Using a spray bottle so you don't get it in their eyes, saturate the hair with mouthwash, you can use generic and mint flavored if you want. Cover the head with a shower cap to keep the heat in and leave on overnight or all day until hair dries. Rinse out mouthwash, towel dry, and spray hair with vinegar, cover with shower cap and leave on overnight or all day until hair dries. Shampoo and condition then comb with a nit comb.
This might take a few treatments, but it worked and was much safer than the chemicals you can only use once every 10 days, and it is much cheaper. I know this sounds crazy I thought so too, but it does work.
By Tonya from Cushing, OK
The way you tell if a lice egg is alive or not is to put it on the counter and smash it with your fingernail, it pops kind of (yes, morbid I know). Maintain the effect by putting 15 drops of tea tree oil into any shampoo, and washing hair two times a week with it. All of the above listed items are at Walgreens. Lice free is a non-toxic treatment sold there also. It smells like licorice and it can be used as often as desired with no ill effects.
Janitorial supply stores sell lice spray cheaper than Walgreens and Walmart.
Note: Tea Tree Oil is toxic to cats, so don't shampoo them with it!
By Robyn Fed from Hampton TN
Tea tree oil is a popular homeopathic deterrent, and coconut shampoo and conditioner is also recommended. Always treat bedding, mattress, stuffed animals and winter coats and hats/scarves. Things that can go into the dryer -DO IT. Bag stuffed animals, because the dryer can ruin beautiful materials the toys are made of.
I am not fond of tea tree oil's smell especially when you send your child to school smelling like a medicine chest. I used cinnamon oil to improve the smell. Always mix only 2 drops into a quart of water. Never make it stronger or cinnamon oil will irritate skin. But I found that a light mist on the hair and spritzing the coats and hats eliminated the head lice plague!
Of course, use caution! I think food grade cinnamon powder would also work. Dust items in a garbage bag, sparingly and mix some in hot water for the spray bottle.
Compared to expensive and caustic chemicals, it works fantastically. Very inexpensive, very effective, and very Natural. The bottle of cinnamon oil did my kids for years and I shared it with others plagued by the insects. No one ever complained about the smell.
Between occurrences use coconut shampoo and conditioner and continue to maintain the bedding, pillows, and stuffed animals. You may never hear the words "head lice" again.
By Linda from Flint, MI
By Robyn Fed from Hampton, TN
My granddaughter has head lice. She goes to school after using different medications, prescribed and over the counter. She appears to be free of lice, but come home again with lice. What is the best treatment and why is she not getting rid of the lice?
By JM from WVA
By Macie403/15/2013My granddaughter came to visit and brought a whole head full of friends. I immediately took her in the backyard (since she had long hair) I cut her hair. Then I took her in the bathroom and doust her entire head with Vegtable Oil. I then took seran paper and comletely covered her entire head. After the seran paper I took the hair blower and blew hot air over the seran paper. We then covered her head with a towel to keep her head warm. About four hours later I removed everything and all dead lice were stuck on the seran paper. I then put her in the shower and washed her hair throughly. BINGO never saw another lice in her hair after that treatment. Good Luck
Is there an economical way to rid children of head lice. My family is infested with the critters and after 2-1/2 mos of Rid, Nix and other home remedies, we cannot seem to clear them. HELP!
- Frustrated in Fresno
(This was originally posted 10-01-2001)
Does mayonnaise kill lice?
By Shari from Wichita, KS
By tmtr6201/28/2010My daughter has extremely thick, long hair. We really did not want to fight with mayo along with lice. After some research, we found using LISTERINE (store brand) works best. You can use it every night (we did it every 2-3 nights to make sure the life cycle was definitely interrupted).
Saturate the head with listerine (we used a spray bottle). Wrap the hair in plastic wrap, then put a towel or shower cap around it to hold in place. In an hour or two, wash it out in the shower. We also use Suave (cheap) coconut conditioner to comb that thick hair out.
For nits (if it's progressed that far), vinegar (like in mayo) loosens that super-glue like hold. Kill them with listerine, then rinse with vinegar (okay, use the coconut conditioner before the vinegar so you can get that tiny nit comb through thick hair). To wipe nits off the nit comb, spray with a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol.
It makes you feel better to know you're wiping the eggs off on a tissue rather than back into the hair! I was able to do my own hair as a precaution (with no help from anyone to do the combing) by using this method.
I was so bug-a-phobic for a while that we saturated and wrapped our hair every Saturday night for a few months, just to make sure we really had them gone. This worked wonderfully.
We still use the coconut conditioner, just because they don't like that smell--why crawl on a smell you don't prefer? Also, if there is an outbreak at school, keep little girls' hair in ponytails! Also, saturate and wrap anytime you hear a rumor of those bugs! It's that easy, and no pesticides! Thanks for letting me share!
My granddaughter keeps coming home from daycare with head lice. I have done the spray and wash everything in hot water. Any other solutions? This doesn't seem to work.
Thanks.
By Jan
By dollyslaffn03/16/2012Three things:
1) Naptime mats need to be replaced at the daycare,if there are any,as well as cubbies,or other storage bins where overcoats and scarves would be stored (turn the daycare onto tip #3, below).
2)And secondly,if your couch cushions will unzip,take them out,wash the fabric part,and put the foam rubber part inside two huge lawn and leaf bags and leave them there for at least two weeks. Same thing for any pillows it would be safe to cover with garbage bags. As long as they cannot feed for two weeks, they will die out.
3) Go to your garden center at walmart or wherever and look for spray for aphids on roses. it contains the same pyrethrins for 2.99 as the 12.99 lice sprays. The pyrethrins are derived from chrysanthemums, so they are safe for use around the children. I washed coats, cushion covers,pillows, towels-you name it,with the Aphid spray and hot water,and rented a carpet cleaner and used the Aphid spray in the solution tank. Problem solved !
My sister and niece have lice. My sister has taken her daughter to the Doctor. He told them to get Rid. They couldn't find it at the drugstore but they did find Nix. They used it and did everything they were told and It didn't work.
My sister called the Doctor back and was told to saturate both of their heads with mayonaise and leave it on for 8 hrs. They did that and for almost a week they thought they were gone. They hadn't seen any until today. The Doctor prescribed something called Ovine.
With the insurance they have the meds were still going to cost $123.00 and that was just for my nieces head. They don't have much money right now and $123.00 to her may as well be a million. Please, if anyone knows anything that will work I would love the feedback.
They were supposed to come to my house for Thanksgiving because they didn't have anything but now with the lice I can't take a chance of anyone else getting them. My niece is 2. Thank you so much!
Beverly from Louisville, KY
How do you remove the nits from a child's hair? Please let me know.
By Drakesmom
By louel5312/15/2011I would not try home remedies. If these things worked, people would not have had head lice when my mother was a child, when the remedy was kerosene. Use products from the drug store. Of course, these things are toxic, as the head lice are living things that you are poisoning. But there is no other way to do it. I see there is now a teetree oil product on the shelves at my local drugstore, so that may not be as harsh.
The comb that is used for nit removal is essential to the whole process, You must use that on your child's hair.
How do I treat or find head lice?
By Melissa
By volvomom10/27/2010My 3 daughters and I had lice not long ago. It was a nightmare! I finally took them to a lice specialist and paid lots of money, but in 2 hours they did what I had been trying to do for 5 days. You don't need to spend all the money I did, though. The key is to find the right lice comb. The cheap plastic ones in the drugstore kits are worthless. The Terminator or Licemeister work wonders! We had such a bad outbreak at the school and nothing was working for anyone. Even our principal and her daughter got it. But everyone who got the Terminator was back to school in a day or two, with no nits, while those who didn't were gone for almost a week. You can find these combs online or at some kids salons. They aren't cheap, but it's cheaper than the money I spent tryng everything else.
By dpcw
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This product does not contain pesticides or other harmful chemicals, and also does not have any odor. It is very slippery, and allowed me to comb out 100% of the lice and eggs on the first application! It was almost like a miracle. I would definitely recommend it. (11/13/2008)
By Jill
I heard it's best to use coconut conditioner because coconut oil destroys the exoskeletons of the lice. For a preventative method, it's good to shampoo hair with Denorex a few times a week just in case any nits hatch since the Denorex only kills the hatched lice. At $6.50 for a 10 ounce bottle, it definitely beats spending so much money on pesticides that lice have built up a resistance to, plus you can't you them every day. (12/19/2008)
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Getting Rid of Head Lice