought NIX. Nope. I did the hardest thing I ever had to do-cut my hair. Not just a trim- I had to cut it to my shoulders. I'm still crying as I type this. I guess I needed a change.. everyone does. But my hair... My long long hair is now gone thanks to an irresponsible mother who won't rid her kids of these homewrecking bugs. So, I came online and this was the first site that came up. I have to say THANK YOU to whoever thought of using Listerine & vinegar. My hair is gone, but so are the bugs and nits. My boyfriend just checked my hair and voila! They're gone! I'm just really upset about my hair. Sorry to vent lol. It's hard!!!
So,if you want to be rid of these things:
Douse hair with Listerine, (I used the off brand)
Wrap hair with a plastic bag(airtight) for 2 hours, then rinse.
Rinse hair thouroghly with vinegar, wrap airtight with a different grocery bag, or garbage bag, saran wrap-whatever.
Leave on for an hour.
Rinse hair, put alot of coconut conditioner (lice hate the smell apparently)
And the MAIN THING people need to be aware of is:
BUY THE METAL NIT COMB!!!
It only cost $6.99 at Walgreens, it's by the shampoo.
I ain't from France but excuse my French.. Those little nix and rid combs aren't worth shet.
Comb & comb & comb in the shower with mucho conditioner and bam - they're gone.
The moral of the story is:
It is not a shame to get lice, it is a shame to keep them & do nothing to get rid of them.
rating: 7 (87 votes)
Submitted by angi at 2008-01-28 12:13:30
I read all of the advice ffrom this site to get rid of my head lice that my daughter brought home. I decided to try the listerine and I must say, try nothing else, ever. The listerine worked in less than 2 hours, I rinsed it out then I combed out my hair with a metal nit comb in the shower with tons of conditioner on my hair. I washed all clothes and bedding in hot bleach water, even colors, just use a little bleach. I did replace my bed, but I was going to do that anyway, but I sprayed other mattresses in my home with alcohol and vinegar. I have a 2 year old son who did het the lice, so for him I just spent about an hour picking the lice and nits out of his hair by hand. I did not find any eggs. It has been over a month and we have not had ANY signs of an outbreak. I have just been very persistent with cleaning bedding and bedrooms on a regular basis. I also use Denorex Shampoo as a preventative for future outbreaks. LISTERINE WORKS!!! And I should also mention that it actually soothes the head after scratching it so bad, just make sure to keep it out of the eyes. I hope this can help someone easily remove lice from their lives. It worked for me.
rating: 7 (48 votes)
Submitted by Chelsey at 2007-04-12 13:21:12
Do not wet hair!! Leave it dry then use 100% rubbing alcohol!! Immidately put hair in a shower cap (or my family used wal-mart sacks tied in the back)Then let it sit for 20minutes to an hour depending on the thickness of hair Then rinse out hair throughly and use conditioner as usual to make an easy comb through!!! Do this about once or twice a week and they'll be gone for good!!!!!!!
rating: 7 (22 votes)
Submitted by Was infested now I am free at 2006-07-26 11:42:30
When I was growing up my mother was never willing or able to rid our home of lice, so my sisters and I was tortured for years by these bugs. Now I am a mother of three and guess what, nothing could get rid of these pests, until now. I came up with a recipe that will 100% kill lice and condition hair. You will be amazed at the results. You need
* a jar of real mayonaise(store brand is best and cheap)
* white vinegar
* 100% tea tree oil
* a spray bottle.
Mix some mayo and vinegar in a bowl, until it looks like cake batter, kind of thick but still a little runny. Then drop about 8 drops of tea tree oil in the mix, stir. The smell will be strong but don't worry it all comes out when shampooed. Now you put the mix in the hair by seperating the hair into about one inch sections as you go, make sure you put it all over the scalp area of the seperated hair and then spread it all down the lock of hair. It is easiest to start at the back of the head and work your way up. Once you have done the whole head, wrap the hair up with a clip on the top (if the hair is long) and put a shower cap or grocery bag over the hair, press the bag down to remove the air. Leave on for atleast 2 hours. Meanwhile, fill your spray bottle 3/4 with water and drop about 20 drops of tea tree oil in, and shake well. Now as you wait for the hair to be done, take your spray bottle and spray down your carpeting, couches, chairs, beds, pillows, blankets, anything that lice could be living in. Don't soak your carpeting or furniture, just mist it all over. The tea tree oil works as a repellent, because lice, ticks, fleas, misquitos, and horseflies hate the smell, so you could also use the spray on your pets. Also you want to add about 5-10 drops of tea tree oil into your shampoo, so then when your child is around other children that may have lice, the lice won't make your childs head thier new home because they hate the scent. After the two hours rinse the hair in a sink with water until the water runs clear. At this point you will see dead lice laying on top of the hair as you rinse. It will amaze you. Now you need to comb threw the hair with a lice comb to remove the dead bugs as well as the eggs. The eggs will come out so easy because the vinegar eats away the glue that holds the eggs onto the hair. If you need to, you can rinse with conditioner before combing. After these very simple steps you and your home will remain lice free. As with any lice treatment you will want to repeat these steps 7-10 days after the first treatment, to make certain that no lice eggs have survived. You will want to keep spraying the oil and water mix around your house just incase someone comes to your home with lice, atleast you will know the bugs are not being dropped off into your carpets or furniture. This treatment is the fastest, cheapest, easiest, and unlike the others it is 100%. I promise ,just try it. My family has been infested with lice for around 15 years, and finally we are lice free.
rating: 7 (172 votes)
Submitted by Momof4 at 2005-01-31 15:30:10
Best remedy for Lice is simple: apply a thick coating of mayonnaisse to your child's hair. Be sure to massage it down to the roots and the scalp, paying particular attention to the nape of the neck and the areas just above the ears. Carefully wrap a plastic grocery bag or plastic wrap around the hair (DO NOT LEAVE CHILD UNATTENDED, PLASTIC BAGS CAN CAUSE SUFFOCATION) and wait one hour. **Rinse hair in very warm/hot water, using a comb to help slide mayo off of hair. The lice will have risen to the surface of the hair and will be easy to remove, and the nits will slide right out. Wash hair with DAWN Dishwashing liquid to get residual oils out. Then follow with shampoo and conditioner, preferably a Coconut-scented brand and/or one that contains Tea Tree Oil (lice HATE both of these). Repeat again in 10 days. Great alternative to harsh chemical shampoos, and EFFECTIVE!
rating: 7 (132 votes)
Submitted at 2008-08-22 07:14:10
We have been battling head lice of and on for over a year. If you are facing the same problem I do not have to tell you how frustrating it is. We have tried them all: from over the counter medicines to mayo and olive oil, sure enough a few days to a few weeks later our 10 year old would be re infested! Until EXTRA STRENGTH DENOREX! Surprisingly simple remedy: many things will kill lice the problem is the eggs and brushing them out. Nothing kills the eggs short of shaving your hear. Salicylic Acid the active ingredient in Extra strength Denorex kills lice as you wash wash your hear. Keep using it for two weeks until no more eggs hatch, and the cycle is broken! IT IS THAT SIMPLE! Word of caution not just any dandruff shampoo will work, it has to have Salicylic Acid as an active ingridient. So far I have only found that 'Extra strength denorex' and 'Island Breeze Selsun Blue Naturals' have it. Many others may look the same and help you with dandruff, but will do nothing to get rid of head lice!
rating: 7 (13 votes)
Submitted by Blane at 2006-02-11 13:33:26
For head lice use Listerine (original flavor). We had lice in our home and used everything over-the-counter we could find. Someone told me about Listerine and it worked. I just put it in a spray bottle full strength. When I bathed the children, I would wash their hair with shampoo, I skipped the conditioner, then I sprayed the Listerine on their scalp and tried to leave it there for at least 10 minutes then rinse and don't shampoo again. The kids did complain that it stung so I would just get a cool cloth and lay it on their head, during the 10 minutes, changing periodically. It also helped to distract them by playing in the tub with some toys. I used it on myself too. It really worked. I did a treatment on them at every bath for a week, then once a week for a month, combing with a nit comb after I got them out of the tub. After the first application though, I did not see another louse or nit. Now whenever I hear of lice going around at school, I Listerine their head. As far as the bedding, furniture and carpet, I just used the over-the-counter products and vacuumed everything a lot, several times in one week. We've been lice free ever since.
rating: 6 (76 votes)
Submitted at 2005-06-22 16:57:42
Mayo and Denorex DOES work. The trick is to do repeat treatments. Coat the entire head with a thick layer of mayo, making sure that every hair and the entire scalp are coated. Section hair and work from scalp to ends to ensure complete coverage. wrap 2-3 layers of plastic (I've done showercaps, plastic grocery bags, and saran wrap. All three work- the idea is to prevent mayo from leaking and provide an airtight cover.) Using 3' thick heavy masking tape helps keep the plastic in place. Leave mayo wrap on overnight, or at least 8 hours. Rinse mayo (dishsoap helps take the greasy residue from the mayo out,) then wash hair with a thick helping of Extra Strength Denorex shampoo. Leave shampoo on for 3 minutes, then rinse. Any conditioner with coconut works- I bought a 24 oz bottle of Suave with coconut for $2.00 and it worked fine. Rinse, dry, then section hair and work out any nits left in. The older nits will have been killed due to lack of oxygen, however new nits can survive the treatment because they do not need oxygen the first few days to survive. I've read that vinegar helps loosen the nit glue, helping them slide out with ease, however I found the vinegar to be completely useless, other than making the hair smell even worse. Again, THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS REPEAT TREATMENTS!! I did 3 treatments, each 3 days apart and my daughter is now lice free. I spent under $20 for everything- an 80 oz bottle of mayo (real mayo-not light, or Miracle Whip) a 12 oz bottle of Extra Strength Denorex, and a bottle of Suave with Coconut. The most expensive item was the Denorex. Don't forget to wash sheets, blankets, towels, clothing, etc. as doing this treatment will not repel lice from returning, as the medications do. If your child comes back into contact with an infested child/object the lice will return. By washing all washable items or putting away in plastic bags for 2 weeks, and restricting interaction with any possible contaminated person you will have a much better chance of staying free of these annoying bugs!
rating: 6 (112 votes)
Submitted by Tammy in Indiana at 2008-03-17 22:06:04
My grandaughter came for the weekend and I noticed her itching her head. Called mom. She checked all the family and no one had it. So I checked the little one I had. We did not think she had them. But I was going to treat anyway and looked on line to see about home remedies. I tryed one and wow. It immedately proved she had 3 adult ones. It immediatly killed them. then looking through her hair when wet I say the eggs. There were not many so we had found it right away. We got all the eggs out and she is free from them with one treatment and they did not return. Thanks so much for sharing. We put Listerine on her dry hair and put a cap over her hair for 2 hours, then rinsed and put white vinigar on for 1 hour using a different cap. then we rinsed and washed her hair with Dawn dish soap. the combo of the 3 did the trick. Hope this helps someone else like it did us.
rating: 6 (32 votes)
Submitted by Holly at 2005-01-04 15:13:39
As Previously Mentioned,Olive Oil Works Great To Rid Your Hair Of Live Head Lice. However,If You Also Add Rubbing Alcohol To The Mixture...You Will Be Sure To Kill All Of The Nits As Well.You Should Leave On For At Least Three Hours. The Longer,The Better. There Will Be No Need For A Second Treatment.
rating: 6 (44 votes)
Submitted by Melissa at 2005-04-07 09:51:09
My daughter first came home from school with lice in Jan. I was so upset cause my daughter takes good care of her hair. At first I went to the store and got Rid i followed it to the tee and yet she was still infested and i was still pulling out live bugs. So then I bought Nix. I thought everything was great untill later that night When I was combing though her hair and still saw live bugs. Then it turns out that me and my other daughter got it to. I then started looking on the internet and saw this ad for LiceRX I bought some and couldnt wait till it got here. I thought that had work the school nurse even checked us and we were okay. LiceRx even told us that we didnt havet to do it again in 7 to 10 days like Nix and Rid. After awhile my daughter got sent home again with it so the process started all over. I couldnt believe it cause I knew we were clean and so was my house. Come to find out the neighbor was outside and she told me that he daughter had lice and that she couldnt get rid of it for about 8 months now and here I didnt know that and my daughter was over her house playing with her daughters and thats how it ended in her hair again. I couldnt use the LiceRx again cause it aleady caused my daughter to break out and have scabs on her scalp. So I tried something else cause I was at my wits end I read something called mayo mayo and more mayo for lice. What I did was heat some mayo ( the real mayo ) and coated my daughters hair and put a shower cap on her head and let her sit there for 2 to 3 hours. Then washed it out with dawn dish soap ( for the grease ) and after that I washed it with Coconut shampoo then with Coconut Cond, then last but not least cause this is the most important thing I then washed her hair with Denorex shampoo ( the best shampoo for this ) I let that sit on her hair for about 5 mins then I washed it out after that I blowed dried her hair on high heat and i combed though there will be no live ones cause of the mayo it smothers them. The nits should just comb out with a good nit comb not a lice comb cause its teeth are to far apart to take out the nits. EVERY morning and EVERY night wash the hair with Denorex shampoo and blow dry the hair and keep searching for the nits. What the Denorex shampoo does it dries them out to where they cant mate and kills them. Please let me know if this helps anyone or if you have any questions. But believe me coloring your hair or any of that over the counter dont work and i couldnt do the vinger cause as soon as i put that on my daughters head she screamed.. Heres my email addy if anyone needs it for advice...melissa_faithy@yahoo.com
rating: 6 (71 votes)
Submitted by Laura Barb at 2008-01-12 12:10:01
Get some REGULAR mouthwash,(Dollar store brand has the same exact ingredients as Listerine)100% Thyme oil, & 100% cinnamon oil (at your local health store). Fill spray bottle or misting bottle 1/2 way with mouthwash, 15-20 drops of each oils. Mix well then test spot on your head. It should get VERY HOT within seconds. Be careful not to make it too hot as it may blister,but you do want it as hot as you can stand it. Then saturate hair,neck and behind ears. It KILLS LICE AND EGGS!! No head coverings necessary! Leave in or rinse when scalp cools. I leave it in cuz it makes a great styling spray. Use everyother day or so til you're sure lice are gone. I use it once a week as a precautionary. Wash sheets & pillows. Then spray them, mattress, carpet, furniture, etc., every day. Spray PETS as well. After you see for yourself what a GOD SEND this is, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, post this recipe at your Schools, Churches, HAIR DRESSERS etc., so others struggling with lice can finally get some relief as well.
rating: 6 (10 votes)
Submitted by Roxanne at 2004-04-12 18:35:27
Coat the hair in mayonnaise and leave on for a minimum of two hours. Wash out and comb through hair. This will not only kill the lice, but it also helps remove the eggs much easier!
rating: 6 (139 votes)
Submitted by stacy at 2005-08-14 15:01:53
My daughter first came home from school with lice in Jan. I was so upset cause my daughter takes good care of her hair. At first I went to the store and got Rid i followed it to the tee and yet she was still infested and i was still pulling out live bugs. So then I bought Nix. I thought everything was great untill later that night When I was combing though her hair and still saw live bugs. Then it turns out that me and my other daughter got it to. I then started looking on the internet and saw this ad for LiceRX I bought some and couldnt wait till it got here. I thought that had work the school nurse even checked us and we were okay. LiceRx even told us that we didnt havet to do it again in 7 to 10 days like Nix and Rid. After awhile my daughter got sent home again with it so the process started all over. I couldnt believe it cause I knew we were clean and so was my house. Come to find out the neighbor was outside and she told me that he daughter had lice and that she couldnt get rid of it for about 8 months now and here I didnt know that and my daughter was over her house playing with her daughters and thats how it ended in her hair again. I couldnt use the LiceRx again cause it aleady caused my daughter to break out and have scabs on her scalp. So I tried something else cause I was at my wits end I read something called mayo mayo and more mayo for lice. What I did was heat some mayo ( the real mayo ) and coated my daughters hair and put a shower cap on her head and let her sit there for 2 to 3 hours. Then washed it out with dawn dish soap ( for the grease ) and after that I washed it with Coconut shampoo then with Coconut Cond, then last but not least cause this is the most important thing I then washed her hair with Denorex shampoo ( the best shampoo for this ) I let that sit on her hair for about 5 mins then I washed it out after that I blowed dried her hair on high heat and i combed though there will be no live ones cause of the mayo it smothers them. The nits should just comb out with a good nit comb not a lice comb cause its teeth are to far apart to take out the nits. EVERY morning and EVERY night wash the hair with Denorex shampoo and blow dry the hair and keep searching for the nits. What the Denorex shampoo does it dries them out to where they cant mate and kills them. Please let me know if this helps anyone or if you have any questions. But believe me coloring your hair or any of that over the counter dont work and i couldnt do the vinger cause as soon as i put that on my daughters head she screamed.. Heres my email addy if anyone needs it for advice...melissa_faithy@yahoo.com
rating: 6 (19 votes)
Submitted by April at 2008-08-04 10:40:04
You can use mayo, tea tree oil, denorex or any of the other home remedies mentioned here for some people it works and for others...it doesn't! After battling head lice for far to long everytime I would get rid of it it seemed like it came right back either from school or what have you so I got mad! I call their pediatrician and he called in a medication called 'Ovide' this was the absolute best thing I have ever found!!!! There was no nit picking needed and only minor cleaning to do. You put the liquid on their hair, they sleep in it and, when you wash it out the next morning dead lice and nits fall off the hair shaft DEAD! Usually a retreatment isn't neccessary and after the one treatment on my children...they have been lice free ever since!
rating: 6 (21 votes)
Submitted by nick at 2005-07-19 20:03:19
The remedies here for (head)lice(vinegar, mayo, etc.) are good, but they fail to address the problem of reinfestation from your own pillows and chairs, etc.
Body lice in particular live in seams of clothing and come out twice a day to feed on the host(you).
Body lice: They can live for 15-40 days in clothing without feeding. The trick is to wear the same (few) clothing for one month until lice starve in other changes of clothing that you wore when infested. Clean clothing that you wear fairly often to reduce the lice population in worn clothing while they die of starvation in unused clothing. After at least 30 days, switch clothing. Use over the counter lice spray for chairs and environment. Or, you may wish to try alcohol and/or white vinegar.
Head lice: Follow directions of others here in regard to use of vinegar, mayo, alcohol, tea tree oil soap or coconut shampoo, etc.
But I would advise turning your mattress over every time you wash bedsheets and spraying both with over the counter (lice) chemical spray or vinegar and alcohol. Use only the latter two on pillow sheets. Probably okay to use chemical on pillows and head board.
Good luck, amigos.
rating: 6 (5 votes)
Submitted at 2005-03-07 00:11:51
The only safe and sure remedy I found was to THOROUGHLY comb my daughter's hair every single day for 4-5 days (or until you don't find any more). Use a special lice comb and comb the hair from the scalp to the end in 1/4' sections. Sure, it's pain, but we'd put a movie on while a combed her hair, so it went fast and she enjoyed it. I kept a small bowl of water to rinse the lice off of the comb.
Don't forget to wash and dry pillows, stuffed animals, clothes, etc.
None of the other remedies worked for me (mayo, oil, commercial kits, and I would NEVER put kerosene in my child's hair!) Combing the critters out is the only way.
rating: 5 (32 votes)
Submitted by FRIEND at 2006-05-12 14:14:45
MY GOSH ... after reading 45-50 remedies for LICE ,I thought I should post mine here too...might help u guys, My mom used this when I ws in school, I had long thick thickest hair ..and had Lice for 1yr..it was horrible..for me&my family.. I lost many freinds bcoz of this ..Anyways here is the REMEDY - Take 1 piece of CAMPHOR (look it up in google)-it has a strong smell-which kills LICE, crush it into powder,and mix the powder with coconut oil, keep away from eyes-put a shower cap for ur child- it will itch her,cz the LICE will be struggling to death, keep for 1-2hrs and wash off with Good shampoo and after shampoo, massage hair with only coconut oil, to ease the scalp!! I was relieved after this, this will even mk the nits fall off..the most difficult part. (do let me know, if it helps u,as it helped me)
rating: 5 (12 votes)
Submitted at 2004-11-16 17:14:04
New homemade shampoo! Mix 3 tablespoons of mayo and 1/2 cup of vinegar into a bowl. Apply to hair. Leave on hair for one hour (or more. Then rinse. And voila...your lice free
rating: 5 (28 votes)
Submitted by SissyAndScotty at 2004-11-10 03:24:43
Use Suave Tropical Coconut shampoo and conditioner (less then a buck a bottle) and wash with it as the coconut oil smothers and kills the lice. I would suggest doing this for a week or two and the first week after putting in the conditioner sit down with the conditioner left in with a lice comb to comb the lice and nits out....
I would also suggest possibly changing your children over to this as infestations are common at school not to mention when it's sports seasons because of sharing helmets and this helps repel them.
rating: 5 (38 votes)
Submitted by Dawn at 2005-05-24 23:04:57
When my youngest daughter had head lice, we had tried Nix, Rid, the combing, mayo, and even antibiotics from her doctor. After three months, and several hundreds of dollars, I found out that pepperment oil works. I went to the local organic store, it's located in the bath products. I put ten drops in her bath, and five drops mixed with one gallon of water, in a pitcher of water to rinse her hair after washing with peppermint soap. Then comb through hair to remove nits. Within 5 days all lice, and nits were gone. We contiued the process every day for 14 days.
rating: 5 (15 votes)
Submitted by Rachel at 2005-07-18 09:32:34
After doing any of these remedies and physically removing the nits wash the hair then take the hair in 1/2 inch sections and dry each section with a hair dryer on HIGH HEAT. Make sure that each section is dry from root to tip. The heat will kill any remaining pests. Becareful not to burn the person. You can also follow this by again parting the hair into 1/2 inch sections and running a curling iron or a straighting iron, on high heat, along the hair shaft from scalp to end. Again the heat will burn the nits and lice. Dry the hair after each time washing it as a maintence.
Also when doing any topical remedy apply the solution to the scalp and to the first 2 inches of the hair shaft, by taking 1/2 inch sections at a time, then work it on to the ends of the hair. The lice live in the scale and lay eggs on the hair shaft. Good Luck!
rating: 5 (16 votes)
Submitted by Jim at 2005-08-18 20:39:44
I have never typed anything like this before but after battling head lice and finding a relativly easy remidy for such a pain in the butt issue like head lice I had to give my two cents worth. If you don't want to read our horror story I'll sum it up, BUY EXTRA STREGNTH DENOREX and watch the lice DIE!!!!
We battled the head lice issue with our two boys this past summer. When our oldest came home with the 'creepy crawlies' from baseball we did the RID routine and 'nit picked' for HOURS and HOURS. We wanted to shave his head, it was June and it gets hot here, but he didn't want to do that so we battled through it and killed all the eggs and lice....or so we thought. Our youngest had lice about 2 months later, we don't know if it was a reinfestation or if he caught it from somewhere else. We didn't want to go through all the pain of the first go around, and we researched the internet, just like you are doing now if your reading this, and DENOREX EXTRA STERGNTH kept popping up as a remidy. We thought 'why not' it is a shampoo not an instecticide, and tried it and IT ALONE on our youngest. We could see the lice fall out of his hair and onto his back; they were dead, we washed all the sheets, clothes, etc... but only washed his hair with DENOREX for the first week everynight, and every other night for the second week, and were LICE FREE after that, you still will have to 'Nit Pick' with a nit comb, but I thought it was alot quicker after we washed his hair with the denorex, I don't know if the salasylic (sp) acid lossens the nits or not. We now wash their hair 1-2 times a week with it for preventative maintenance. I don't know if this will work for you, but for us we won't go a week without everyone washing thier hair with DENOREX!!!
rating: 5 (16 votes)
Submitted at 2004-09-06 09:19:20
For head lice problems:
Just add a few drops of tea tree oil to all the shampoo that your household uses. This will keep them away.
rating: 5 (49 votes)
Submitted at 2005-01-30 01:31:11
Put three teaspoons of lemon juice in a small container. Pour in one tablespoon of butter. Apply to hair, and wait 15 minutes. Rinse hair, no need to use comb!! Really helpful!
rating: 5 (18 votes)
Submitted by Eric Simon at 2005-07-16 12:36:09
I have found that as menay have said conditioner in the hair for at least 2 hours works. Saturate the hair with regular conditioner and wrap with either a shower cap, bag or palstic wrap. Let it sit for at least 2 hours to overnight. Wash the hair as normal, then apply shampoo. Comb through with a lice comb.
I have also found that tee tree oil, coconut oil, rosemary, and mint oil help to repel the lice. There is a great shampoo and conditioner that I have found made by Nature's Gate that has all of these ingredients in them. It is called Rainwater herbal Tee Tree Oil Shampoo and Rainwater herbal Tee Tree Oil Conditioner and is sold as a non-medical dandruff treatment that is all natural, has no animal testing, and is Biodegradable. You can find this at the following website:
http://www.vitamin-provider.com/nature-s-gate.htm
rating: 5 (6 votes)
Submitted by Megan at 2005-02-06 15:21:45
To Rid Of Head Lice ,Soak Hair in White Vinegar for 3-5 minutes.The vinegar will kill lice and make it easier to pull nits without pain.Rate Well;)
rating: 5 (47 votes)
Submitted by Selina at 2006-07-03 20:32:23
To remove head lice and their nits. put lotion on the head thick ( we used baby lotion) an the comb the hair out with a regular comb to get any knots out then comb out with fine tooth comb rising out ever other stroke
rating: 5 (22 votes)
Submitted at 2003-11-07 17:47:18
Leave olive oil in the hair and on the scalp for 8 or 9 hours to kill the lice.
rating: 5 (29 votes)
Submitted by Katie at 2005-01-26 17:10:57
Head lice: Start with Mayo and a shower cap for a few hours (while you wash the bedding, bag the pillows, stuff animals and spray mattresses and floors etc. with Raid Flea killer). Rinse the mayo out and wash with a drop of dawn dish detergent - rinse- then drench in listerine - rinse - then wash in Denorex extra strength shampoo - rinse - drench in tea tree oil and blow dry for at least 30 minutes. Comb through. Lice will be dead and nits are easily removed. Don't forget to spray the flea killer in your car as well as your entire carpeted areas. Repeat daily for a week - at least the denorex and combing process.
rating: 5 (1 votes)
Submitted at 2005-05-11 21:43:44
10 tbs of olive oil, 10 drops of lavender oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil. Leave it for 30 minutes the lice will turn white and be easy to find, pick them out one by one then wash hair with tea tree oil shampoo to keep them away, it will kill all the nits as well.
rating: 5 (3 votes)
Submitted by Jenny at 2006-03-15 10:31:01
I use nothing but the ROBI_COMB!!! It only costs about $30 and takes one double A battery. You can find it at almost any drug store. It makes a buzzing noise that shuts off when you have a critter between the teeth. So, you can also use it to effectively check for lice. It takes about a half hour to comb through medium lenghth hair. As for the nits, simply use it every morning and night or at least once a day. It will kill the buggers after hatching when they are still too small to reproduce. If the host has very thick hair, you are bound to miss a nit or two just using a nit comb. You have to be consistant with this but it is chemical and mess free. I used it on all 3 of my daughters and even took it with me to church camp!! Sure enough there were two little girls that brought them with them. I was glad to treat them and it was very discreet. They were so heavily infested (about 4 generations!!) I sent it home with them and got our family another. Get the Robi Comb it works!!
rating: 5 (6 votes)
Submitted by sherl at 2006-04-16 00:19:59
WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY!! people want to torture others for head lice i feel sorry for these kids out there head lice is not that difficult people to get rid of..there was a report on the news how a dr was charging $200 a treatment to get rid of head lice and tried to get a patent on his treatment. the bad thing about it was all he used was cetaphil skin cleanser.
is that so difficult..you can buy it about anywhere its what they use in nursing homes on patients all the time and i believe its been used on patients in hospitals too...dont use
diesel or kerosene there is so many easier uses forget those perscriptions they didnt work when i needed them..
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by brooke at 2006-05-02 10:44:32
ok for head lice it simple. first, rub olive oil into the head all the way to the roots, a lot. wrap hair in seran wrap for a couple of hours. the comb leaving the oil in. shower, comb, and shampoo.the oil makes the hair slick so the eggs and bugs come out easily. wash hair.
rating: 5 (7 votes)
Submitted by Jenny at 2007-02-01 04:43:04
It's simple buy vaseline, put it on your head, and wear a shower cap over night, and when you wake up just shower, and wash your hair a few times, and there you go all cured!!!
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by Sherri Vidito at 2007-11-14 16:42:32
My daughter had head lice for 2 months as soon as we thought that we got rid of it, it came back a week later. We tried store bought and home remedies, and nothing was working. I saturated her head and massaged in Baby Oil, used the lice comb, the lice were dying instantly. We left the baby oil in her hair for 24 hours (put a shower cap on) then washed her hair with Sunlight dish soap(just the orginal). The sunlight will take out all traces of baby oil, and this did not damage her hair or scupl. Repeat every second day until all signs of lice are gone. Do the regualr cleaning as well, wash bed clothes daily, vacume sleeping area, and remove all stuffed aniamals and extra clothes while treatment is occuring. Clean hair out of hairbrush and put into the freezer nightly. It may sound like alot of work but it cheaper than store bought remedies and it works faster and no need to cut your hair.
rating: 5 (9 votes)
Submitted by Dustie at 2007-03-21 12:25:18
Tea tree shampoo may smell funny but it helps to repel lice. If you don't have the money to buy tea tree shampoo all the time, you can buy tea tree oil and put a few drops in your(or your child's) shampoo.
rating: 5 (5 votes)
Submitted at 2007-06-08 02:54:23
I managed to catch lice as a school volunteer. I didn't have another adult around to help rid me of the little buggers and have spent months trying to find a cure I could implement myself. After trying prescriptions, RID, NIX, various oil treatments, etc., the best thing I have found is Nutrogena TGel Extra Strength with Coal Tar Extract. Shampoo twice a day and leave the shampoo in place for 5-10 minutes. I did this for a month and the bugs are gone. This is the easiest and cleanest method I have found.
rating: 5 (6 votes)
Submitted by Brandy at 2007-10-07 19:05:43
hello to all..Well my daughter is 4 years old and keeps getting bugs from her older siblings that come on the weekends. I heard of a home remedy that works wonders. Add equal parts of vinegar and alcohol to hair, squeeze hair out, wrap hair in towel for a few minutes. Take the towel off and they are gone. I did not even have to comb through her hair. But please parents make sure the child covers face completely with towel while getting this stuff poured over hair. It stinks!!!!
rating: 5 (6 votes)
Submitted by Tara Barley at 2007-08-08 01:10:00
Find an empty shampoo bootle, mix 2oz vegetable or olive oil works well, 10 drops of lavander oil, 10 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of lemon oil or juice, and 4oz of white cider or normal vinigar,mix together and lather dry hair with the complete bottle place a shower cap or grocery bag on the head and leave for 2 hours.Rince off and wash hair 2-3 times to remove oil condition as normal and comb through with a lice comb to remove head lice and eggs, the vinigar helps to loosen the glue the nits attach them selves with too each hair strand. This remedy is a 100% proof of getting rid of head lice after spending money on shop bought remedies i found this remedy works the best.
rating: 5 (4 votes)
Submitted by jujus mommy at 2007-07-17 15:29:15
For BAD INFESTATIONS when all else fails, like with us. (I have enough hair on my head for 3 people) We ordrered some Quassia Tree Bark on the internet and made a tea. 1 once per 2 cups water. . . .boil 20-30 minutes, let cool, add 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol (to avoid spoilage) Spray in hair throughly EVERY DAY. Use as a rinse after you shampoo, also. We used it around the house also, we shampooed the carpets and added 2 tbls bleach to the recommended shampoo 4 my shampooer. As it dried, we shot Quassia all around the base boards, for infestations, they like to hide there. We were using 5-6 cans of the household lice killer a day,for 2 months and the over the counter kits wouldnt do it for my hair. The Quassia DESOLVES THE EGGS, NITS, & Lice. For the mixture you spray on hair before shower or throughout the day, add a touch of vinegar. It depends on how infested you are on how quickly they leave. Within 7 days of CONSTANT TREATING THE ENTIRE FAMILY I could tell a big difference. It still took about 3 weeks to be gone, for 7 family members. Our neice still comes over with eggs in her hair, because her mom doesnt want to do anything about them(WHAT!@#$%???) So we spray her hair down as soon as she arrives and its been ok so far.....Oh yeah, when you hear a sizzle, thats them frying!! Unless you have mouse or hairspray in your hair. So when it finally stops sizzling for 7 days, they are gone!! We just keep it around ALWAYS!! Just in case!
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by hithere at 2008-04-03 17:13:40
When I was a kid we were dirt poor and lice was a big prob for the age range, so every Friday our mom washed out hair with dogs flee shampoo. It worked. It wasn't something I advertised at school the following week but my head was clear of bugs. Take it or leave it, its an option.
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted at 2008-08-16 13:15:49
My little girl contracted a resistant infestation of head lice at school. Over-the-counter remedies failed. Mayonnaise failed. The prescription treatment her pediatrician provided also failed.
I remembered how I killed insects when I collected and mounted them as a kid. I wasn't allowed to handle insecticides so my science teacher recommended placing a drop of machine oil on the little critters. It worked every time. They don't have lungs, they absorb oxygen through their pores. The oil simply clogged all their pores and asphyxiated them.
I wasn't about to put machine oil on my girl's hair, but I reasoned baby oil would have the same effect. I drenched her hair and scalp with baby oil, left it in for twenty minutes, then washed it out with her regular shampoo. The next day I repeated the procedure, then again after one week.
It was very inexpensive and it worked.
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted at 2008-10-19 09:37:19
For the past 3 months, my son's school has been sending home notices about head lice being a wide spread problem in our town. We keep his hair very short, but given the circumstances I wasn't taking any chances and shaved him bald just before school started. I kept an eye on his head to watch for signs and didn't see anything. I was also been diligent about watching my 4 year old daughter. Then, it seemed like overnight she was infested. I freaked out because I have enough hair for 3 people and remember what it was like when I got lice as a child. I immediately went to the store to buy Rid kits (shampoo, creme and comb, and home spray). Even though I didn't have any signs of lice I shampooed my hair. Then, my husband and I washed my daughter's hair. I was extremely upset to find that Rid did NOT work! I was pulling crawling lice out of her hair hours later. Out of desperation I called the doctor's after hour nurse and got some valuable advise. She said to cover her hair in oil and then put a cap on her head and leave in overnight. She said we could use mayonaise, olive oil, baby oil, or any other slick oil based product we had handy. I had baby oil and immediately dumped it in her hair. While working it into her hair dead lice were just sliding out onto my hands. It was an instant kill! A little messy, but worth it. I threw out pillows and washed literally every article of clothing, bedding, towels, etc. I bagged everything in sight. I realize that I probablly went a little overboard, but I needed to do my fall cleaning anyway.
I was amazed that my daughter was so badly infested and how quickly it happened. Even more amazing is that I didn't show any signs of lice although we share hair supplies and I snuggled her on my pillow the morning before I discovered the outbreak. But, I diligently use SunSilk creme in my hair to control the frizz and did not put it in her hair. After reading all of the postings, I think that the creme must have caused any lice to slide out of my hair. As far as continued prevention, I keep SunSilk creme in my hair and her's. I also put her hair in 2 braids each morning and then spray with hairspray. The on call nurse I spoke with explained that tight braids make it difficult for lice to move around and that the hairspray also prevents. So, for us it is constant prevention because I don't trust that everyone else that my kids come into contact with have sucessfully rid their families of lice. But, I keep spreading the advise that I received in hopes that it will help others. Good luck!!
rating: 5 (4 votes)
Submitted by Andrea (Australia) at 2008-11-13 03:39:03
1 x 900ml bottle of good quality moisturising conditioner.
45ml 100% pure tea tree oil
OR
1 x 900ml bottle of good quality moisturising conditioner.
100ml 100% pure Eucalyptus oil
5ml 100% pure tea tree oil
Either recipe works just as well, I usually make up one of each, they both are prepared and used in the same way.
Empty the entire bottle of conditioner into a jug, add the oils and mix with a whisk until combined. Put back into the original conditioner bottle with a funnel (you may need to bang it on the bench to get it to slide back in if using a thick conditioner). Dont forget to wrie on your bottle so you know which is which.
Cover the hair and roots with the mix then put on a shower cap over the top. Leave the mix in for a 1/2 hour. Then wet the hair slightly and use a nit comb to remove all the eggs & dead lice.
Repeat in one week to be sure you have killed all of them.
This mix is cheap, gentle on your hair because you use a good quality conditioner and you can alternate between the two the mixes to stop resistance. And because you make so much you will always have plenty on hand.
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by Melissa at 2008-12-05 10:31:55
Our 2 year old son brought them home from daycare and also infected me, mom, who has long, thick dark hair. We didn't know we had them and thought it was winter icth since that has been going on for months now around here. Well for him we easily used Nix and buzzed his head - he is fine now.
EVERYTHING and I mean, EVERYTHING has been getting washed around here. Pillows, blankets, all bedding, slipcovers, we threw away couch pillows, vacuuming everything, couches getting sprayed and vacuumed. I have never done this much laundry in my life and it is not over yet. All stuffed animals are in plastic bags for two weeks and then will hit a hot dryer to shake anything loose possibly there. Thank god their life is only 2 days on non-hair items, like couches, clothes, etc.
But the worst part was ME!! I definitely had them too and did not know it. Tuesday night after Anthony was all cleaned up and he went to bed in his ridiculously clean bed, I went and washed my hair with that terrible medicine and Joe proceeded to comb thru my hair until 1 AM. The next night he did it again after I read all these blogs from mothers trying at-home remedies since you can't use the Rid or Nix every day (only every 7 days) so you run the risk of eggs hatching in the meantime (eewwwwwwww). So after buying **Extra Strength Denorex Shampoo with this 3% Salicyclic acid** in it, leave on for 20 minutes, rinse, squeze excess moisture and then globbing my hair in any conditioner. He then combed all little eggy nit things out again and this got a ton of them out. Get the metal combs - they are the BEST. Washing bedding so many times this week, our pillows have never been so clean. Last night I used that shampoo again and used a very hot blow dryer on my scalp to dry out anything that may still be clinging to a hair shaft and Joe checked afterwards. You have to dry the hair totally and use the highest heat on your dryer - get as close to scalp as possible. He said I am totally clean again! thank god. I will be using this shampoo for at least the next couple of weeks to prevent any outbreaks. It's like a super duper strength shampoo for very bad dandruff or dry scalp - you leave it on for like 20 minutes and your head almost becomes numb from the medicine it in but it works!
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by Vickie TN at 2009-02-22 10:30:51
AVON'S SKIN-SO-SOFT BATH OIL leave on overnight.wash out w/dish soap.ALL the nits I removed were dried up and dead!!!! this is the wonder cure 4me
rating: 5 (2 votes)
Submitted by Theresa at 2009-03-22 16:35:14
I read many of these home remedies and have to admit that diligence is the best policy. But I must have done something wrong when my children had head lice. I did home remedies and over the counter shampoos. My children would be allowed back to school for a few days or weeks and more nits would be found again. A nurse told me about a doctor prescribing worming pills for head lice. My children and I took the pill once and never again had head lice. The pill prevents the lice from laying eggs. Pulling the nits out still has to happen in order for the children to go back to school and to prevent infestation in others. It was nice to have a nightmare over and I highly recommending asking a doctor for this pill.
rating: 5 (4 votes)
Submitted by Doug at 2009-04-25 19:58:43
My 13 year old son who has long hair recently had a lice infestation I found that by using a homemade concauction engineered by me...LOL....was the best method. I simply used three easy to find products available at any grocery store, and a spray bottle. using a 16 ounce spray bottle i mixed 2 tablespoons of 100% pure tea tree oil, 6 ounces of tea tree oil enhanced conditioner, and 10 ounces of vinegar. be sure to leave enough room in the spray bottle to shake vigorously until the conditioner has completely dissolved. Liberally spray mixture onto the infested individuals hair being sure to work the mixture from the roots to the ends very well ensuring complete coverage. cover the head with a plastic bag or head wrap and leave on for up to one hour.comb thoroughly with a metal lice comb (the plastic combs are no good be sure to get a tight metal one)repeat the process as needed.remember to rinse the comb as often as possible i used a cup of vinegar to rinse mine. The vinegar seems to break down the glue used by the louse to adhere the nits to the hair, making them easy to remove, and the conditioner helps in the removal process. I did this procedure twice with 100% success my wife was ecstatic because she has done this before with the store bought remedies and mine seemed to work much easier!!!! you can also mix another spray bottle with the same directions, but leave out the conditioner,for spraying the bedding areas. The tea tree oil is a natural deterrent to the louse and will keep them from returning.
rating: 5 (4 votes)
Submitted at 2004-08-31 15:19:43
Rub hair conditioner in hair every night for 2 weeks. Rinse each morning, the lice will be gone. This worked after 2 years of battling lice with nix and other medications, they were all a waste of money. The hair conditioner does it guaranteed!!!!
rating: 4 (18 votes)
Submitted at 2004-10-08 14:29:00
Use Blue-magic hair product. Gulp it in your hair, leave over night, in the morning get a fine tooth comb and brush out your hair, then wash your hair! You will be lice free!
rating: 4 (11 votes)
Submitted at 2003-11-07 17:47:18
After shampooing, rinse with one part water and one part vinegar. Repeat in a week if the lice persist.
rating: 4 (20 votes)
Submitted by Tina from Tipton Co. TN at 2004-12-27 15:47:31
Pure rubbing alcohol, Hair dye(it has alcohol in it), and vinegar work great. Baby oil is great for nits but you will have to wash your hair a lot to get the baby oil out.
rating: 4 (25 votes)
Submitted by DayCareTeacher at 2006-07-04 10:02:25
Sulfur soap with Lanolin works to both kill lice and discourage lice from climbing back into your hair from home furnishings. I find the soap at the Mexican Grocery, it cost $1 per bar. It also kills scabies, and ringworm infections.
I work in a daycare and have had many of these infestations passed on from children. I find that washing with this soap often had prevented any further problems from lice, parasites, scabies or ringworm.
rating: 4 (5 votes)
Submitted at 2003-11-07 17:47:18
Apply to the hair a paste of one part lime juice and one part garlic.
rating: 4 (13 votes)
Submitted by Patricia at 2005-04-06 15:20:07
coat yourchild's head in vaseline and cover wiyh a shower cap, leave overnight Apply shampoo or dish soap before getting wet, then rinse out. Comb with nit comb,your chid's hair may look greasey for a few days. Repeat in a week if needed, we have never had to repeat, this has always gotten thr lice out in one treatment.
rating: 4 (10 votes)
Submitted by Emily at 2006-05-21 14:47:15
First wash hair as you normally would with shampoo and conditioner. Next, fill a squirt bottle with about 1/4 cup with bleach and bout 3/4 cup water. Apply the mixture to wet hair( make sure to cover whole head). Wrap hair up in a towel. Then wash out hair and comb through with a lice comb. (may have to do this process about 2 or 3 times to work) THIS WILL NOT BLEACH YOUR HAIR OUT! I GOT THIS REMEDIE FROM A PHARMACIST!!
rating: 4 (13 votes)
Submitted at 2004-10-07 14:39:01
I have had such a battle with headlice. The one thing that worked well for me was putting kerosene in your hair for 5 minutes. DON'T PUT IN YOUR CHILDS HAIR!!!! I am a single mother of 3 and was having a problem with getting them out of my own hair when I did the kerosene. It worked well for me. Your hair will smell for a day or so but it's worth it. I had also heard that if you wash your hair every other day with extra strength dennorex it helps prevent headlice from coming back. The mayo and the prescription ovide worked well for my children. Give it a try! As far as I know the kerosene also kills the eggs. Good Luck.
rating: 4 (35 votes)
Submitted at 2006-08-18 16:22:01
You can totally prevent Head Lice by using Head and Shoulders Shampoo. It does not matter what kind, you could even use the cheap brand. There is medicine in it just like the rest of the dandruff shampoos that the lice will not come near. When I was a child I repeatly got lice alot because of a girl next to me on the school bus. One of my friends would set by her too but never caught it. Her mother told mine that she made her wash her hair with Head and Shoulders. So then my mom made me wash my hair with it. The other girl never really got rid of it but I never caught it again. When my child started school I made her stop using all of those childrens shampoos and start using Head and Sholders. There was bad break outs in my childs school last years and my child did not get lice not one time. She even had a couple of friends that caught it. I told those parents the same thing.
rating: 4 (10 votes)
Submitted by Wendy at 2006-08-09 00:48:53
I have had head lice twice in my live. The first time was when I was in school. We used RID and Nix and someother name brand store bought products. We battled them for 6 months before my mother and I decided to cut my hair really short. After that, they finally went away. I do not recommend cutting your daughter's really short. The second time, I washed my hair Dawn Dish Soap mixed with white vinegar at night and washed it with Extra Strength Denorex Shampoo in the morning for a few days. I also combed my hair with a lice comb while my hair was still damp. After a few days, the lice and nits were all gone. I now use Denorex twice a week to keep them away.
rating: 4 (10 votes)
Submitted by Billie at 2005-06-16 02:11:42
For head Lice removal, I have always used Mineral oil. Apply the mineral oil to the hair, completely saturating it, place shower cap or plastic bag on head tightly, leave overnight, wash childs hair 2 times in the morningto remove the oil (hair will remain oily for a couple washings) I have foundthat this suffocates the live lice and makes the nits soft like mush, i have pulled out nits after this application and attempted to crack them between my nails with absolutely no sound the eggs are soft which means they are dead...i have used this method the last 2 times my children got head lice and it was 3 years in between...not to mention mieral oil is extremely cheap. As for over the counter meds i have found that Lindane shampoo can also be effective in the killing of these nasty little pests.
rating: 4 (2 votes)
Submitted by flick-new mum at 2007-12-23 03:30:07
ok about 2 years ago my daughter got nits. i was totally freaking out because i never had nits as a child so i didnt know what to do about them. i did soem research on the internet and i tried pretty much everything!!! i was geting extreemely fed~up with this (it had been a year) so i thought up a shampoo to use on her hair
you will need:
aprox. 600m mayonaise
10 drops of tee tree oil
half a cup of dishwashing liquid
half a cup of anti dandruff shampoo ( any brand)
half a cup of tee tree shampoo
and half a cup of listerine.
put all ingreedients into a spray bottle and shake for about 2 mins spray onto dry hair until hair is soaked, leave on for about 1 hour and then rinse out then comb out nits. it worked for me, if anyone wants advice email me; freaky.itsflick@hotmail.com
rating: 4 (6 votes)
Submitted by Smurfy at 2007-10-24 07:26:04
I have to bring up the conditioner angle. A couple of years ago I found that my (then) 4 yo girl had headlice. I found many home remidies online. I washed some bedding, did some vacuuming, washed with lice shampoo, did some nitpicking etc. .. didn't really work that hard at it, and ridded us of the lice.
But ... I didn't not treat myself or my husband. At that time my little one spent a lot of time sitting with me, in close contact, and I did not become infested.
The only conclusion I can reach is that the use of conditioner will prevent headlice. At that time I did not use conditioner on my little one's hair, but I do use it on my own everyday. I also only became aware of the infestation after several of the little *&^%! fell out of my own hair. Then I looked online to discover that they were headlice. So I know beyond a doubt that they did get to my head, but were apparently unable to remain and become an infestation.
I guess the working theory is that the lice find it diffucult to move around because the hair is slicker, and they are also unable to attach eggs to the hair shaft for the same reason.
rating: 3 (7 votes)
Submitted by Linda at 2006-10-23 16:06:34
I am a school nurse and deal with head lice on a monthly basis. The ONLY thing that is %100 effective at getting rid of head lice is to pick each and every nit and bug out with your fingers. Check the child/person every day for a week or two removing any you see, vaccum the house and wash the bedding in hot water. There are no remedies except this.
rating: 3 (10 votes)
Submitted at 2005-04-09 00:12:43
For those of you who like the mayo remedy, but hate the smell, try a thick conditioner, like TRESemme. Follow the same procedure that you would with the mayo
rating: 3 (6 votes)
Submitted at 2006-10-07 00:50:17
Dawn dish soap works wonders on killing head lice, put on dry hair leave for about 10 minutes depending on length of hair, rinse well
rating: 3 (6 votes)
Submitted by Christine at 2004-10-18 21:09:57
Get a makeover and kill lice , too.
Just die your hair with permanent
hair color. It instantly kills lice and their eggs.
rating: 3 (62 votes)
Submitted by maria murphy at 2004-12-28 15:35:26
For headlice wash your hair with Denorex extra strength shampoo. It has salicytic acid in it which kills the live lice. If you do this morning and night any newly hatched lice will be unable to reproduce since they will be killed before they are mature enough to lay eggs. Continue with the hair washing routine until all nits are removed. My daughter and I did this and it was effective and safe unlike the pesticidal shampoos.
rating: 3 (10 votes)
Submitted at 2005-04-16 15:25:41
To rid the louse or head lice, lime juice is perfect. But it take two or three application of the juice on the head. With a plastic bag cover the hair to eliminate the evaporation to keep that poison for the louse. Maintain it for one hour. After wash your head with a regular shampoing a couple times and rinse with vinegar (1/2 cup)to eleminate the eggs.
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted by christy Leeann Castillo at 2005-04-03 20:13:24
This is for head lice, put disel in ur hair wrap it up in a plastic bag for a few hours, then wash it out with dish soap, then get a metal lice comb to comb out lice bugs, i battled with lice for many years. I have also tried raid do not try that
rating: 3 (24 votes)
Submitted at 2005-03-13 07:47:47
For Head lice Spray hair with hairspray all over head evenly leaving hair stiff lice can not hang onto hair
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted at 2005-09-09 12:06:14
i use alcohol. saturate the hair then put a shower cap on(making sure all is secure) leave on for 15 min then rinse with vinegar and water solution.
it kills the bugs and loosens the nits to comb easier
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted by Becky at 2006-02-24 21:17:28
My children had head lice for 15 years. Nix and Rid and lindane and mayo do not work. Head lice have become immune to everything. They laugh at us when we stick these crazy products on our heads. They have learned to survive through everything, just like the cockroach. There is only one thing that they have not figured out yet. Take a metal lice comb and comb through your child's hair every day for two weeks. This breaks the life cyle which is 7 to ten days. After two weeks, comb for five min. every morning before school. Check your child's hair every week while they are in school. My children have not had head lice for 8 months now. It is in the school all of the time. One day I found a head lice on two of my children. I combed their hair for a week and they never got one nit. I swear by this remedy because I am not lying. I fought head live for 15 years. I poored all kind of concoctions on my children's hair. They never worked.
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted by Karen at 2006-11-20 10:17:22
My daughter is prone to get head lice all the time.And using the chemical shampoos is not healthy, so instead i used Olive Oil. I put it in her hair so it's good and slick,makin sure the entire head is wet,then i put a shower cap on her head and let it stay on over night and the next morning shampoo with regular shampoo.I did that for a week and it was gone!.The Olive oil smothers the babies in the eggs and the live lice, and the olive oil makes the hair soo smooth it's impossible for them to remain in the hair and reproduce 'laying more eggs'.Still treat your household ,vacumming,washing everything..anything clothe,hot dryer for 1 hour to kill the lice&eggs.
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted by Stephanie Delaney at 2007-06-05 15:08:32
My daughters head lice was impossible to get rid of,I tried all of the over the counter remidies-nothing would work.The only thing that has actually been affective is to pour RUBBING ALCOHOL on her dry scalp,rub in well,then clip hair up and let it dry by its self.It is very stinky,best place to do it is outside,I would not recommend it in the house,or to let your child try applying the alcohol on thier own.After the hair is all dry wash hair normally.Make sure to keep the hair combed frequently,and keep using the nit comb.
rating: 3 (4 votes)
Submitted at 2006-08-05 18:02:45
For children who are prone to head lice shampoo and condition their hair in coconut scented shampoo this will prevent head lice(lice do not like the smell of coconut). I used Sauve for a dollar a piece. You could also use olive oil shampoo but it is expensive or tea tree shampoo but it can sometimes give a burning feel, I have had the best experience with coconut. As an extra preventative you can google mother nature.com for a pure olive oil shampoo at ten dollars a bottle it will break down the skeleton of a lice bugs body and prevent them from laying eggs, treat with this once a week as a routine and use every night when lice is found in your child's school. These steps will prevent any lice.
rating: 2 (6 votes)
Submitted by Crystal at 2005-06-23 16:45:10
Just mix 1/2 Olive oil or vegtable oil and 1/2 Kerosene or Kerosine. Comb mixture through hair. Dead nits and bugs all come out, then wash as regular. Repeat in one week to kill any bugs that came from your bedding or house and they will be gone forever!! It's a miracle and only $5 a gallon at Lowes Home improvement. It only takes about 1/2 an hour to be bug free!!!!!
rating: 2 (8 votes)
Submitted by dfwden at 2005-07-06 16:09:40
Another Great effective and cheap way of getting rid of head lice is by using the Off Bug lotion made with natural herbs. Just rub it on your head, and leave it for awhile and by the next day, they will all be gone.
rating: 1 (2 votes)
Submitted by Lauren at 2007-07-27 12:37:09
I did not have a problem with headlice until grade seven, and the whole school year was a pain! Me and most of my friends had it, so I washed my hair frequently with every lice shampoo on the shelf, with no avail. My scalp was raw from all the itching so one day, I decided to get rid of them once and for all. Believe me, this remedy works wonders, costs next to nothing, and most of it you can find in your own house!
Drench your hair and scalp in a mixture of mayonnaise, white vinagar, olive oil, tee tree oil, listerine, and, if you are willing to part with some money, some linadane lice lotion (it's in a white bottle). Mix equal parts of all this (excluding the mayonnaise, put in quite a bit of that) in a bowl. Depending on how long your hair is, you just need to mix enough so you make kind of a syrup that will fully cover your head. Wrap your hair in a plastic bag and leave it on overnight, or for about 4-5 hours, again depending on the length of your hair. Wash out with head and shoulders shampoo and a coconut-scented conditioner. Get a good METAL NIT COMB, and CAREFULLY comb out EVERY nit and louse.
The reason why I had lice so long was not only because the lice shampoos didn't all work- it was because lots of my friends were poor, or their parents had a flipout everytime they told them that they had lice, and just told them to 'take a shower'. So, because this mixture was inexpensive, we all had kind of a sleepover to get rid of our lice. Since none of us really hung out with other people, we had a small chance that we'd pick it up from somewhere else.
I'm proud to say that I never got lice again, thanks to this magic mixture.
TRSUT ME ON THIS ONE- AS SOMEONE WHO STRUGLLED WITH LICE AND THOUGHT NOTHING WOULD EVER WORK, THIS PROVED ME WRONG AND YOU GOTTA TRY IT!! ;)
rating: 1 (1 votes)
Submitted by CAT at 2008-06-15 10:23:41
My Daughter had a friend spend the night and she had spent the night at her house the night before. That night my Daughter wanted me to cut her bangs and noticed alot of nits. I was so upset. I did find a remedy that works on contact. I used Dawn dish soap with alternitive bleach. I soaped up their hair concentrated and left it in almost an hour. OMG!! Be prepared when you towel dry. Dead lice everywhere on towel. I about gagged. I used to get lice all the time in elementry school& I have never seen anything work like that with all the lice shampoos and everything. I was impressed. I hope this helps. I know it helped me.
rating: 1 (2 votes)
Submitted by Angela at 2008-12-15 14:24:41
I tried everything out there from Kwell, Ovide, Rid ect. it did not work! I was so fed up! Then I read somewhere to try shaving cream. So I did, I went to theDollar General bought a can of Barasol for men, paid $1.00 for it. Put it on my daughters head, wrapped it in a plastic shower cap, also that I purchased at the Dollar store for $1.00, left it on for 1 hour. Washed and conditioned her hair and brushed it and the dead lice fell out. There were some eggs left so I repeated this every 4 days for 2 weeks and we are lice free!!! I didnt have to use a nit comb or anything. So much easier and cheaper! And shaving cream is not toxic at all, so it does not hurt to do it every few days. Also it is so easy to get it onto the head and so easy to wash it out! I highly recommend you at least try this, you will see I am telling the truth!
rating: 1 (2 votes)
Submitted by Brandy at 2006-01-11 15:52:47
I took a combination od remedies that I found on the internet and sort of combined a few of them. I had my daughter wash her hair with Denorex Extra Stength, then I mixed mayonaise, tea tree oil, and vinegar and put on her hair and covered with a shower cap for 1hour. Then rinsed, you could see the dead lice and the eggs had turned white. Then I used a lice comb to get them out. Washed twice with Dawn Detergent and then with Denorex again. This dries the hair out so use a real good conditioner.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2006-02-07 16:45:19
10-15 drops of black walnut extract mixed with about 15-20oz of water in a spray bottle will repel lice. You only need to apply 2 squirts either on top of or underneath the bottom of the hair daily just prior to possible exposure. I squirt my daughter's hair each morning before I take her to school.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by anuchoithani at 2006-05-09 04:45:31
to kill lice on ur hed take out sitafal seeds crush & heat in coconut oil keep for 1 hour wash with shampoo then comb ur hair all dead lice will come out.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Ashley at 2006-12-17 05:57:17
I do not have any kids but i work in a nursing home, I have extremely long thick hair. OLIVE OIL..dont waste money on that over the counter crap it doesnt work. They say dont use dog shampoo, I wouldnt on children but if you are an adult an have this problem. First step put the olive oil on ur head!! Wash all bed linens. Vacuum bed, sofa car etc..bag EVERYTHING!!! Everyday!! Working in a nursing home I have learned the value of baggin linen. After you have taken care of your home, if you have indoor pets important they need to be bathed!Yes lice CAN NOT live on the pet..but yes they can get on the pet an lay eggs so where ever u pet goes..couch..bed they eggs can hatch an u can pick them back up,after treatin your house,an pets, sweep your vehicles. Sleep with olive oil on your head!. The next day you can wash your hair but u need to put the oil back in an wear it for atleast 7 days. the oil kills the bugs not the eggs! The eggs once they hatch will die as long as the oil is still in the hair. mayo works too but it way messier. Comb with a lice comb everyday!!!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Frustrated Mom in SD at 2006-09-28 20:26:58
When my little girl was sent home from school with the pesty little creatures I tried every shampoo that claims to get 'Rid' of them. Yea right... basically I spent a ton of money for no reason!!!! After looking on this site and learning about the medicine in the dandruff shampoos and the cocanut sented conditioner, I can honestly say that my daughter is lice FREE!!! We have dealt this this for 6months now and WOW I just can't explain how relieved to know this really truely works. Thank you to all the people here sharing thier secrets!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by a friend indeed at 2007-01-03 17:07:58
Me and my family had head lice 4 months ago. Lately I found out our neighbors whom we have running around with carry these critters because they refuse to treat all family members, nor do they clean their house. Here is what all I did and now I am lice free, 1st I soaked my hair in mineral oil over night putting bag over head and taping it on getting all air out followed with a towel tightly over it. Then i rinsed this out about three times with dawn dishwashing soap. Then the next night i put listerine on my head, soaking my whole head. I left this one for 1 hour. I rinced and in sink I seen dark colored things going down the drain. I was still freaked out. I couldnt stand the thought of these darn bugs. I went to walmart and bought nix. Also I bought the denorex shampoo, plus the swave coconut shampoo and conditioner. In all honestly I dont have a bug 1 now. I did use the nix also. But I do honestly think that listerine was killing them and I think if you would use the mineral oil 1st night, leave on all night covering with shower cap or plastic bag making tight and airless, followed up with listerine, cover head again with bag or shower cap, repeat the listerine morning and night with shower cap or bag for 5 days. Then repeat mineral oil and listerine again for 2 days, using the mineral oil just the 1st night on both of these i think you will rid these pest. Also go buy deorex shampoo and suave coconut shampoo and conditioner using the denorex 1-2x a week and the suave on the days will help repel these critters.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Judy at 2007-12-27 19:45:15
Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
Use as much as needed to saturate the hair. Starting at the temples working around the back of the neck and over to the next temple, moving from the front of the head back to the neck. I poured the alcohol in a dish and used cotton balls to saturate the head, then wrapped the head in plastic wrap for 30 minutes. The smell alone should kill them and it did! I spent over the past 5 months and $500 trying to get rid of these microscopic bugs. I was desperate to try anything, because nothing else had worked not even for a day. Always fresh egg were laid by the next morning. A bottle of alcohol cost less than a dollar!
Yes I did all the cleaning, washing, nit picking and combing!Out of 5 children I was able to contain it to just one.
Hope it works for you, I don't want to experience this ever again!Ding Dong the bugs are gone! My family said you have to tell others this experience has been aweful not to mention time consuming and expensive. My daughter missed camp and overnite visits with her friends and dare not say why, she'd have no friends if they heard 'lice'!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by alli at 2007-09-24 16:59:49
After reading some of these rememedies, I have to say 'what are some of you thinking?' Omg! kerosene? disiel oil? I know rid and Nix doesnt work but you need to find something better than those. Mayo works to a point, its awful hard to get out in the morning. Olive oil works pretty well, too. Like the nurse said the only way really to get them out is by picking them out one by one.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Heather Schrandt at 2008-01-03 21:43:43
I have been fighting with head lice on my step-daughter for over 4 years now. Not two mention many diffrent towns we have lived in and two diffrent states. The main problem was the schools that we had her in when we lived in Arkansas they seem to be infested with the things. It has become much more under control since we moved up to our home state of Iowa but it is still a problem. Anyway after trying hundreds of diffrent thing we have found two GREAT ones!!!
The first is a mixture of 1/2 cup rubbing alchol, 1 cup of white vinager and 1 cup mouth wash (listernie or generic) origianl flavor. Just Pour it over their hair then ring out and put it up in a towel til dry. then just was and conditon like normal. You may need to do a little combing but not much.
Second is one from my best friend whos mom used it for years on her kids. It is 1/2 cup of Downy to 1 quart of water. Just pour over hair and let dry. Wash like normal. And it works!!!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2008-02-20 14:12:56
Here is my home remedy. I used it out of desperation after finding out how those expensive over the counter remedies are worthless.
I mix Suave Coconut Shampoo, coconut milk, olive oil, and tea tree oil together. I let it set on the hair for as long as possible...overnight is good. I put a plastic bag over this on the hair.
Rinse out hair. Condition hair with Suave Coconut conditoner, Coconut milk and a few drops of tea tree oil. Rinse
Mix Detangler Spray with a few drops of tea tree oil.
Comb out hair with a flea comb (I bought a cute flea comb that is exactly like a lice comb. It was purple with a pink heart, which my daughter liked, and saved me from the embarrasment from buying a lice comb.
Spray on a mix of vinegar and warm water. Let set about 15 minutes. Rinse and blow dry with a hot hair dryer.
Comb with flea comb.
Use flea comb to comb out your hair for a week or two.
Use shampoo/conditoner combo to wash hair with for a couple of weeks.
I found no lice or nits after the first treatment.
M
Blow dry with hot hair dryer.
Use the same shampoo/conditioner/detangler combo for a couple of weeks.
You will be free of bugs!!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2008-07-22 17:52:51
$5 perm from dollar store
I'm a licensed cosmetologist and that is what we were taught in school. Just use the perm solution. Comb through the hair, leave on for 20-25 minutes wash with shampoo, rinse then pick out the nits. Color will also do the same thing. When using the perm solution, there is no need for the nutralizer, because you are not trying to set a curl. Just simply apply the solution 1
No need to shave your children's head or cut all their hair off.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by zoee at 2008-08-26 12:07:00
Discovered lice on my head one night and freaked. I am compulsive - this could not be!
I showered, and twice soaked my head in rubbing alcohol. I'll be doing it again to be sure.
Rubbing alcohol is used to kill everything by Pharmacists and in hospitals, and externally is SAFE. I happeed to have the Suave coconut conditioner. I scrubbed the crap out of my head, and went through and through with one of thos round scalp scrubbung things.
The alc. did not hurt my head at all, and my skin is sensitive. I did finish off with the coconut conditioner. My hair is great.
RUBBING ALCOHOL. So simple. So safe.
I have used natural remedies for years as a Midwife. I'm glad it doesn't have to be gruesome.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by LINDS at 2008-10-04 18:21:15
$100's later, I reached my pediatrician. LIKE A CHARM. This was a ONE TIME PROCESS- NO NEED TO REPEAT.
1. Saturate your hair with high potency alchohol, ie: vodka, whiskey, rum... you get the idea. Allow this to dry. This will kill the eggs.
2. Wash hair. If you want to be extra safe, use denorex or some sort of dandruff shampoo.
3. Cover head with something slimey- vasoline, mayo, raw eggs- take your pick. This will smother them and prvent new eggs from attaching. Sleep with this on your head.
4. Wash your hair again in the morning.
BE SURE TO TREAT ALL BEDDING IN HOT WATER AND BLEACH, AND SPRAY MATTRESSES.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2008-11-04 18:08:33
Wow, I have tried quite a bit and we have been battling since school started (and it is now November). I actually found out that I have been using Denorex Shampoo and Suave Coconut Conditioner, and I haven't had one issue with it. This is my oldest daughters first year in public school, so I was frustrated when I got a call from the school nurse that she had come up with lice just a couple of weeks into school. As a child that was something I never had to worry about, so like most parents, I spent lots of time and money on anything I could do to get rid of it. We tried Rid and LiceFree (and of those two LiceFree was the best, but still didn't do the trick). I even spent at least once or twice a day nit picking EVERYDAY for two weeks, and they still came back. I finally got tired of spending money, so I tried the home remedies. I first tried the oil, but I had to use vegatable oil because that was all we had. That just made a mess. So then I decided to try the Denorex, and WOW, I was amazed at how well that work. My daughters hair is thick but fine, so she has to have a seperate conditioner (even if the shampoo is a 2 in 1), so I got the Suave Coconut Conditioner. I used it one night, used a metal nit comb, then didn't get a chance to repeat again until two days later. I repeated again, with washing her hair and using the nit comb, and we haven't had an issue since. What is funny is that we have three other kids in the house (one more girl and two boys, and the girls share a room) and the other girl didn't get it. So now we have been lice free for about three weeks now, and every time I give her a shower, I make sure I still wash her hair with the Denorex and Suave just as maintainence to make sure she doesn't get it again.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Mr Vinegar at 2008-11-17 02:30:17
BACK TO BASICS
I have three children that have been plagued with lice ever since they started school.
My wife and I have spent hours and hours under halogen light picking these things out of are kid’s hair. And a whole host of lice killing supplies lined are medicine cabinet with no real effect on these nasty parasites. They just keep coming back, WHY.
I realized one day at a teacher/parent interview why, as the kids came in they hung their coats neatly on hooks along a wall some twenty feet long, each coat over lapping another.
It was a super highway for these beasties. All traveling, from one coat to another, then to the children’s hair.
How can you win with conditions like that? When my son went to another school the problem subsided a bit, instead of getting them four times in a school year he got them twice, they hung their coat on the back of their chairs, instead of the wall. However when my daughter hit junior high they had lockers, and then I had fewer problem with her hair.
As a child I don’t ever remember having head lice, ever. I asked my sister if her three kids had head lice, she said only once or twice in there school career. I also asked her if she got head lice as a child, (I am the youngest by 12 years) she also said only once or twice and the same with the rest of my brothers and sisters, once or twice. Why, what was different from all of them and my kids. Here is the reason why I think.
After looking on this site I realized one important thing. Most home remedies suggested using mayonnaise and vinegar to kill the lice. However, when I remember my mom washing are hair she always rinsed are hair with vinegar and water, my sisters still did this, with their kids, but I never did.
So to get rid of the lice here is what I did
-2cups real mayo with ¼ cup vinegar mixed in well
-apply to hair working it in well
-cover head with shower cap for 2 hours or more
-wash out mayo
-soak hair in 1gal (4L) water mixed with 2 cups vinegar for 15 minutes
-comb out hair with nit comb remove as many nits as possible
-rinse out hair
- Clean bedding and clothes and hair brushes
Every 2 days soak hair with water and vinegar and comb with nit comb for next 12day
After 12 days rinse hair with ½ cup vinegar to 1 gal water once or twice a week
We have been lice free for a year and a half now.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by 10 at 2008-12-24 12:09:26
I have been battling lice for 3 years and i know it's disgusting! I tried RID the lice shampoo and it did nothing!After searching the web and a few of my own tricks i found this works best:
Use listerene mouthwash leave in hair for 2 hours.
Then use vinegar leave in for 1 hour or more.
comb out lice with a lice comb.
and use selson blue dandruff shampoo use as you would for regular showering.
i found this worked you may also want to use mayo the real kind =]
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2009-01-02 14:41:23
i found this remedy works for me it may not work for others though.
you will need:
vasiline or white petrollium jelly
lice shampoo(Rid,R&C,ect.)
first you treat the hair with lice shampoo let it soak the wash it out. after that comb through the hair then spread the vasiline all over the hair then let it soak over night.then in the morning comb through the hair a few times then wash the majority out. continue to comb through the hair for the next four of five days. the vasiline should suffacate the lice and make the knits slide off of the hair easily. then use the lice shampoo again.
Hope this works for you!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Chantal at 2009-01-06 15:01:15
My daughter got head lice at school, so we washed her hair with the nix, I then spent 3 hours picking nits out of her hair. For the next 4 days I was still picking live lice and spending 3 hours everynight picking nits and washing everything in hot water everyday! No one in the house had them and she was not around any other kids.
So I washed her hair again with the nix, but was still finding live lice and eggs. So we finally went to the doctors who prescribed 'RESULTZ' so after using resultz and checking her hair I was amazed to see everything was gone including all the nits. It has been 5 days since using resultz and she is still lice free! I intend to do it again on the 7th day just in case. The best product out there hands down and best of all this product has no pesticides and is chemical free!
I would recomend this product to anyone!
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by J.H. Slater at 2009-01-09 11:04:55
The problem with lice is the exoskeleton. They're tough, and most remedies won't work just 'cause they can't actually get to the lice or the nits. It's frustrating.......
But I found this product called Licenex (it's on micronutra.com) and it uses enzymes to break apart the exoskeleton. It works to 'wash away' lice, because the enzymes dissolve them. Plus the stuff is all natural, which for me, makes me feel much more comfortable. I'm not washing myself down with nasty synthetics.
Personally, I'd never use anything else.
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted by Ashley at 2009-01-25 15:29:37
half a cup of lemon juice and 2tbls of melted butter. leave in hair for 30min then rinse out. put any brand of coconut conditioner in hair comb with nit comb. nits almost fall out! wash hair with regular shampoo then once a week use the denorex dandruff shampoo. it worked for my daughter who we have had head lice problems with for 4yrs between daycare and school. let me know if it worked for you. shannonmae21707@yahoo.com
rating: 0 (0 votes)
Submitted at 2009-02-02 02:51:36
live in a remote area and had 4 girls staying over for a weekend. they brought 'extra uninvited guests'
opened this site and first hit the washed but dry hair with the generic listerine (leaving it on for half an hour). that cleared house in re to the hatched mess but still had the eggs.
did not have mayo or the dandruff shampoo with salycic acid so i
improvised and used a generic acne face gel wash mixed half and half with a gentle shampoo and let sit for a half hour (the face wash was under 5 dollars a bottle with a much higher concentration of acid so, figure i saved some money by not buying the shampoo).
took a quarter cup of coconut oil, warmed it on the stove and added the following essential oils:
10 drops peppermint
10 drops tea tree
15 drops rosemary
5 drops cinnamin
massaged into scalps, let sit on scalp a half hour before combing through pretty clear hair.
am setting them up at their homes with moms and the next time they come over, will be calling it beauty night and have everything ready just in case.
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Submitted by Tina Nichols at 2009-02-19 09:50:37
Items needed:
RID Fine Toothed Metal Comb (Walmart)
RID Bedding Spray (Walmart)
Raid Concentrated Deep Reach Foggers (Walmart)
Early Morning Breeze Lysol (Walmart)
Lysol Neutra Air Timed Spray (Walmart)
Thin disposable gloves (Walmart)
Can Of Coconut Milk (Walmart)
Mint Listerine (Walmart)
Dawn Original Dish-washing Liquid (Walmart)
Tea Tree Oil (Walmart)
Eucalyptus Oil (Walmart)
Peppermint Oil (Walmart)
Organix Coconut Milk And Tea Tree Products (Walmart)
Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Oil Shampoo (Walmart Beauty Shop)
Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Oil Conditioner (Walmart Beauty Shop)
Coconut Oil Capsules (GNC)
Lice Guard Robi Comb (Walgreen's)
White Vinegar (Dollar Tree)
Plastic Caps (Dollar Tree)
Coconut Shampoo (Dollar Tree)
Coconut Conditioner (Dollar Tree)
Starbucks Coffee Of Choice (Starbucks)
***AND A SHOPPING SPREE FOR MOMMY WHEN SHE'S DONE***
My 13 year old daughter (with thick long hair) kept coming home from Middle School with Lice. To my surprise, it's not mandatory for the Nurse to do Lice checks, or even send out notes to inform parents anonymously. Do you know that the after the nits hatch, it takes 3-4 days for these discusting things to reach sexual maturity and breed. I've tried everything but, nothing worked better than this! Come on Moms, put on your Gloves, grab your Starbucks Coffee, get into the ring, and let's do this!!! DAY ONE - saturate head with Mint Listerine - cover with a plastic cap for 2 hours (this kills the Lice), rinse, saturate head with White Vinegar - cover with a plastic cap for 1 hour (this will loosen the nits glue), rinse, palm full of Original Dawn Soap, rinse, and comb through with a Fine Toothed Metal Comb. This whole process is long, but very effective and worth your time. My daughter said it itched at first, tingled, and then felt a relaxing cool. DAY TWO - Lice hate coconut so, I got shampoo and conditioner containing it, and added 2 Tablespoons in each bottle of Tea Tree Oil (mixed well). I also have Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner that I get my daughter to wash with daily. When her hair is completely dry, Go through hair with Lice Guard Robi Comb, and with it's AA battery it electrocutes the Lice on contact. You can use this daily, safe on children, and you can buy it at Walgreen's for $30.00. Spray all of your things with Lysol and Bedding Spray. Girl's don't forget your bras, cars, cell phones, I Pods, MP3s, X Box 360 Head Gear, gym clothes, shoes, backpacks, toys, and all of your hanging clothes in your closet. Boil brushes on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, add water, and Early Morning Breeze Lysol in a can (about 2 caps full), repeat after brushing your hair each time. Set off Foggers (Raid Concentrated Deep Reach) in an orange box, throughout your house. I also put a Lysol Neutra Air timed spray, set for every 30 minutes in her room on her dresser. DAY THREE -From GNC get Coconut Oil Capsules for about $14.00. Break open about 5-6 Capsules, and pour on the scalp at the roots, and massage in. With a Fine Toothed Metal Comb, start combing out the nits, and leave it in. Saturate head with a can of Coconut Milk - cover with a plastic cap for 1 hour (this will smother the nits, while conditioning your hair in the process). Wash out with your Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner, a couple of times. You can go through it again with the Robi Comb after the hair is completely dry. It took me 1 day total to get rid of them this way for the Lice, and 4 more days for the microscopic nits . At Walmart you can also purchase Organix Coconut Milk and Tea Tree products. Lice also hate eucalyptus, and peppermint oil. You can choose your scent for that day, put 1 dab behind each ear, and back of the neck. I have an In-Home Daycare, and it's good to know that we won the battle!!! Good Luck to everyone, and a special thanks to Moms everywhere.
God Bless You,
Tina Nichols
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Submitted by katy at 2009-04-08 00:34:50
my sister used to suffer from head and i was scared too becoz they r contagious. someone told me to use tea tree oil shampoo, me and my sister tried it n finally got rid of it.i think this remedy will help who r suffering from head lices.
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Submitted by Tiffany at 2009-04-20 14:37:14
my little cousin got lice from school. We used over the counter products, mayo, vinegar, even gasoline. nothing worked we got it back.. but then one day we used Germ-X as an experiment, It worked we dumped Germ-x on her head while it was dry, and let it sit then rinsed it out and starting combing it with a lice comb. It doesnt kill eggs but it does kill the bugs. We also used lysol to spray down funiture and stuff
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Submitted by heavensangel2009 at 2009-06-06 14:42:10
Head lice- spray once a day with tea tree oil, a good quality one is more effective, + ordrinary tap water in a spray botle, use at least 20- 30 drops+ spray the hair + comb through. Allow to dry, also leaves behind a lovely shine.
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Submitted at 2009-07-12 19:07:17
Go to Walmart and buy De-Solv it or Goo Gone Citrus.This disolves the nits and brush them out with a metal pet type flea comb...works like magic.
Also spray full strength Listerine on hair.(that is another solution)
Make sure you rinse the Goo-gone off in about ten minutes after you brush out the nits and dont get too much on the kids ears or it may irritate a little bit.This stuff disolves the nits and it is awesome.Then rinse out the greasy stuff with coconut shampoo.
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Submitted by Mommy of two at 2009-08-11 02:47:37
Ok, here is my rememdy. and i know that some of you will look and think to yourselves, NO WAY, but remember that this is the active ingredient in Listerine! simply, rubbing alcohol! i grew up in foster care and different homes, with a variety of families and ta-da head lice infestations. i could never get rid of them, until, i went into a pentecostal home. true pentecostal, as in, they all had hair to their knees. so, as soon as i got there, and the foster mother saw the little buggers in my hair, she bent me over the bath tub, dumped the alcohol over my head, washed, repeated, washed shampooed, combed. and did it again every 3 days for the next 10 days. and i never got head lice again. it's so simple and cheaper and more effective than listerine. and keep in mind, that spending unnecessary money on sprays and trips to the laundromat for all of your bedding is not neccessary. a louse can only live off of the human host for about 24 hrs. so home infestation is nothing to worry yourself about. i really hope this helps someone.
and please, to anyone who doesn't already, i know it's embarassing, trust me, i know, but please inform the parents of other children who have been around your child at the time they were infested. it is so much easier to rid your child of one bug and maybe a few nits than to rid them of an entire infestation.
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Submitted by Tom McDonald at 2009-08-25 15:28:16
'Suave Smoothers, Orange Mango' Shampoo. Right now it is in an orange bottle with a green lid.
This Shampoo for kids can be found in most department stores for around $2.00 a bottle.
Shampoo hair in tub or shower, run the net comb thru the hair while hair is still wet with shampoo in it.
This $2.00 bottle of Shampoo will get rid of the nit glue and the nits, eggs will slide off with the nit comb.
All I know is that it works. I could tell you all the money and time we have put into getting rid of head lice but you know that story all to well.
All I can say is that it WORKS!!!
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Submitted by Tom McDoanld at 2009-08-28 13:55:05
Suave Orange Mango Smoothers, shampoo for kids.
Orange bottle, green lid.
use nit comb while shampoo is in hair.
Nits will rince out of your hair.
3 grand daughters, 3 years and a lot of time and money to get rid of these things and all it took was a bottle of Suave Orang Mango shampoo for less than two dollars.
Tom McDonald
Oklahoma City, OK
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Submitted by robyn at 2009-09-27 03:43:15
hi, i have read all the remedies. for over 2 years my 9 year has had headlice,i have tried all over counter remedies with no success.today after reading your responses i have tried the mayonnaise and vinegar for my own hair ,it has worked excellent.i am not scratching.my 2 daughters are trying the listerine ,i will report how this has gone,i am from australia and it was good to see this website was available.
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Submitted by Heidi at 2009-09-29 20:04:06
My daughter, age 2, just came down with head lice, for the second time in 3 months. I chose to use Nix on her as treatment, but my friend gave me a helpful hint. After rinsing out whatever treatment you find most helpful, shampoo as usual, I've heard it's best to use coconut shampoo and conditioner, so I'm trying that now. After rinsing the shampoo, put the conditioner on, and comb with the nit/lice comb while the conditioner is still on. The lice and nits comb right out. I thought it'd be hard to tell where the nits were with the conditioner on the comb, but it was surprisingly easy. I found 5 nits and 2 (dead) lice. Before I treated her, I combed through her hair and found only 1 nit. Using the conditioner helped greatly. I think the nits and the lice don't have anything to cling to when the hair is so slick from the conditiner. Hope this helps!!
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Submitted by krystal at 2009-09-30 23:42:31
my family has have head lice since they were in middle school we tried every thing even prescibed meds for lice the only thing we found that works is putting olove oil in your hir wrapping it up and waiting for 8 hours then wash wiht dawn dish soap and head and shoulders thn comb out they lice and eggs just fall out. also orginal listenerne mouth wash wrap your hair wait 2 hours then risne out then add vingear wrap aigain and then wait one hour rise that and wash with dawn dish soupp and head and shoulders . the lice dies and comes out in the shower and the eggs come out with a good metal comb hopes this helps some one
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Submitted by jb at 2009-10-24 20:31:13
I'm battling these little buggers. Someone told me that Lysol was good to use. I contacted the Lysol Co. and asked if any of their sprays or if the concentrate would kill the bugs or the eggs and they came back and said that none of their products will kill them and to be VERY careful about using the concentrate! I think I have had more success with putting Tea Tree Oil first and then lots of Vaseline on my hair, wrap it in saran wrap or something similar for it to be very tight, Leave that on for at least 1 hour. I then use the nit comb, then shampoo with the Dawn dish soap. Then the final rinse is vinegar and let it dry on my hair. Vinegar is good for your hair anyway, it provides the PH balance. It's been 3 weeks trying stuff and so far this combination has helped me more. JB
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Submitted by M & S's Proud Mom at 2009-11-01 11:28:12
Just a note to those of you upset about the hygiene factor...Lice have an easier time holding on to CLEAN hair rather than those whose hair is not well taken care of. If you think about it, if you've gone a day or two without washing your hair, besides feeling yucky, your hair is usually getting oily-looking. These oils make it harder for the lice to grab.
The stigma about lice only being found on people that don't take care of themselves needs to be addressed. It can happen to anyone, and clean hair makes it worse. When my kids have come home with lice, my sister tells me that's what I get for sending my kids to school with clean hair! :-) A friend told her, which I plan to try once I get rid of the latest infestation, to douse kids hair with gels, mousse, and/or hair spray. I would think this would make the hair easier to hold on to, but she has 3 children that have never had lice, so I'm willing to try it! Plus, I am going to make it a habit to start blow-drying both of them when they get out of the shower. I've heard they can't survive the heat.
Plan on trying the listerine/vinegar treatment in a bit. Haven't been able to get rid of lice after 3 weeks. Now my other child has them. We tried the peroxide the other day, but my son keeping a shower cap on and not letting his sister see him was a chore, so we will all wrap out heads tonight and no one can make fun of anyone else!
Good luck, everyone!
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Submitted by Vicki at 2009-11-20 18:23:01
Okay, I tried several combonations of home remedies that I have seen on this site, and....MY HAIR FELL OUT!!! Just kidding!!! I am a mother of 4 small children and have been through 3 weeks of hell. After struggling to become 'LICE, KNIT, BUGGER...and so on....FREE, I now want to share with you the true remedy. Yes, the oils are of the essence. Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, Salt and Dish Washing Detergent DID IT!!! This was not only the most effective, it was the easiest way to treat. I took 4 empty medium size bottles, such as a normal size shampoo bottle. I put half of the bottle with dish washing detergent, 10 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of peppermint oil and 3 Tablespoons of salt per bottle. All of us used this shampoo in the shower or bath. We would keep on for approx. 5 minutes or so as we would bathe. Rinse and use a COCONUT SHAMPOO AND/OR CONDITIONER!!! This combonation did the job. No lice, no knits, no babies, it was wonderful. We did this every night for roughly a week and actually were pretty convinced that they were gone after the first treatment. We would comb all hair in sections after every treatment as well. And YES, the aluminum combs do make a difference and are less time consuming, but should you only have the plastic combs, make sure you double or tripple comb the hair - - in sections.
Good Luck to you!!! I know this will ease your mind and frustration!!
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Submitted by tina b at 2009-12-03 19:39:12
To my outrage,two weeks ago I discovered my 3 daughters had head lice. I found several large adult louse and tons of nits, I was hysterical needless to say. We started with a lice shampoo and I continued to find live lice for the next several days so I began searching for another option to rid our family of these disguisting pests. I decided to try olive oil and tea tree oil combined. I fully saturated my girls head with the mixture and had them sleep with it on their heads wearing a disposable shower cap on top to prevent anything from escaping and so the oil wouldn't get all over everything. I continued to do this for several days while washing all linens,vaccuuming,and misting a tea tree/water mix all over everything along with nit combing daily. While it was very time comsuming and maybe a bit obsessive, we overcame this infestation with flying colors! The first thing is to try your best not to become hysterical(though I was) it just upsets your child. My husband and I did not get lice, thank God. Its has now been a few weeks and we remain lice free and all the nits are gone. By using the oil regularly I belive we were able to make sure that all the nits died and were easily removed. Put 12 to 14 drops of tea tree oil in about 3ounces of a carrier oil..Olive oil worked best for us because my girls have long hair and it was easily removed with regular shampoo. I continue to mist my daughters hair daily to prevent reinfestation..apparently they don't like the smell. Im telling you after my countless hours researching home remedies and any available options this worked. I was very skeptical as Im sure most people are before they try something like this but I gaurantee it will work as long as your vidualant about the nit picking which I belive is most important. Do it daily for the first week and atleast every other day for the second til you see no more nits and don't forget to repeat you treatment 7to10 days after the first..They'll be gone. You'll get through this,just don't give up!
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Submitted by Sharon at 2010-01-30 09:40:51
My brothers kids keep giving me head lice and I get rid of them just by combing a metal nit comb in my hair as soon as they have gone home. I then recomb it before I go to bed and once again when I get up. I've caught them a number of times from the kids but never have them for long by doing this. When the kids stay with me for a few days I do this 3 times daily to their hair and greatly reduce their lice. The only reason they still have them is their mother and father do not keep up the treatment.
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Submitted by Katheryn at 2010-02-15 21:08:23
Hmmm. I hate lice. Everybody does.
But anyways. I use mayo the cheap one. and then mis it with vinger and then I put it in the head and then I put a shower cap or plastic bags on. Leave in for 12 hours because lice can hold their breath up to 10 hours. So uselly me and my sisters do it and just sleep in it over night, wash it out in the morning and then comb with a lice brush. Everyday you comb your hair. Then clean your house. (:
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Submitted at 2010-03-03 14:12:10
While the weather is still cold, apply coconut oil to hair. go outside and let the oil harden. stay out for at least one hour. the hardened oil will kill the lice. do this every two days for at least 2 weeks.
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