Treat Head Lice

To treat lice, there are times when all you need to do is use a lice comb to comb your child’s hair every morning and evening for three weeks. You can combine the combing with some easy—although sometimes messy—home treatments.

Nearly all home remedies rely on some method to suffocate the lice. Using an effective home remedy is probably preferable to putting harsh chemicals on your child’s head. Here are some of the natural “suffocating” or “smothering” treatments that work well if you follow the instructions.



Rinse Hair with Vinegar

After you rinse out the shampoo, rinse it again using 50% water and 50% 
white kitchen vinegar. The vinegar helps dissolve the bodies of dead nits. Rub it in vigorously, then rinse your hair a few times to dispel the odor.


Oil and Vinegar

Use the louse-killing shampoo again 10 days later. If you’re still not getting results, mix a half-cup vinegar with a half-cup olive oil. About an hour before you take your bath or shower, apply this mixture to your hair, working it in close to the scalp. Put a shower cap over your hair. After an hour, remove the cap and take your shower, washing your hair with regular shampoo.


Comb and Oil Treatment

Once you have completely combed out your child’s hair, use their regular shampoo, rinse, and repeat. Make sure you wash all the towels used and clean out the lice comb. You can soak it in a 10 percent bleach solution or 2 percent Lysol solution for 30 minutes and rinse very well. Alternatively, you can soak the comb in vinegar for 30 minutes or boil it in water for 10 minutes.


Follow this procedure every day for a week. Then, for the next two weeks, comb through your child’s hair every night to make sure the lice are gone.


Kill Lice with Mayonnaise

If you’re wary of synthetic pesticides, you may be able to smother lice while you sleep. First, saturate the hair and scalp with mayonnaise, then put on a shower cap. The next morning, lice should be dead. Unfortunately, you can’t smother the louse eggs, you’ll still have to remove them by hand.



Essential Oils

Essential oils can kill lice and help soothe the itching. There are many different "recipes”. One effective combination is 20 drops tea-tree oil, 10 drops rosemary oil, and 15 drops each of lemon (or thyme) and lavender oil mixed into 4 tablespoons vegetable oil. Rub the mixture into your dry hair, cover your head with a plastic shower cap, then wrap that with a towel. After an hour, unwrap your head, shampoo well, and rinse.