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!)

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.