Tried every head lice treatment but could not get rid yourself from those nasty head lice anyways?
I am sure no one is immune to the itchy scalp due to head lice infestation and every one of us does undergo this ordeal at least once in their lifetime.
In fact six to 12 million kids in the U.S. get head lice each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and just as many tears are shed by kids—and adults—trying to get rid of those tiny parasitic insects.
And quite naturally with all the constant itching and irritation, your child will have a hard time relaxing and doing daily activities at home or at school with peace.
But this should be no more: In today’s post, we are going to talk about those proven head lice home remedies straight from your pantry or fridge with no extra cost to you.
So without further ado let’s dive and below here’s everything you need to know about the best natural remedies to get rid of head lice at home fast.
Best natural remedies for treating lice
1. Essential oil treatment for lice
Using essential oil with simple combing can be another good home remedy for treating head lice. The oils that have shown effectiveness are:
- tea tree oil
- lavender oil
- neem oil
- clove oil
- eucalyptus oil
- aniseed oil
- cinnamon leaf oil
- red thyme oil
- peppermint oil
- nutmeg oil
How to use them?
- Take about 10-15 drops of any of the essentials oils listed above and mix it with about 2 ounces of olive oil. Stir both well to get a good mix
- Using a few cotton balls, thoroughly apply this mixture over the scalp and leave it for the whole night – at least 12 hours while covered with a shower cap
- In the morning, rinse it off and comb. Apply shampoo and comb again.
- Repeat this practice for at least 2 times a week to effectively remove any head lice.
Alternative option
Another good alternative approach is to mix about 15 drops of these essential oils in 2-3 ounce of rubbing alcohol and spray this mixture over your scalp and leave it for about 10-12 hours and, in the next morning, rinse it, shampoo it and comb out the dead lice and its eggs.
Essential oils should never be ingested as some of these could be very toxic. Also, Never bring them in direct contact with your skin or scalp and always first dilute them with a carrier oil and patch test a small drop to ensure you don’t have an allergic reaction to them.
Some of the children can be allergic to them and if you find any of this essential oil causing a reaction, move on, and try the next in the list.
2. Salt for head lice
Your kitchen salt can be another good home remedy for eradicating your head lice thanks to its amazing dryness causing properties that make it impossible for head lice to thrive.
To use this home remedy
- Take an equal amount of common salt and vinegar, ¼ of a cup is ideal and mix both thoroughly and store it in a spray bottle.
- Now, thoroughly spread this mixture over your scalp and put a shower cap to protect it and leave it for about 2-3 hours before you rinse it off with lukewarm water and comb out the dead lice with a fine-tooth comb.
Use this common salt and vinegar remedy for at least twice a week.
3. Garlic for head lice
A Garlic is another effective home remedy for head lice that can be prepared right from your kitchen.
Loaded with powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, garlic can effectively neutralize head lice and make their growth difficult on your scalp.
To use it as a remedy against head lice,
- Grind out a little garlic to make a fine paste and mix it with lemon juice and get a good mixture.
- Apply this thick paste over lice-infested scalp and leave it out for about 30-40 minutes.
- After about half an hour, rinse off your hair with a good shampoo and comb out dead lice and keep doing it for at least a couple of times a week to effectively remove any sort of head lice.
4. Petroleum jelly for head lice
Petroleum jelly is another solid remedy for treating head lice. It kills head lice by acting as a good suffocant which means it constricts the breathing space in their breathing tubes which kills them.
To use as a remedy against head lice,
- Simply slather a thick layer of petroleum jelly over your scalp at night and go to sleep while it is covered with a shower cap.
- Next, in the morning, use some baby oil to properly remove petroleum jelly from your head and after that, rinse off your head with lukewarm water and comb out dead lice with a fine-toothed comb.
5. Tea tree oil for lice treatment
Why it is effective for lice?
- It has strong anti-fungal and anti-microbial characteristics that can effectively fight lice, their eggs, and bacteria or any kind of infection emanating from them.
How to use it?
Take about 2-3 drops of tea tree oil, and massage your scalp directly for a few minutes. Next, tie up hair tightly and leave it for 2-3 hours before rinsing them off with slightly lukewarm water.
As far as frequency of usage, try using tea tree oil for at least once a week while using are trying to kill lice but being regular with it with also ensure to prevent lice coming back once they are killed.Â
6. Sodium chloride & Acetic acid solution for lice
Sodium Chloride or salt for getting rid of lice is another effective home remedy to combat lice. As for its frequency of usage, try doing this at least twice a week for a whole month and minutely measure your progress.
Why this is effective for lice?
Both of these home ingredients have very good desiccating characteristics that strip all the moisture from your hair which makes it difficult for lice and nits to survive.
How to use it?
Take about less than half a cup of both solutions and mix them and save them in a separate bottle together. Now, spread this mixed solution all over your scalp and hair and leave your head as it is for a couple of hours before rinsing it with slightly lukewarm water.
As for its frequency of usage, try doing this at least twice a week for a whole month and minutely measure your progress.
7. Use your own blow hairdryer for lice
I am sure you would be surprised to know your favorite blow dryer could be used for this purpose.
To make use of the dryer for this job, open up your scalp, turn your dryer hottest setting and start moving over your scalp. The immense heat would be too much for buddying nits and lice.Â
Also, the heat of the dryer would strip off any moisture of your hair which is important for lice survival. After 5-10 minutes of blow drying at the hottest setting, comb your hair with a fine comb to remove off any dead lice or nits.
8. Suffocate-kill your lice with olive oil
Suffocating and killing your lice is another home remedy that you can follow to kill your lice and Olive oil is the best choice to do it.
How to do it?
Begin with taking a thick layer of olive oil and apply all over your scalp and hair lengths. Then tie up your hair firmly, cover them up properly with a good cap, and go to sleep at night.
During the night, the olive oil would cause nits and lice to suffocate while you sleep. Next morning, get up and comb your hair with a fine comb to remove leftover dead lice debris.
As far as frequency of its usage, try it for at least a month every week until you completely get rid of your lice.
9. Make use of powerful antiseptic neem for lice
The powerful antibacterial and antiseptic properties of neem are too good for any kind of lice. It’s a very powerful natural remedy to doing away with lice naturally for good.
How to do it?
Take a handful of neem leaves and boil them in a cup of water. Now take the juice and leaves of neem and directly apply over your hair and leave alone your hair for at least a couple of hours. After that, wash them off with lukewarm water
Or else, if you can’t your hands on neem leaves you can make use of commercially available neem oil for lice treatment at home.
10. Try Apple cider vinegar with coconut oil for lice
This combination is another powerful source of stopping the spread of lice. While sheer acidity of acetic acid can easily kill your lice, the suffocating properties of coconut oil can kill them too overnight.
How to use it?
To use it in an effective manner, first, apply a spoonful of apple cider vinegar and massage all over your scalp and hair lengths.
Once this apple vinegar has dried up, take coconut oil and massage your hair with it now and cover all your head with it and leave it untouched under a head cap for the whole night.Â
Next morning, wash your hair with slightly lukewarm water.
Try doing this two times a week for the whole month until you feel a clear respite from disturbing lice.
11. Try out Anise oil for head lice
Anise oil may coat and suffocate-kill lice.
A 2018 study of natural remedies for lice in children found out that anise oil was one of the most effective natural remedies.
Although other home remedies were found frequently effective as well but anise oil was one of just two that permanently eliminated lice for people who used.
12. Try Mayonnaise for lice
Mayonnaise for head lice can be an effective natural remedy against lice owing to the following factors
- Since Lice can open and close their breathing holes to avoid suffocation, so there’s no guarantee that it will always work. The National Pediculosis Association has received conflicting reports on the success of this home remedy.
How to use it for treating lice?
- People who’ve tried it recommend using real, full-fat mayonnaise. Simply slather it on liberally and pop on a shower cap.
- Let the mayo do its thing overnight and then shampoo and comb for nits in the morning.
- Finally, repeat one week later to kill any lice that hatch from nits that survive the treatment.
Best Lice prevention tips
The following are the best lice prevention tips to avoid lice in the first place.
1. Keep your hair usage items separate.
This is the single most important prevention strategy that can effectively lice clinging onto your head. Since lice can easily crawl in and out of your belongings, so it is imperative to use only your own items and keep them separated.
The following items should be kept separate.
- Combs and brushes
- Hair accessories like clips, ponies
- Your clothing like a coatÂ
- Your bath or mouth towels
- Your headsets or earbuds if you have
2. Teach your kids to avoid a lot of head-to-head contacts
This is another very effective lice prevention strategy. Often little children are unaware of any kind of lice and when they play around, they are very likely to touch each other heads giving lice pathways to crawl over to another host.
This further can travel to parents when they touch or share a bed or chair with their kids while cuddling them. To teach and demonstrate your kids to avoid any such games which make their head contact with others very frequently.
Finally, if your daughter or son has long hair, you can teach him to use a hair-controlling ponytail to perfectly bind your hair to avoid getting in contact with another child so often.
3. Completely separate out personal belongings.
Shared spaces like closets, lockers, drawers or even your clothes hook are perfect sources for your lice to crawl over to the untouched areas.
So, immediately ask your child to separate out anything like hats, coats, scarves, overcoats, etc and manage them their own space for these things. By doing this, at least the lice would not be able to affect another person
Please note that these instructions are equally applicable for adult parents
More important lice prevention tips
- Try washing your daily use items like your clothes, bedding, and other clothing types in warmer temperature of the water, ideally above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This would kill any budding lice
- Similarly, hot wash your hairbrushes and combs for 10-15 minutes regularly, at least once a week
- Take out all your rugs, cleans, and carpets in your home and wash them too in hotter waters.
- Never ignore your head-scratching or itching for the first time and take steps from day one before lice grow out in numbers.
